C H A P T E R   T W O
Talk To Me Too

Cozily, Delia and her Aunt and Uncle sat in their creaky chairs. The fire from the fireplace wrapped them in its warmth while Delia was the closest one to it. She could almost feel the sparks as they flew out of the fireplace and into the cool air.

     "Why didn't you come looking for me?" Delia quivered as she shrank into her seat.

     "We..." her Uncle started to speak but her Aunt shrugged and replied to Delia's question with, "I don't know. We were sitting on the porch all day though, waiting for you but you never came. An hour before you came, we went back inside since it was getting chilly. We're so sorry, my Dear." Delia's aunt apologized sincerely.

     "What's your name again, Auntie?" Delia questioned her Aunt we replied meekly saying, "Aunt Marie and this is your Uncle Daryl, Dear Delia."

"I accept your apology, Aunt Marie." Delia smiled sweetly. Aunt Marie was quite chatty, she kept talking and asking more and more questions which made Delia sweat in her palms. Uncle Daryl... well, he seemed miserable, all he wanted was to have some quiet time without women bickering. He seemed to be the introverted type, while Aunt Marie is quite the opposite.

     "Love, I'll be going upstairs to get some sleep. Get Delia settled in." Daryl sat up from his seat, slow as a turtle, he walked up the stairs to his room where he tucked himself into his warm bed sheets and blankets. His head rested on his fluffy pillow and his eyes staring at the ceiling, his head was starting to hurt sitting there on the couch.

     "Well, I'll show you to your room." Aunt Marie guided Delia up the stairs, her aunt didn't bother trying to carry her niece's suitcases for her.

     Delia's mind thought back to Laurie, oh, how her mind ached to think about him. Strange boy he was, there was nothing much strange about him though, there was just something different about him. He was a nice boy for one of the few she's met.

     Delia's new room was quite clean, it was spacious, the only things in the room was a bed, a tiny wardrobe, a table in a corner and a few handy things lying on the surface.

     "Make yourself at home, if you need me or your uncle we'll be in our room." Her aunt said and she couldn't help but grin at her relative.

     "Thank you, Aunt Marie," She said, "Auntie is just fine, Delia." She said while shutting the door.

     Everyone was tucked off to bed except for Delia. She sat awake on the floor with her suitcases. With both her hands, she unlocked her first suitcase to reveal her clothes. She had many dresses packed into the suitcase, she also had a few vests and pants and shirts. Something more comfortable wouldn't hurt, the girl thought.

     Delia took off her dress in one large motion, quickly slipping on a loose white shirt. Over her legs, she slipped on a pair of beige pants. In the window, Delia could see herself. She had brought these clothes with her father, well, they were for her father but he realized the clothes wouldn't fit him so he gave them to her. Her father was a touchy subject.

     Her reflection looked back at her and Delia frowned. She didn't own many pants or shirts, and while she was packing, her pants and shirts seemed to be lost. Gone with the wind. Although wearing dresses wasn't her forte, she could handle wearing them out.

She suddenly felt uncomfortable and anxious. Her heart started racing like hell. Beads of sweat were pulling up on her forehead and she practically fell to the ground and landing hard on her hands that were tucked underneath her. She somewhat forced herself to sit down though. Delia felt exhausted yet so awake and alive. Hesitantly though, Delia grabbed the clip from her hair and laid on her bed.

     Her eyes were eyeing the clip with intensity. Studying every bit of it, there were hints of many colours, too many to read aloud. She was holding the clip intently, staring at it closely. Suddenly, it fell out of her grasp and onto her face lightly. She hated when that happened, she would hold something above her face and suddenly her hands would let go and it falls direction onto her head. Her hands hugged it tight to her chest, thinking about how she was given the brooch as her eyes fluttered shut.

*   *   *   *   *

     The sun raised to greet the other side of the world with light again, Delia's eyes flew open. The shade from the windows wasn't enough to block out all of the sunlight that crept into her cold and lonely room.

     Deciding that she should wake up, Delia sat up straight as she remembered where she was. She was at her Aunt and Uncle's house in Concord, Massachusetts.

Yesterday, she met a man with family issues, he was the coachman of her carriage, he helped her by keeping her company while she waited for nothing near a field that they stopped at.

     Then followed by a boy that she accidentally stumbled onto the front doorstep of. The two walked all day till Delia found her aunt's house and they said our goodbyes. Thinking back to yesterday had given Delia an unstoppable headache like a cramp in her stomach. Her fingertips pressed against both the temples of her forehead and she started rubbing them in circles, rubbing them until her headache stopped or got better though she felt that it had worsened.

     "This... god awful headache..." Delia cursed, standing up and shutting the shutters. Her hands let go of her head and she quickly picked out an outfit for the day. It was a black and red patterned dress, with white lace outlining the collar as well as a few buttons that went down to the centre of the dress, they were easy to button up yet loose and was about to pop off.

     Lightly and swiftly, Delia slipped out of her pants and shirt and slipped on the dress. It was good from what she could see in the window's reflection. She looked... alright. Her hair still messy though and her buttons were already undone, Delia sighed.

Ever since yesterday, it seems that Delia's world was way more different than she imagined. People were nice... maybe that says something about her childhood.

     "Delia? Are you awake?" Aunt Marie's fowl voice creaked as she stood at Delia's door. Twisting her neck, Delia looked at Aunt Marie with bright eyes and nodded.

     "Oh, dear!" She rushes towards Delia looking at her niece's hair, "What person did this to your hair?" Eyebrows furrowed, Delia turned to her Aunt with confusion.

     "What do you mean?" Delia inquired harshly, taking her Aunt's words as an insult.

     "It was no insult, sweetheart. It's just, your hair..." Aunt Marie trailed off, her eyes lingering on Delia's hair. She could feel her Aunt's hands touch and tug at her hair until she told her to stop. She sighed and mumbled, "Very well, then. Head down for breakfast, it's all set up and ready." Delia left her there, standing, Marie's eyes glued to her niece.

     Delia couldn't help but wonder if she were always like this. Down the stairs she went, step by step. Uncle Davis was sitting there with utensils that he used to eat his food, as he started to shove the meat into his mouth, he glanced up and saw Delia standing there watching him.

     "Sit down, Delia. The food won't bite." He said and Delia answered to him by taking a seat to his left. The blonde girl filled her plate with food, it was delicious indeed but... she also felt overwhelmed by the number of options. It was no special day, if she kept eating like this, she'll be sure to gain a few pounds.

     "How are you enjoying your stay so far?" Uncle Daryl asked and Delia had to swallow a big mouthful to answer him. "It's nice, the room's a bit chilly but... this place is amazing."

     "Glad you agree, when your aunt and I had first looked at this place, we knew it was our home." Delia pretended to listen but, she quickly lost interest in what her Uncle was saying, her eyes were always averted to the front door like she was expecting someone.

     "So... how's the food?" Aunt Marie smiles coyly, acting like she's expecting compliments. She sat across from Uncle Daryl who looked nervous when he saw his wife.

     "It's good," Delia uttered, they both look at her with grins.

     "Glad you think so, I've always thought I had a knack for cooking." Aunt Marie rambled. Delia knew she should've listened but she couldn't. Something was on her mind and she couldn't shake the feeling out. It was like something was holding onto her, Delia wanted to shake her head ferociously but if she did, Delia could only imagine she looked insane. She doubted Uncle Daryl really cared about her. Did anyone? No, stop overthinking.

     "Delia, are you alright? Did you get a good night's sleep? Do you need anything?" Her eyesight kept going in... and out of focus.

     "I'm not feeling well, just continue on without me. It's fine, I-I need some time alone, that's all." She stuttered and struggle to get the words out but in the end, she made it out of breakfast... alive.

     "Take the time you need." Uncle Daryl comforted Delia and she nodded her head but it looked more like rapid shaking.

     Delia's hands were shaking as well as she tried to unlock the front door, she felt their eyes on her back. Why was she suffering like this? She worried herself half to death but the fresh air suddenly filled Delia's lungs as she took a deep breath. Everything seemed to be clear now. Her left hand reached for the doorknob and shut the door so Delia's guardians could stop looking at her.

     The plants swayed in the nice weather, the wind was quite strong for today but everyone couldn't disagree. Delia seemed to drift off into her thoughts again, and when she focused back on reality, things seemed fuzzy. What was this... disease? Was it a nightmare? She wished she had the answers but they didn't come to her immediately.

     If she were to go to a doctor, they would call her crazy and who knows what would happen to her then? I give up, Delia thought as she rested her head on her thighs, feet on the next bottom step. It seemed to help with everything at the moment and it was about 11 by the time Delia lifted her head up again, hair in her face she blew most of what she could away. But then she saw a silhouette of something walking towards her, she forced herself to squint her eyes so she could see who it truly was, the shape of a boy struck me.

     "Laurie..." Delia whimpered, smiling gratefully, she couldn't help but bring a sly smile to her face as he sat down next to Delia on the concrete steps.

     "Were you waiting here for me?" Laurie asked with a smirk, "You wish!" Delia nudged his arm playfully rough.

     "Hey!" He complained as Delia let out a laugh.

     "What were you doing here then?" Her laughter stopped abruptly and she frown hesitantly and  uneasily, feeling her stomach twist into a knot.

     "I needed fresh air." She answered, Laurie seemed unsure, he could read her like a book, so easily without a problem but he let it slide since he didn't want to cause trouble.

     "If you have something on your mind, you can talk to me." A sincere grin was brought to Delia's attention and she placed her arm on his shoulder.

     "Thanks, Laurie... how long can you stay here?" There was that smirk again on his face, "As long as I want." He took her hand and stood the girl up, then opening the door, he pushed Delia to say something to them and she sighed.

     "Aunt Marie, Uncle Daryl, my friend and I are going for a walk, I'll be back soon!" She shouted before he slammed the door and hurried her down the stairs.

     "What about the river?" He pointed in front of him and Delia turned to see the woods. There was that loud splashing of the water again that Intrigued her.

     "Alright then," She mumbled politely until the girl saw Laurie dashing towards the trees.

     "Laurie!" Delia yelled as she ran after him.

     "Laurie, you little—" Delia started to say but instead, she tripped on her own feet and fell into a puddle of dirt and grime. The mud left a light stain on her dress but she wiped as much of it off as she could.

     "Laurie!" Delia shouted angrily at that, "You will pay for this!" She continued as Delia ran and nearly caught up to him. They stopped by a few rocks near the stream. Delia could see the beautiful clear water and the land that laid underneath it.

     "It's beautiful," Delia gasped stopping and admiring the nature around her.

"Are you sure you haven't been here before?"

     "Only the heavens know." Laurie looked down and stared at the river for a while. Delia's eyes took hold of him as she watched him look from the water to her from time to time.

     "Your dress buttons are undone." He commented and Delia blushed embarrassingly, trying to button up her dress as quick and feasible as possible. Laurie tried not to stare, shifting his gaze back to the green, thriving nature.

     "I... thank you." Delia smiled thankfully,

     "It's nothing, Lia." He sat down next to the stream, his legs dangling right above the rapid flowing liquid.

     "Lia, huh?"

     "Everyone can have nicknames." And as she processed what he said, Delia nodded in agreement.

     "Then I hope you don't mind me calling you... Theo?"

     "I've never heard that one before." Laurie chuckled cheerfully.

     "Well, you better get used to it then."

     It was like Delia's side effects were wiped clean. Everything seemed fine now but she was letting the thoughts take hold of her by even thinking of them. This feeling was dreadful and unwelcoming and it seemed to haunt it. It felt like it made it anxious more than anything.

     "Something on your mind?" He asked, and Delia couldn't help but say yes.

     "It's this thing, I've been having these... symptoms for a while now. It's like they get worse and worse." She explained and he nodded as he listens to her words patiently.

     "Was that why you were outside when I found you?" He asked, "Yeah..." Delia replied hesitantly.

     "It's fine, I'm not judging you." His hands in his lap and his eyes on the river, Delia had turned to study him again.

     "You can talk to me too." She quickly offered her ear, he looked happy and turned his gaze to his new friend.

     "My life's boring, that's why I try to spend more time out of the house."

     "Oh, I see..." Delia muttered. "You're probably talking to girls left and right." Delia continued speaking.

"I wouldn't say that... I should go." Laurie abruptly stood up and started walking back in the direction they came in.

     "Laurie..." Delia groaned, "I didn't mean it, I swear. Not saying that you aren't capable of that but, I thought you have a sense of humour!" Delia tried to reason with him, she was getting frustrated. He was walking quite fast which made for trying to keep up with his pace somewhat hard to Delia, considering she was in a restricting dress.

     "I said I'd stay here as long as I wanted, it's time for me to go." He said, "Laurie, stop being such a jerk. You know, I actually enjoy your company." He stopped and looked at the girl.

     "I'll talk to you tomorrow, I don't know but... right now, I feel it's time for me to leave." And there, the shred of light left and Delia sighed.

     She felt like how she did yesterday, trudging tiredly along back to her "home". At least her Aunt and Uncle will keep her company. Though their company isn't as enjoyable and it seemed sad to think about.

A U T H O R ' S   N O T E

I was going crazy from editing this at night. I
slept at 2 am because of this so that's cool.
Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!