Matters of Hart.

A Not So Empty House.

Delphine arrived home to an empty
apartment. Most 6 year olds would probably panic to find no one home, but it was old hat to Delphine at this stage. Her father wasn't around (she had never met him; or at least never remembered it happening), and her mother was constantly floating in an out of their flat. The older Delphine got, the more frequent her mother's a sense seemed to be. Or perhaps it was just that Delphine was more aware of it now. Her mother was more of a lodger than a parent, only arriving home to shower and sleep (and occasionally eat).
Delphine didn't really mind, she was quite a solitary soul anyway. She loved the quiet and stillness that came with an empty house. Still, it was nice to chat with her mother about school and the like, and Delphine had begun missing her presence around the tiny flat.
It was only recently that she began to feel like this, not long after she had her first sleepover with her friend May. May lived in a lavish 4 bedroom detached house, which were few and far between in the middle of a city like Los Angeles. But it wasn't the house itself that impressed Delphine, it was the atmosphere. There was this sensational smell of baking that wafted throughout the entire ground floor. The smell of it acted as a sort of drug, it made Delphine feel warm and cosy from the inside out. There was an artificial fire in the living area, and despite not emitting heat, gave the impression of warmth and comfort. The thing that stuck in Delphine's mind the most was May's mother. She had a kind and warm smile, with mouse brown hair and an ageless face to compliment it. The whole time Delphine was there, so was Mrs brown. Whether it was in the kitchen cleaning; in the living room relaxing; or in the study working, she was always present.
Before this, Delphine had never questioned her mothers behaviour. However, now she began to see her in a different light. Compared to this other woman she was so cold, so disconnected, so......uninvolved.
Delphine tried to imagine her mother like Mrs brown; wearing comfortable jeans and a goofy apron while baking a cake in the kitchen, sitting down and doing Delphine's homework with her, or kissing her cheek before she went to sleep.
Being honest, she would probably find it overbearing. She liked being independent, it made her feel more secure, not having to rely on anyone else.
She traipsed over to the fridge to have a look for something to eat. She was no Gordon Ramsay, but Delphine was proud to say she could make a mean spaghetti bolognese. When she opened the fridge door, its contents we're uncharacteristically bare. Delphine's mother had a good job, with even better hours. She only worked 3 days a week, and the pay was more than enough to keep both their stomachs full and their hot water running.
After a quick scan through the meagre options, she decided on eggs. She took the last three and cracked them into a bowl. (She was really good at cracking eggs, she never dropped any shell. This was perhaps her greatest talent.)
She was cooking the eggs when she heard a noise coming from her mothers bedroom. In an instant her content turned to panic.
"Not again" she thought.
For months it had been happening now. No matter where she went, she was plagued by horrible creatures, creatures that no one else could see. Normally she could hide or get away, but this was the first time that anyone of them had entered the apartment.
She had tried to warn her mother a few weeks before, but either she didn't believe her, or she plainly didn't care.
She quickly scanned the room for anything she could use as a weapon. Her eyes rested on a frying pan that was drying on the draining board. She went to grab it, but thought better of and grabbed a knife from the top drawer.
As the scuffle grew louder, Delphine's fear changed to adrenaline. Her heart was racing, but she managed to reserve some manner of calm. Her eyes were focused on the door handle, which began to slowly turn.
Once the door opened, Delphine lunged before the creature could advance.
"Stay back!" She yelled, her voice showing more fear than she would have liked. The shadow before her gave out a very human yelp.
"Oh, God! Delphine! What are you doing with that knife you maniac?"
Delphine's mother snatched the knife from her daughters hand and strolled into the open plan kitchen/living room, a gargantuan suitcase rolling behind her.
"Where are you going?" Delphine asked as her heart rate slowly returned to normal.
"Out. I'll be gone for a few days, you can look after yourself."
"But there's no food."
The woman rolled her eyes in annoyance and turned to face her daughter.
"Well go buy some food then! Jesus I'm not your slave."
"But you're my mom."
"Yes and right now you're mom doesn't have time for this. She's running late"
It was only then Delphine noticed the ticket in her mothers hand. It was a plane ticket, a ticket flying to some European county Delphine didn't know.
"Can I not come with you?" Delphine questioned. She needed to buy some time, maybe even find out where her mother was going.
"Have you gone with me any time before? No. You know the rules, you don't ask questions, I don't give answers."
Delphine looked into her mothers room to see drawers lying across the bed, clothes sprawled across the floor. The whole room was ransacked. Something here wasn't right. When she turned back she saw her mother leaving a wad of cash of the kitchen counter.
"Don't spend it all in the one shop." She said, her voice riddled with sarcasm.
Delphine's mom was acting even more snappy than usual. Something really was amiss.
"Why are you going on a plane?"
"That's none of your business"
"Are you going to see dad?"
"What!? No I'm not going to see your dad. Your dad doesn't care about us. He doesn't love you."
Her mothers words hit her like a bullet. Was it true? Did he not love her? Delphine always thought about her dad. She liked to think that he missed her, and was looking for her. Maybe she was just fooling herself thinking it might be true.
Her mother started towards the door.
"I'll see you when I see you" she said, with her usual nonchalance.
But when she opened the door, her path was blocked. A tall man with slick black hair and a hard face was standing in the doorway.