Downside Up

Chapter One (The Nest That Sailed The Sky - Peter Gabriel)

You know how people say that life is not like a Peter Gabriel song? I don't think so. It can be like one from time to time and somehow always in the way you would never expect it.

I think my song started when my older brother Steele moved out to go to college. We never really were that close, whilst he was still at home, but growing up in a family of six there was no way of not acknowledging each other around. You become close just by sitting next to each other during the meals or by playing pranks on your siblings together.

Without him, it was like there was a gap in the house. The chair next to me stayed vacant and even though that we still joked around as we always did, we missed his voice and almost knew what he would have said talking about specific things. Like football, which he adored, or music, that bored him to death. At least the part where Tyde and I debated for hours about different tempi and rhythms. 

Steele was a mastermind at the piano and taught me how to play it myself.

His singing voice wasn't the best, but I still enjoyed hearing it through the wall that separated our rooms. He could spend hours singing along to his favourite songs, not knowing that everybody or at least I could hear him. 

When he graduated from school we all knew that he was going to move to Sydney, along with his best friend, to study magisterium. They had planned out everything months ago already.

I'd guess he always had a thing for helping others and sharing his skills, but it still hurt when he was gone and despite the fact that none of us said it out loud, we all missed him a lot. It's just not the same when a part of your family's gone and you're supposed to act like nothing happened.

I knew that he was happy at his new place or at least I hoped so. Together with his best friend since kindergarten, without his annoying siblings. Of course he liked all of us, but two little brothers can get a bit too much from time to time, add a teenage sister and you count the days until you finally get away from them.

Just two months afterwards my mama gathered us for a family meeting. It wasn't that we never talked or spend time together, but sometimes we had to get a bit more serious to talk about important topics.

I don't remember my thoughts when I saw the look on my mama's face, but I must have been very surprised. Her beautiful short black hair looked a bit messy as if she had run her hands through it several times and her light brown eyes were filled with something that I would label as worry. But why would she feel like that? If I knew one thing for sure then that my mama was one of the happiest persons I've ever met.

"So", she started slowly, "it's been quite around the house since Steele is gone and I've been thinking, that some fresh energy would be good for all of us." Her fingers were nervously tapping on the table.

"What do you mean by that?", I asked immediately.

"Well", she said, throwing a nervous look at my dad, "as we still have space for one more person, I thought that we could maybe host an exchange student. But only if you are all okay with it!"

Surprisingly Tyde was the first one to nod, whilst his big brown eyes were filled with excitement. He and Sage had always been social butterflies, as everyone else in the family - besides me. I had suspected being the black sheep before, but maybe they had just other genes than I did.

"Of course - why not?!", he said in his bubbly voice and smiled at my mama, whilst I was a bit more sceptical about it.

"For how long would it be?", I asked concerned.

"Maybe a few month, maybe a year. I don't know it yet. We'll have to see, if anyone wants to stay with us and if for how long."

"Wait", Tyde nearly interrupted her, "we're not only talking about a few weeks? What if we don't like him?"