I groaned moving away from the incessant light that tried its best to poke my corneas through my eyelids as I slept. What exactly was the point of translucent curtains, they were sure pretty but were incapable of doing their job. I huffed giving up trying to get back to my precious dreamland and opened my eyes, stretching oddly in the light silk sheets. The deranged cat like stretching wasn't appealing to look at, but sure did get all the kinks out that had developed as I slept with a deadly grip on my poor pillow.

Getting off the bed I tried to blow my wild waves out of my mouth as I walked towards the shower, stomping the whole way there. Of course the day I have no school I sleep in a room with translucent curtains and it just has to be sunny outside. Thunderstorms were much better then sunshine, nothing better then a little lightning to bring a smile to a grumpy person's face in the morning.

I brushed my teeth trying my best and yet failing to not get the toothpaste foam all over my face. I took off my comfy pyjamas shivering as I waited for the water to grow warm. The sweet smell of cinnamon and raspberry filled my senses as I massaged shampoo into my hair, grabbing my loofah to wash quickly. How was it that people stepped out of the shower looking great, I stepped out with eerily red eyes. I really didn't know how to wash my face without getting my raspberry lemon zest face wash into my eyes. Well maybe it was for the best, this way my corneas would smell good too. I towel dried my hair quickly, drying myself before putting on my robe, trying to comb out the tangles in my dark brown hair wincing at the after effects of skipping conditioning.

I hugged myself in the big furry robe, as I walked to the large closet if I could choose one garment to spend the rest of my life in it'd be my fluffy pale pink bath robe. I got dressed quickly, pulling on a comfy grey knitted sweater with leggings before walking out.

I wrinkled my nose as I caught sight of my phone sitting near the top of my bed, a red light flashing from it indicating I had a voice mail. It was probably my parents scolding me for not calling this week. I picked up my phone, unlocking it quickly going to the voice mails, why on earth would've Jay left me a voicemail I would probably see him at the cafe today anyway, Sophie and Jay practically lived there.

I clicked on the voicemail making Jays smooth voice ring out in the quiet room.
"Raine I have to tell you something very important, I want you to sit down wherever you are and call me back when you get this okay, it's really important."

My brows furrowed a nervous fluttering feeling filling my chest as I clicked on Jays contact on my phone, each beep of the dialling making my anxiety grow.
"Hello, Raine." Jay said making me bite my lip at the oddly serious tone in his voice, maybe he was playing a prank on me.
"Hey Jay what's wrong?" I ask quietly.
"Raine where are you?" Jay asks.
"In my room." I answer slowly.
"Raine is Xavier home?" He asks me and I nod before realizing he can't see me piping out a quick yes, my heart nearly in my throat now.
"Okay Raine I want you to sit down wherever you are I have something very important to tell you, so just sit down." Jay orders, and I comply immediately the sincerity in his voice leaving me no space to resist.

"I'm seated Jay please tell me." I beg worrying my bottom lip with my teeth as my heart tries to beat it's way out of my chest.
"Raine, I'm so sorry honey but Cyrus passed away last night." Jay says and my heart completely stops for a moment, my fingers going completely numb as I try to register what he's said.
"Raine I'm so sorry I called last night but you were already asleep, I'm so sorry pumpkin." Jay says but I pay no heed to what he says, Cyrus was gone.
"No you're lying." I finally croak out, my eyes watering slightly as I swallow thickly, Jay was just being stupid, playing a prank. It couldn't be, Cyrus would never leave me, he couldn't, he would never leave Maggie.

"Raine honey I wish I was, but I'm not." He says and the sincerity in his voice makes the dam break, and I can't hold it in any longer years stream down my cheeks as my breath becomes haggard with my sobs.
"B-but how could h-he leave me?" I sob into the phone. A loud sob escapes me as I hear Jay sniffle on the other end.
"He didn't mean to Raine he loved you more than his own." Jay says shakily and a loud sob escapes me. I loved him too, more than I ever loved my own Grandfather.

My fingers fall completely numb and I struggle to keep a grip on the phone my brain completely unable of registering what Jay says. I only faintly register a loud banging sound before my door is thrown open an anxious looking Xavier running in his chest heaving, his eyes widening as he takes in my state. I turn towards him, everything seeming to slow as I watch Xavier rush towards me, grabbing me gently and pulling me into his chest as he catches sight of my tear stricken cheeks. His thumbs rubbing over them, wiping away the tears only for them to be replaced with more as he begs for me to tell him what's wrong.

"Raine love please tell me what's wrong. Please baby why are you crying?" He asks rocking me back and forth in his arms as he realizes I'm unable to answer. I shakily hand the phone to him as Jay begins to grow worried at my unresponsive state on the other end.

Xavier's expression dissolves to complete remorse as he listens to Jay mumbling a quick reply to him I don't quite catch before he shuts off the phone. He wraps his arms back around me pulling me into his warm chest as my shoulders heave with sobs.
"H-he left me." I mumble out looking up at Xavier my lower lip trembling, lashes soaked with tears.
"I'm so sorry baby." He mumbles to me softly pressing a kiss to my head before pulling me even closer as I tremble in his hold unable to control my own body.

"They're in the hospital love, I'm taking you to see them okay." He mumbles to me quietly and I nod shakily my legs almost collapsing under me as I try to take a step forward. Xavier leans down scooping me up into his arms bridal style, cradling me to his chest like a toddler.
"I got you." He whispers to me and I rest my head against his clean dress shirt clad broad chest letting the tears run freely.

He walks up to the car depositing me safely into the passenger seat before getting into his own seat, as he pulls out of the driveway. His hand reaches for mine that lay trembling within my lap as I occasionally reach up to swipe at the tears on my cheeks using the ends of my soft grey sweater. My hands so numb I can barely feel the warmth from his large hands on my freezing hands.

My lips tremble as I mumble incoherently to myself the pain coursing within my chest making it hard to breathe, but none of that mattered Cyrus was gone. Xavier stops the car in front of the hospital coming to my side to help me out, he wraps an arm tightly around my waist supporting most of my weight as we walk in. My legs threatening to collapse under me, I couldn't feel anything besides the dreaded pain in my heart everything else was numb, noises seeming to rush by my ears, my eyes barely seeing the dull colours that rush by. Xavier stops at the receptionist before we are moving again.

I gasp for breath looking up as I hear a familiar voice call out my name. I pull away from Xavier rushing into the awaiting arms of Maggie, wrapping my arms tightly around her as I sob loudly into her, her hands shakily caressing my back as her soft frail body trembles slightly with soft sobs. I pull away from her looking into her beautifully aged face covered in tears, her eyes lacking their usual sparkle, her soft cheeks streaked with tears, her nose reddened as she sniffles softly.
"I'm so sorry Maggie." I spurt out and she nods her head at me pressing a kiss to my hair.

"He said he loved you, and told m-me to apologize to you o-on his behalf for leaving his cookie." She tells me softly, her voice cracking in some places but otherwise she stayed strong, her chin upraised as she spoke.
A harsh sob escapes me at her words.
"I loved him too." I cry quietly my heart breaking further as Maggie mumbles a soft me too looking more defeated than I had ever seen her.

She was the most courageous woman I'd ever seen, so very strong but today she was breaking, crumbling under the heaving weight of a heart break, of losing her first and last love, her best friend, her husband, her soul mate.

I swallow thickly before I feel arms engulf me in a hug, Sophie and Jay stood hugging me tightly to them their eyes red with tears their hair messy as they dig their faces closer into me.
Jay pulls away from me pressing a kiss to both me and Sophie's heads before embracing Maggie and I wrap my arms properly around Sophie as she sniffles into me. My hands rest on her smooth shiny thick black hair as I try to calm her, feeling absolutely empty inside as I look at the doctors and people walk through the halls from behind Sophie.

Xavier was absolutely nowhere to be found, I look around trying to catch any sight of the large man, only to see him turn the corner holding some papers he places on the counter as he catches me looking at him, his eyes speaking to me as he gazed at me intensely. The grey eyes so soft and sad as they ask me if I was alright, if I needed anything, if he could do anything, anything at all. I shake my head in a small no to him and he nods to me lightly the veins in his neck popping out as he grows stressed as he continues to look into my red puffy eyes and tear streaked face.

"Xavier." Maggie says lightly and I turn my head towards her as Xavier changes direction walking to her his head bowed as he comes to stand beside Maggie.
"Thank you for driving Raine, and for being here Xavier." Maggie says softly and Xavier nods sincerely.
"I'm sorry." He says quietly and Maggie tries to smile at him weakly, a nurse walks towards us seeming to head straight for Xavier.

"You left your copy of the payment on the counter Mr.Night."The old nurse says smiling kindly, and my brows furrow in confusion before I realize, Xavier had payed for the hospital bill. A loud sob has me breaking out of my reverie, I turn to the sound my puffy eyes widening as I see Maggie hugging Xavier tightly, as he stares down at her his face expressionless but bewilderment clear in his sugar grey eyes.

He hesitantly wraps his arms around her soft frail frame, hugging her back gently as she sobs.
"You really didn't have to Xavier, but thank you honey, thank you for being here, thank you." Maggie sobs into Xavier, and he wraps his arms tighter around her standing silently, swallowing visibly before he looks up at me, I see an old deeply buried pain come to the surface, that always had been swirling in the depths of the storm in his eyes, buried so deep I hadn't ever been able to recognize it before today. His eyes go back to their brewing storm and I look away as Maggie pulls away from him, tuning back into what Sophie mumbles to me softly.

We stay together in the hospital, waiting for them to finish preparing the body for a burial, trying to console each other and share our pain. Due to the town being so small, unlike most hospitals they also had a wing to prepare bodies for burials. They'd told us we could wait elsewhere, but we didn't want to leave without Cyrus. Xavier brought us food numerous times throughout the day, but we were able to eat very little. Despite Xavier's incessant begging I'd only managed to eat a strawberry yogurt and drank some tea throughout the day.

Night falls and the hospital grows quiet as the nurses and doctors begin to change shifts, tears now only run down our cheeks as we sit on the hospital chairs quietly.
"You guys can come see him now." Our nurse says and we get up. I wipe away my tears from my cheeks and Xavier wraps an arm around me as we walk. We walk to see a white sheet pulled over a laying Cyrus. Maggie reaches forward pulling the white sheet slightly a sob escaping me as I catch sight of his peaceful completely still resting face. My body begins to tremble uncontrollably again as my eyes trail over his face, the sweet memories we'd had together rushing back to me.

I don't know how long we stand there staring at him tears streaming down our faces before the nurse comes back, telling us kindly to go home, we couldn't stay any longer. I don't even register Xavier guiding me out before I'm being hugged by Maggie as we hold onto each other one last time before letting go and I promise to be back early in the morning. Maggie reassures me that her sister's whole family is waiting for her back at the house, so she wouldn't be alone. But even then I feel reluctant to leave her alone.

I'm passed to the others as they too hug me before Xavier wraps an arm around me again loading me back into his car gently, before we drive back to his home. I wrap my arms around myself as I sit staring out the window quietly.

"Raine, love we're home." Xavier says as he stops the car in front of the house. He comes over to my side and I finally nod absentmindedly going to get out and he wraps his arm around me again walking us in. We walk to my room and I turn to him in front of the door.

"I'm sorry." He says to me quietly and I nod my head.
"Goodnight Xavier." I say softly looking up to meet his gaze, seeing his hesitance to leave, the need to stay with me, to comfort me, but I walk in closing the door softly behind me. I shakily make it to the window, gazing up at the stars that Cyrus would so fondly tell me the names of as I sink down hugging my knees to my chest as I let out soft sobs, letting the tears stream over my splotchy cheeks and soak my leggings as I cry. His voice plays in my head as all the times he'd comforted me, been there for me, given some of the most valuable advice I'd ever heard to me swirls around in my mind tormenting me now in his absence. Never again would I hug him, hear him laugh, never again would I see him with Maggie, the deep adoration and love he had for her, I couldn't fathom to begin to understand the pain that Maggie felt, he'd left us all behind. I missed him already, more than I could say.

I don't know how long I sit on that floor hugging my knees to my chest sobbing silently before the door opens revealing Xavier. I glance up at him my chest hurting way too much for me to care about the state I'm in before him. His eyes stay trained on my small form huddled in the corner of the large room as I watch him walk towards me, my eyes wide. He says absolutely nothing to me as he drops to his knees before me scooping me into his arms, and cradling me to his firm broad chest he walks out of the room. I look up at him through puffy eyes to see his red eyes watering slightly as he gazed down at me. I continue to stare at him as tears continue to stream out of my puffy unfeeling eyes.

Xavier walks straight into his room, closing the door and lays me on the large bed, before he gets in beside me, wrapping his large warm arms around me and pulling me into him, pressing my face against the exposed skin of his chest. My mind barely registers that he is shirtless as I mindlessly cuddle closer to him for warmth.
"I'm sorry you have to go through this baby girl." He mumbles quietly pressing a soft warm kiss to my forehead lingering for a moment before pulling away resting his cheek on my head as he snuggles my cold body closer to him. My eyelids start to close as the exhaustion from my crying begins to take over and I succumb to it, welcoming the peace of unconsciousness. Free from the pain that continues to dwell deep within my chest.