The Tick Tock of the Clock

“There’s food!” I groaned running a hand over my face at Brendon’s loud out burst.

“Shut up.” I groaned at him watching him jump up and down at the other end of the couch by my feet. Closing my eyes I took a deep breath through my nose to get back to sleep. My mouth instantly began watering at the smell of pancakes and vanilla. “Ryan, stop buying girly deodorant, it’s kinda creepy to smell in the morning.” I muttered shifting in my spot, the comfort in it gone as my mouth kept watering.

“I’m not eve out of bed.” He grumbled into his pillow. “So I still smell like sweat.” He stated.

“Then… I’m confused.” I whispered as two hands grabbed the side of my face. Opening my eyes I looked up at Brendon smiling down at me. “Why are you touching me so early in the morning?” I asked laughing a bit as he stuck his tongue out turning my head to the coffee table filled with food. “Holy crap.” I whispered sitting straight up staring at the wonder before me. “Ryan there’s food!” I gasped. Ryan sat up instantly like a zombie, his hair on one side of his head as he stared past me. In a flash Ryan threw the blankets off him and seemed to transfer his body mass in seconds to the coffee table staring down at it with me. I’ve never seen him move that fast, actually I’ve never seen anyone move that fast.

“See! Told you!” Brendon laughed running into the other room. “They’ve got food too!!” Standing up I hurried to the door peeking in it as Jon sat up looking at us.

“Can you be any louder?” He gasped lightly while we eyed there table of delicious foods.

“Food.” All three of us laughed. We were acting as if we’d never seen food before. Gasping I noticed croissants on the table. Hurrying over I grabbed two.

“Mine.” I stated biting into one as Spencer opened his eyes staring at me.

“Get out.” He groaned pointing in a random direction.

“Okay. Ryan, Brendon, grab the table.”

“Hey! Hey! Hey!” Jon yelled jumping up of bed stopping the two. “You have food too don’t you?” He asked we all stared at him. As I finished my first roll and began on my second one quickly. “If we have food, you have food. Why would Ella just give us food?” He asked Ryan and Brendon scowled sitting on the couch picking at Jon and Spencer’s food anyway. “Give me that.” Jon laughed taking a plate off the table before Ryan could. “Go get your own pancakes.” Snorting Ryan grabbing a different plate while Spencer slowly got out of bed wandering over to figure out what they’re was to eat and what he wanted from it.

“Where is Ella?” I muttered lightly looking around. She never left with out telling me, or at least leaving me a note of some kind. Pulling my phone out I stuffed the last bit of my roll in my mouth as I opened my sidekick. No text or anything. “Hmm.” I muttered walking to the door opening it. The only other thing that could be happening was she was out in the hall talking on the phone. Opening the door I looked around, nope. I stopped hearing a sniffle and looked down at her sitting between the two room doors, hood pulled up head on her knees. “Ella?” I muttered a bit confused that she was sitting on the floor that way. I could see her multi colored hair sticking out of her hood and draping around her knees as she hugged them to her chest with one arm.

Shaking her head she didn’t seem to move much else.

“Ella, I can see you. You’re right there.” I muttered pointing at her as I laughed at how odd she could be some times. Sitting next to her I smiled at her, her hair was covering her like a thick mane of some type. “Why don’t you come in and eat?” I asked lightly watching her closely. She was normally in their eating before us, and when we woke up noticing the nice surprise she’d laugh and tell us ‘yeah, it’s been here for a while, I tried to wake you guys.’ And we’d mumble and grumble that she didn’t try to wake us hard enough, but thank her none the less for the food.

“I’m not hungry.” She whispered I leaned in to hear her. She was so quite, it made me smile. The guy’s plane must have been either canceled or delayed and she was blaming her self. She always got this way when stuff like that happens. “I don’t wanna.” She added in the quite tone. Leaning forward I noticed her hair up under her hair and hood.

“Are you on the phone?” I asked lightly grabbing my ankles as I sat there Indian style in my boxers and sweater. I paused hearing my name, it was a buzz of it, but I heard it coming from her phone anyway. “Um… do they wanna talk to me?” I asked laughing a bit, watching as she shook her head a bit puling her knees to her chest a bit more sniffling.

“Answer the phone!” I blinked a bit startled by how clearly I’d hear that off her phone. Laughing I reached around her and paused, she hadn’t looked up to tell me not to touch her or the phone.

“I must do as the phone tells me too.” I stated reaching in and grabbing it before she had a chance to protest. She simply only tried to get it back as she hardly lifted her head off her knees. “Hello?” I asked still laughing at the person on the other end of the line while Ella stood walking off.

“Oh my god Pete! It’s horrible.” I recognized the thick, slow feminine voice instantly as it rolled off the receiver; cracking in a few places when they sniffled.

“Are you crying Hayley?” I asked trying not to laugh as I watched Ella go, her shoulders we slumped a bit as if she didn’t care. It’s weird, as I watched Ella go; all I could do was think of Hayley. They were the same size almost- Hayley was just a little bigger. They both dyed their hair red and funky cool colors, but Ella had fuller lips, larger emerald green eyes and a smaller button styled nose than Hayley did; though many people miss took them as sister when they were near each other. They had a similar smile and laugh, while Ella’s voice was a little deeper and smoother than Hayley’s- in my honest opinion.

“Oh my god Pete, it’s horrible!” She repeated, gasping at me. “Ella’s sister just died. she got a call while she was talking to me on the phone and it was the police I guess. I don’t really know but she was trying when she took me off hold and, and, and her sister died Pete.” She finished softly taking in a deep breath. My mind seemed to freeze. “She’s gotta take in her sisters kid. She’s crying and, I’m worried about her Pete. Before she was just stressing about the plane delays for the guys, but now… I’m really worried.” She gasped I blinked trying to process the fast flowing words of the teenage girls lips. “Her sister died.” She whispered again choking back sobs as my mouth dropped open registering the words.

“What?!” I yelled looking up, Ella was gone. “Shit. I’ll call you back.” I stated hanging up and throwing open the door. “Ella’s sister died.” I stated the guys froze eyes wide. “And Ella’s gone.” I stated turning around and heading for the elevator as the guys followed me. I stopped seeing the elevator button pushed and it going down. My eyes darted to the stairs. Throwing the door open I began running down them.

“Pete?” Jon muttered confused but followed none the less.

“Ella!” I yelled looking down the stairs. I could hear faint sniffling. Jumping over a railing I hurried down the stairs seeing a figure go around the corner. “Isabella Leeann Phight stop right this second!” I yelled running as fast as I could down the stairs with out loosing my footing and killing myself. “Ella!” I called again.

I really gasped as she came into view slowly heading down the stairs.

Hurrying around her I stopped in front of her, causing her to freeze two steps up from me. Her large green eyes were watery, red and puffy. She just watched me as her bottom lip quivered. It was the worst thing I’ve ever seen.

“Ella?” I asked hoping she’d smile at me, or tell me she’d be okay. I wasn’t sure what to do; she’d never cried never really or truthfully needed me to be there for her. Not like how I need her to be there for me, and she’s always there when I need her, even when I don’t want her to be. “Come here.” I whispered holding my arms up as the guys stopped a few feet behind her. She screwed her eyes shut looking away. I smiled a bit at her, and the face she made when she was trying not to cry with all her might. “Come on.” I whispered stepping up to her and sliding my arms around her small frame hugging her against me trying not to sway with her for fear of falling backwards down the steps. “It’ll be okay, I promise.” It was all I could think of to say to her, and it didn’t seem good enough. I wanted to lay out a plan for her to prove to her that’d it’d be okay.

She just gripped my sweater, hiding her head in my chest, still not willing to crack and cry. “Just let it go. Okay? Crying’s not a bad thing, I swear…” I whispered as I watched Spencer reach out placing a hand on her back the others just watched with worried eyes; at a loss for words as I was.

“It’s okay, really.” Spencer muttered getting her attention. She just looked back at him as he stepped down a bit closer rubbing her back still. I could feel her chest heave against mine as her jaw quivered. She let out a few quick sobs before she stuffed her face into my chest again. Rubbing her back I turned pulling her into my lap as I sat on the freezing cold stairs, holding her close to me. She needed someone to be there for her, and I was going to do just that for as long as she needed me to be.

I smiled down at her, what seemed like years later, when she finally calmed down enough that her sobs weren’t filling the long, cold stairwell we were occupying. My ass was frozen beyond frost bite and I couldn’t feel my feet, but none of that seemed to matter.

“See that wasn’t so hard, was it?” I whispered softly still holding her close to me. She seemed to fit perfectly as she rested her forehead on my shoulder, almost refusing to look at me.

“You’re not wearing any pants.” She muttered still finding something to fuss over.

“Well…” I muttered looking at my boxer briefs lightly. “I forgot those in the rush to make sure you were okay.” I nodded as she lifted her head looking over at the guys all standing in their boxers, other than Spencer, and just watching us.

“Fan girls would die if they saw you guys.” She stated, with how flat her hoarse voice was made me smile at her joke to the guys. It was a sign she was feeling a little better.

Ryan walked over crouching down next to us.

“Are you okay?” He asked lightly as I let my smile slip from my features while she looked away from him for a second.

“What am I going to do with a four year old? I already have to take care of him!” she stated pointing at me. Blinking I watched her a bit startled, but letting the comment slip knowing on many occasions it was true. Reaching up I ran my thumb across her cheeks removing the tears still falling as she sniffled back a few more sobs. “If that hasn’t been a hard enough task!” I laughed at her still wiping away her tears as she looked at me with narrowed brows. “I have grey hair because of you.” She snapped bitterly at me while I reached into my pocket retrieving her phone from its depths and handing it to her.

“Call Hayley later, she’s worried. You made her cry.” I stated adjusting her on my hips as I stood up cradling her against my chest gently. “Let’s go back to the rooms. My ass is frozen from these steps.” I muttered trying to lighten the mood a bit as Ella fully wrapped her legs around my waist.

The trip up the steps was easier than I thought it would be, with Jon on one side and Ryan on the other ready to take her if I couldn’t manage up the stairs myself with her as she talked with Hayley on the phone.

“I guess.” She whispered, I sighed listening to her. “I’m sorry I made you cry.” She added as I listened to the hurried bustle of Hayley on the other end of the line. It’s always confused me how girls understand each other when they talk to fast. “No… I don’t know.” She whispered. I glanced down at her biting her bottom lip as she held the phone to her ear lightly.

Brendon held the door open for me. Giving a quick head nod as thanks to not ruin Ella’s conversation he nodded, understanding my crude gesture to him.

“Come one, I want you to eat.” I whispered as Ella lowered her phone from her ear with a simple good-bye to Hayley. She shook her head wrapping her arms around my neck while I waited for the guys to open the door. Spencer, being well prepared, had the room key and opened the door for us. “Please, just a little bit.” I stated as I walked in sitting on the couch with her still tucked again my chest. “I don’t care what you eat, just eat something.” I muttered shifting her onto the couch by herself, my arms still wrapped around her though to let her know I was there for her.

“Nothing looks good, nothing sounds good.”

“I don’t care, eat something.” I stated trying to be forceful with her like she did with me. She only looked up at me with those big, watery green eyes.

“I have more of a backbone than you do.”

“I know you’re upset, but that is no reason to be mean. Please Ella? I want you to eat something.” I whispered as the guys watched us, all getting dressed. She leaned against me and sighed as I waited for her response. “Please Ella?” I begged.

“Can I go take a hot shower?” She asked, she sounded so small, so child like. I nodded.

“Yeah, sure.” I stated watching as she got up heading to the bathroom. She closed the door, the sound of the lock clicked through out the whole room.

“What’d you want us to leave her to eat?” Brendon asked lightly looking at the food. I shrugged a bit.

“Bring the other coffee table in here. We’ll put it back before we leave. But we gotta leave a decent amount of food.” I muttered walking into the other room as Brendon and Jon lifted the coffee table moving it into the other room. I grabbed a pair of pants and pulled them on followed by my socks and shoes as we all listened to the shower running.

“Dude, what’re we going to do?” Jon muttered softly as I sat back down on the couch in his and Spence’s room. I shrugged a bit.

“I know this much.” I muttered pointing. “Scavenger hunt is off for now, she can’t handle that. I don’t give a damn what she says.” I growled a bit knowing she’d tell me she could handle it. “We can pick it up later. I’ll put a notice on the website once I commandeer her laptop later at Crystal’s. Umm… our trips are set. That’s how she does trips. Set in stone no going back really but, I think that’ll be good for her, don’t you? A trip to Disney Land. No worries. Nothing.” I muttered leaning back in my seat running a hand over my mouth thinking.

“What about the kid?” Ryan muttered interjecting while sitting on the arm rest as he nibbled on a roll of some sort.

“The kid could use a trip too a bet.” I stated. “Umm… He’ll just go everywhere Ella and I go because I know she won’t give him up and even if she wanted to I wouldn’t let her.” I muttered nodding my head as the guys did. “Fuck.” I muttered getting up heading back into the other room. I looked at the still set up laptop and sat down logging in.

“What’d you doing?” Brendon asked softly watching me from the doorway.

“Getting her a ticket to Chicago.” I muttered lightly. “She’s going to have to fly with us to Disney Land because knowing her she’s the only one who can check us in and get our passes and all that stuff. So, she’ll have to do that, as much as I don’t want her too. So I’ll fly her out the day we get there around eight Pm.” I muttered clicking on the flight and booking it for her, it was a straight flight to Chicago. “When do you think she’ll be able to come back?” I asked lightly looking at Brendon, he simply shrugged. The shower switched off. “When she comes out, tell her to come here.” I stated simply wondering when I should get two tickets to come back to Disney Land. I know it’s a sad thing to bribe a four year old with an awesome theme park, but the kid probably needed to get away from the fact that his mommy wasn’t ever coming home.