Circles

Chapter XII

"Noah! Let's play!"

Alister stood, looking into the darkened room, awaiting some sign that the boy was awake.

"Noah?" he called, hesitating as he entered slowly.

A strange scent filled the room, and Alister was surprised to see the boy still asleep, curled on his side, oblivious to his calls.

Messy hair covered his face, so he gently reached out to comb it back and reveal his features. Noah stirred restlessly in bed but didn't wake, instead beginning to suck his right thumb. Alister unconsciously smiled. It reminded him of his brother, though they were physically quite different. His brother... so small and guarded by their mother. The sudden urgency to wake Noah snapped him from his reverie as he gazed at him, noticing the wet pillow and swollen eyes. Alister knew. He was only twelve, but he had seen it happen many times before and wasn't naive about the situation.

"Noah..." he called again, gently touching his face. "It's daytime. I thought you wanted to play with me today. I'll be sad if you don't."

The boy seemed to react to the change in voice and the gentle touch of Alister's hand, and with great effort, he began to open his eyes.

Alister waited patiently by the bedside, watching him closely, not missing a detail of the process that repeated each day as if it were new.

"Good morning!" he finally smiled.

Noah sat on the bed as if everything hurt, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Good morning..." he yawned.

"I thought I might not be able to wake you up. You didn't even react when I called you."

"Oh... sorry."

"It's okay. Do you want breakfast before we go play?"

The younger boy nodded.

"Father..." Noah tensed upon hearing the man's mention. "Did he come home late last night? I think I fell asleep."

"Yes..."

"Oh... Do you need help getting up? Are you in pain?"

"I'm fine..."

Alister stared at him as he struggled in vain to get out of bed.

"You're like a baby, Noah..." he sighed. "Let me carry you to the bathroom."

He lifted him effortlessly from under his arms and out of bed. It seemed like Noah had lost weight again. Alister took him to the bathroom and filled the bathtub.

"Alright, I'll go prepare breakfast. If you need anything, just call me."

"Thanks..." Noah mumbled somewhat embarrassed before the older one left.

Alister hadn't imagined that living with his father would be so complicated. Although, compared to his previous life, things were definitely better in some ways. He had friends, his father treated him well, and he couldn't complain since all his needs were met. His father was always kind to him, buying him whatever he needed. The only thing that struck him as strange was how everyone ignored Noah. Or perhaps, it was worse when, for some reason, they paid attention to him, especially his father. He futilely recalled how his mother cared for his brother, trying to find an answer that eluded him. "'Because he's younger, we must take care of him more...'" and how everyone in the family seemed to silently follow that imposed rule. Nonetheless, his mother had never been too kind to him, so he wasn't accustomed to the attention he was receiving at home now. He had come to the conclusion that maybe families were simply about favoritism, and unfortunately, Noah wasn't the chosen one. That's why he had decided to take advantage of whatever he could to survive there, not knowing how long he would stay or how long it would take for his father to get tired of him, or another eventuality to arise. He had to plan everything carefully; he had to make himself indispensable and excel in whatever he could.