Perception

Part 64

Sang POV

"Sang, we need to talk," she tells me. I immediately tense up, feeling a heavy foreboding trying to flatten me. No, I'm stronger than that now. I have a spine! I shout in my mind. I nod once, and gesture to the living room.

It has been so long since I have been here, I look around noting the changes. The couch looses a cloud of dust when I sit down, and the walls that the guys repainted still look fresh enough that I would forget about the part that my sister held here if it wasn't for the stain in the carpet.

"I got a letter from my mother. Apparently they are going to be sending her home within a month or so. She said to make sure that you're not here, and that you know you're not welcome. I didn't really think it mattered, except your friends told me Dad is on his way here," Marie says with a sour look on her face. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she almost seemed regretful that she had to tell me that.

"Okay, that doesn't really matter. I'm only here for as long as Dad is, and he won't be for long. He has another family, remember?" I tell her, not unkindly.

"But what if he does stay? What if he wants you here?" she asks, sounding desperate to have our absentee father show a sliver of humanity.

"He's coming home to tell me he's sending me to boarding school, Marie. He wants to send you away, too. We've looked into the school he's planning on sending you to. It's not good. The place is more like a prison than a school, and it has a lot of abuse cases that get brushed aside by the local police," I tell her, trying to emphasize that that particular half of our biological donations is a black hole for emotions. You can't keep hoping that the maw you throw your hopes and love at will suddenly release something, anything positive, but just drains you.

"You don't know that!" she says with venom. Her mouth twists into a bitter scowl, and her dark eyes narrow menacingly.

"I.." I start to talk, but am interrupted by the door opening. Heavy footsteps make their way toward us, and months of absence do nothing to remove the knowledge of their source from my mind.

Dad looks startled to see both Marie and I sitting on together in the living room. It is a huge change from what he's used to. Little does he know that this is the first time Marie and I have spoken to each other since I moved in with Nathan. Dad clears his throat, sits in an armchair, and attempts to make eye contact with me. His eyes keep flicking away or looking to the side, much like my stepmother's had when she was in the same room with me. 

"Sang, I've recently been contacted by a private boarding school. You are enrolled midterm," he tells me. I keep a blank look on my face long enough to blink a few times, as though shocked.

"Really? Where? When do I leave? What about Marie? How will I get there? How did..." I want to keep asking questions to give the impression of complete surprise, but he cuts me off by holding his hand up.

"I have the acceptance letter in my portfolio. I'll leave it for you before I go. It has all of the information you'll need. You are being picked up here next week. Marie isn't going with you," he says in a monotone voice.

"What? Why not?" I ask, even though I know the answer.

"She will be going to Bronson Academy for Young Women," dad says firmly. My back straightens quickly and I shake my head violently.

"No! She is not going to that prison," I say as stridently as I can. His face darkens, and he stills.

"What do you know of it?" he asks dangerously.

"I know it's more of a prison than a school. I know that girls try to report abuse, but the police bury it. I know that girls get pregnant and there are no males there but the staff. There's also the especially interesting tidbit that the babies are never born alive, and they have an entire wing for...psychological care," I say, holding eye contact with my father. I can see Marie tensing from the corner of my eye.

Dad quickly stands, and starts pacing. He runs his hand through his hair with obvious agitation. I see him take several calming breaths before he forces himself to sit back down in his chair.

"What am I supposed to do? You girls can't keep living here alone. That principal of yours kept asking probing questions, and it's only a matter of time before someone gets too nosy" he says.

"Don't worry about that. Marie's mother will be released from the hospital soon," I tell him. I see his shoulders stiffen, but don't let up. "She will need a home to come back to, and likely someone to help her out. You will not be sending Marie to that awful school you have planned for her. Let her stay here, and if she runs into trouble, she can call you. That also means you have to turn the phone back on or get her a cell phone. It isn't safe to leave your daughters without a way to call for help!" I tell him, adamantly.

"Yeah, dad. There was a guy taking pictures of all of the girls on this street, and when they caught him last week, it turns out he abducts girls, and rapes them," Marie chimes in. Dad squeezes the back of his neck and rolls his head from side to side.

Dad stands again, and storms off to his old room, slamming the door behind him. I watch the hall he disappeared down for a few minutes before deciding that he's staying there for the time being. My shoulders lower on a long exhale, and I finally look at Marie. Her shoulders are slumped as well, and she's twisting her hands together much like I used to when upset. Well, I still do that sometimes. She finally looks up, and notices me watching her.

"What? Just because you...and even if....well, ugh!" she says before hopping up and running upstairs. Well, at least she didn't insult me this time. I pick up my school bag from the floor at my feet then follow her upstairs. It may have been awkward and uncomfortable, but he at least knows that we are aware of his misguided (I hope) plans for us.