Beautiful Boy

wrinkle cream

amara haven

I woke up to an empty bed, I peered at the nearest clock that read 7:23 PM.

I'd slept for two hours.

I sat up and rubbed my eyes, grabbing a clip from the bedside table to put my hair up.

I headed downstairs to find, yet again, an empty house.

Then I heard laughter from the backyard and I figured that they were sitting outside.

"Once upon a time there-"

David snapped his fingers, interrupting Nic. I caught onto the game they were playing.

"Was-"

I snapped my fingers, making Nic turn and David look at me.

"A man named Wilfred-"

Nic snapped.

I approached the table and stood behind his chair while he spoke.

"Wrinkler who invented-"

David snapped.

Nic looked up at me and I held his chin and tapped his nose, making him laugh while David continued the story.

"Wrinkle cream," he said, making all of us, including Jasper and Daisy, burst into laughter.

Nic snapped, "He thought that-"

I snapped, "His invention would change the world-"

David snapped, "For the better, but-"

Nic snapped, "He accidentally made the cream with-"

I snapped, "A toxic chemical called-"

Nic snapped, "Liquid mercury."

Daisy and Jasper giggled.

I snapped, "He sold his product to millions of people, who died-"

David snapped, "From mercury poisoning, but they didn't know that the cream was the problem-"

Nic snapped, "So, they assumed that because old people were buying it, they were dying of old age and not-"

I snapped, "Wilfred Wrinkler's wrinkle cream."

David snapped, "The end."

Daisy was hysterically giggling and Jasper was wheezing, I joined in with their laughter and Nic shook his head at our antics.

I sat down next to Nic, joining in on conversation.

My sisters arrived not long after, I jumped up to greet them with hugs.

"We missed you," Kinsley whispered as I held her tight.

"I missed you too," I muttered, kissing her head.

When I pulled back from her, I kneeled down to hug Valeria.

"You've gotten taller," I said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

She nodded, "You haven't changed at all."

"Did you think I was going to?" I asked.

"Not in a bad way," she replied, her lip quivering, "I swear-"

"It's okay, sweetie," I hugged her tight.

She always had a fear of disappointing me somehow, and I hated it, I wanted her to know that nothing she could ever do could disappoint me.

I kissed her forehead and stood back up.

"How was LA?" Kinsley asked, we all took seats at the table outside.