Crossfire ••• Andy Strucker [Book 2]

unMoored II

The house was dim, soft light from the moon lighting the room in a blue hue giving everything a soft edge. Ivee makes her way up the stairs, looking at the picture frames on the walls, baby photos, family pictures make up most of them. Framed drawings and certificates fill the rest.

The door is already open when she walks by, stopping in front of it. She sees him standing by the bed, tracing the lines of the constellation she'd drawn him for his birthday.

She thinks about turning away. To not even bother and try again another night but instead she takes a deep breath and steps into the room quietly. "I wonder if they took everything from the house," she says.

He lifts his head but doesn't turn to face her. She can't really blame him. Six months is a long time when you've been inseparable for most of your lives.

"They probably burnt it down," he says.

"Wouldn't surprise me," she agrees, looking around the room.

He finally turns around and all she wants to do is wrap her arms around him. He looks so tired. The moonlight from the window ghosts over his pale skin. He wasn't the same person she used to know, as much as it hurt to admit, to see him so deep in his own mind and not being able to help him.

"It's been a while, huh?" she says, looking past him at the drawing.

"Uh..." She sees him pause and grapple for the words. "Yeah."

"What did you do to your hair?" she asks. She turns away and picks up the photo on his dresser. It was from Andy's seventh birthday, both kids were covered in chocolate cake and ketchup and mustard.

"I felt like a change."

She steps closer to him, knowing he's beating himself up inside. Part of her wants to reach out to him and take his hands in hers. She glances down at his arms, even with the long sleeves she knows his wrist is bruised and he's drowning. She feels awful inside but at the same time she's still angry. He made his choice. She just didn't realise how much it had affected him.

"Don't do that."

He looks up at her and she realises how close they were to one another. He takes her hand, and she gets scared. She should never have done this. Hijacking Lauren's dreams so she could talk to Andy was a mistake. She pulls her hand away and turns to the door. She places her hand on the doorknob and looks back at him. "Andy," she says, chewing on her bottom lip. "Was it worth it? Leaving?"

He gapes at her; she can see the thoughts running behind his eyes even without using her powers. She waits for him to reply. But when he doesn't, she turns away. "I love you, Andy and I always will," she takes a breath and tells him the truth. "But I hate you for leaving me."

She leaves the room, pulling the door closed behind her.

She opens her eyes, dark ceiling coming into view. Her breath is shallow, loud in the quiet room. Tears sting her eyes, and she rolls onto her side as they fall, instantly soaking her pillow. She bites the edge of her blanket to keep herself from making any noise.

She eventually falls into a restless sleep with dreams flashing behind her eyes, waking up almost every hour disoriented and reaching out in the dark for someone who wasn't there.

Her alarm clock goes off at six and she opens her eyes and begrudgingly sits up. She rubs her eyes, blinking and waiting for them to adjust to the weak light from the window. She drags herself from her bed and walks out of her room. The apartment is empty except for Lauren who was still asleep in her room. Ivee quietly walks into the bathroom and starts the shower. She barely lets the water heat up before stepping in. The cool water hits the top of her head, and she shudders, stepping back and leaning against the wall. She closes her eyes as the water grows warmer. She feels way too tired to be awake right now, but she knows they need help at the clinic, and she can't just bail because she misses Andy. She starts crying and tilts her head up, letting the water run over her face. It takes a few minutes for her to pull herself together enough to actually finish showering and when she does, she steps out of the shower, catching sight of her tear-streaked face in the mirror, eyes lined with red. She turns away quickly and goes back to her room. She gets dressed and walks back out to the kitchen, mind on autopilot as she makes a coffee.