Behind Closed Hearts

Chapter 6

James ran down the stairs, taking two at a time and swung around the staircase to where the phone had fallen, broken into pieces.

He stumbled to his knees beside the device and picked it up warily. The top part of the flip phone fell off the hinges and landed with a dull thud onto the wood floor. The screen was cracked as well.

Biting his lip, James just stared it for a second, breathlessly, and blinked slowly. This had been his only piece left of his father. Everything else had been ruined in the storm. He dropped the second piece of the phone onto the ground and clenched his fist.

The door opened and closed behind him but he didn't look up.

"Hello, James," Lily greeted, walking past him to hang up her coat on the coat rack to his left. She paused just after she took of her shoes. "What happened to your phone?"

James immediately scooped up the pieces so that they filled his hands. "Nothing," he said, standing up slowly.

Lily put a hand on her hip and tilted her head. Her dark hair swished in front of her eyes as she observed him. "What happened?" she asked, stepping forward.

She was wearing a summery sun dress, it was yellow with orange flowers, and she held a thick brown purse. Her black hair was pulled back partially. All of it reminded him too much of his mother.

"Uh, Nathen..." he found himself saying, looking at her sadly. He couldn't get the image of his mother out of his mind.

"Damn him," she muttered, looking away and dropping her bag onto the floor. "Look, James, I have to tell you something... I think Nate has a mental illness. I never told this to anyone before now, but he refuses to go to the doctor. It only started recently, so maybe it will go away soon."

She moved closer to place a hand on his arm. "He takes medication for anxiety but it's not enough, I know that. Just know that I will do anything to protect you." She blinked as her eyes became teary and she wiped at her eyes with her free hand. "I promise."

James stared at her with wide eyes. "I believe you."

"Please don't tell anyone," she whispered.

"I won't," he said quickly, trying to get her to stop crying.

"Lily?" a voice called from the top of the stairs. The two of them froze.

Lily wiped her eyes and whispered to James. "Go up to your room and lock the door. Don't come out until you hear me at the door. Okay?"

James nodded, terrified, and fled up the stairs. He only slowed to edge past Nathen who stood at the top step. "James," Nathen said forcefully.

James froze, just a few feet from his door, and turned slowly. Nathen towered above him, frowning, with his black hair disheveled and a nine 'o' clock shadow. "Give it to me," Nathen commanded, gesturing to the broken phone in James' hand.

Approaching him slowly, James placed the pieces into Nathen's huge hands. "What are you going to do with it?" James asked.

"James! Go back to your room!" Lily yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

He did as he was told; he turned on his heel and stalked into his room, locking the door behind him.

--

For a while, there was muffled yelling. The sounds moved from downstairs to upstairs and downstairs till finally there was utter silence. It was eerie to not hear a sound throughout the whole house but James refused to get up to investigate.

Lily had told him to stay in his room so he did. So he went without dinner. He held his bladder. He didn't bother doing his homework. He didn't even get ready for bed.

Finally, nearing ten PM, James fell asleep.

--

James was awoken by the light filtering through the blinds, settling on his eyes. His muscles were stiff and he felt restless from the angle he had slept in. Sleeping in his jeans didn't help either.

It was 7:30. There was plenty of time to still get ready for school. So he pushed himself off the bed and stumbled across the room sleepily to the door. He clicked it open and went into the hall.

He paused there for a second. The house was still quiet but he could hear the clinking of dishes down in the kitchen. James glanced down the hall.

There was only two other doors on the top floor. The bathroom faced the staircase while Lily and Nathen's room stood opposite of his. It was a rather small second floor.

Tentatively, James walked silently in his socks to the room opposite of his and peered into the cracked door. He could see Lily's black hair against the pillow.

So he pushed the door open quietly and paced into the room to get a better look. She was sleeping deeply and did not hear him come in.

James stared at her; there was a red mark across her forehead and a small cut just at the hairline and he could see a trace of blood in the hair.

James turned and left the room, putting the door back into place, before strolling down the staircase. He headed for the kitchen.

Nathen stood by the stove, making something in a pan, standing in his blue boxer briefs. It steamed like mad and it smelt of bacon. "You're still here," James said flatly, remembering that Nathen usually went to work before Lily.

Nathen looked up at James and gave him a glare. "Lily got sick and I have to take care of her."

James scoffed. "What actually happened? What did you do to her?"

"Listen you, she's sick and don't you say another word about it," Nathen shouted, pointing a finger at James. Then he turned back to flip the bacon.

"I know you did something," James muttered.

But Nathen heard that. He swung around, taking the pan of bacon with him, and James only had enough time to cover his face.

He gasped out in pain as bacon grease lightly splattered his forearms, burning his skin. He quickly wiped the grease on to his shirt to relieve the searing pain.

"You deserved that," Nathen growled, dropping the pan onto the kitchen counter. He grabbed James by the neck and slammed him into the wall.

James groaned at the spinning pain in his skull and his throbbing arms. "Listen. Your mother is sick and don't you tell anyone different. If you do, I will make sure your life is full of pain and misery." James was released from the wall and he rubbed his neck. "Now go get ready for school and get out of my sight."

It didn't take James to be asked twice. He bolted away and up the stairs.