Never Bend

Chapter 3 : Astounded

The picture was picked from the web.

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Life is like a suspense movie, a labyrinth,
Like murky waters, nothing is simple, everything is complicated.
MJ1
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Annie
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I wake up, wrapped in my blankets, bathed in the comforting scents of early fall. I feel safe. It was just a nightmare. Just a terrible nightmare. I keep repeating myself too afraid to open my eyes.

Voices murmur around me slowly drifting to reality. Not again. This dream wasn't like the previous ones though. They were also vivid, but I was smaller and dad was on those dreams. Well, he was being hunted and I was taken to safety to my mother. It was scary, but this new one was worse. mother was there? why would Mom be in that place? I try to move, but my body refuses todo so.

"Annie, are you awake?" The words finally make sense in my head. After a second I finally understand. My heart races. It's my brother Luc, he is safe! He sounds worried.

I slowly open my eyes, Luc's voice is giving me strength. Two pairs of worried eyes are staring back at me. Julie. My eyes tear in the corners. I missed them. I don't know what I would do without them.

"You. We found. on the floor and your inhaler . across the room. We thought you wouldn't wake up. Luc . your pump," Julie says pausing in between words like she often did whenever she is overweight.

A grown escapes my mouth, the light is too bright. It's piercing my skull with a headache. Usually, mother is here when this episodes happened. Night terrors. That is how the doctor called them, a complete bull. I looked it up and I am not in the age range. Besides, some bruises and scars appeared on my body from time to time inly to disappear later. This is something else.

Remembering that my siblings are there, I put aside my thoughts.
A reassuring smile plasters my face through the pain curses through my body as I lift my torso onto my elbows.

Luc hurries to help me sit up.
"Take your time," he rumbles, cupping his fists under my armpits and lifting me enough to sit up, resting my back on the bed frame.

My head is still spinning, but I comply. He has grown. 14 and a head taller than me. I justice. Why didn't I had a few more inches carved in my DNA?

"You still have some packing to do. Mom won't be happy. You haven't packed anything." He throws his hands up in the air in annoyance, finally putting them under his armpits and making a funny face. He's imitating Mom when she's fighting the urge to kill us. As always he is trying to lighten the mood whenever things are rough.

Mom, she hasn't been herself lately. She is always picking fights with me over small things. We use to be close, but she was drawing a picture where I was always the bad daughter just for having my siblings trust and love. Or wasn't my fault that she was away for such long periods of time and that I had to play her role. It wasn't my fault that they could notice her changed behaviour. I inhale, how could I tell her that knowing how hard she worked to keep food on the table. So I just played my part and cope with the injustice.

I smile back at Luc. He is also noticing the disputes and is becoming vocal about it. The time when be was hiding in his room hiding from existence has been changing.

I rub my tired eyes, trying to hide my tears eyes, and slowly get to my feet with his help. I can't hinder them. My emotions are all over the place after such events. Crying for no apparent reason, but today mother wasn't here to reassure me and I wasn't to burden my siblings with unnecessary stress.