The Unexplained

Chapter 13

My mind drifts back to him, each and every memory.

"At least get some sleep, okay?.."

His words echo in my mind. I hadn't slept that night, nor the one that followed. Why does he care so much? It's so...weird.

Does he care? Maybe I'm just overthinking. I groan and turn onto my side. Why am I pondering over this?! I don't care about him, or anyone.

That's a lie.

I growl. Shut up.

He chuckles and recedes back into his corner.

I must've fallen asleep because I slowly start to wake up to a gentle hand brushing a strand of hair off my face.

"Mom?..." I mumble.  I open my eyes to see Austin lying across from me, his fingers having been the ones touching me.

His eyes widen as he sees that I am awake, then he sits up a little and smiles slightly, retracting his hand, but there's worry in his eyes. I follow his movements, propping myself up against the headboard. He hesitates, before speaking. "L-Look...I know...you probably don't want to talk about it but..." He sighs and looks me in the eyes. "What happened?... The day your village burnt down..."

I avert my eyes from his gaze and I suck in a small, shaky breath. I can't blame him for wanting to know, and it's not like it's hard to recall what happened. Every single moment is imprinted in my memory, just like the scars on my body from that day, always reminding me of the horrific event, so I can never forget, even if I wanted to.

"Phe?..." He whispers and reaches out again, this time brushing something else away. A single tear, the pad of his thumb erasing it from my skin. I blink, not even realizing I had started to cry. "You don't have to tell me-" He starts to say quickly, but I shake my head.

"No...I should get it out..."

I look down as I start to describe everything that happened. The peaches, the game of tag, all leading up to the explosion. I suck in a breath as I finish, but I look at him. "But....the flames...they were purple..." I whisper. "Just like Abby's...which doesn't make any sense..."

He purses his lips, probably thinking, but it's only for a moment. "But she wouldn't have done that. Besides, she was locked up in Facility 9 with me at the time..."

I nod. "Yeah...I guess you're right..." But then who could've done it?

He sighs. "Well, thank you...for telling me all that...and you're right, it doesn't make sense."

Silence falls between us.

Like the time when he visited me in the ruins of my old house.

I look up to see him staring at me. We lock eyes for a moment. It feels like the world is falling down around me as the time passes like this. Suddenly, he slowly starts to lean in. My eyes widen and I tense, not moving as he softly presses his lips to mine. Heat rises to my cheeks as my breath hitches in my throat. His lips are soft, the kiss gentle, but panic rises in my mind. I pull away, and immediately, he shrinks back, his eyes widening slightly. He even looks a little shocked at his actions.

"I-I-..." I get up and run to the door, opening it as I look back at him. He watches me, a hurtful expression on his face, but guilt as well as he stands.

"Phe wait!-" I run out the door, down the hall and I burst out the front door and into the forest. I dodge low hanging branches, barely paying attention to where I'm going, my thoughts a jumbled mess, my mind replaying what just happened over and over again.