NOVEL NEXT Chapter 6: Left Alone
Jayden’s father visited once in a while, so it was just him and his mom, his absence was another reason for Jayden being this wild and mean.
Jayden spent most of that day withdrawn, letting Monty do the talking. Monty went on about his latest video game conquest, describing his strategies and scores with enthusiasm. Jayden barely responded, his mind lost in the fog of yesterday’s events. But when Monty suddenly perked up with an idea, Jayden snapped back to the present.
“Hey! Let’s have a game night!” Monty suggested, grinning. It wasn’t the best timing, considering everything that had happened, but Jayden agreed. Anything to escape his own mind for a while.
That night, they played game after game, the flashing lights and noise helping to drown out Jayden’s dark thoughts. After a while, though, exhaustion took over. His head ached from lack of sleep, and he leaned back, ready to call it a night.
“What if we got...you know, a little something extra?” Monty hinted, glancing at Jayden with a mischievous look.
Jayden immediately shook his head. “No. Not tonight.”
“Come on, man, just a little won’t hurt—” Monty tried to coax him, but Jayden’s patience snapped.
“I said no!” The words came out sharper, colder than he intended. Monty flinched, his eyes wide with surprise.
“Alright, alright,” Monty mumbled, backing away. “Chill, man.”
Jayden watched him leave, but he couldn’t shake the anger now simmering just beneath his skin. The mention of drugs brought Felix back into his mind, his face vivid and haunting. Every time he closed his eyes, Felix’s lifeless eyes seemed to stare back at him.
“No!” he growled, but this time, the sound was deeper—almost inhuman. He gripped the edges of the bed as a strange, painful sensation surged through his body. His hands shook, his skin felt hot and tight, and then his bones began to crack and shift under his skin.
In desperation, he scrambled to his feet and stumbled out his bedroom window, running toward the hills. He needed to hide, needed to escape. The same cave he’d taken shelter in the night before loomed ahead, and he stumbled into it, collapsing on the cold ground.
As pain tore through him, his muscles stretched, his bones rearranged themselves, and his skin seemed to burn. The agony was overwhelming, like fire racing through every cell in his body, until finally, his vision went dark, and he lost consciousness.
The next thing he knew, sunlight was streaming through his bedroom window. Jayden blinked, disoriented, realizing he was lying in his own bed, wrapped in a bedsheet. His heart pounded as he tried to make sense of how he’d ended up back here. His clothes were gone, replaced only by the sheet, and he had no memory of how he’d returned. The fear he’d been trying to bury clawed its way back, more powerful than ever.
When Jayden fully came to his senses, he wrapped the sheet tightly around himself and thought "What if I... I killed mom?" bad thoughts spun his head, with heavy, trembling steps, walked toward the kitchen. His mom was there, holding a warm cup of coffee, her back turned as she quietly took in the morning.
“Mom!” he called, his voice cracking with a mix of fear and relief.
She turned to face him slowly, a gentle smile on her lips. “Good morning.”
He didn’t reply. Overwhelmed, he felt the tears well up in his eyes, and before he could stop himself, he sank to his knees. His shoulders shook as he lowered his head, sobbing. His mom put down her coffee and walked over, kneeling beside him, and he rested his head on her shoulder, holding onto her like a lifeline.
“Mom, I’ve done something... something really bad.” His voice was barely a whisper, and he clung to her as if confessing could somehow lessen the weight on his chest. “I… I killed Felix.”
She stayed silent, her hands gently rubbing his back, encouraging him to let it out.
“I didn’t know… I didn’t want to kill him. I just—if I could go back, I’d do anything to stop it.” His voice broke as he spoke, the words tumbling out, and he buried his face against her shoulder, unable to look her in the eyes.
“Sshh,” she whispered, soothing him. “It’s alright, honey.” She held him closer, her own eyes glistening with tears.
When he calmed enough to look up, he noticed a calm acceptance in her expression "You don't think that I am crazy do you?" He forced a smile, she nodded "No, my little boy!" She nodded with a smile.
Jayden's eyes suddenly widened "Wait! Did you know?” he asked, astonished by her lack of surprise.
She nodded, brushing a tear from his cheek. “When you first turned, you came here. You were still you—but different. I recognized your clothes, the way you looked at me. For a moment, I was terrified. I thought you’d… that you might hurt me. But you didn’t.” She cradled his face in her hands, her touch warm and reassuring. “My boy was still in there.”
They stayed like that for a while, silent except for his quiet sobs as he released everything he’d been holding in. Talking to her made him feel lighter, as if the secrets he’d been keeping were finally loosened, no longer crushing him.
“Thank you, Mom,” he whispered when he found his voice again. “For not turning your back on me.”
She cupped his cheek, her hand gentle and comforting. “I know my sweet boy, my Jayden. Even though you pretended to be this tough, stubborn, and arrogant man... You’ve always been good deep down.”
For the first time, he allowed himself to take breath of relief. She knew what he was and still stood by him, a fierce protector of his heart. He had questions now, but he felt stronger with her by his side.
Unlike Jayden’s father, was always busy, leaving Jayden feeling distant from him, his mom has always been by his side. She was everything to him—his best friend, his shoulder to cry on, the one person he could trust with even his darkest truths.