Anth parked outside of the apartment building, and he followed me into the flat. I left a note for Mike that said:

~Mike

I'm being taken to see my family against my will.

If I die, you can speak my eulogy.

In all seriousness, don't destroy the place, kay?

Make sure you shower, don't have parties, and try not to

get too wasted? Please? Thanks.

Hope you have more fun than me

               -Wyatt

Anth shook his head at my note, but I didn't change it. He could disapprove all he wanted, I didn't care. I entered my room and felt a little nervous. Anth was looking at all of my things, and I just felt awkward about it. It wasn't like I knew him really well, and rooms were like the windows to your soul. Based off of someone's room you could know everything about the person if you looked long enough.

I focused on packing my bag, throwing some socks, underwear, deodorant, and some clothes in. Anth raised an eyebrow at my choices.

"What?" I asked, holding up the pair of sweat pants I was going to throw in.

"You're seeing your family," he stated, as if that was enough.

"Yeah, and so?"

"You should, like, I don't know, maybe try and look a little nicer?" He put it like a polite question.

"They're my family?" I said, confused.

"Yeah, but you should still dress a little nicer than you would in your own flat," he pointed out.

"Fine! You pack my stuff then and I'll criticize you!" I said gruffly, thrusting my stuff at him.

"Wyatt--"

"No, by all means, pack my stuff Mr. Fashion Expert!" I huffed, plopping down hard on my bed.

Anth hesitated before opening up my drawers. I sat there, kind of glaring at him, while he delicately pulled out my clothes.

I flopped backwards, already bored after five minutes of Anth looking at my socks.

"I'm not meeting the Queen Anth," I groaned.

"I know," he said softly, while working on my closet. "Have you ever heard of an iron?"

"Hmm? You mean for like melting metal? Yeah sure," I said, sitting up thinking we were going to talk about fun things. 

"No, like a clothing iron to get rid of wrinkles," he said, back towards me.

I groaned and flopped backwards dramatically. About an hour later, Anth finally finished packing up my bag. In that time, I walked to the garage and finished the grandfather clock for Mrs. Preston.

I picked up the grandfather clock and carried towards Anth's car. Luckily, Anth was standing outside with my bags. He was texting someone, and looked up. His eyes seemed to double in size when he saw what I was carrying.

"What in the world....." He trailed off.

"Grandfather clock for Mrs. Preston. We need to stop by her place on the way. She'll pay me, and then I can pay you back for gas money," I said, still carrying the clock.

"You made that?" He asked, jaw dropping.

I shrugged, "Yeah."

"That's actually amazing," he breathed out.

"It's a clock," I pointed out, dumb-founded.

"No--that's like, a fantastic beautiful clock! That clock could win millions!" He gushed.

"It's a clock Anth, now open the back of your car," I ordered. 

He complied, still in awe for no reason. I rolled my eyes while securing the clock. After getting into the passenger seat, I directed Anth to Mrs. Preston's house. When I gave her the clock, she cried which was really awkward. 

Anth gave her a hug, which I was bewildered about. Did he just hug strangers in his free time? But apparently it was what the old woman needed, for she calmed down and gave me the money. Surprisingly, she gave my $175, which was $15 over the agreed price.

"Um, Mrs. Preston?" I called. "You gave me an extra fifteen."

I proceeded to hand her the money, but she sniffled.

"No, it's a tip! You made it, brought it over here, and offered to carry it into my house. And it's simply magnificent!" She smiled.

"Oh," I said. "Um--well thanks for doing business with me."

She smiled, "Anytime! Just wait until I show the girls at book-club! They're going to be raving with jealousy!"

Anth just laughed, and I smiled slightly. There needed to be more old people like Mrs. Preston.

"That was really sweet what you did," Anth said, smiling at me.

I raised an eyebrow, "I made her a clock."

"No, just--the honesty part of it. You probably made her day," he pointed out.

"It was the right thing to do," I was confused.

"Not many people do the right things," he pointed out, while turning on the radio.

I shut if off, and when he gave me a weird look, I pulled out my ipod.

"Now you're going to listen to something that isn't fuzzy," I said, letting my music fill the car.

I closed my eyes and let the music carry me. It was something I could always count on, music. It was everywhere, and I loved it more than I'd admit. My foot tapped out the steady rhythm of the song.

The song 'Glass' by Common Deer filled the car. When I peeked at Anth out of the corner of my one eye, I saw him starring at me.

"What?" I snapped.

He smiled slightly, "Didn't know you liked music."

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me," I said, turning my head to look out the window.

"No--it's not a bad thing. Just--I wish I could've taken a picture of that," Anth said, while turning left.

"A picture of what?" I asked skeptically, knowing he had my attention.

"Your expression. It was peaceful, kind of like you were a million miles away and you just let yourself be you. It was like acceptance in a way and you weren't afraid. It's hard to explain but it was purely Wyatt," he whispered.

"Purely Wyatt, huh?" I asked, scrolling through my iphone and picking out another song.

I eyed him and noticed the slight blush creeping up his neck. I lowered my window a little, figuring he was probably sweating underneath his jacket. I also loved the feeling of the wind through my hair.

"Yep," Anth said.

We continued driving in the comfortable silence while music filled the car.

|=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=|

I felt someone gently sake my shoulders and swatted them away.

"Five more minutes," I muttered.

"Wyatt," a familiar voice said. "We're here." 

"Whayomean?" I mumbled tiredly, trying to roll over. 

I heard the person sigh, "We're at your parents house. Come on! Up and at em!"

My eyes snapped wide open, and I jumped at the sight of Anth being so close. That resulted in me smacking my head on the roof of his car and cursing some unpleasant figures of speech.

"Come on," Anth urged, yanking me out of the car.

I sleepily stumbled after him, and I realized he was carrying my things. I hesitated before knocking on the door, and I knew that Anth was watching me in confusion.

"It's just your family, you don't need to be so nervous," he pointed out.

"That's the thing. They're my family," I said, but before he could ask me anything else the door opened up.

When my Mom's eyes landed on me, her eyes widened. She let out a sound that resembled one of a dying animal as she roughly grabbed me. She hugged my tightly, and I hesitated before placing my arms around her.

"You okay?" I asked nervously.

"I thought you weren't coming and that you hated us or something because of the hospital--"

I cut her off, "No. I don't hate you guys, just don't want you worrying about me."

"Worrying is part of my job description," she said, wiping the tears form underneath her green eyes. Her dark mahogany brown hair was pulled back in the usual sloppy ponytail.

"Mom!" Nat called, drawling out the 'mom'. "The food's ready!"

Mom smiled, "Okay! I'll be there."

She then lowered her voice conspirously, "She's going to die when she sees you."

I flinched at the word she used, but she didn't notice. I felt Anth stand closer to me. When my Mom's back was turned, I felt his breath fan on my skin as he whispered, "You okay?"

I nodded before following my Mom into the house that was my home. When I noticed Anth wasn't following me, I turned.

"Aren't you coming?" I asked, confused.

"Oh--I uh was going to head out," Anth said, mirroring my expression.

"You can't just leave," I pointed out.

"But--"

"No it's already dark, come on," I said, grabbing his hand and dragging him up the stairs.

"It's fine Wyatt, really--"

"No, I'm not having you drive home in the dark. Especially by yourself, you could fall asleep behind the wheel or something," I pointed out.

"Wyatt, I can drive myself home," Anth chuckled.

"You haven't even eaten," I continued.

"I can pick something up on the way," he said, a small smile on his face.

I hesitated, "But you drove all of this way."

"I know, but this is your family," he said.

I looked at his face and said, "Exactly. And I'm going to need a ride back."

"I can come--"

"Nope! You're staying!" I said, ending the conversation.

"Wyatt," Anth said.

"What?" I snapped, annoyed.

"I didn't bring anything," he pointed out.

"You can wear my things. It's not like I didn't notice you packed about sixteen different things," I said.

"Wyatt!" My Mom snapped, "Hurry up!"

I gave him a look, and after he sighed, he followed me up the stairs.

"I can't believe he didn't show up! He's such an asshole! You know, he promised!" Nat ranted, stabbing her salad angrily with the fork. I was surprised the plate didn't break. "And then he has the audacity to act like it was our fault! That we somehow couldn't adapt to his schedule! Who does he think he is anyway? He's not the Queen!"

Again there was another stab at the lettuce, and she was talking with her mouth full which Nat never did. I couldn't help but smile.

"I know, he's such a jerk for thinking like that. He's so conceited and full of himself. And if only he was here to apologize in purpose," I spoke, mimicking her.

Nat dropped her fork and turned around slowly. When she saw I was really there, she ran over to me and hugged me.

"You're such an asshole!" She said, punching me in the arm.

"So I've been told," I laughed, holding her. I didn't realize how long it had been since I'd seen her. Her hair was a lighter shade of brown like my dad's, and her green eyes seemed more vibrant. She was taller, but still shorter than me.

She was definitely what someone would consider a heartthrob. When she let go of me, I noticed that Anth was looking really awkward.

"So, what's for dinner?" I asked, hoping that Anth wouldn't feel so out of place.

Nat rolled her eyes, scowling, "Your favorite, which happens to be the one dish I despise most in the world."

"Oh! Shepard's Pie here I come!" I smiled, rubbing my hands together like a greedy pig.

Nat looked at me not amused. Dad came down, and he gave me a hug before we all sat down at the table. My parents weren't really religious, but they decided we were suddenly going to pray before eating.

Nat and Anth sat on either side of me, and my parents were on the other side. We all took each others hand, and I saw Anth hesitate before giving me his hand. We bowed our heads, but I found myself stealing quick glances at Anth wondering if he was okay.

"Dear Lord, thank you for the food we are about to receive. Heavenly Father, we thank you for watching over us and keeping us happy and healthy. We thank you for changing Wyatt's mind to come down--finally, and for giving him a friend he can rely on. We thank you for Nat's good grades and for her determination in everything she does. In thy dear name we ask, amen," my Mom said, looking up with a gaze full of love and admiration.

I didn't really know how to respond to that, so I picked up my fork and started eating. I missed how delicious Shepard's Pie was. My mom made it differently. What she did was she had a layer of the meat mixed in with the peas and carrots and then she had a layer of cheesy mashed-potatoes on top. It was like a cake and the potatoes were the icing.

"Delicious Mom, thanks," I said, smiling slightly at her.

Anth nodded, "Very good Mrs. Walker."

She gave him a stern look, "You know me Anthony. It's Jolie!"

He smiled slightly, "It's very good Jolie."

"That's more like it," she said as she sipped her wine. I stole another glance at Anth, and his gaze left the wine and gave me an annoyed look.

I focused on my plate and noticed Nat eyeing me curiously.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing," she said, a conspiratorial smile on her face as she sipped her lemonade.

I gave her a look that said the conversation wasn't over and she shrugged. Siblings were so annoying. 

When we were finished eating, Anth, of course, offered to clear the table. My mom scolded me for not offering since Anth was a guest.

"Geez!" I said, feeling attacked, while taking the plates. "I got it!"

My dad raised a warning eyebrow, but I didn't do anything wrong. I just may have raised my voice a little, but other than that I complied. Anth, of course, followed me into the kitchen.

"You okay?" He asked quietly.

I may have slammed the dishes in the sink.

"What is up with you and asking if I'm okay? I'm fine! Is there marker on my head that says 'Not Okay' or something? Cause I'm tired of you always asking me that!" I snapped.

Anth didn't say anything, and I went back to washing off the food and placing the plates into the dishwasher. I saw him reach over and start to help me.

I didn't say anything but kept a careful eye on him. He looked up and saw me watching him, which caused me to focus on scrubbing the plate I was working on. I looked again at him, and almost dropped the plate when I caught him staring at me.

Anth tried to stifle a laugh, but he couldn't help it. I tried to glare at him, but I ended up laughing too. Somehow, we ended up flicking water at each other, which resulted in me spraying him with the sink water.

You know how there are those sink heads that can detach in a way so it's like a hose? Well, I may have used that against Anth. He tried to cover the water, but failed.

Anth walked over towards me, and I tried to squirt him away. However, he reached behind me, and turned the tap off. He looked at me, smiling, as his hair was partially soaked, his hand still resting on the tap. I noticed that if someone came into the room they'd have many assumptions.

One the place was kind of wet.

Two, my back was pressed against the counter and Anth was standing in front of me.

It seemed like he noticed what I had, and he quickly took a few steps back like he was on fire or something.

"We should probably clean this place up before my Mom sees," I laughed, hoping it would dismiss the awkward tension in the air.

"Yeah," Anth smiled, and it worked, which was good. We quickly cleaned up the mess with some paper towels.

When I looked up, Nat was standing there with her hands on her hips.

"What's going on in here?" She asked, and I couldn't help but notice the suspicious but excited tone in her voice.

"Nothing, just made a mess and cleaning it up," I said, hoping she'd realize nothing was going on.

She looked unfazed, but turned to Anth.

Smiling sweetly, she said, "You've probably had a long trip. The bathroom's upstairs to the left, first door, if you want to shower."

By the way she said it, she was basically saying: GO SHOWER! NOW!

And Anth raised an amused eyebrow at Nat's not so subtle ways of dismissing him. I mentally face-palmed and made a mental note to seek my revenge later. Nat and I both watched him walk out of the kitchen, and we both waited until we heard the water start running.

She turned to me, an evil look in her eye. Sometimes I questioned whether Nat was secretly the Anti-Christ. 

"So, you and Anth?" She asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Yep," I said, not sure what she was trying to hint at.

She sighed, frustrated that I wasn't catching on, "So, what, are you guys a thing?"

If I was drinking water, I would've done the spit take all over the floor.

"What?" I spoke out, voice hoarse. I cleared my throat, "No! Why would you think that?"

"I don't know. I just felt the energy," she shrugged, walked across the room like she owned the place.

I rolled my eyes, "There is nothing going on. I just needed him for a ride, and he is my friend."

"Whatever you say," she said in disbelief.

"How about you missy?" I asked, annoyed.

"Me? Nothing, no one, sadly. Now if I was you, I'd be all over--"

"Ew! Please, just no!" I said, grossed out. I did not want to think about my sister wanting to jump on anything.

She just laughed, "I was kidding. But if I had to, I wouldn't be upset if--"

"NATALIE!" I said, shocked and turning red. She just continued to laugh, and walked out of the room.

I can not believe her sometimes. Definitely the anti-Christ, no doubt about it. I walked upstairs to my old bedroom.

It was just like how I remembered it was. My guitar in the corner of the room, pictures around the room of things I couldn't remember taking.

I walked over to one of me. I was eighteen and I was washing a car, soap suds were in my hair. I felt this absence run through me, knowing I'd never remember what was going on. It seemed to be a sea of photos wrapping around my room. They were fastened onto this green yarn with clothespins.

After the first accident, I couldn't remember anything for about four years. Then slowly, I started getting memories of the war. That's all I had, those memories. They haunted me like some sick game that I didn't want to play.

The worst part was, I never got to remember the good parts. It was always the bad parts of it. I remember this one guy tried to reach out to me, but I no longer remembered who he was. I assumed it was an accident and threw out the letter. I didn't realize I actually knew the man until I got an email from him wondering how I was doing.

I never responded.

I heard the door open and nearly tripped over my own two feet. I heard Anth let out a shocked yelp, and couldn't help but laugh. He sent me a look, but he looked past me to everything in my room.

His jaw dropped a little, doing his lip part thing he did whenever he was confused or shocked. His hair was wet, and his towel was wrapped around his waist.

I watched him slowly walk over towards me and take everything in.

"I can't believe..." he trailed off.

"What?" I asked, as I walked away towards the suitcase where I got some clothes out for him.

"Nothing, this is just really cool. Do you--Do you remember any of it?" He asked quietly, and I noticed his gaze kept shifting from me to the photos.

"Nope. Have no idea I was even in them, and no clue who took the photos either. But I did notice the one Becca was in," I said, shrugging.

He nodded, eyes trained on the photos.

"Wait--you said I knew Becca, right?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said, not turning around form the photos.

"That must mean you know who took the photos, right? I mean I haven't seen one with you in it--but I don't know. You could know? So--do you know who took them? Whoever it was, they have a real eye for things like that," I said, walking over towards him.

"Yeah....the must," Anth repeated, looking at all of them.

"You okay?" I asked nervously.

"Yeah," he said, pulling his gaze from the photos to me. He took the clothes out of my hand, saying thanks, before he walked back towards the bathroom to change.

I found myself looking closer at the pictures, desperately wanting to remember what had happened. What my past was like, but at the same time I didn't want to. What if it was better if I didn't know? Wouldn't it be more painful if I remembered everything? Especially once I found out everything I had missed?

Hell, I don't even know what happened when I'd come home from the army. People would tell me, but I couldn't remember their faces. If they were angry, happy, sad, or what.

The pictures made me suddenly angry. The guy in there was mocking me with his happiness. He was mocking me with how easy it probably was for him to remember things. And I hated it. I hated feeling that way.

But I was scared. What if I didn't like what I saw?

I felt Anth's hand on my shoulder. I glanced at it, before looking up at him and raising an eyebrow. I felt his hand leave my shoulder, and I was tempted to ask him what was wrong.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

Now it was my turn to look confused.

"What for?"

"For making you feel like crap sometimes. You know, at the Coffee Shop? I didn't realize that what I said hurt you. I don't want to hurt you Wyatt, and I didn't realize what I said made you feel that way. I wasn't trying to make you feel like I don't know--"

"I get it," I said, cutting him off.

He looked at me, grey-brown eyes filled with relief, "You do?"

"Yeah, I get it. It's just--out of everyone you're the last person I want to pity me," I said honestly, looking up at him.

Anth smiled and I noticed that my clothes were kind of snug on him. It was probably because Anth was irritatingly a few inches taller than me.

"Are you okay with..." I trialed off.

"Oh I'm fine," he said, maybe a little too quickly.

"I probably having something longer in there," I muttered, shuffling through my bag. Luckily, I was able to find the sweat pants and sweat shirt.

"There, that should be better," I said, handing it to him.

"Wyatt, I really am fine," he pointed out, to which I raised an eyebrow.

Begrudgingly, he got dressed while I changed into my pajamas. I looked over at Anth, and couldn't help but notice he looked good in my sweat shirt. It was just a navy sweatshirt with the Motor Oil logo from the mechanic shop I worked at. It complimented his dark hair, and I noticed his eyes were looking at my curiously.

I noticed that I probably looked goofy with my outer-space fuzzy pants. They were a light blue with dark blue space ships on them. I wore a short sleeved N.A.S.A navy shirt.

I crossed my arms over my chest scowling, "Nat got them for me."

"I think it's amazing," Anth pointed out. "Didn't realize how much you loved--"

"Shut up!" I said, a smile on my face as I chucked a pillow at him.

Anth laughed and soon we had a miniature, adult, pillow fight. We took it very seriously, and didn't squeal like weird teenage girls in movies. I won, of course, and by the time I defeated Anth, we were tired.

We were both sitting on my bed, lounging, and I was flicking through the channels. I finally kept it on a movie I loved growing up.

"The Good Lie?" Anth asked, raising an eyebrow at me. "Didn't think you were a Reece Witherspoon type of guy."

"Shh! The accents are amazing, and the movie's great," I said, shoving him playfully.

Halfway through the movie when Reece is trying to help the siblings find their brother, I fell asleep.

I was walking through the desert, the dust seemed to be a permanent coating on my black boots. I honestly wasn't complaining, the more dust the better. It meant it would be easier for cover and to camouflage.

I was nervous and kept my gun in my hands the whole time. I held on to it tightly like my life depended on it, which it did. My eyes were constantly scanning, searching for any signs of movement.

I remembered some people would say that war was like a game. I couldn't really fathom how it was a game when the whole time you were scared shitless. Games were supposed to be fun, killing other people wasn't fun for me.

I heard the thunderous crack of a bullet going off, and my whole squad dropped to the ground. There was a crackling sound on my intercom before I heard Renz's voice.

"Anybody go eyes?"

My eyes scanned the area, heart hammering so fast I swore I would combust. Another crack, and I heard Jonah howl.

"Got him," I said quickly, now seeing where the figure was perched in a tree. It took one shot and I saw the person's body tip over and crash to the ground. Turning to my side I saw Jonah's body. He was breathing too fast and blood was pouring out of his arm.

"Man down," I whispered into the intercom, searching to see if I had anything I could give Jonah to help him with the pain. Nothing. I took off my belt and pulled it tightly around his arm to stop the blood flow so he wouldn't bleed dry.

"We got to keep moving," someone spoke.

"Jonah--"

"Leave him," someone said. "The chopper will come soon."

"We can't just--"

Jonah grabbed my arm, "Go."

His face was deathly pale, and I didn't want to leave.

"You go without us," I said quietly.

"Are you crazy? You're going to get yourself killed!" Renz hissed.

"I'll catch up," I said, already determined.

They hurried on and I sat there with Jonah.

"You shouldn't have done that," he said, wincing in pain.

"I like to do things I'm not supposed to do," I retorted, gun out in front of me, ready to shoot. The sky faded from light blue to a dark blackness.

Then I was flying like a bird. I wanted to see the sky, but it was covered by smoke. I couldn't hear anything besides the static ringing in my ears. Renz' screaming had stopped. And I couldn't see, something warm was on my face.

My hand went to wipe it away and I realized it was blood. My stomach lurched, but I didn't throw up. I wouldn't let myself. Soon my hearing returned and the rat-a-tat-tats of bullets being fired filled the air. The loud booms of bombs made me shudder.

Someone was screaming, and I looked down. Even more blood, I tried to move but couldn't feel my leg. Where my right foot was supposed to be was blood. Just blood. I irrationally told myself it was covered under a sea of red, like how sometimes you can't see your limbs when you're in the ocean.

I never realized I was the one screaming.

I was screaming and flailing. I felt a pressure on my chest, and my eyes flew open. Anth was on top of me, pinning down my arms. I stopped screaming, and felt the tears fall down my face. My breath was uneven and choppy as I tried to calm down.

Anth hesitated before wrapping his arms around me. He held me, swaying a little, and I just cried. He didn't say anything, which I was thankful for.

"It--It's my fault," I whispered. "My fault Renz died."

Anth didn't say anything.

"She had a fiance," I whispered. "And a little girl who was three. She was going to be a dancer Renz said."

I felt Anth hold me tighter.

"I was in charge of the bomb. And--And it dropped," I continued, picturing the scene like the back of my hand. "And then it went off. I wanted her to stop screaming, and when she did--all I wanted was for her to start screaming again."

Another sob escaped my lips, and Anth whispered, "It's not your fault."

"But it was! If I hadn't lost the bomb--"

"You don't know that it was yours. And you didn't force her to sign up, now did you? You weren't the enemy. You didn't know she was going to die," Anth said.

"But--"

"It wasn't your fault Wyatt," he whispered.

I sniffled, and closed my eyes. I reopened them immediately, and Anth noticed.

"How long have you not been able to sleep?" He asked quietly.

"I don't know. It comes and it goes. It's easier in the day," I whispered.

He nodded, and we both lied down on the bed. I snuggled under the covers, wanting to feel warmth instead of the cold darkness that came with the nightmares. I felt Anth hesitate before he lied down on top of the bed. I felt him watching me, but I didn't look at him when I rolled over and laid my head on his chest.

I felt him stiffen. After a few seconds, I felt him relax a little bit and his arm wrapped around me. I felt his hand on my back, and I looked up at his face. He was starring down at me nervously, and I knew why.

He was scared, scared that I would disappear.

I just laid there, focusing on my breathing, not really thinking. I just needed to be held for some random reason.

I needed someone to tell me I'd be okay instead of asking me if I was okay or telling me I needed help. I just needed someone to do that for me, and I felt that Anth was close enough. With my head on his chest, I could hear his heart race.

And I felt comfort in that his heart was beating. He was alive and so was I. There was no use in wishing to change things I couldn't change. I slowly fell asleep with Anth's hand rubbing tiny, smooth circles on my back.

I fell into a peaceful dreamless sleep. A sleep I was thankful for.