Echoes of Us - Austin Butler

II

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ྀི Pieces of the Pastྀི
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As I arrived home, I was greeted by my mother’s familiar scolding. “Where were you? You just left the house without telling anyone!” she said, her voice filled with worry.

“Because I knew you wouldn’t let me go out alone,” I replied, slipping off my jacket and shoes.

She sighed, her shoulders dropping. “You know why I’m so worried, Stefanie. I don’t want—”

“It’s been months, Mom. I’m okay, really,” I interrupted, trying to reassure her. “And I told Jacob.”

“Your brother isn’t someone I’d call responsible, you know that,” she replied, shaking her head.

Ignoring her remark, I placed my purse on the table and took out the book I’d bought, heading to the living room. “Where did you even go?” she asked, following closely behind me.

“I walked around the city, enjoyed the markets. Oh, and I found a lovely new bookstore!” I said, waving the book with a smile as I sat down.

“A new bookstore? Which one?” She settled into the armchair beside me, looking intrigued.

“It’s called something like ‘Dove’… yes, Little Dove! The store was beautiful,” I replied, flipping open my book.

My mother’s smile faded almost instantly, her face clouding over as she cleared her throat and stood up. “What? What’s wrong?” I asked, glancing up and noticing the worried look on her face.

“Oh, nothing. I just remembered I left my coffee in the kitchen,” she said, hurrying away.

Before I could question her further, she was already gone. With a shrug, I tried to brush it off and focused on my book again.

But not even five pages in, my brother snatched it from my hands, annoying me as always. “Jacob, give it back!” I said, jumping up to chase him as he laughed.

“Jacob, stop teasing your sister! She needs her rest!” my mother called from the kitchen, making me freeze in the hallway. My brother noticed and handed the book back, his laughter fading.

“Why can’t I do the simplest thing? She acts like I’m made of porcelain, ready to shatter at any moment,” I muttered angrily.

“She’s just scared, Stefanie,” Jacob said, trying to calm me down.

“Yeah, I get it, but still. I’m just here, stuck at home with my books, with you or Mom. Nothing else as I wait for ‘progress’ that might never come,” I replied, storming upstairs to my room.

Jacob sighed, glancing back at our mother, who stood in the kitchen doorway, listening to every word.

“She’s struggling too, Mom. Once she starts r—” was all I heard before I shut my bedroom door. I flopped onto my bed, letting out a frustrated sigh.

Once I cooled down, I walked down the stairs to see my brother decorating the Christmas tree. "Where’s Mom? She never even lets us hang one ornament," I chuckled.

“She’s at the store! She doesn’t know I’m decorating it, so I have to finish fast.”

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I joined Jacob in decorating the tree, and we were both laughing and messing around when we were interrupted by a loud, dramatic gasp. It was Mom. Jacob quickly jumped off the chair as Mom chased him with her scarf, playfully hitting him as I laughed at the sight.

I kept decorating while Jacob came running back into the living room to hide behind me. “Come here, boy! This was my job!” she scolded, finally grabbing hold of him and giving him a playful swat as he shrieked.

With the tree done, I turned off the main lights, so only the tree lights softly glowed in the room. It was stunning, and even Jacob and Mom stopped their playful playing to admire it.

“See? Not too bad,” I said proudly. Jacob nodded in agreement, glancing at Mom. She huffed, pretending not to care. “Meh, mine looked better last year.”

I chuckled as she walked out of the living room. “She’s jealous,” Jacob whispered.“I heard that!” she yelled from the kitchen, and we both burst out laughing.

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A/N

I think I will actually make a third chapter this week, even tho I'm sick. I'm really excited for this book and want to complete it as fast as possible.