Cipher

Chapter 28: Day Off

Everyone in the Johnston household was very happy that they had the following day off. No school, no work. Even Cipher slept in, not that any of the others would have known that.

As the sun came up, it painted the desert sky in pastel colors. Cipher found he liked having the blackout curtains open during the day; still unused to the idea of living above ground, but enjoying the view nonetheless. He was grateful for the extra day off. It gave him time to relax and even start reading a new book. Joslyn had lent him her copy of Pride and Prejudice since he had never read it before. She insisted it was a book he had to read.

A few hours later and several chapters in, he could hear the others start to move about. After having family "brunch" as Isaac called it, Cipher decided it was probably late enough to message his friends without fear of waking them up at an "ungodly hour."

Joslyn was spending her long weekend just as she had said, staying home and doing nothing.

She was nestled comfortably in bed, despite the noontime sunlight that filtered in through her windows. A sad smile crossed her face as she looked at the pictures Cipher sent to the group. The three boys looked so happy. She was glad Cipher had found a family that treated him like one of their own.

The spark from Cipher's message slowly faded, eventually being swallowed by the dread she had been feeling all weekend, and it was only going to get worse until it passed. Jason's birthday was less than a week away now. This would be one of the first 'holidays' since he died. Her own birthday that year had been terrible, barely a month after his funeral. She didn't have high hopes for the coming Saturday.

She wanted a distraction and she really didn't feel like doing schoolwork. Usually, she would turn to her current book, but she was halfway into King Lear and didn't need to add that to her already depressed mood. Shakespeare's tragedies always lived up to the name. She had given her go-to book to Cipher. Nothing else seemed worth her time.

With a sigh, she pulled herself out of bed to find something to eat. The house was almost unsettlingly quiet. It always was now.

It had been bad enough when Jason was in the hospital and her parents would fight incessantly, but now it was just quiet. Sometimes she wondered if her parents even lived there anymore. It was ridiculous, of course, but with the way they ghosted through the motions of life, it was all too easy to forget that they hadn't left with Jason nearly four months ago. Joslyn almost wished that Jason had accepted the offer of a puppy or kitten when he got sick. Then maybe she wouldn't feel so alone, but that wouldn't be fair to the poor animal that would have been left alone and wondering where Jason went when he didn't return from the hospital.

The memory of Cipher with the pointy-eared puppy from the pet store brought a brief smile to her face. The childlike wonder in his eyes had lightened the whole space.

Maybe it was her turn to invite him out.

***Author's Note***

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Sorry I didn't get a November update out, maybe I'll get one more chapter published before the end of the year. Don't forget to comment and vote :)