In Your Shadow

"Hazel, oh Hazel, where can... thou be?" Blake wandered down the hall, attempting to find her by the sound of her giggle.
There was no giggle, not a peep.

He came all the way back to the office where Hazel had camped out all day, and squinted his eyes into the darkness.
He could barely make out the dark figure in the office chair, a pencil dangling dangerously in on hand, and a mess of paper on the floor.

Blake tip toed closer to the figure, and realized it was Hazel, fast asleep in the chair, her head resting awkwardly against the wall. Blake chuckled, and reached to take the pencil from her hand. Hazel's hand twitched.

"Hazel..." Blake whispered, not really wanting to wake her. He touched her arm. "Haaazel."

She twitched again, but didn't wake up.

Blake sighed, and jumped when he heard someone trip over the trash can.

"I always hit that damn-" Devin abruptly stopped talking when he saw Blake glaring at him.
Hazel was still fast asleep.

Devin pointed a thumb out the door. "Sierra's out cold." He said.

Blake nodded, and turned back to Hazel, while Devin walked out of the room.

He didn't want to leave her on that chair, surely she would rather wake up on a bed rather than in a chair with a neck ache.
Blake reached out and lightly cradled her head, while he slipped his arms under her legs, struggling to pick her up bridal style without waking her.

He succeeded after he realized that Hazel could probably sleep through a hurricane.
Hazel's head flopped around while he carried down the hall to the guest room, just to see Devin placing Sierra down on the single size bed gently.

"Damnit..." Blake mumbled. Devin was tucking Sierra in when Blake turned around, and walked to his room across the hall.

While Blake placed her down on his bed gentley, Devin trailed behind him.
"Where are you sleeping?" He asked.

Blake took one of the pillows off the bed, and then threw it on the floor.
"I'll sleep on the floor." He said as he reached up, and pulled a blanket over Hazel.

Devin watched Blake for a moment, then chuckled. Blake looked up from what he was doing.

"What?" He asked, eyebrows furrowed.

Devin shrugged, a smirk on his face.

"You got it bad, man." He chuckled, making Blake's face turn bright red.
"Shut up..." He mumbled, knowing that there was no way to deny it.

Devin said his goodbyes, and left for his own home.

Blake made himself a make-shift bed on the floor, while Hazel slept soundly.
He took one last look at the girl, and thought- why her?.

She looked exactly like her sister, but was a completely different person than Sierra.
Not as abrasive, or loud, but peaceful.

Blake eventually drifted off to sleep, his thoughts mixed and lost.