Chapter 12 The Shadows

"Could you two go back to the house and get me some clothes to change into? I don't wanna come out of this place looking like Florence Nightingale." Joshua asked humorously. It had been two days since his mystery illness and finally, after convincing the doctor that he was one hundred percent better, they had decided to discharge him.

The truth was, he did feel better. Physically at least. Mentally however, he felt as though he was only at the beginning of a downward spiral. It was a good thing that he was a master at disguising his pain since he did not want to worry either of them with his drama. These past two days he had felt like a complete and utter burden on them. Of course he knew that they didn't see it that way, but it didn't change the fact that he did.

"Yeah of course we can." Marcus answered, relieved that his best friend was getting back on his feet.

With that being said, he and Julianna left the hospital, deciding to walk the few blocks back to Grace Street, where the twins lived. They had decided this since they needed to talk privately but had not had the chance to as they had been so busy looking after Joshua. With everything that had happened, they hadn't even had the chance to think anything through, let alone talk.

Outside, the weather, was bright, despite it being mid-October and the leaves being a pale yellow colour, the sun was shining with only a mild chill in the air. It was the perfect Autumn weather. Now that they were alone, they finally had the chance to talk privately as they walked back to the house.

"Hey, could I talk to you about what happened the night Joshua was brought in?" Julianna began, butterflies flapping around in her stomach. She didn't know what to expect from this but she hoped for a good outcome for once.

"Sure. What did you wanna talk about?" Marcus asked, smiling lightly at her. Though he already knew what it was about.

"The other night, when you kissed me, what was that exactly?" She asked, biting her lip while anticipating his reply, something she did all the time when she got nervous.

"Oh. Right. That. Now look, while I was caught up in the moment, it still meant something to me, as do you. Oh Julie, you mean more to me than I've ever been able to say. That night I felt like something had changed between us and so I just went for it." He explained, his smile brighter as each word came tumbling out of his mouth.

"So you're saying.... what? What exactly are you saying?" She asked feeling slightly confused, his confession had relieved her despite the confusing way he had said it though.

"I wanna be with you Julie... and not just for a short time like those other boys. I want us to be official." He explained more shortly and clearly.

"Wow." She gasped, unsure of how to respond. There was something about Marcus that pulled her towards him, that was for certain, she would be an absolute brat to not acknowledge that.

For reasons that she really couldn't explain, he made her feel safe and she would be lying if she said she didn't feel something for the raven haired boy who she had known since her and Joshua's family first moved to town. Mustering up the courage, she decided she would tell him how she felt about him, and this time she would really put her heart on the line while doing so.

"Marcus I.... you make me feel so safe. There's just something about you that seems to pull me towards you. That's why I call you in a crisis. I really don't know how to explain it but the reason I never said anything, the reason I went for assholes instead was because I was scared of hurting you or disappointing you since I'm so damaged. I really don't deserve someone like you." She confessed, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders. It felt good to be open with him.

"Is that what you think? That you don't deserve me. Because let me tell you something. I have never found another girl who I thought deserved all the love I have to give. Only you. I think you're perfect despite the damage from the past." He exclaimed, stopping in his tracks and turning to face her. He wanted her to look him in the eyes and see that he was serious about her, and about them.

"You really think we could work?" She asked, nervously, fiddling with her fingers.

"I don't think. I know." He answered, making direct eye contact with her.

"I see your point and...." She began, leaving him hanging for a second.

"And what?" He asked, his eyes filled with hope. His heart almost bursting with love.

Once she decided that she'd left him anticipating what she was going to say enough, she leapt forward into his arms and kissed him. He kissed her back. It was a longer kiss than the one back at the hospital, and this time they both knew what it meant so there was no confusion or conflict in their minds.

It lasted for a few minutes before they broke apart and decided to get going before it got dark out. The last thing they wanted to do was be out when all the drunks and the nut jobs came out.

Arriving back at the house, as they entered they realised there was no one home. Julianna figured that her mum was probably out buying all the alcohol she could find, her older sister was probably partying with a bunch of losers again and her little brother was probably with their grandma Warwick again since other than her and Joshua, no one else in their house was capable of looking after a child.

"So what should we get him?" Marcus asked as they climbed the staircase and entered Joshua's bedroom.

"Socks. Clean underwear. T-shirt. Jeans and a hoodie." She said, walking over to the drawer that was next to his bed. As gross as she felt going through her brother's underwear drawers, it was necessary for his hygiene, meanwhile Marcus was in the wardrobe digging out a pair of light blue denim jeans and a t-shirt that said 'Eat My Shorts' on it as it was all he could find that was clean.

Once they had what they needed they began making their way back to the hospital.

**********

Joshua was bored waiting for his two favourite people to arrive. He let his mind wander through the happiest times he shared with both of them. In fact, his mind wandered so much that he barely noticed when the night sky took over. It was then that it happened......

He heard a whisper in the darkness. A whisper that was calling his name.

"Joshua..." it called out.

Whatever it was that was calling his name, it made him feel uncomfortable. That last whisper of his name sent a shiver down his spine. There was only one word to describe its tone of voice. One word that meant unholy. The only word that came to mind was....

Evil.