When Michael awoke, it was raining. The deluge poured down thickly, splashing down against the car's windshield like somebody had simply dumped a bucket of water on it. Michael was reminded of his sister's funeral and the way it had rained then. He could still feel the drops against his neck and soaking through his clothes. He could still feel the tsunami of tears welling up inside him, and the consuming feeling of sadness that had come with it.
He sat up and looked out the window. The car was parked in the driveway of what Michael assumed to be Suzanne's house, and the drivers seat was empty.
Michaels mouth tasted gritty and strange as he undid his seatbelt, pushed open the door and stepped out into the pouring rain.
Michael felt the grass squish beneath his feet and the rain soak into his newly blackened hair as he shut the car door behind him and made his way up the path towards Suzanne's front door. Once he reached it he wondered whether it would be appropriate to just step right in or if he should knock.
He raised a tentative hand and gripped the doorknob, deciding to open it. He stepped into the warm interior and was immediately struck by the soft, homey feel of the place; the floor of the entryway was covered in a gentle looking grey carpeting and the walls were painted a comforting off-white. From what he could see of the room down the short hallway ahead, it was a living room with cushions and a fuzzy looking brown couch.
He must have made a noise, because Suzanne appeared from a door to his right and a smile made her eyes crinkle when she caught sight of him.
"Sorry to leave you out there all alone," her comforting voice pierced the silence like a blooming flower. "But I didn't want to wake you up. I figured you could use some extra rest...with everything that's been happening."
It suddenly occurred to Michael that his aunt must know about Grace. She was her aunt after all. She had probably just been edging around the topic for Michael's comfort.
But Michael hated it when people treated him like some fragile doll, just because his sister was dead, even if they were doing it to make Michael feel better.
"You can talk about her if you want," Michael said without thinking and then, seeing the confused look on Suzanne's face, added. "Grace."
Suzanne took a deep breath and her eyes filled with sadness. She then slowly reached out a hand and placed it on Michael's shoulder. "Michael, nobody here knows about Grace, and it's going to stay that way. You came here to get away from it all, and that's what you're going to do."
Michael felt a lump in his throat, but before it could grow into a full-fledged breakdown, he swallowed the tears.
"Thanks." He managed to get out, and even though it was just a word, it meant to much more to the both of them than just it's definition.
Suddenly there was a knock at the door and Suzanne gave Michael one more glance to make sure he would be okay before walking over to open it.
"Oh hello, Ari." Suzanne smiled at the girl standing on her front steps, and Michael's heart leapt.
Her white blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders and stopped by her upper midsection with an electric blue streak in the front. Her eyes were such a startlingly bright shade of blue that Michael could tell what colour they were even from the distance he stood. And they had a familiar glint to them too, that shining awareness that Grace had always possessed; they always looked so curious and down to earth.
"Hey Sue," The girl smiled, breaking Michael out of his trance. "I brought you your eggs."
"Thank you," Suzanne smiled widely, pulling a five dollar bill out of her pocket. It was blue, which Michael found very odd. It hadn't even occurred to him that in Canada they used different money than they did in America. "Keep the change."
"Thanks." The girl grinned again. She glanced at Michael and Sue followed her gaze.
"Oh, Ari," Suzanne seemed to realize she had forgotten Michaels presence. "This is Michael, my nephew. Michael, this is Ari. She lives up the hill over there, and she sells me eggs every week."
"Hey." Michael wasn't sure how he could have messed up that single word, but he somehow managed it.
"Hi," She smiled politely before turning back to Suzanne. Her eyes were filled with curiosity when she looked at him, and Michael felt as if they were reaching into him and reading him like a book. "well, I should get going."
Before Michael knew it, Ari was gone.
"She's such a sweet girl." Sue sighed, and there was a sadness in her eyes. Michael wondered about it, but before he could ponder it any further he was whisked away to be shown his new bedroom.
Maybe the carpet inside was a strange green colour, and maybe it smelled just a little like mildew from the frequent rain, and maybe there was a stain in the corner in the exact shape of Australia, but it felt so homey and comforting that Michael was the happiest he had been since Grace's death.
YAAAAY ONLY THREE MORE DAYS OF SCHOOL UNTIL SUMMER VACAY BABY!! I'm having a huge party and you guys are all invited.
If you can figure out where I live heh heh.
I'm kidding, I'm not having a party.
Parties are for losers.
*sigh*
Loser_Luke
