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*ੈ✩‧₊˚ᵇʳᵘⁱˢᵉᵈ ʷᵒᵘⁿᵈˢ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
CHAPTER SIX —

"Its okay, Jane"

"Why do you keep calling me Jane?"

PLEASE DONT BE A GHOST READER!!
COMMENT AND VOTE

Wren sat cross-legged on the floor beside Max's bed, settling into the cozy sleeping bag she'd laid out for him. The room was dimly lit, with the soft glow of a lamp casting a warm, comforting light. As he adjusted the pillow Max had given him, the door creaked open, and El walked into the room, her expression thoughtful and a bit distant.

Max grinned at her, holding up two comics in her hands. "Which one?" she asked, her tone playful as she presented a choice between Wonder Woman and Green Lantern.

El climbed onto Max's bed, looking at the comics with uncertainty. "I don't know," she said quietly, her mind clearly elsewhere. Wren, noticing the hesitation in her voice, glanced up at her from the floor.

"What's wrong, Jane?" Wren questioned, his gaze concerned as he watched her. He always called her by her real name when something serious was on his mind, and right now, her unease was contagious.

El fidgeted slightly, her eyes not meeting theirs. "It doesn't feel right," she muttered, her voice barely audible.

Max's smile faltered as she tried to reassure her. "There's nothing to worry about anymore, okay?" she said, her tone gentle but firm. Wren, however, wasn't so sure, and he shot Max a skeptical look.

"Max, I wouldn't be so sure," Wren stated, his mind drifting back to the strange behavior he'd witnessed from Billy and Heather earlier. "Something's off. It doesn't make sense."

Max's brow furrowed in confusion, and she turned to El. "What doesn't make sense?"

"Heather," El started, her voice gaining strength as she listed the troubling signs. "The blood. The ice."

Max nodded, as if trying to piece it together herself. "Heather had a fever, so she took a cold bath, but she's better now. That has to be it, right?" she offered, though her tone was uncertain. She wanted to believe that everything was okay, that they could finally relax.

Wren wasn't convinced. He huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Billy was acting weird. He already knew my name, and I've never met him before."

Max gave him a look, her expression one of teasing skepticism. "He probably just heard stories of your stupid behavior," she teased, trying to lighten the mood.

Wren rolled his eyes but pressed on. "As I was saying," he continued, his voice more serious, "I don't know where the blood came from, but... we saw her. We all saw her. She's totally fine." He tried to convince himself as much as the others.

El wasn't so easily swayed. "What about Billy?" she asked, her voice soft but insistent.

Max narrowed her eyes, puzzled. "What about him?" she asked, clearly not understanding the concern.

"He seemed... wrong," El stated, her words filled with unease.

Max chuckled, not taking it seriously. "Wrong is kind of like his default setting. But it's nice to know he's not a murderer because that would've totally sucked," she joked, trying to dispel the tension in the room. But Wren and El exchanged a look, their concern deepening.

El's gaze drifted back to the comics on Max's bed, her fingers lightly touching the cover of *Wonder Woman*. "Who... is that?" she asked, pointing at the comic, her curiosity piqued.

Wren looked at her in disbelief, sitting up a little straighter. "What? Did my cuz not teach you superheroes?" he asked, referring to Mike, his tone incredulous. He couldn't believe El had been hanging out with Mike all this time and didn't know about something as essential as Wonder Woman.

Max grinned, glad for the lighter topic. "Exactly. This is why you can't just hang out with Mike all the time," she teased, picking up the *Wonder Woman* comic and flipping it open. "You've got to expand your horizons, Jane."

Wren smirked, though exhaustion was catching up with him. He pulled his hood over his head, ready to call it a night. "All right, well, I'm going to sleep. Night, girls," he said, settling back into his sleeping bag and adjusting his pillow.

"Night, Wren," Max and El chorused, their voices blending together in a comforting harmony. As they turned their attention back to the comic, Wren closed his eyes, the sounds of the girls' soft voices lulling him to sleep. Despite the uncertainties that lingered in the back of their minds, in this moment, there was a sense of normalcy, of being safe, if only for a little while longer.

The house was quiet except for the soft pattering of rain against the window. Wren lay awake in his sleeping bag, staring at the ceiling as the rhythmic sound of the rain slowly tapered off. He couldn't sleep. His mind was a whirl of thoughts that wouldn't let him rest. Sighing, he quietly slipped out of his sleeping bag and made his way to the window, leaning against the sill as he watched the last few raindrops trickle down the glass.

The world outside was calm, the storm having passed, leaving the night drenched and quiet. Wren felt a deep unease, a gnawing feeling that something wasn't quite right. He didn't know how long he had been standing there when he heard a soft rustle behind him. Turning his head slightly, he saw El stir in Max's bed, her eyes slowly blinking open.

El sat up, rubbing her eyes as she noticed Wren standing by the window. Without a word, she slipped out of bed and padded over to him, her bare feet making no sound on the carpet. She stood beside him, looking out at the night.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly, her voice still thick with sleep.

Wren glanced at her, then back at the window, his expression conflicted. "Well, Jane... a lot of things are wrong with me," he said with a small, humorless smile.

El tilted her head slightly, her dark eyes searching his face. "That's not what I mean, Wren," she said, her voice gentle but insistent.

Wren chuckled softly, nodding. "I know... I just... I can't stop thinking about why I can shadow leap or teleport or whatever I should call this," he admitted, his voice quiet. "I mean, the day you guys closed the Gate, I woke up with this ability. Does that mean the Mind Flayer is a part of me?"

El's brows furrowed as she considered his words. "I'm not sure... do you feel evil?" she asked, her tone serious.

Wren shook his head, his eyes still fixed on the darkened landscape outside. "No."

El shrugged, a small sigh escaping her lips. "Well, I'm not sure either. But right now, you're okay... so that's something to think about."

Wren nodded slowly, the corners of his mouth tugging up slightly. "Yeah, you're right."

El was quiet for a moment, watching him carefully. Then, she asked, "Why do you act out?"

Wren looked down, his expression shifting as memories he rarely spoke about resurfaced. "Well... I think it's because when I was five, my dad passed away from cancer. And I don't know my mom at all. When I was born, she up and left because she didn't want to take care of me. So, I went to live with my Aunt Karen... Mike's mom."

El's face softened with sympathy, but there was also a hint of confusion. "What's cancer?"

Wren took a deep breath, realizing how little El still knew about the world. "Cancer is... it's a disease. It makes you really sick. It can make parts of your body stop working, and sometimes... it can make you die."

El's eyes widened slightly, understanding dawning on her. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice filled with genuine empathy.

Wren shook his head, a small, sad smile on his lips. "It's okay, Jane."

El hesitated, then asked, "Why do you call me Jane?"

Wren looked at her, his gaze warm. "Well, everyone calls you by your nickname—El or Eleven. I wanna be the odd one out. So, I call you by your birth name."

El smiled at that, the corners of her mouth turning up. "I like it," she said softly, her voice sincere.

They stood in silence for a moment, both of them feeling a sense of connection that didn't require words. Then, El asked, "What does your name mean?"

Wren shrugged slightly. "I'm not really sure. I was young when my dad passed away, so I'm not sure why he named me Wren. But I know it means determination, enthusiasm, change, and happiness."

El couldn't help but laugh, a soft, genuine sound that made Wren's heart lift. "That doesn't sound like you," she teased, her eyes sparkling. "Except for determination."

Wren laughed along with her, the tension in his chest easing. Their quiet laughter was interrupted by Max's grumble from the bed. "Can you two please shut up? I'm sleeping," she mumbled, her voice muffled by her pillow.

Wren and El stifled their laughter, sharing a conspiratorial look. "Goodnight, Jane," Wren whispered with a smile.

"Night, Wren," El replied, her voice soft.

Wren turned to head back to his sleeping bag, but before he could take a step, El reached out and gently pulled him into a hug. Wren froze for a moment, surprised, but then relaxed into the embrace. It was warm, comforting in a way he hadn't expected.

"I like talking to you, Wren," El whispered, her voice close to his ear. "Not like the other boys."

Before Wren could respond, El kissed him softly on the cheek and then quickly retreated back to Max's bed. Wren stood there for a moment, stunned and a little dazed, his hand unconsciously reaching up to touch the spot where her lips had been.

As El snuggled back under the covers, Wren made his way back to his sleeping bag, a small smile tugging at his lips. He lay down, pulling the covers up to his chin, his mind still reeling from the unexpected tenderness of the moment. As he closed his eyes, the smile remained on his face, a warmth spreading through him that finally allowed him to drift off to sleep.

ASH SPEAKS!

i love them so much<333