|XIII|

                                    

                                          
Four opened the door of Tempest's apartment, to see her sketching and when she finally looked up, her eyes widened with fear at the sight of him in her doorway. "Wait, Tempest, just let me explain!" Four pleaded and she put her sketchbook to the side and she shakes her head.
                          
"Get out." She said with a very slight tremor in her voice and Four, his face was full of hurt. "I said, get out!" She'd shout at him, as her voice broke and a clear, raw pain was in her voice, as he turned to leave.
                          
"I honestly can't even recognize you anymore, Storm. My sister would've never stopped me from attacking Eric at all. I don't know who you are at all anymore, but you sure as hell, aren't my sister." Four said and it felt like a knife had been stabbed into her chest and with every action or word, like as he turned the door knob and walked away from her, it felt like the knife was being shoved deeper and twisted into Tempest's chest and heart.
                          
Tempest's face crumpled into a mess of emotions, as she broke down cryin' and shuddering, feeling like she was a small child again, being stuck in their dreaded gray block of a house again, except this time around... Tobias was not there with her.
                          
Tempest lay back down onto her bed and she continued to silently sob, and she bit down hard on her knuckles on both hands to stifle the sounds of her sobs, until both hands, specifically of her knuckles all bled freely from her biting them.
                          
Her tears continued to fall, sliding down her cheeks and when she just couldn't cry anymore, she just stared at the wall of her sketches, mostly the ones that were her tattoos.
                          
She felt like there were more tears coming, but none ever came and she just lay still, staring at the wall and she was honestly feeling, like she did not even have the will to get up again that day.
                          
When it was around dinner time and her stomach starts to rumble in clear protest, since Tempest hadn't eaten at all since the cup of coffee and muffin, that she had this morning, she still did not move to get up, except for her just bandaging her bleeding knuckles.
                          
She heard a soft knock on her door and she didn't respond to it, as she lay back down and continued her pattern of staring at the wall.
                          
Eric opened the door with one hand holding a tray of food and now a deck of cards as well, while his other hand was on the doorknob.
                          
"Hey, hey, hey, Tempest? What's wrong?" He asked and she looked over at him, as she lowered her head a little bit to stare down at the bed, as she avoided his gaze.
                          
Eric put the food tray on the bedside table and he sat down on the edge of the bed, looking at her. "Hey, talk to me, please." He murmured as he carefully reached out his hand and he squeezed her hand. "Tempest?" He asked and she didn't respond to that either, and Eric inhaled sharply. "Just please, Storm, can you talk to me?" He asked and she looked up at him with a pair of eyes that were puffy, swollen and red from crying.
                          
"Four basically disowned me for defending you earlier and... he said that he didn't recognize me." Tempest admitted and Eric's eyes had begun to blaze with fury.
                          
"I'm going to kill him." Eric murmured and his voice had a steel-like tone to it, that cleverly disguised the burning anger in his voice.
                          
"No." Tempest said and Eric looked over at her, like she was going rather insane. "No, that's not what we should do. Remember what I said, about Four not finding out?" She asked and as she spoke, she could practically see it, and when Eric figured it out, he grinned at her words.
                          
"That is a much better idea." He admitted and she grinned at his words of agreement, nodding at his agreement. "You would have been a great addition to Erudite too." He said and she shrugged her shoulders at his words.
                          
Tempest initiated the hug this time now, as Eric opened his arms and they hugged. "You still, absolutely have to call me Tempest." She muttered into his shoulder and Eric smiled a bit and nodded.
                          
"I will." He promised and she smiled at him as well, and she looked over at the tray of food on the bedside table.
                          
"Thanks Eric." She murmured and Eric nodded, as she brought the tray over, and they ended up sharing the food on the tray.
                          
Except for the bottle of orange juice on Tempest's side of the tray, which as an intelligent person who knew her should do, Eric did not even try to go for the bottle, at risk of getting rather seriously injured.
                          
Tempest burped rather loudly and unladylike, right after the food was all done and they both started laughing a bit at her burp. "I did not even think that a girl could burp that loud." Eric admitted and Tempest shoved him at his words.
                          
He laughed and he had begun to tickle her in response, as Tempest began to laugh in earnest, trembling with hysterical laughter.
                          
When they were both finally able to regain some certain degree of control over their laughter, Tempest was now suddenly ultra-aware of how close the two of them were, specifically now in regards to their curremt proximity to one another.
                          
Eric looked at her in silence, as she really was acting like a Stiff right now and she felt like a plank of wood. He'd squeeze her hand in his, and he sat up to face her again.
                          
Tempest smiled a little and ducked her head with an embarrassed sort of expression on her face and she looked at their entwined hands again, unsure of where else to look now.
                          
Eric moved a stray hair out of her eyes and she looked up at him again and was clearly unsure of what to do now. "We don't have to put that plan into action yet, but it is definitely a good option." He murmured and she nodded, as he squeezed her hand yet again.
                          
"See you at training tomorrow?" He asked and she nodded, as he stood up and went toward the door.
                          
"Can you stay?" The question was so quiet that Eric almost missed it as she had the awkward tone of a exhausted and scared kid who had been through total hell, all in one day.
                          
Eric turned around and looked at her with raised eyebrows, and he smiled a bit. "Sure thing." He offered a genuine smile to her as well, and he lay next to her on the other side of the bed that was nearest to the wall, as she leaned against him and within moments to Eric's complete surprise, Tempest was sound asleep.