The Devil's Smile

Chapter Thirteen 🤍

I often wonder if some people actually prefer being alone. I mean, why? I spent three whole years alone in that house. Did they think I'd be okay living by myself just because they see me as responsible and perfect? I hate it. Being alone in that big house, surrounded by memories I can't create with my family anymore, it's tough.

Don't get me wrong, Mya and the others visit and try to cheer me up, but sometimes it doesn't really help. I remember it was Isaac's birthday when Dad decided to leave for his business trip. At first, I didn't think it would be a long trip since he's just a potter, but six months came and went by in a jiffy.

He would continue to call, reassuring everyone not to worry and promising he'd be back soon, but we grew tired of waiting. Fast forward two months later, Shawn found out our father was having an affair on our mother. He pieced together photos taken by his co-workers and discovered hidden secret accounts. Shawn was like a ticking time bomb, holding that information to himself.

He knew that if he exposed the truth, the family would fall apart. But hey, at least I wasn't wrong. It destroyed Mom to the core, and she couldn't process it, neither could my other brothers or myself. Dad finally came back, and non-stop arguments filled the house.

I didn't see or hear any laughs, giggling, or smiles in years. It was dreadful to come home to that, so I usually went to Zane's house to hang out with Mya, sometimes Elliot when he was able to come over, but Alex and Nate were always there.

Then, one by one, each of them left the house to pursue their careers, leaving me behind. Mom didn't divorce Dad, nor did Dad stop seeing that side piece of his. We simply acted like nothing happened, since we didn't want our family name to crumble to pieces.

Everyone's status in the family was important, but I can't say the same for mine since I never cared. Mom was a renowned clothing designer, she created her own company and had models to showcase her designs, such as Christian.

Shawn was a photographer, he enjoyed capturing moments that caught his eye, even if they were exotic. Like very exotic things or people.

Isaac was a baseball player. His dream was to make it big and join the New York Yankees, just like Grampa always took him to see before he passed away.

None of them really considered how I felt and they just left through the front door. They knew I was smart and had common sense, so they left me to live alone while they pursued their dreams in the world.

It's not like they abandoned me to fend for myself. Each one of them sends money to my bank account every day, I must have around $567,890,722 in there by now.

Zane often comes to help out since he's well known in the family, he went to the same school as my brothers and ended up graduating alongside them. So, Christian asked him to be there for me whenever I need it.

I guess that's all there is to say about me for now. I'm like a bird in the clear blue sky...flying alone, waiting for a random rock to knock me off course.

Lost in thought, I suddenly snap back to reality. How long have I been walking? This isn't my street. Where am I?

Lost in my thoughts about life, I didn't pay attention to where I was going and ended up taking the wrong turns walking home. Since I'm already off track, I decide to just wander around and enjoy the fresh air. The streets are unusually empty today, perhaps some people are sick?

As cars passed by, green, yellow, orange. I noticed one gray car that didn't seem to move past me. It matched my walking pace, which made me wonder if I was being followed. Why was it driving so slowly, and why did it seem to be keeping up with me?