Childish

24

Alex pulled a sweatshirt over his head and pulled the bottom down at his waist. I'd forgotten what he looked like in normal clothing. He looked at me in the mirror. "Monica's really excited to see you."

It had been over a month since I last saw Monica. She had been shot alongside me and had her own things to deal with. While I was in a coma, she was learning how to use a wheelchair.

"Why didn't you invite her over? Or why didn't you go see her?" For Alex, it had been about a month since he saw Monica. He only called to see if she needed anything.

"I didn't want you to wake up without me. I had no idea when you'd wake up so I couldn't take the risk of leaving."

I crawled toward him, going as far as I could on the bed. "I would have been fine."

He met my gaze. "Lyla, you don't even sleep on your own."

I shrugged. "I would have been mad but I would have gotten over it."

"You're still not over what I did to you."

"Yeah, because you made me a baby. I have every right to be mad about that."

He sighed and picked me up, holding me on his side. "Try to be nice while we're at Monica's. I don't want her stressed out any more than she already is."

---

I had never seen Monica's house before. I knew she lived in Alpine and that was it. Any time I saw her, it was at the lab. So much of her was a mystery to me.

Alex drove up to a small house with white siding and dark blue shutters. A clear glass door sat in front of a blue door with a Valentine's Day wreath hung. The bushes and grass were covered in old snow.

Alex pulled into the short driveway and shut the car off. He got out and walked around to my side. "Remember what I said earlier. Be nice."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm always nice."

He scoffed and handed me my bear. "That's highly debatable."

"I'm nice to Monica. I like her."

"After all I've done for you and you like my sister better?"

I giggled and rested my head on his shoulder.

Alex walked up the small ramp to the front door and knocked.

"The door's open. Come in."

Alex opened the door and stepped inside. The inside of the house was small but really beautiful. The living room was the first room we saw. She had a gray couch with a silver lamp standing beside it. The TV hung on the wall over a low bookshelf with various books and decorations on it.

"Monica?"

"In here."

Alex followed her voice into the kitchen. The wallpaper was yellow with flowers. The cabinets were painted white and the countertops were a light wood tone. It didn't fit Alpine but it did fit Monica.

Monica was sitting at the table, cutting up vegetables. She looked up at us as we walked in. "I don't appreciate finding out how Lyla's doing from Naomi. I have a phone, you know. Would it have been so hard to call me and-"

Alex sighed and pulled out a chair close to her. "We've been busy. It slipped my mind."

"You also didn't call me to even check up on me."

I narrowed my eyes as I looked up at Alex. "She can't be serious. I thought you talked to her."

Alex looked between us. "I've been busy. You try running the whole town all while making sure a one-year-old is being taken care of. I haven't even seen Naomi except for at work."

Monica looked back down at the knife she was holding. "I'll let it slide but it's been really lonely without someone around."

"I thought mom was stopping by."

"She did a few times but she's dealing with her own stuff. She had to plan a funeral. She lost her husband, you know. That's not something you get over quickly."

"I guess it's not."

I turned around so I could face Monica. "Do you need some help?"

She softened her expression as she looked at me. "I'm not giving you a knife, Lyla."

I groaned. "Why not?"

She rolled her eyes. "Do you let her get away with everything at your place?"

"I've never let her have a knife or anything she could harm herself with."

"He does give me what I want though."

Monica met Alex's gaze. "She's going to be so spoiled. I hope you're prepared for the attitude she's going to give you when you finally tell her no."

"Do you want to go play or something? It'll give us adults some time to talk." Alex asked me.

I glared at him. I always hated when he used that against me. Before I could respond, he stood and walked into the living room.

He set me down on the couch and handed me the TV remote. "This should occupy you for a while."

I kept my glare on him as he walked back to the kitchen, leaving me alone. I hated that I couldn't follow him. I could barely make it off the couch without hurting myself.

Someday, hopefully, I'd get bigger.

I turned the TV on and flipped through the channels, hoping to find something interesting to watch. As I went from channel to channel, something caught my attention and I couldn't look away.

"All children age 14 to 17 will be required to meet with local government and health officials to determine a further course of action. All who refuse will be subjected to disciplinary action. Parents will be given instructions on how to proceed moving forward. In other news..."

A pit formed in my stomach and I knew something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.

---

I can't believe you guys didn't catch onto this yet. I left little clues here and there but sort of expected someone to ask about this story direction by now. Lyla and Natalie won't ever meet each other but it'd be fun to imagine. What do you think about this?