Jon woke again when he heard the front door slam shut. Karyn was awake again too, her face a mask. If not for the redness in her eyes, you could hardly tell she'd been crying.
"Karyn..." Jon had no idea how he was going to face his parents, but he couldn't just hide in his room all weekend.
"Go."
"I'm sorry. Please..." Please what? Forgive me? It's not as if I deserve it, even if she could.
"Just go."
Wordlessly Jon opened the door, and left her.
He ate very little at dinner, and said less. His mother seemed to know that something was wrong, but whenever pressed he just gave vague, evasive answers. Problems at school, a lot of homework, stress, etc. Jon found himself frequently staring at Mikey, giggling, playing with his food. His little brother was now completely oblivious to what had happened. Jon was more perplexed than angry. He seemed so innocent. How could a child have conceived of what he'd done, much less actually carry out the monstrosities he'd made with the stone?
Jon excused himself, saying that his stomach was upset and he couldn't eat more. He'd stealthily hidden some food in a napkin in his pocket. He paused in front of the door to his room. He suddenly found that he really didn't want to go back in there. Steeling himself, he opened the door.
"Karyn, I brought you some food. If you're hungry, I mean."
Karyn was cursing, fumbling at the collar around her neck. "I can't get it off!" It was clear why. Her changed fingers were too large and clumsy to work the metal out of the notch that held it in place. Jon knelt on the floor, and undid the collar. Their hands touched, and Karyn flinched. Her hand leapt back as if it had been scalded. "Please. Don't touch me." That hurt more than Jon could say, but he did as she said. The collar removed, Karyn curled back up under the sleeping bag and closed her eyes. Jon couldn't blame her. They'd both slept for about ten hours, but he still felt exhausted. And sleep was better than facing the reality they were now living. Following her lead, he crawled under the covers.
This was how the weekend went. Karyn slept, and Karyn wept. But she didn't speak. She didn't eat. Anything he brought her sat untouched, only to be thrown away when it started attracting flies. And at night, he'd awaken to her sobs. Jon felt like he was dying, but he embraced the pain. He'd brought this on them. He deserved this. And anything he was going through was a fraction of what Karyn was experiencing.
After what felt like years, the weekend was over. Jon knew that this was going to be worse. He had to go back to school. And Karyn...would be alone. He didn't want this. He got up at six, a little earlier than necessary. He shook Karyn awake, a snort answering him in complaint.
"W-what?" Karyn responded, dazed.
"Karyn, I have to go to school. But if you use the stone, I could stay. Just wish that no one would notice me not showing up again." Karyn stared at him a moment.
"No, go ahead."
"Karyn-"
"Go. Leave. You have a life to lead." Karyn gave a bitter laugh. "I don't. Besides, I want to be alone for awhile."
There was nothing else to be said. Jon got dressed, and tried not to think about how he'd face the rest of the week.
