Phytoremediation

Well, if winter comes and takes my life

Sunny came downstairs from his room, his dream about floating helplessly into the sky fading from his memory.

His mother left a note on the table. "Good morning, sunshine! I made a bowl of yogurt for you, it's in the fridge! I'm going to be at Connie's house for a while, call me if you need me!"

Sunny put down the note and opened the fridge. A bowl of yogurt with a spoon sat on one of the shelves. He picked it up, and brought it to the table, sitting down before it.

The yogurt was smooth, just how Sunny liked it. He finished it quickly, and then immediately headed to the phone. He needed advice, and when it came to the advice he needed, Kel seemed like he'd know more about it than Aubrey, which was rare.

Sunny called Kel's home phone on his landline. Sunny soon came to regret not just calling the cell, as Kel was not the one who picked up. It was Hero.

"Hello? Henry Nuo speaking." Hero's voice was very calm, so Sunny tried asking for Kel, hoping he wouldn't recognize his voice.

"M-May I speak to a Kel Nuo..?" Sunny tried to steady his voice, but he was too worried about Hero recognizing him.

"No, you may not, Sunny." Hero immediately could tell. Sunny's voice may not be that unique, but considering how long they knew each other, it made sense.

"W-" Sunny barely managed a syllable before being cut off.

"Cut the shit, Sunny. I've been waiting to talk to you. I had a lot of time to think, to talk to people, I know everything you did." Hero sounded heated, "I tried talking to the police, Sunny. I tried to tell them what you told us. Do you know what they said?"

"N-No..." Sunny looked down at the ground, filled with guilt.

"They said they already cleared you of suspicion. They said they already had you in their interrogation room. They said that the Mari case was closed, as a suicide, and that they can't reopen it just because of something I claimed you said, with no evidence." Hero yelled over the receiver.

"Oh... uh..." Sunny felt tears falling from his eyes, he couldn't find words to say.

"You fucking killed your sister, and looked a man in the eyes, and told him you didn't know why she killed herself." Hero was screaming, his voice sounded strained, "You told everyone that you wished she didn't kill herself. You went to her fucking funeral, and pretended to cry for her. You are-" Hero was cut off by Kel yelling from somewhere.

"Yo, who is it?"

Hero sniffed in loudly, and called back, "Oh, just one of those telemarketers!"

"Ah, alright!" Kel responded, before the sound of a door closing was heard in the background.

"If you ever fucking call here again, I swear I will go to your house myself, and beat you down to hell. Right where you belong." Hero said quieter, and with intensity, before hanging up.

Sunny felt tears fall from his eyes, but his face was otherwise as blank as usual. He set the phone down, ceasing the beeping, and looked at the wall. Sunny never told his mother about what he did, but he felt if he did, his mother would end up doing something awful to herself.

Sunny thought about calling Aubrey for advice instead, but in light of Hero's threat he needed to recover. The intensity of the situation winded him.

Sunny sat down on his couch and looked at the TV. It was turned off, so it only showed Sunny's dim reflection. The reflection seemed... off... somehow.

Sunny squinted at the reflection. Sunny didn't remember his hair looking like that... and he wasn't wearing a tank top. Sunny looked back to the reflection's face, with his eyes now widened. A terrifying smile appeared on its face, and Sunny bolted away, back to the landline.