The Mercy of Birds

CHAPTER 39: ALL THAT WE ARE

CHAPTER 39
ALL THAT WE ARE

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Nicholas flipped the chocolate bar on his hands, reading the brand over and over again as though it was a riddle that he needed to solve.

...

"Hey, what are you guys doing there? Time to go!" she shouted to her brothers that were huddled together on the bushes of the hills behind their house. They had been studying together all afternoon, wallowing in the heat of summer under the shade of trees while their mother was supervising them watchfully, and now as she had returned inside to prepare dinner, they were finally able to get a respite after excruciating hours.

"You think she's afraid of it?" Nicholas asked the assembly.

"No, I don't think so. Once there's a spider in my room and she got rid of it for me," Victor responded.

"Ew, why is there a spider in your room?" Cameron shot at him.

"I don't know, but they are gone. I promise," Victor assured him, "but maybe we shouldn't do this. What if she's really scared?"

"Come on, Nico, just show her! It's gonna be fun!" Cameron urged.

"Yeah, but what if she's not scared? Then it's gonna be nothing," Nicholas remarked.

"Guys, guys, here she comes!" Victor roused his brothers just as Clementine stalked towards them.

"What are you little devils up to?" she confronted them just as they stood up in unison. Nicholas who stood in the middle had his hands concealed behind his back, causing her to single him out curiously.

"Nicky, what's behind your back?"

He pressed his lips together like he was holding back a laugh and glanced around at his brothers; Cameron displayed the similar giddiness as him, while Victor was more tempered with concern. "We found..."

He showcased his hand instantaneously, causing her to gasp and recoil when she saw a lizard with leathery, pale skin and red splotches all around its body squirming on his hands.

Her eyes widened and she pointed down as she commanded, "Put it down! Put it down right now!"

The boys caught the apprehension in her expression even if she attempted to mask it with authoritative indifference. Slowly, Nicholas creeped forward and stretched his hands, forcing her to retreat.

"Nicholas! I'm warning you-"

Before she could finish her reprimand, he shouted a war cry, "get her!"

She made a run for it as they followed suit, blazing on her trails. Their laughter exploded along the chase down the meadows. "No! You devils! Stop it! Go away!"

...

He propped one of his elbows against the armrest and rested his temple on his hand. The soft light that filtered in through the window ignited the room and illuminated her presence on the bed, but from where he sat on the sofa across from her, the shadows remained engulfing him.

...

"Where have you been?!" Georgia's voice could be heard shouting from the front door, causing Nicholas to perk up.

"I got held back," Clementine replied with a little less force.

"By whom? You were hanging out with those drug addict friends of yours again, weren't you?" she interrogated, severely unpleased. "You were supposed to come straight home from the supermarket!"