Sucking in a harsh breath at the next stage to come I can still remember bright lights whose source touched every inch of the room. The undertones of soaps and cleaners being the only solid smell I could detect and focus on whilst my knee bounced in a chaotic motion on the chair beside the bed. The sweet words whispered from a concerned mother to her daughter were muffled by the sounds of the heart monitor and the only question that I could find myself asking was how did we get here?

After everything that happened the sight of the clock staring at me will be with me for as long as I live and breathe. I can still remember the feel of the plush carpet that left tattoos on my arms and legs in a pattern I would never forget when I turned to find the space Marcie occupied empty.

I always heard people say nothing good ever happens after three in the morning, I had never believed that claim as much. Yet in that house where silence reigned so much to the extent it could allow the sound of a pin dropping on the floor to reverberate throughout the space, I was compelled by some unknown force that wouldn't allow me any sleep to find her so I stood up.

With my muscles popping as I stretched I looked around getting accustomed to the darkness only to falter when I saw the door that led to her bathroom slightly opened. Rubbing my eyes gently to rid them of the blurry view I moved tentatively keeping my voice low when I called her name.

Though one could argue I was being silly something inside me would not settle until I knew where she was for that matter. If she was off somewhere crying I would leave her be. Give her the space she needed to get it all out.

Listening in I was met with no response and when I reached the door, the wood cool to the touch I pushed it open and peaked my head inside. Being met with darkness I reached out and searched for the light switch. And as the darkness dissipated I was met with something I wish I could have unseen that dissolved any initial doubts from what those people said when I discovered Marcie's unconscious body on the floor.

The ruddy skin further proof that something was wrong and I found myself unable to breathe. Collapsing to her side, heart hammering painfully in my chest at the fact that this was happening I called her name numerous times. Shaking her in the hopes she'd wake up, trembling in fear I found myself tripping on my own feet yelling hysterically throughout the house for help.

Everything had happened so fast, one minute she's opening up and then the next there are flashing red and blue lights parked on the curb destroying the peace in our world. I had been in so much shock that it took some time to calm down but nothing would do until I knew for sure she was alright.

It virtually took seeing Marcie in that hospital bed to ease me a bit. But seeing her like that had me losing all sanity at knowing that she had done that to herself. It was hard to believe that she had overdosed; I had nearly asked the doctor to run tests again in the hopes they'd made some error in the initial investigation.

So there we were stuck in some horror movie that we thought would never end. As my knee bounced uncontrollably I nearly lost my mind trying to go over every stone I left unturned on how she was suddenly dependant on drugs. There had been no visible signs to me, no hint dropped in my path to explain it all and when Aunt Elle finally spoke up I instantly knew I wasn't the only one who had missed it, "I didn't think it would ever get this bad," she sniffled looking up at her daughter who had yet to wake up. "I-If I had known..."

"It's not your fault," tensing at the sound of his voice I heard him occupy the seat next to me and it was only when he placed his hand on my bouncing knee that I relaxed a bit due to the pressure of his hand that offered some form of comfort. "I should have helped her out sooner instead of waiting for so long. Now my baby is a fucking addict," she sobbed, body contorting at the powerlessness she felt and I broke down as well. In some way I had grown to see them as a family with the kindness they had shown me and seeing their lives fall apart was distressing.

"You know it kills me to see my girls like this," a deep voice murmured slicing through the air to grab all our attention. The unknown face stood by the threshold, their expansive size occupying the doorframe completely and as he entered the room the onyx eyes shone with tears of their own as they remained trained on Marcie. Aunt Elle stood up moving protectively by her daughter like a fierce lioness ready to protect her cub when the individual tried to move closer to them, "What are you doing here, Joseph?" she seethed crossing her arms.

The meek woman was completely non-existent to be fuelled on nothing but hostility mixed with contempt. He was a foot taller than her, towering over her stature but that did nothing to make her wither and all Nicky and I could do was watch from a distance as the pair sized each other up. Feeling perplexed it was only when the man said, "She's my daughter too, Elle, I have every right to be here just as much as you," that my jaw nearly hit the ground at the unexpected identity of the visitor. My eyes switched over to a fuming Aunt Elle whose eyes turned to land on Nicholas throwing an accusatory look his way. "I know you want to yell at me but I had to tell him, Aunt Elle," he replied only to have her scoff and place her attention back on Joseph. "I'll be nice this time, all the attention and focus deserves to be on her," she pointed to Marcie, "so you can stay, but know this changes nothing."

Feeling a squeeze on my hand I briefly glanced to find Nicholas looking at me, "Let's go get some coffee," he whispered and though I didn't want to leave I could tell he wanted to give the former couple some time alone especially with their child. We excused ourselves telling them we were off to the cafeteria only to be met with silence as both were too focused on throwing daggers at the other.

Throwing one last look at Marcie I sent a silent prayer that she'd be well and that this nightmare would end. Walking out we soon found our way to the cafeteria and despite my insistence he bought me a warm drink but my stomach was still in knots such that I wasn't sure I'd be able to keep anything down. "I'm sure Aunt Elle is already plotting a way to kill me," he chuckled lightly but when he noticed I hadn't even bothered to smile he cleared his throat looking down at the hard surface of the table.

There was hardly any activity at this early hour with a few nurses and doctors moving around. There were other people like us stuck waiting to see with their own eyes if their loved ones would really be fine.

"You know I kept telling her that she can come to me anytime to talk. And I keep replaying the images in my head only to fall short on how I didn't see that she was hooked on drugs."

"You're only human, baby. Besides we all missed it, none of us would have ever thought that this would happen but here we are," he said placing my hand in his, "you're a good friend and it's a good thing you found her when you did."

"I guess..." I sighed rolling my shoulders that ached from sitting in a hunched over position for nearly an hour at the edge of my seat anxiously watching Marcie sleep. "But even when I noticed how strange she had been behaving I brushed it off especially when she began hanging out with this other guy -"

"What guy?" he asked leaning forward watching me closely. Not thinking much about it I replied, "She started hanging out with this other guy. I don't know his name nor the nature of their relationship. Her mom and I first saw them outside the shop and then the next time I saw them together was on campus but if I'm being honest with you he didn't strike me as a student. There had been something off about him but I don't know I didn't want to jump to any conclusions," I said dismissing the feelings I had felt concerning the individual who was probably an innocent party in all this.

"Liyah, be honest with me. It's just us talking so you shouldn't hold back on how you feel about something," Nicky stated looking me in the eye. Nibbling on my bottom lip I pondered whether or not to say it as I ran a hand through my unruly hair but since it was just him and I existing in that little bubble of ours away from the commotion I decided to reply. "From a distance he seemed harmless the only real thing that stood out to me was the snake tattoo on his arm but other than that I was merely intrigued at the prospect she might have a guy in her life. When I saw him up close after I tried to talk to her there was something about him... it's like there's a danger that kind of lingers around him that gives me the impression there's something dark that exists inside him..." I paused looking at him to see his mind reeling from the information I had given him. "But I could be overreacting."

It was quiet for a while; neither of us said a thing for a while. Until he finally allowed his poker face to crack when he asked a question that would make me grow more appreciative of my intuition, "Did he have reddish hair?"

And when my eyes widened he didn't wait to hear my answer when he released a string of curse words, his face contorting in anger. "Those fucking bastards," he fumed balling his hands tightly till his knuckles became white. I had never seen him look so upset before and frankly I didn't like it. Shifting my chair closer to his I took one of his hands rubbing the length of it to try relax the beast he had kept hidden away from me for quite some time but the damage had been done. "Nicky, who is that guy?"

He took long steady breaths clenching his jaw, "I honestly thought I'd have that shit handled but they just had to make things personal," and just when I was about to ask who, his name was called. Turning we found Joseph gesturing for us to come, "She's awake," and without wasting another second we jumped out of our seats feeling relieved and anxious that she was conscious.

When we entered the room before I even had a chance to say anything Nicholas moved in front of me and frowned at his cousin, "I'm relieved you're awake and all but would you care to explain how you wound up associating with Elias?"

Her sharp intake of breath gave away any real opportunity she had to possibly lie when even her father frowned at her looking bemused at the unspoken sin she had just committed. It was a sin that would go on to only unravel more of the serenity we had built by this invader who came in.