Elle.

Then next morning came all too quick as my lids failed to open without feeling like a ton of bricks. I rolled over moaning about a throbbing headache only to realize no one was in the bed beside me. My body hurried to sit up and left my brain lying on the pillow causing the rush of blood to make my eyes blur. I scanned the room until my eyes landed on a piece of notebook paper labeled ‘Elle.’ Unfolding the paper caused two white pills to fall out into my hand.

Here take these, I’m sure you have a nasty headache. I went with Zach to get some coffee and doughnuts. You should probably put something decent on. ;) –Jude

I looked down and realized my little get up I had put on the night before was no longer on my body. Blushing I pulled the covers over myself and swallowed the pills dry. Hopefully they would start to work their magic soon.

When I began to shuffle through my duffle bag I realized my clothes were dwindling and the amount of dirty clothes outweighed the clean ones. I huffed as I slipped my last pair of pajamas on, when were we leaving? Granted I knew we hadn’t completed our task completely but we had school the next day (not that, that really bothered me) and I’m sure Ryan was ready to send the FBI out on us…

The crack of a door caught my attention and my head jolted up. Next the voices of two mean floated through the air of the apartment. She’s probably still asleep, made the speed of my dressing escalate as the cami in my hands soon found its place and I wiggled my feet into some slippers. There was a soft knock on my door and I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Come in.” Jude’s smiling face peeped around the small opening he made. “Good morning.”

“Indeed it is.” He laughed and walked over to place a gentle kiss to my forehead.

-

“So, why exactly are you guys here?” Zachery Berg questioned as he chomped into his third doughnut.

I barely looked up from the laptop I was typing on. “Oh you know, just wanted to see the city.” The eye roll I added wasn’t needed, but it emphasized my sarcasm, or so I thought.

“You’re so much like Z…” My uncle looked down at the soy latte between his hands. “You know about it right?”

By the way he said ‘it’ I could tell he knew about the previous secret now blown open. I nodded and picked at a crumb that had fallen on the h key. “That’s why we’re here. To, uh…visit our parents.” I tried to phrase it lightly but I noticed Jude’s slight flinch.

Zach looked between the two of us before questioning my statement. “Our?” The next part was directed on the boy sitting next to me on the leather sofa. “Who’s your parents?”

“Beth and John Carrigan.” Jude’s voice was quiet and even, barely hinting any emotion towards he’s decease parents.

“You have got to be shitting me.” The doughnut in the older man’s hand hit the plate and his widened an extreme degree. Jude and I exchanged quick glances before he continued. “Your parents killed my sister!” He eyes flashed to me. “How dare you come into my home and bring this boy! How can you even stand to be with him?” The plate slipped from his hands and created and even bigger mess than we were in the middle of.

“What do you mean his parents killed her? I thought she was in a car wreck.” That’s when it hit me, Jude’s parents were killed the same way. “Oh no.” The words were carried out in a single breath at the same time Zachery shouted “A car wreck that was their fault!”

-

Jude and I sat on the twin size bed in my room not looking at each other. The silence was suffocating but I was still trying to process all the information my uncle had just dumped on me.

My mother, Elizabeth Berg, was coming home for a Christmas break when she was sideline at a red light by the Carrigans. The impact had killed her and Beth Carrigan instantly and John was left on life support for two weeks before the plug was pulled by his loving mother, they same woman that put Jude up for foster care.

Most of it that didn’t involve my mom personally was found through multiple searches I had done when everything cooled down. Zach had left some time ago to help guard a private party being held at Angels and Kings in honor of Harlow Madden’s 19th birthday.

When I finally looked up I found that Jude was staring at me sadly. “What?” I whispered softly and let my fingers ghost up his arm. He shook his head and looked back down. “You can tell me, ya know? No secrets please.”

“I’m sorry.” He mumbled before wiping his nose with the back of his hand.

I tried to assure him it wasn’t his fault and waited for his nod before continuing. “I think we should go to the cemetery soon.”

His eyes shot back to me like a deer in head lights and I could tell it wasn’t time.