Reverence

Caleb.
    We both moved at the same time and wrapped our arms around each other. I heard Bish say something about Dad and a plane. I just focused on the soft, plaid pattern of Caleb's shirt with my eyes and fingers.
    In that moment I felt like the girl I used to be. The girl who felt abandoned and alone in a world full of people and things. But I wasn't that girl. I looked up at Caleb's face as we stood in my room at the foot of the bed. His face spelled out his need to make my hurt go away.
    No, I was not alone anymore.
    But my friend was still gone.

Chapter Two

    Caleb

    She was still shaking. I knew there was nothing I could do to make it better. Her friend died. But this…just feeling her body shake and my shirt wet because she'd been crying for the past twenty minutes…
    Each minute that ticked by was a knife in my gut. I eventually had picked her up and we lay on the bed together and waited for word on us going home. I stared at the ceiling as I let my fingers dance - what I hoped was - a soothing rhythm across her bare shoulder. She had tangled our legs and gripped my shirt in her fingers.
    I tried to keep my suspicions to myself and not let them seep out to Maggie, but it was very much a possibility in my mind that this was retaliation. The Watsons had lost Marla and Donald to our hands. Would they still risk coming against us just for revenge? If they killed Beck and Ralph and I was the one who brought Maggie into this mess…
    I groaned angrily and shifted a bit. Maggie lifted her head slightly to look at me. "What are you so angry about?"
    "Nothing, baby," I assured. "I'm just…sad for you."
    "You're mad, I can tell." She yawned and scooted up closer to be by my head. "I'm too exhausted to make you tell me though."
    I found myself chuckling. "Don't worry about me. I'm worried about you ."
    "I'm…all right." She sniffed and it broke my heart. "I just wish I could've seen her one more time. She was so mad at me before…and then we came here and…" Her eyes looked up to mine. "But they did say they never found the bodies. So maybe there's still hope, right?"
    "Yeah, absolutely."
    I really wanted to believe that.
    She licked her lips and continued. "Maybe I can find them. Maybe…" Her face fell. "I'd have to touch her to get a vision though, wouldn't I?"
    I started to say something, I'm not even sure what, when a knock banged on the door. I sighed. "What?" I asked loudly.
    Jen poked her head in. "Hey," she said slowly. It was obvious she was walking on eggshells. I gave her a face to tell her to stop it. She had to know Maggie would hate that. She straightened and opened the door. "Our flight's booked."
    "You're coming, too?" Maggie asked. "I don't want to cut your trip short."
    "It's just one day. It won't matter. Are you ok?"
    Maggie sighed. "Why is everyone so worried about me? You guys lost your cousin not even a week ago."
    "Yeah," Jen agreed and sighed, too. "We did. Still."
    "I'm…" She shook her head. "How are you?"
    "I'm…" Jen shook her head, too, and shrugged. They both chuckled a little sadly. Maggie got up from the bed to give Jen a hug. They hugged hard for a long time. Jen nodded to her. "This week has been…bittersweet."
    "I'm sorry I couldn't save him," Maggie whispered and I felt a painful ping go through my chest.
    "Maggie, stop it," I told her and lifted myself from the bed.
    She wouldn't look at me. Jen looked between us.
    I repeated softer. "Maggie, stop it."
    She finally looked up, her eyes glistening. "He saved us. He saved us and I didn't save him!"
    "It wasn't your fault." I took her from Jen, but she kept going as if I hadn't spoken.
    "And now Beck…I couldn’t save her either. And Rodney's Significant! She's all alone because I couldn't save him!" Her chest started to quake and I held her to me. She pushed me back a little, but I held onto her. "No! Don't comfort me. I caused all this." She looked up at me with questions in her eyes. "I can't believe you're not mad at me for letting him die."
    "Stop, Maggie," I said and took a deep breath. "Stop this."
    She wasn't going to stop so I yanked her to me. She tried to push me off and I just held on tighter. She wasn't this kind of fighter. It took no time before she was burying her face in my neck instead of pushing me away. I held on to her just as tightly as she was me. "I'm so sorry," she cried.
    I took a deep breath to hold back my own emotion. Hers, plus mine, plus knowing things were probably going to get worse, was