Sequel: Rocks Painted Gold
Status: As of April 14th 2013 new and improved chapters of Promise Me The Stars have begun to be published on Mibba :)

Promise Me The Stars

Pleasant

The group was out of the hospital by the time the clock struck eleven in the morning. Hazel was to take some pills until they were gone just to make sure there wasn't any infection and Forest had run the moment someone had mentioned him being checked out by the doctor.

"That wasn't part of the deal! We came here for Hazel not me." He had stated before bolting from the hospital room.

They found him later outside leaning up against a tree in the small courtyard they had for people. He had glared at the group and then stalked to the car before locking himself into the backseat and drifting off to sleep with his head pressed against the window.

"How about we all head out to dinner later tonight?" Matt asked as they piled out of Zacky's car to split ways at the house.

"Sounds good." Zacky said nodding and looking at Forest as he walked past with his head down.

As everyone said their goodbyes and started leaving Matt turned to Zacky, "Work on it," he stated as he headed to his car. Zacky nodded and sighed before waving slightly and heading for the house to see what his kids were up to.

As he neared the living room he heard arguing going on behind the walls.

"I just don't understand why you haven't told him yet Forest!" Hazel said, her voice rising.

"Will you quiet the fuck down Hazel? Damn woman, it's like you don't know he's creeping around somewhere." Forest huffed.

"GOOD! Maybe he'll hear us arguing and learn the truth!"

"Is that really how you want him to find out?" Forest asked, an edge of...well Zacky couldn't pick out the emotion in his voice. It was clouded with anger and maybe even fear.

"He has to find out some how Forest. Even if I have to tell him my..." Hazel was cut off and Zacky flinched when he heard a sound like someone getting shoved. That was when he realized Forest had shoved Hazel against the wall.

"If you tell him about Shadow, I swear to God i'll disown you as my sister, i'll run away and you'll never see me again Hazel. I'll just be a ghost in your thoughts like mom." Forest hissed. He was against the wall Zacky was leaning on listening to them. And Zacky decided enough was enough as he walked into the room and pushed Forest off Hazel.

"What in the hell do you think you're doing?" Zacky asked stepping forward to face Forest.

Forest didn't answer and just glanced at Hazel before walking quickly out of the room. The last sound was the echo of the front door slamming closed and then the house fell into a deathly silence as Zacky looked at Hazel as she straightened her shirt where Forest had grabbed her.

"Hazel, this is getting too out of hand. You have to tell me what's wrong with Forest so I can help him. I don't want to live thinking i'll walk into a room seeing Forest threatening you while shoving you against the wall!"

"He never does that dad. I just said the wrong thing." Hazel said quietly moving the sit down on the couch.

"I heard what you said Hazel. If that's the wrong thing to say..." Zacky trailed off and sighed shaking his head and walking out of the room.

Forest sighed as he left the house once again.

"Why don't you tell daddy about me Stan?" Shadow asked.

"You know why." Forest stated looking ahead of him as a park came into view.

The playground, silent and abandoned, swirling with the ghosts of children's laughter and joy that lingered from the day. Forest walked quickly past it, getting an odd feeling from the playground being so silent and empty.

"Seems wrong." Shadow muttered staring at the swing set that had a few swings rocking slowly back and forth with the light breeze that blew through the park and rustled the trees leaves. Producing a noise that sounded like a low roar of clicks.

"The world isn't very right Shadow. You're the perfect example." Forest said before making a running start to run up the trunk of a tree and propel himself to the lowest branch. He hissed as the stitches in his back were pulled dangerously and threatened to rip as he pulled himself up onto the branch. He looped his leg over so one was on either side of the branch and then Forest sighed and leaned back against the trunk of the tree. He feared his stitches would really rip if he climbed any higher so he started getting comfortable.

"So we're just going to sit here and do nothing while you sit in a tree?" Shadow asked rolling his eyes.

"Got any better ideas?" Forest asked.

"You could go find that Kylie chick." Shadow suggested.

"You just want to stare at her assets." Forest said with a small grin on his face.

"Yeah and? Not like she can slap me for staring, she can't see me." Shadow smirked and Forest couldn't help but laugh.

"We're not going to find her. I barely met her today so it'll be really weird." Forest said. Shadow sighed and got comfortable under the tree.

"That's boring. I'm hungry, I didn't even know I could get hungry."

"You're just bored and think you're hungry." Forest said looking out at the view of the park from his viewpoint in the tree.

"Or maybe i'm legit hungry." Shadow countered back.

"Then go eat a duck." Forest said pointing to the lake that was just off to the right through a very small patch of trees. Forest could see ducks roaming around over there on the banks of the lake and some swimming.

"Too....ducky." Forest rolled his eyes and leaned back against the tree, his eyes slipping closed as he relaxed his aching muscles.

Image


A hard jolt that spread through Forest's body nearly had him tumbling out of the tree he had fallen asleep in. He yawned and stretched gently, the pain of his injuries reawakening with a vengeance and throbbing started quickly in most of his body.

"Good morning sleeping beauty." Shadow said from below. Forest glanced down, he had never moved from his spot.

"How long have I been out?" Forest asked yawning.

He slowly started to get down from the tree and groaned painfully as his foot slipped out from under him. He had turned so he didn't land on his back and he decided to lay there in the grass for awhile until his buzzing nerves calmed down.

"About an hour I would say. Couple people walked by but none of them noticed you." Shadow said, who hadn't moved from his spot against the tree.

He could feel Shadow's gaze on the back of his head but Forest was too preoccupied to bother with it. He felt like calling someone to come pick him up and carry him home. He was just too tired to get up but he couldn't just lay in a park and be a hobo.

He groaned and nearly let out a yell as his shoulder cracked painfully in it's socket. He knew it was inches from being dislocated and he felt his eyes burn with tears of pain.

"Fffuuuuckk." He let out in an airy breath as he stood up, he carefully rolled his shoulder and felt a pop as it got painfully back into place.

"That cliff dive took more out of you then you thought." Shadow laughed.

Forest didn't bother saying anything. What could he say to the truth? And he didn't feel like talking, he was just too tired.

"Just don't fall man, I can't pick you up and you'll probably die." Shadow snickered at the last part and Forest scowled.

"Shut up Shadow." Forest mumbled, his feet scraping on the sidewalk as he walked back towards the house.

He passed places he never bothered looking at and today was no different. They went by as a slow blur that was mixed greens and other colors from the shrubs that stood in front of people's houses. Shadow walked merrily next to him, whistling some fast tune that bore into his aching head. He felt like he was coming down with a cold only the ache was much worse with his hundreds of bruises.

He entered the house, slamming the door and not thinking twice about it, then made his way towards the kitchen.

"Forest," Zacky started, standing quickly from the chair he had been sitting in at the table in the kitchen. Forest held up his hand to stop the man from going on with whatever it was he was going to do. He started to slowly lower himself into a chair like an old man, his hand on his lower back. He groaned loudly in the process. Once he was down he sighed and lay his head against the cold table, it felt refreshing against his burning forehead and he could see himself falling asleep again against the table.

"What?" He mumbled when he felt Zacky staring at him.

"I want to talk to you..." He trailed off and Forest felt a hand on the back of his head, "You feeling alright?" Zacky asked quietly.

"I'm tired," Forest started slowly, his eyes cracking open, "Everything hurts and I feel like i've been rolling in mud for the past two days."

"We should probably get you cleaned up." Zacky sighed and tilted Forest's head to look at his face.

Dirt was caked on his face in places, making him look much older then sixteen, bruises lined the right side of his jaw, well that was the only side Zacky could really see so he didn't know about the left side. A cut on his forehead had some butterfly stitch bandages on it but dirt had gotten into it by now. He didn't even want to look at Forest's back because he knew that was where he got stitches.

"Come on get up." Zacky whispered quietly, tugging on Forest's arm lightly. Forest groaned and shook his head.

"I just want to sleep."

"You can after we clean you up kiddo."

"I'm not a kid."

"You're younger then me, you're a kid."

"Are you admitting you're old Zacky?" Forest looked up at his father and let a small grin etch across his lips.

"I'm not admitting to anything. Come on." Forest groaned and started to stand.

"Maybe I should have been checked out at the hospital." He breathed out in pain, wrapping his arm quickly around Zacky's shoulders. Zacky wrapped his arm around his waist and let Forest lean all his weight on his right side.

"Probably should have. I'll get you some painkillers in a minute."

"And some booze." Forest smirked.

"Maybe some other time." Zacky laughed walking him into the living room, assuming Forest didn't want to make the painful journey up the stairs.

Forest groaned again as Zacky helped him lay down on the couch. He kicked his shoes off and breathed shallow gasps of air as the pain everywhere grew stronger.

"Dad?" Hazel had stepped into the room and glanced over at Forest on the couch.

"He's fine." Zacky sighed looking down at the boy, "But can you go get advil and orange juice for him.

"Orange juice?" She questioned.

"I learned over the years that it somehow helps the pain killers kick in faster."

"Alright," Hazel shrugged and headed for the kitchen.

"Think you'll be up for going to dinner tonight?" Zacky asked sitting down on the coffee table. Forest sniffed and shrugged.

"I think so, just need to sleep for awhile, not in a tree preferably."

Zacky pulled a face but didn't question the statement as Hazel walked back in with the pills and glass of juice. She sat down on the couch with a frown on her face and took Forest's hand in her own. Forest cracked his eyes open and looked at Hazel. He jumped and scrambled off the couch quickly, pulling his stitches out for sure. He landed on the floor with a thud and scooted away breathing hard.

"Forest?!" Hazel shrieked standing up. Zacky stood up, pulling Hazel back as she went for him.

"Give him a second Hazel." Zacky slipped Hazel behind him and took a slow step towards his son. He looked like a scared animal as he sat there with wide trembling eyes, trying to control his breathing.

"Hey," Zacky said softly crouching to look in Forest's eyes, "What happened there?"

Forest looked up, he had finally calmed down, and sighed looking away, "I was half asleep I guess, I opened my eyes and saw Hazel and I thought I was dying in a hospital or something." Forest shook his head and started to stand. Zacky grabbed his arm and helped him to his feet.

"Take these and try to get some sleep." Zacky said handing over the pills, he picked up the glass of juice and waited until Forest had shoved them into his mouth to hand over the glass.

"Are you okay?" Hazel whispered sitting next to him on the couch. He grinned at Hazel wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"Of course i'm fine."

"Quit lying." Hazel mumbled wincing at her brother's extensive injuries as she looked him over.

"You should have gotten checked out Forest." Hazel whined brushing his hair off his head.

"Yeah yeah," Forest brushed her hand away and finished off the glass of juice in one large gulp, "I'm going to sleep."

He groaned as he sat back and put his arm over his eyes to block out the light, biting his lip to keep the tears of pain at bay. He prayed that the pain meds would kick in soon as he heard Zacky and Hazel quietly leave the room. He was an inch and a half from falling asleep when he became aware of Shadow's presence in the room which reminded him he needed to take his other medicine.

"Hazel!" He yelled after his struggle to open his eyes was over.

"She went out." Zacky said from the doorway, "What do you need?"

"She left that fast?" Forest asked, tilting his head back to look at Zacky.

Zacky let out a chuckle and shook his head, "You've been asleep for half an hour."

Forest's eyebrows knit together as he looked up at Zacky.

"Really?"

Zacky raised an amused eyebrow and nodded, "Really. What do you need?" Zacky asked again.

Forest groaned and shook his head, waving his arm to dismiss the previous request he had been about to make.

"It's nothing, never mind."

"Come on Forest, just tell me what you want." Zacky urged.

"Nothing just leave it. I'll go get it myself."

Zacky muttered something in defeat and left the room, heading back to the basement where he had come from. Forest, content with being semi-alone again, got back into the position he had apparently fallen asleep in without knowing it. The air in his lungs escaped with a lazy breath of air as he started drifting again.

"Ring ring, pill time." Forest jumped and his eyes shot open at the sound of Shadow's voice in his ear. He had dozed off again and the living room was darker then before as the sun was beginning to set.

"Hey you're awake." Zacky stopped in the doorway and looked at Forest.

"What time is it?" He groaned rubbing his eyes and sitting up. The pain had subsided and he didn't feel like an overused punching bag anymore, more like a fairly used punching bag.

"Nearly four, we're going out for dinner soon, care to join us?"

"What kind of food?"

"Italian I was told." Forest nodded and pushed himself up off the couch.

"I could go for some pasta...and shit." Zacky laughed and let Forest slip past him on his journey to his room.

"Go get cleaned up we're leaving at five."

"Aight." Forest called before there was a slamming of his bedroom door.

Zacky sighed and couldn't help but grin. Forest was being...pleasant with him.
♠ ♠ ♠
It's been way too long. I have no excuse since I was just editing the chapters from the Avenged Sevenfold fan fiction site to make them postable here. BUT if I needed an excuse then it would be that my life has been a living hell the past few months. But i'm pushing through and trying to get back on track with my writing. So here's to the future!