“Oh, come on, Artemis!” a woman called up a white, winding staircase. “We're going to miss our train if Ты don't hurry up!”
A young man glided down the stairs, obviously taking his time. His blue eyes, the same shade of blue as the woman's, met hers playfully. “Honestly, Cady,” Artemis сказал(-а) teasingly, fluttering a few dollar bills in front of his triplet sister's face, “if Ты worry anymore, you're head will explode.”
Cady rolled her eyes and snatched the money away from her brother. “Well, one of us needs to keep on track. If we followed your schedule, we'd never leave our beds.”
Artemis chuckled and, picking up a book bag by the foot of the stairs and slinging it over his shoulder, headed out of the house. “I really have no objection to that.”
Cady snorted and followed close behind her brother. “You know, for a twenty-four год old man, Ты really are immature.”
Artemis flung open the door to the stretch limo – a good-bye present from their parents – and tossed his bag in before following suit. “And for a seventy-five год old woman, Ты look exceptionally young,” he retorted. “Why are Ты in a hurry to get back to school, anyway?”
Cady narrowed her eyes testily before sliding in after him. “Last semester I had to lug seven suit cases up twelve flights of stairs because the elevators were so full. I really do not want to have to go through that again.”
Artemis reclined lazily in his seat. “Fair point.”
Cady smothered a grin. As lazy and uncaring as Artemis pretended to be, she knew he was looking вперед to returning to college as much as she was. They both had exhausted their small home-town's “Fun Things to Do” Список and were looking вперед to a change of scenery. There was also the added benefit of Mount холм, хилл университет being so far away – no one there knew about Zane. There were no whispers of “they're going to be just like him” или “I feel so bad for them.” At college, Cady and Artemis could just be themselves and it was a freedom they both lavished as much as possible. It almost made Cady sad that would be her last год there.
The ride was long and, еще than once, Cady caught herself glaring jealously over at her snoozing brother. Falling asleep in a car was never a talent Cady had been exceptionally good at, and it had only gotten worse after Artemis' and Zane's accident three years ago. She'd become irrationally terrified that, if she closed her eyes for even a moment, the car would crash – just like theirs had done – and Artemis would die. It was irrational, she knew, but it was a fear that never left her.
Artemis grunted in his sleep, and Cady glanced over at him. The sunlight caught his hair, making the golden highlights stand out, and Cady smiled in wry affection: Artemis had always hated his “girly” highlights. One time, when they were fourteen – back when Zane had still been Zane – her brothers had gotten the brilliant idea that shaving Artemis' entire head -
The smile slid off her face.
Zane was a forbidden subject, both at with their parents and between the siblings themselves. After Zane “left” - technically, he'd been kicked out, but it comforted Cady's parents to say he “just up and left”- they'd all carried on as if he'd never been there. Her parents had even gone as far as to take down all the pictures of him, although it did no good. Not only were their physical reminders – reminders Cady had to see each time she looked in the mirror, или in her brother's face – but there were emotional ones as well; Artemis had a long scar across his ribs from the accident and the entire town had been shocked by the scandal. The rich lawyers son had gotten into drugs, almost got his brother killed, and then fled home. It wasn't something that a town of barely four hundred people would forget easily; whispers still flew when anyone of them walked down the street.
The train station was a little over an час from their parent's ranch house. Although Cady had originally hated the thought of a silent ride, she now was glad for the quiet. It was in those rare, silent moments where she could freely miss her brother, worry about him – and for him – and wonder what he was doing. In those silent moments, she could blame herself for their distance.
They arrived at the station exactly on schedule – something Artemis teased her greatly about upon waking up. They unloaded the luggage together, lugged the bags across the station, and snagged a quick lunch before the train left.
“I didn't think,” Artemis прокомментировал(-а) dryly as he bit into his рувим, повторно назначать sandwich, “that it would be this quick before I missed Mom's cooking.”
Cady laughed. “Better get used to it quick, brother, или you're going to have a long semester a head of you.”
Artemis pretended to look affronted. “Me? Get used to fattening, greasy food? Har har, sister, we Baker's don't eat greasy food! Not when there's caviar to be had!”
Cady chocked on her soda and punched her brother in the arm just as the train whistled.
The train to Mount холм, хилл was twice as long as the car ride to the station, but this time Artemis stayed awake. As if knowing his sister's earlier thoughts, he did his best to keep her talking; wondering if Sandy was still dating Thomas, if the dorm matron had finally retired, what their classes would be like. Cady saw right through the guise. As much as she loved the quiet, Artemis hated it – talking was his way of dealing with the pain. Her brother's had had a bond with each other that Cady couldn't ever have hoped to achieve with either of them and it had caused Artemis devastation when Zane left – regardless of why.
“You were right,” Artemis muttered, his gaze focused on the train station, which was full to bursting with college students. “We should have taken the earlier train.”
They unloaded the train and pushed and shoved their way to the bus stop – the transportation that would take them to the campus. As they were standing on the side-walk, Cady began plucking up her nerve. It had been weeks since she'd heard anything about Zane, and it was beginning to worry her.
“Artemis,” she began hesitantly, “Um, Ты know, I talked to Jake last night.” Jake was Zane's oldest friend and the only person who had any contact with him. He'd helped him get a job and a place to stay and also kept Cady informed on how her brother was doing. “He hasn't heard from Zane -”
“Don't.” There was no anger in his voice, no malice, but Cady knew her brother well enough to realize she crossed a line. Artemis showed every emotion that passed through him, voiced every thought, but when it came to Zane, it all flipped. Artemis became cold and distant, and there had been a few times where he'd actually snapped at Cady for bringing her estranged brother up and refused to speak to her for several days.
Cady nodded and looked away, silently agreeing to let the subject drop.
A young man glided down the stairs, obviously taking his time. His blue eyes, the same shade of blue as the woman's, met hers playfully. “Honestly, Cady,” Artemis сказал(-а) teasingly, fluttering a few dollar bills in front of his triplet sister's face, “if Ты worry anymore, you're head will explode.”
Cady rolled her eyes and snatched the money away from her brother. “Well, one of us needs to keep on track. If we followed your schedule, we'd never leave our beds.”
Artemis chuckled and, picking up a book bag by the foot of the stairs and slinging it over his shoulder, headed out of the house. “I really have no objection to that.”
Cady snorted and followed close behind her brother. “You know, for a twenty-four год old man, Ты really are immature.”
Artemis flung open the door to the stretch limo – a good-bye present from their parents – and tossed his bag in before following suit. “And for a seventy-five год old woman, Ты look exceptionally young,” he retorted. “Why are Ты in a hurry to get back to school, anyway?”
Cady narrowed her eyes testily before sliding in after him. “Last semester I had to lug seven suit cases up twelve flights of stairs because the elevators were so full. I really do not want to have to go through that again.”
Artemis reclined lazily in his seat. “Fair point.”
Cady smothered a grin. As lazy and uncaring as Artemis pretended to be, she knew he was looking вперед to returning to college as much as she was. They both had exhausted their small home-town's “Fun Things to Do” Список and were looking вперед to a change of scenery. There was also the added benefit of Mount холм, хилл университет being so far away – no one there knew about Zane. There were no whispers of “they're going to be just like him” или “I feel so bad for them.” At college, Cady and Artemis could just be themselves and it was a freedom they both lavished as much as possible. It almost made Cady sad that would be her last год there.
The ride was long and, еще than once, Cady caught herself glaring jealously over at her snoozing brother. Falling asleep in a car was never a talent Cady had been exceptionally good at, and it had only gotten worse after Artemis' and Zane's accident three years ago. She'd become irrationally terrified that, if she closed her eyes for even a moment, the car would crash – just like theirs had done – and Artemis would die. It was irrational, she knew, but it was a fear that never left her.
Artemis grunted in his sleep, and Cady glanced over at him. The sunlight caught his hair, making the golden highlights stand out, and Cady smiled in wry affection: Artemis had always hated his “girly” highlights. One time, when they were fourteen – back when Zane had still been Zane – her brothers had gotten the brilliant idea that shaving Artemis' entire head -
The smile slid off her face.
Zane was a forbidden subject, both at with their parents and between the siblings themselves. After Zane “left” - technically, he'd been kicked out, but it comforted Cady's parents to say he “just up and left”- they'd all carried on as if he'd never been there. Her parents had even gone as far as to take down all the pictures of him, although it did no good. Not only were their physical reminders – reminders Cady had to see each time she looked in the mirror, или in her brother's face – but there were emotional ones as well; Artemis had a long scar across his ribs from the accident and the entire town had been shocked by the scandal. The rich lawyers son had gotten into drugs, almost got his brother killed, and then fled home. It wasn't something that a town of barely four hundred people would forget easily; whispers still flew when anyone of them walked down the street.
The train station was a little over an час from their parent's ranch house. Although Cady had originally hated the thought of a silent ride, she now was glad for the quiet. It was in those rare, silent moments where she could freely miss her brother, worry about him – and for him – and wonder what he was doing. In those silent moments, she could blame herself for their distance.
They arrived at the station exactly on schedule – something Artemis teased her greatly about upon waking up. They unloaded the luggage together, lugged the bags across the station, and snagged a quick lunch before the train left.
“I didn't think,” Artemis прокомментировал(-а) dryly as he bit into his рувим, повторно назначать sandwich, “that it would be this quick before I missed Mom's cooking.”
Cady laughed. “Better get used to it quick, brother, или you're going to have a long semester a head of you.”
Artemis pretended to look affronted. “Me? Get used to fattening, greasy food? Har har, sister, we Baker's don't eat greasy food! Not when there's caviar to be had!”
Cady chocked on her soda and punched her brother in the arm just as the train whistled.
The train to Mount холм, хилл was twice as long as the car ride to the station, but this time Artemis stayed awake. As if knowing his sister's earlier thoughts, he did his best to keep her talking; wondering if Sandy was still dating Thomas, if the dorm matron had finally retired, what their classes would be like. Cady saw right through the guise. As much as she loved the quiet, Artemis hated it – talking was his way of dealing with the pain. Her brother's had had a bond with each other that Cady couldn't ever have hoped to achieve with either of them and it had caused Artemis devastation when Zane left – regardless of why.
“You were right,” Artemis muttered, his gaze focused on the train station, which was full to bursting with college students. “We should have taken the earlier train.”
They unloaded the train and pushed and shoved their way to the bus stop – the transportation that would take them to the campus. As they were standing on the side-walk, Cady began plucking up her nerve. It had been weeks since she'd heard anything about Zane, and it was beginning to worry her.
“Artemis,” she began hesitantly, “Um, Ты know, I talked to Jake last night.” Jake was Zane's oldest friend and the only person who had any contact with him. He'd helped him get a job and a place to stay and also kept Cady informed on how her brother was doing. “He hasn't heard from Zane -”
“Don't.” There was no anger in his voice, no malice, but Cady knew her brother well enough to realize she crossed a line. Artemis showed every emotion that passed through him, voiced every thought, but when it came to Zane, it all flipped. Artemis became cold and distant, and there had been a few times where he'd actually snapped at Cady for bringing her estranged brother up and refused to speak to her for several days.
Cady nodded and looked away, silently agreeing to let the subject drop.
I know the way it eats your mind
The way your brain, eaten up
The one that leaves Ты silent, blind
Long after you've had enough
I know the way it devours your thoughts
The way Ты feel confused
It feels like a million knots
It leaves Ты feeling used
I know the way it stabs your сердце
The way it leaves Ты here to bleed
It makes quite sure to tear Ты apart
The time Ты really need
I know the way it hurts your feelings
The way it leaves Ты blue
Ты say Ты see, when not really seeing
Ты say Ты know, but that's not true
I know the way Ты try and hide it
But then Ты know you'll always find it
In the trees and in the gravel
This lie Ты call friendship, I can't unravel.
The way your brain, eaten up
The one that leaves Ты silent, blind
Long after you've had enough
I know the way it devours your thoughts
The way Ты feel confused
It feels like a million knots
It leaves Ты feeling used
I know the way it stabs your сердце
The way it leaves Ты here to bleed
It makes quite sure to tear Ты apart
The time Ты really need
I know the way it hurts your feelings
The way it leaves Ты blue
Ты say Ты see, when not really seeing
Ты say Ты know, but that's not true
I know the way Ты try and hide it
But then Ты know you'll always find it
In the trees and in the gravel
This lie Ты call friendship, I can't unravel.