Ethereal

part four: the tightest weaved

   My mom always told me sisters had a special bond, one that could never be forged without time. She said this knowing she hadn't contacted her older sister, my aunt Lareeza, since they ran away from home at 18. Even though they had contacted her multiple times. I guess it was anger and frustration that stopped my Mom from shakily answering the call, nervously listening to the other woman on the line, and forgiving her after 24 years of silence between the two. Energy can't be destroyed, but it can be corrupted.

   I know she can't forgive her. I remember watching home videos from when she was younger, and whenever Lareeza came on screen she'd always stiffen and go quiet, lost in thought and anger. Lareeza's laugh was always echoing through the old videos, not yet concerned about leaving her family or figuring out how'd she get through to her younger sisters. They were so happy back then, so carefree and gentle with each other. Now the only gentle interaction between the two is when our house phone is placed back into its cradle while my mom tries to get the voice on the opposite end out of her head. 

   To forget about her broken family history, she forged a new one from wooden beads and confetti charms she found at Michael's. Bringing the materials together with elastic bands, she created bracelets for Julianne and me. She told us these would bond our energies and keep us safe together. When she handed us our gifts and gave us each a crooked smile and winked, we believed we could be the luckiest people in the world, harboring magic in such small items. Attaching them to our wrists, we swore to never take them off, even when we showered, even when we fought, even if one of us...died. Swearing to protect each other and share our happiness through these charms. I was so dedicated to something that would come so abruptly to a halt.

   I shook myself out of my trance, disoriented, before realizing I was in front of the living room tv with a bowl of popcorn next to me. My mom was asleep on the couch to my right, and my Dad was probably in the bedroom sleeping. I saw that the channel was a new station, and the time was 2:37 am. 

"How long have I been out this time?" My thoughts spoke, causing a chill to crawl up my spine.

   Spotting the remote on the wooden coffee table in front of me, I turned the TV off and slowly walked to the kitchen behind me, avoiding creaky floorboards. After the shooting, I'd learned all of them by heart since my days consisted of avoiding my parents and sneaking around and out of the house. I'd been having lots of memories flooding over me, stopping me from what I was doing. Google called it an intrusive memory, but I don't think I'd have that. I haven't told Miss Skyzer about this though, and only because she'd tell my Mom, and my Mom would tell my Dad, and then they'd argue about who caused it and play the blame game for hours. 

   I tossed a cereal box onto the marble island and washed a bowl and spoon. I couldn't remember the last time I'd eaten anything, but since my hands were shaking and I couldn't think straight, I decided that I hadn't eaten anything good other than the popcorn. As I spooned sugary bits of cereal into my mouth, I looked towards the big windows on the opposite side of the kitchen. The wind was blowing across the backyard, and dead leaves were caught in the breeze, sometimes hitting the window and sliding down to the grass. The beads on my left wrist hit my bowl as I finished my dry cereal and slid the spoon and bowl into the dishwasher. After I turned it on I opened the sliding door slowly, trying hard not to make noise. The cold air slid into my clothes, making me gasp and shove my hands into my jean pockets.

   The waxing gibbos moon illuminated the patio, pooling on the white concrete. Tree branches scratched the cobblestone walkway as I made my way towards the shed, keeping my eyes on the path so I didn't trip over the tumbled stone. Based on the moon pattern, the next full moon should be June 23th. An early summer breeze wrapped tightly around me, making me pull at my sweater to cover my neck and then shoving my hands deep into my jean pockets. I caught a shadow dancing in the corner of my eye, shifting into a small girl turning as her dress was moved by the wind. I gasped and turned, ready for the shadow to be tree branches or a bush, but they stayed the same. 

   The girl danced along the side of the house, and when she moved I did too. A distant laughing clouded my hearing, so close I tried swatting it away. Another shadow suddenly spun with the girl, two laughs colliding into one. I knew who it was. We spun together and laughed, speaking no words but making each other smile anyway. Julieanne stopped, and her shadow seemed to sway gently against the wind, no longer making any sound. As her laughs completely dissipated, my shadow came over to her just as her shadow fell to the ground and shattered into black glass, a scream echoing through my core. I stood, watching, before my shadow started walking towards me, peeling itself off the building and moving the grass in its path. 

   My heartbeat quickened and I released a blood-curdling scream, racing towards the sliding glass door. My hands shook when I noticed the door was locked, and tears started pooling in my eyes when I looked behind me and saw her standing in the moonlight, watching me. I felt her anger, her heartbreak and sadness. She started running. And then I fell into the kitchen, the door slamming behind me. Warm arms pulled me from the floor, and I saw who had let me in. We both started talking at once, our tones not matching each other. My mother's eyes were filled with rage, and mine were filled with tears. 

"W-why would you be outside at this hour?! It's after 3 am, it's raining, and you're barely dressed....what were you thinking, if you were thinking at all?" She stormed, anger punctuating every word.

"I needed some air. I didn't expect to be out for so long, I just wanted to step outside before I went to bed, but then I saw something outside. That's why I screamed." I was surprised my voice hadn't cracked due to the fear I was bottling up inside of me. 

"You- you don't think anymore. Ever since Julieanne died you don't think about anybody but yourself and what you need. What if something happened to you out there, before I had let you in? What if you got sick from being outside in the rain? What then, Auraleste?!"

The bottle broke. 

Lightning struck outside, and each rain droplet hit the roof with such force I thought it'd cave in.

I was sobbing, my emotions matching the weather that had seemingly come out of nowhere. I didn't know it had been raining. I had to tell her that. But I could tell from her glare and the way she chewed on the inside of her cheek that she wasn't interested in excuses. So I ran upstairs, closing my door behind me as thunder rocked the house.

I SCREAMED. 

"I DIDN'T KNOW, I-I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS RAINING." 

   I threw my pillows at the wall, tore my sheets off the bed, and swept everything off my dresser with my arm. Lightning illuminated my closet door, slightly open. I ran, closing the door behind me. Once I sat down I rocked back and forth as tears streamed down my face, my throat clogged with emotion. The walls were painted with scenes I had made up to comfort somebody else, and as I broke down, shattering to pieces as the shadow girl did, I made up a story of my own. The story of a girl named Cinnamon Frog, who had a sister named Thyme because their mother liked spices, and a dog named Salamon because their dad liked to fish. Her older sister always gave her hugs and kisses on the head, and tucked her into bed at night after she told her a story. Everything was okay, nothing was wrong, Cinnamon was alright. But when thunder grabbed me out of my trance, I was back to being Auraleste, whose sister was dead and other sister didn't care about anything. Who's dad didn't go fishing, and they didn't have a dog. 

Nothing was okay for the Van'Coves'.

Congratulations! You've reached the end of Part Four: the tightest weaved.