Long Way Home
6
A week after the incident with Bree's therapist, the 6 teenagers sat in their living room, watching TV and eating from bowls of cereal, when there were three knocks on the door and Zoey walked in, a smile on her face.
"Up! Up!" She cheered loudly.
All of the teenagers groaned.
"Why?" Sasha whined.
"Because I need you guys to be on the children's floor today." She said matter-of-factly.
"What? Why?" Ashton asked.
"Well, we have important people from the funding board coming today to talk to the staff, and we all need to be there, so nobody can be there with the children. Plus, you guys haven't been down there in weeks and the kids miss you!"
The teenagers all groaned again.
"So we're babysitting." Michael said.
"Yes. And it's mandatory, so get your butts down there." The doctor said before smiling and walking out their door.
"Oh, c'mon, it can't be that bad." Bree spoke up. "Kids can be cute!"
The purple haired girl stood up and started to put her shoes on.
"But I'm comfortable." Luke whined.
Bree sighed, knowing that it was a rough morning, as neither of them had been sleeping. They got though 3 of John Green's books, though.
Regardless, all 5 other teens stood up, putting their shoes on to go down to the second floor.
When they got down to the floor, all the children were gathered in their rec room, playing games and running around.
One small girl saw them and came running at them.
"Ashy!!" She yelled gleefully, as Ashton picked her up and spun her around.
"Hey, Princess." Ashton said, smiling at the small blonde girl.
"I missed you." She pouted.
Ashton laughed, pinching her cheek.
"Well I'm here now. Let's go play a game, yeah?"
Ashton brought the small girl over to a table and sat her down with the kids playing go fish.
"Who's that girl?" Bree asked her friends.
"That's Melanie." Sasha said, a small smile on her face. "She's been here almost as long as Ash has, so they're connected that way."
"But she can't be more than 6! How long has she been here? For What?"
"2 years." Luke answered sadly. "Nobody actually knows. Her doctors keep it quiet."
Bree sighed, staring sadly at her friend and the small girl.
She snapped out of it and walked over to a table of children coloring, as her other friends dispersed to the different groups of kids.
"Hi!" A small boy with red hair greeted her shyly. "I like your hair."
Bree smiled, ruffling the boys hair.
"I like yours too. What are you coloring?"
Bree listened as the boy went on an enthusiastic tale about the dragon he was coloring, but her eyes were trained on her curly haired friend across the room, who did not look okay.
Her suspicions were only confirmed as she watched him look around, trying to make sure nobody saw him, before getting up and walking out the door.
Bree frowned, telling the kids at the table she'd be right back, and followed Ashton out the door.
She was too slow, though, and didn't see him anywhere. She started walking down the hall, and she heard small noises coming from behind the door to the janitors closet.
She sighed, knocking gently on the door.
"Ash?"
It took a few moments, but the door unlocked, and Bree opened it, shutting it behind her. She sighed when, in the dull light from the overhead lightbulb, saw the older boy curled in a corner, his knees pulled to his chest.
"What happened, Ashy?" She asked, gently reaching over to put a hand on his knee.
He was silent for a few minutes before speaking up.
"I uhm, I can't do that for very long." He said softly.
"Do what?" Bree asked.
"Sit in there and look at those happy and smiling children."
Bree gulped, taking Ashton's hand in hers.
"Why not?"
Ashton sighed, gripping her hand tightly in his own.
"My brother is 8 years old now." He said, biting his bottom lip. "W-when he found me, he was only 6."
Suddenly, Bree knew what he was talking about, and gently moved her other arm so it was around the older boy's shoulders.
"He was 6 years old and he had to find his big brother... the person who is supposed to protect him...like that."
Bree rubbed Ashton's arm gently, gulping in air to keep her tears at bay.
"I know what you're talking about, Ash. I know the feeling. I can't be in there for very long either."
"Why?" The boy asked softly.
"My sister is 7 and she found me passed out and near death on the bathroom floor a few months ago."
The tears didn't stop rolling down the smaller girl's cheeks, and Ashton opened his mouth to respond when Michael's loud voice came from outside the door.
"Cal, I'm sure they're just outside getting some air."
Bree choked back a sob and Ashton kissed her forehead before getting up and opening the door.
"In here." He informed his friends in a weak voice. In an instant, Calum flung his body into Ashton's arms.
"Y-you c-can't j-just leave w-without t-telling us!" The brown haired boy cried pathetically.
"I know, Cal, I'm sorry." Ashton repeated, trying to soothe the anxious boy.
"Where's Bree?" Michael's worried voice cut in.
Ashton crawled out of the closet with Calum in his arms , so that Michael could get a better view inside.
He saw the purple haired girl crying in the corner and his heart broke. He gently moved so that he wouldn't startle her, and pulled her into his arms, setting her on his lap.
"What the hell happened?" He asked, almost growling, directing the question at Ashton.
Ashton sighed, stroking Calum's hair.
"It's been a rough day for everyone." He stated. "But I really think we all need to go have a talk."
Bree buried her face in Michael's shoulder and he smiled softly at the girl.
"How about that, snugglebug?" He asked gently. "Ready to go talk about what's wrong?"
The girl nodded, and Michael wordlessly picked her up, hitching her on his hip. He gulped, realizing how small she really was. He kissed the top of her head as Ashton pulled Calum onto his back for a piggyback.
Ashton went in and told Sasha and Luke that they were going back to their room, and would be back soon, so the two could watch the children.
Both teens looked confused, but said nothing as the four others got in the elevator and went upstairs to have a talk.
"Up! Up!" She cheered loudly.
All of the teenagers groaned.
"Why?" Sasha whined.
"Because I need you guys to be on the children's floor today." She said matter-of-factly.
"What? Why?" Ashton asked.
"Well, we have important people from the funding board coming today to talk to the staff, and we all need to be there, so nobody can be there with the children. Plus, you guys haven't been down there in weeks and the kids miss you!"
The teenagers all groaned again.
"So we're babysitting." Michael said.
"Yes. And it's mandatory, so get your butts down there." The doctor said before smiling and walking out their door.
"Oh, c'mon, it can't be that bad." Bree spoke up. "Kids can be cute!"
The purple haired girl stood up and started to put her shoes on.
"But I'm comfortable." Luke whined.
Bree sighed, knowing that it was a rough morning, as neither of them had been sleeping. They got though 3 of John Green's books, though.
Regardless, all 5 other teens stood up, putting their shoes on to go down to the second floor.
When they got down to the floor, all the children were gathered in their rec room, playing games and running around.
One small girl saw them and came running at them.
"Ashy!!" She yelled gleefully, as Ashton picked her up and spun her around.
"Hey, Princess." Ashton said, smiling at the small blonde girl.
"I missed you." She pouted.
Ashton laughed, pinching her cheek.
"Well I'm here now. Let's go play a game, yeah?"
Ashton brought the small girl over to a table and sat her down with the kids playing go fish.
"Who's that girl?" Bree asked her friends.
"That's Melanie." Sasha said, a small smile on her face. "She's been here almost as long as Ash has, so they're connected that way."
"But she can't be more than 6! How long has she been here? For What?"
"2 years." Luke answered sadly. "Nobody actually knows. Her doctors keep it quiet."
Bree sighed, staring sadly at her friend and the small girl.
She snapped out of it and walked over to a table of children coloring, as her other friends dispersed to the different groups of kids.
"Hi!" A small boy with red hair greeted her shyly. "I like your hair."
Bree smiled, ruffling the boys hair.
"I like yours too. What are you coloring?"
Bree listened as the boy went on an enthusiastic tale about the dragon he was coloring, but her eyes were trained on her curly haired friend across the room, who did not look okay.
Her suspicions were only confirmed as she watched him look around, trying to make sure nobody saw him, before getting up and walking out the door.
Bree frowned, telling the kids at the table she'd be right back, and followed Ashton out the door.
She was too slow, though, and didn't see him anywhere. She started walking down the hall, and she heard small noises coming from behind the door to the janitors closet.
She sighed, knocking gently on the door.
"Ash?"
It took a few moments, but the door unlocked, and Bree opened it, shutting it behind her. She sighed when, in the dull light from the overhead lightbulb, saw the older boy curled in a corner, his knees pulled to his chest.
"What happened, Ashy?" She asked, gently reaching over to put a hand on his knee.
He was silent for a few minutes before speaking up.
"I uhm, I can't do that for very long." He said softly.
"Do what?" Bree asked.
"Sit in there and look at those happy and smiling children."
Bree gulped, taking Ashton's hand in hers.
"Why not?"
Ashton sighed, gripping her hand tightly in his own.
"My brother is 8 years old now." He said, biting his bottom lip. "W-when he found me, he was only 6."
Suddenly, Bree knew what he was talking about, and gently moved her other arm so it was around the older boy's shoulders.
"He was 6 years old and he had to find his big brother... the person who is supposed to protect him...like that."
Bree rubbed Ashton's arm gently, gulping in air to keep her tears at bay.
"I know what you're talking about, Ash. I know the feeling. I can't be in there for very long either."
"Why?" The boy asked softly.
"My sister is 7 and she found me passed out and near death on the bathroom floor a few months ago."
The tears didn't stop rolling down the smaller girl's cheeks, and Ashton opened his mouth to respond when Michael's loud voice came from outside the door.
"Cal, I'm sure they're just outside getting some air."
Bree choked back a sob and Ashton kissed her forehead before getting up and opening the door.
"In here." He informed his friends in a weak voice. In an instant, Calum flung his body into Ashton's arms.
"Y-you c-can't j-just leave w-without t-telling us!" The brown haired boy cried pathetically.
"I know, Cal, I'm sorry." Ashton repeated, trying to soothe the anxious boy.
"Where's Bree?" Michael's worried voice cut in.
Ashton crawled out of the closet with Calum in his arms , so that Michael could get a better view inside.
He saw the purple haired girl crying in the corner and his heart broke. He gently moved so that he wouldn't startle her, and pulled her into his arms, setting her on his lap.
"What the hell happened?" He asked, almost growling, directing the question at Ashton.
Ashton sighed, stroking Calum's hair.
"It's been a rough day for everyone." He stated. "But I really think we all need to go have a talk."
Bree buried her face in Michael's shoulder and he smiled softly at the girl.
"How about that, snugglebug?" He asked gently. "Ready to go talk about what's wrong?"
The girl nodded, and Michael wordlessly picked her up, hitching her on his hip. He gulped, realizing how small she really was. He kissed the top of her head as Ashton pulled Calum onto his back for a piggyback.
Ashton went in and told Sasha and Luke that they were going back to their room, and would be back soon, so the two could watch the children.
Both teens looked confused, but said nothing as the four others got in the elevator and went upstairs to have a talk.