The Sweet Escape

five

M A C K E N Z I E

I woke up in the middle of the night again, like I had been every night since I got here.

I was struggling to get used to a new place.

This house wasn't new to me but it had been so long. I had this same problem when I came to stay that summer, Dad was always up. He'd make me warm milk with a mix of spices and stay with me until I drifted off, how I longed for those days.

That night, I decided to go down to the kitchen and try to recreate that drink. I left the main kitchen lights off, using only the under cabinet lights to guide me, though that may have been a mistake based on the vile taste of my milk.

Blegh.

I gagged and spat it back into the mug. "Ew."

"What are you doing?" I heard a soft voice behind me, I turned to see Caesar standing at the threshold. He must've just woken up too.

"Uh..I was trying to make this drink Dad would make for me when I couldn't sleep." I explained bashfully, looking away from him.

Caesar didn't answer, instead he walked forward and peered inside the mug before picking it up and pouring it out in the sink.

I watched as he grabbed some milk from the fridge and poured it into a milk frother that I previously didn't notice, I looked back to the microwave, where I made mine, a couple spills both in the microwave and on the counter.

Caesar took out two mugs and looked at the spice bottle that I had taken out previously, he picked it up and raised a brow at me. "Mixed Spices? Seriously? You don't even know half the shit in this."

I scratched the back of my head and looked away in response, he only sighed and muttered, "Jesus."

When the milk frother was done, Caesar poured milk in the two mugs and then put a mix of honey & cinnamon and once mixed, another sprinkle of cinnamon atop both, then he passed me mine.

"Thank you." I spoke. I blew on my drink before taking a sip and my eyes widened.

This tasted just like Dad's.

I took a seat at the island where Caesar had moved to and enjoyed my drink. Not long after, I felt a rush of emotions flow through me. Happiness, nostalgia and then sadness followed, it tasted just like Dad's.

"Thank you." I mumbled again, this time you could hear the sorrow in my voice.

Tears I tried to hold in ran down my face, I looked down letting my hair block the view of my face from my brother.

He briefly squeezed my hand and we continued to sit in silence, after we were done. I put the mugs in the dishwasher and we cleaned up the kitchen before making our way back upstairs.

"He uses almond milk, by the way." Caesar suddenly spoke, making me turn to him, he wasn't looking at me but to his bedroom door. "Dad."

Then he went into his room, leaving me alone in the hallway. I stood there for a moment, lost in my thoughts before going back to my room and back to bed.

The next morning, it was Saturday.

My first week, well half week, of school was over. I had made new friends, gotten through tryouts and my make-up detention with my demon science teacher. Now the weekend had come, I was starting to miss home.

I had messaged back and forth with a few of my friends back home but it wasn't the same. I missed my school, I missed my gymnastics club and my team, I missed my grandma – why did she have to send me away?