Flerae: A Lie Untold

Chapter 30: Acting Crazy

- Ocean -

To reveal an untold lie, a truth that only my brother knows and cares to realize. The realization this gives me, makes my heart clench in my chest, and my throat close off. I feel a tingling feeling in my stomach, a feeling of nervousness and fear. 

I keep my gaze on my paws as I say, "I... can't read..."

I risk a glance at her to see her reaction. Her face is full of pity as she replies, "oh, you poor thing, no wonder I heard you're not doing so well in school. Don't worry about it. I'll read you the questions on the form and you can tell me the answers. We can fill it out together, okay?"

I give her a nod, feeling surprised that she didn't demand any details, or even make it a big deal. She just... said not to worry.

She fills it out for me, writing my full name down for me in the space provided. 

"What are your parent's names?" she asks.

I return my gaze to my paws. "Um... My mom's name is... Starfish... Weather... yeah, her name is Starfish Weather," I lie, her last name actually Mer, but if I tell Ti Mom's real last name, she'll ask questions, questions I don't want to answer. 

"Your dad's name?" Ti says.

"Do you want my birth dad's name, or my step-dad's name?"

"Can you tell me both? It would be good to write both down. Maybe, I can find a way for you to live with your birth dad."

I remain quiet for a while, before replying, "my birth dad... he's dead... at least... I think he is, I asked Mom about him, and she got... angry, real angry, she started muttering under her breath and acting crazy. I heard her say something that sounded like the word 'dead'. I wanted to ask her more about him, how he died, what his name was, but she was scaring me... so I stopped asking." I blink in surprise. I've never shared that with anyone. I've asked Seaweed about Dad, hoping he knew, but never told he what happened when I asked Mom.

"Your mother didn't... hurt you... did she?" asks Ti.

"No," I answer, "She just started screaming, panting, pacing, kicking the ground, and muttering. The worst part was... her eyes... they had a crazy look to them."

"She isn't... usually like that?"

"No."

"Okay, I'm glad you're away from your mother. She doesn't sound stable. If I could get in contact with her, I could get her a therapist to help her. 

"Now, what's your step-dad's name?"

"Carp," I say.

"Carp, what?"

"M- Weather, I mean, Weather"

"His name is Carp Weather?"

"Yes," I reply.

She scratches a few marks into the paper with her claws, the top white layer of the sheet flaking off onto the dirt floor.