Nothing to discuss
Fast forward to Elija sleeping on his favorite couch. It was the couch he fights his friends for. The couch that held many of them in a sleepover. The same couch he calls his home. But it feels foreign.
He had his hands falling on his forehead, one leg falling from the couch, and the other was laying on it. he was still in his clothes from last night with headache. he even had the shoes on— even though he always yells at his friends when they wear it inside the house, but the only thing that was remarkably different was the blanket wrapped around him that gave him warmth in contrast to how he felt so devoid. he knew he would end up like this why doesn't he stop himself?
As Elija opens his eyes he can't help shutting them down as his vision gave him a headache, moving gave him a headache, crying gave him a headache, but what was new. It always ends up with him on the couch anyway.
This time he thought he had his friend to help him throughout the hangover , or at least escort him to the bathroom but as he begins to wake up and walk to the kitchen he sees a note on the fridge.
'I had to leave, looking for a part time job, might come home later than usual but u now the drill.' the note said.
Elija silently laughed at the boys spelling mistakes and headed to the bathroom. So far, his day was going as it has for the past four years.
He brushes his teeth, he washes his face, he makes breakfast, which is basically cereal, he finishes two bowls and sits on his phone for a while. But when he goes to open the phone in his hand he realizes that it wasn't his somehow. The background on the phone confirmed it.
Then he remembered what happened the day before.
Meeting Dalphine, her forgetting the phone, him looking for her, him almost dying, and the loud noises.
But not the conversation he had with Dalphine. He forgot about it. or maybe he forced himself to do so.
To be honest he didn't think half of it was real, the loud noises must have just been because of the alcohol, and the accident where he almost died was a coincidence for him. That's what he thought in his mind. But it didn't stop the fact that he was on the verge of death. He puts the phone on the counter and pulls his curly hair. his elbows were supported by the counter and his breathing was visible on the marble.
He was being reckless again wasn't he, he should have been more careful, he should have not drank that much, he should've been wiser, he should have been the one to notice that maybe he made Dalphine uncomfortable.
He started breathing really hard. He has just decided that he shouldn't drink at bars anymore, if there is something out there that can cause him to be more reckless, then he would avoid it at any cost. because he was the type to live life to the fullest, not the selfish type to live it at the cost of others safety or comfort. he taps the marble counter with his fingers as his legs shaked from underneath it.
Suddenly a phone rings.
He looks across the kitchen to find it ringing on the couch, he gets up from where he was and picks up the phone.
"hello?" Elija answers.
"which bar where you at yesterday." the voice behind the screen said —sounding so worried —and it was like the person was on the verge of crying. Elija checks the ID to find Yanek talking.
"Yanek, where are you?" Elija says worried about the boy. he didn't clarify exactly where he was and what job he was looking for.
"no, answer the question, are you ok?" Yanek said, he was the one pulling his hair now. He had his hand on his waist waiting for a response. He could see his breathing from how cold it was and he was standing in front of the bar yelling to the phone pacing around and rubbing his hand on his face every now and then to stop the cold.
Elija responds immediately "I went to the nearest bar to my house. Also what is wrong with you are YOU ok?" it was wholesome seeing how both of them care for each other but at the same time if Elija could he would reach over the phone and punch the kid or making him worry.
"what happened last night Elija?" yanek ignored Elija's last statement, it seemed like he was not gonna wait for an explanation because the next thing you know he says this. "you know what, dress up and come over to that bar, we really need to see what happened." he then hangs up the call.
Elija looks at the phone confused. Did he just hang up on him. He feels bossed around but he can't say no to Yanek. He changes his cloths from last night and just puts on some simple clothes to catch up to the boy at the bar as soon as possible.
He stands in front of the door, and was about to open it when he remembered something.
He remembered Dalphin being in a hurry and wanting to leave. Whatever happened might have frightened her. Or maybe she also wants to find out what happened and he can find her there, standing in the crowd with Yanek.
He then looks at the phone on the counter and stopped opening the door. He just stood there deciding on weather to take it or not.
"this thing is gonna be the death of me." he says and takes the phone anyway despite the feeling in his gut telling him he should just turn it in to the police in hope they would find her and contact her to tell her she lost her phone.
But Elija wanted to hand her the phone on his own. so he can ask her what she said that night when he was drunk and that was what he was going to do if he ever did find her. one thing about him is that he has a never ending determination.
He hurriedly walks to the bar—his shoulders automatically raised from how cold it is—as he walks around he sees a crowd. At a curtain spot the people were densier. Confused, he accidentally imposes on people's conversation.
"I couldn't sleep yesterday, it was terrible. I was so terrified." said a stranger who seemed to have known what happened.
Elija then approached him. "hey excuse me sir, I couldn't help but notice the conversation you had earlier but can I ask what happened yesterday?" he asks in hopes of getting the answer he came here for as he smiles warmly at them.
"well, they say that there was this very loud voice that came upon the people around this area. it was so loud peoples ears started bleeding. No one really can identify where it came from but some said they heard voices of people screaming in an alley before it all happened ." the man shrugged and told Elija to becareful before he left. Elija waved at him and went to find his dear freind
the man had just confirmed what he thought had happened the last night. That's odd, he said to himself. He has no idea what the cause was. But he was in the alley that day.
Suddenly someone holds him from behind, their grip was so demanding Elija was going to punch whoever was behind him.
"oh thank god your here, did you hear what happened? Were you in the bar when it happened?" Yanek the owner of the hands says.
Elija sighs in relief. Yanek startled him there for a second. "yeah, I was there." he says casually.
Yanek then slaps him on the head. "why didn't you say anything dumbass, I was worried about you, bro."
"first of all, I just saw you— remember— you were outside most of the day, second I didn't even think it was actually true, I thought I was just drunk." he shrugs it of fixing his hair which got messy because of his friend.
"well, did you get injured? " Yanek says facing the bar again with his hands in his pocket.
"what, why would I get injured?" the lad comments, this was all too confusing.
"well the glasses in the bar shattered at the sound so, moral of the story is ,some people lost their sight because of the shattered glass some lost their hearing because the voice was unbearable , some had fatal injuries and some had some bad Injuries that wasn't that serious. But if you came out without a scratch on your body your a legend and I don't believe you. So tell me. are you injured? " yanek explains and ends it with the same question.
" no I swear to god. " Elija wanted to change the subject. The events of the day before were too startling for him and he wanted to be far away from them." what were you doing here anyway? "
" well I thought having a job at your favorite bar would help you with your drinking problems but I guess it's not your favorite anymore." he rubs his hair looking at his friend.
" I don't have a drinking problem."
" that's all you heard! "
Elija smacks the boy in return to what he did earlier to him and then they just stay silent. But something was bugging Elija. His hands kept reaching for the phone in his pocket. He remembered now. The phone was the only thing there.
When he answered the phone all of this happened. When the call ended the sound ended with it.
Yanek looks at the lad as he picks up the phone from his pocket. "I think it has something to do with this phone."
"that's not how technology works." Yanek comments.
"no. Believe me it was the only thing there." he starts. He didn't believe what he was saying but he had his suspension. He wanted to find an excuse so that his friend wouldn't worry too much.
"listen, go home, you look like garbage, no offence." Yanek says as he puts his hands on Elija's shoulder.
"fine but we are gonna have a talk about the fact that you think I have a drinking problem."
"there's nothing to discuss." Yanek said as he waves goodbye to his friend and they both walk in opposite directions.
Elija reaches home after his five minutes walk, he empties his pocket and looks at the phone for a while. As soon as he stops looking at it he almost trips. he stands up straight and looks around to see if there were cables that tripped him but didn't find any.
He looks back at the phone in suspicion. Maybe what Yanek was saying was true Elija, you need help. Maybe someone should knock some sense into you.
He takes off his shirt and heads to the fridge. He wants to forget what happened. Food would help, right? He heads to the fridge and starts looking at the ingredients on a bar of chocolate to pass time. "there's nothing to discuss he says. Does he really think I have a drinking problem?" Elija says getting sad at the way his friend perceives him as.
Suddenly the phone rings. The same phone that Dalphine left him.
He looks at it for a while and decided not to answer. He looks at the fridge and starts picking food for his appetite. The phone didn't stop for at least five minutes. It kept bothering him but he just ignored it. Then it stopped ringing, but there was a text instead.
Elija stopped rummaging through the fridge. If there is a massage it has to be urgent.
He goes to the phone and unlocked it in hopes of knowing the password somehow but it just unlocks. Elija could swear there was a password the last time he had it in his hands. He opened the text and it said.....
Unknown number : answer the phone.
Elija : who is this.
No reply.
Unknown number : I'd like to give you a chance but you always waste your time on things that don't matter so just watch what happens. Watch the people around you suffer like you always did.
Elija looked at the screen. he is not afraid of this thing and besides he doesn't have anyone else to lose. He says to himself. He seems to be taking his friend's out of consideration.
The phone rings again.
But he ignores it.
He goes to the fridge and takes out food and starts eating until the phone stopped. He went on with his usual day. Late at night. Even Yanek went to sleep after a long day. it was silent —and that was what Elija wanted.
Then his phone rang for a change.
Elija answers it immediately. "hello."
"is this Elija?" the person said.
"yes, is there something you need?" Elija asked in confusion.
"well yeah, I called because I know how he means to you, I'm so sorry about what happened, as soon as I heard it I came to call you and...."
"excuse me who is this? And what are you talking about?" he stops whoever was talking.
"it's your old nanny that uncle Peter got for you when you were young."
"nanny genny, what is it ?did something happen?"
"oh, you don't know, uncle Peter died." she said.
"what how?" he stands up in a hurry, his heart aching. All his life—for what it's worth—he never thought he'd hear that. He didn't take parting ways seriously because he thought he could see the people he loves anytime, but now what?
"he just dropped dead on the floor."
He looks at the other phone screen, the phone that he suspected was the problem and saw a notification. Someone sent a text.
"Wait where are you?" he asks the lady In hoping of catching her. His breath was skipping beats with his heartbeat. His vision held pools of water.
"I'm at his old farm with his daughter." she said. he could hear crying in the background. At that he stopped. Right he forgot about his daughter. She was here now?
"his daughter." he had something for this girl, She knew everything about him before she left with her mum. it felt so good hearing that she came back, but for what? "I'm coming. I think I had to do with what happened and...... " he stops himself. Do you even believe that Elija? do you believe that you caused this death?
"I'm coming over nanny."
He puts on a shirt and doesn't hesitate to take the phone this time, opens the door and leaves.
As he arrives he can't help but cry, this is the place where he grew up, the daughter of the man that was his guardian back then didn't live here but he did. She lived with her mother since they where divorced, but she'd come visit of course. Although she didn't have that much memories it must have hurt her. he was her father too. Elija never understood why uncle Peter got a divorce. he was the kindest man alive. he adopted him, the worthless dirty boy, how can someone leave him.
His body shakes up and down with the heated stare at the door of the farm. His lips were pouting uncontrollably and his eyebrows sticking together in sad confusion
Back then Elija didn't understand how that man mattered in his life but now he does.
I guess that's what they say, you don't realize how important things are until you lose them.
He gets in the farm and sees what he was expecting, everyone was in a hurry crying their eyes out, the man knew so many people, helped so many people so it was only natural for them to feel like that.
The phone in his pocket vibrates again. Normally he would've ignored it, but to distract himself from shedding tears he picked it up to see the old and the new texts.
Unknown number : since this is a warning its not gonna be one of those deaths I prefer, the slow brutal ones, he's just gonna drop dead on the floor.
The old text said.
The new one on the other hand simply said this.
Unknown number : admit it, its the phone. There is nothing to discuss.
The text said referring to the last thing Yanek said before leaving Elija.
And that was how Elija new, he was the the cause of death. The cause of death for the man who took him in as a child. but the saddest thing about betrayal was that it never came from the enemy.