Chapter Five: "i'm nobody"

Inside, the entire diner is submerged in a blanket of suffocating darkness. My eyes strain against the heaviness of it, widening in an attempt to discern my surroundings. It doesn't work. The sheet of blackness in front of me never clears up.

I can hear her, taking quiet, delicate steps in front of me. As I try to follow, my hip is stabbed by the corner of a table, or counter, and I stumble. She's back, her hands once again branding on my shoulders to help me regain my feet.

All this touching is getting annoying.

"Any reason why you're lurking around in the dark?" My hand falls to my hip to rub the stinging spot.

The building groans, and then I'm wondering how I could have been dumb enough to follow a girl I don't know into a dark, deserted restaurant. For all I know, she's responsible for Spencer's disappearance entirely. My inability to gauge my surroundings makes things worse and I tense, as if someone will lash out at me at any moment.

She lets me go, but remains close. I can feel her in front of me, hear the gentle release of breath from her lips.

"I didn't want anyone to know I was here," she whispers. There's a momentary silence, and suddenly my eyes are able to make out the outline of her, see the edges of her face. "I'm shocked that you knew I was here."

"I didn't," I admit. I distance myself from her and find myself lucky enough not to crash into anything as I back up. I wish I could make out what her hands are doing, but all I can see is the outline of the upper half of her body.

"I...I don't know why I'm here."

She turns sharply and the bottom of her ponytail brushes the base of my neck as it swings with her movement.

"Answers," is all she says.

We reach the front of the diner, where slices of moonlight slant through the long, horizontal windows on the walls. I feel much more comfortable here, where I can see the room in front of me and the floor beneath my feet. The place doesn't look nearly as warm as it did earlier, though.

The waitress slides into a booth, and I notice she's still in her uniform. Her large eyes stare at me.

She tilts her head at the seat across from her. "Sit down, Elliot."

I don't.

She sounds exasperated when she sighs. "I don't have time for this, Elliot."

My eyes widen in incredulity. I start to smile, even though nothing is remotely funny. "You don't have time?" I snort. "But I guess there was plenty of free space on your schedule to sneak into my backyard and steal Spencer's goodbye."

My smile drops, and I shake my head in disgust. "You're going to give me the answers I want. Right now."

Her mouth opens in shock, the cold confidence in her eyes having disappeared. She presses her lips together, dropping her gaze. But she doesn't talk.

"Whoever you are, I swear-"

I don't get to finish my threat.

"Elliot, I didn't get the note from your backyard. I...I didn't even know it was from your brother."

Her eyes are wide when she looks back up at me, glowing eerily in the darkness. "I was told to give it to you."

The angry words I was prepared to throw at her get lost at her confession.

Or lie.

I never said Spencer was my brother.

Believing her outright would be completely idiotic. But I can't let my emotions run wild, either. I need to be able to think. It's a small town, and the aftershock of Spencer's disappearance hung in the air like fog, lingering for weeks after its occurrence. Maybe that's how she knows.

I release a long breath, relaxing my muscles and sliding into the booth. The waitress's eyes watch me skeptically.

I ask the most important question first.

"Who are you?"

She blinks at me, the abrupt change in conversation obviously throwing her off guard.

"Tori," she says. She plays with her fingers, suddenly reminding me of Jarred. Her eyes don't meet mine. "I'm nobody. As far as I can tell, I'm just the messenger in all of this."

Another sigh escapes her lips, and she reaches up to rub at her heavy eyes. I feel the urge to do the same, but keep my hands steepled on the table in front of me.

I've heard that if you remain quiet during a conversation, the other person will be prompted to elaborate on their response. I try this now, and apparently my silence and hard stare are enough to make her keep going.

"This is a small town, Elliot. News spreads fast. Everyone knows about the inseparable twin boys who were suddenly ripped apart."

She meets my eyes, looking for a response. I don't react.

"When I got the note, I started to read it. I thought it was for me, but it was addressed to someone called El." She suddenly looked sad. "And I knew it was you."

She bows her head to avoid my eyes again, and it feels nostalgic. All of a sudden, I'm hit with a wave a realization. Puzzle pieces begin to connect in my head.

And suddenly I'm in a memory.

"What are you doing?"

The girl hiding behind the tree jumped, frizzy red hair bouncing as she whipped around to look at me. I raised an eyebrow, finding it funny how a piece of her hair stuck to the bark.

Her eyes widened. "But...but you were just-"

She cut herself off, peeking around the tree again. She was looking at 10 year old Spencer, dribbling a basketball on the school blacktop. She gasped in shock, then looked back at me. "You're-"

I smiled. "Twins."

Her face turned red for some reason. She was probably too hot. She should drink some water, or something.

"Oh," she murmured. Her head dipped down, her eyes drinking in the ground.

"I'm Elliot. That's Spencer." I smiled wider. "What's your name?"

She wouldn't look at my eyes. "Tori."

I gasp loudly and jerk, my fingernails suddenly gripping the table. Tori jumps and presses her back against the seat. "What's the matter?"

But I can't speak through my ragged breaths. My heart pounds painfully, and my eyes dart around to check my surroundings.

The memory itself shouldn't have this affect on me. It was sweet, pure even. But it was like I was there.

Tori, the booth, and the diner had completely melted away, replaced by a late summer school day during recess. I could feel the wind, smell the honeysuckle bushes beside Tori's tree. And yet, I had no control. I was a prisoner in my own body.

A memory isn't supposed to feel like that.

I close my eyes, forcing controlled breaths from my nose. My fingers uncurl from the table and I sit back.

"Tori," I mumble. No wonder she looked familiar when I was with Jarred. She was Spencer's biggest fan.

"Are you alright?" She asks about my well-being again. Her eyebrows squeeze together as she tries to determine the source of my panic. I nod, finally feeling calm again. "What happened?"

"Nothing," I say, shaking my head. I need a distraction. "Please, just...where did you get the note?"

Her frown is deep. "It doesn't seem like nothing. Do you-"

"Tori, please."

She stops, her mouth hanging open. I must have convinced her, because this time she doesn't hesitate in telling me what I want to know.

"I found it in my backyard."

A/N: Hi! I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far. I just wanted to put a little thank you here for the people who have joined me in Elliot's Journey 💙

I'm also very sorry for the delayed update. I have a lot going on. It's nothing bad, I'm just busy with responsibilities.

Love you all 💕

(Also, I do take reading requests. Don't be afraid to ask 🥰)