RED

The Aftermath Chapter 13

Chapter 13 [Adora's POV]

I've been at the orphanage for about two days now. Daniel is letting me stay in his room for a while since I'm not supposed to be moving around a lot and according to Daniel I'm too reckless on my own. The police officers came yesterday, they just asked a lot of question that I didn't think were necessary but then again I don't know much about law enforcement. They made me tell them what happened over and over again until they were satisfied and sure I wasn't lying. It bugged me but I know they were just doing their job. Daniel was pissed though he said they were insensitive bastards because the questions sounded like something you would ask a suspect not a victim. It was funny watching him rant until his face was red. Now I call him tomatoe face which is a nickname he totally adores....

Since I've come back I have received a lot of cards and flowers, which makes me happy even if the majority of them are from people I don't know. Gabby gave me a card, well I didn't she her she gave it to someone to give to me. In it she kept on apologizing about how she acted and how she wouldn't know how to feel if I died and we were still on bad terms. Frankly I didn't put us on bad terms so how she would feel had I died is on her. That may seem harsh but I feel like she is using my situation as an incentive to sweep her wrong doings under the rug, if Adam never had his episode she would not be trying to reconcile with me. I'm going to see her card as straight bs until she can come talk to me in person.

According to Daniel, Darius hasn't left his room. They aren't sure what to do with him, ever since Adam was arrested a week ago he hasn't spoken either. They were twins, two peas in a pod and exactly the same except for the scar that went from Darius' ear to his neck. He will look in the mirror and see Adam, see the person he thought he knew so well. He's probably wondering what he did wrong and if he could have prevented any of this. But, those thoughts are useless because there is no way to change the past what's done is done and he has to learn to accept it. I did, so what is he waiting for?

***

I'm finally allowed to move about freely, Daniel says that I should still not move much but being cooped up in the room for so long has made me restless. I'm currently on my way to the movie room to relax a bit. The door was ajar and I could hear laughter coming from inside. As I leaned closer I realized that the laughter was coming from the TV and that an undertone of sniffling could be heard. I shouldn't intrude they probably want to be left alone. As I turned to leave the floor boards in front of the door creaked.

"If you want to use the movie room I'm getting ready to leave so it's fine if you come in." It was a rough and sad voice, even though they said it was okay I couldn't bring myself to open the door fully. I've never been good with emotions, what am I supposed to do in a room with someone crying.

I heard a lot of shuffling and then footsteps approaching the door. I moved out of the way as the door opened fully and I took in the sight of the person before me. They were looking down so that their shaggy black hair was covering most of their face. They were wearing all black somewhat oversized clothing, they had on a sweater that ended just above their knees with black joggers combat boots and a scarf. They looked sad like how mothers look at funerals when they have to bury their child, broken.

"Sorry, you can go in now." They lifted their head slightly and that's when I saw it, a scar going down to the person's neck.

"Darius is that you?" The person looked up fully and I finally had a full view of their face. Darius' once vibrant blue eyes looked a dull grey and were rimmed with red. While his usually plump cheeks were sunken in making his face look hollow as if he hadn't eaten in a while, maybe he hasn't. His now black hair used to be a sunny blonde that he and Adam loved to show off and put in random styles. He looked so different now nothing like Adam and maybe that was the point, maybe he didn't want people to see his brother in him. Maybe he was tired of looking in the mirror and seeing that person.

"Oh umm yeah hi Adora." He looked in my eyes then adverted his gaze. He started to fidget and I regretted stopping him, he didn't know it was me and now that he does he seems so uncomfortable. He probably never wanted to see me again but here we are in front of the movie room standing awkwardly in front of each other like total strangers.

"You dyed your hair, why?"

"I needed a change, I needed something that fit my mood and blonde was just too happy of a color." Realization must have hit him because he looked down again so his fringe covered his eyes and began to walk past me.

"Wait Darius, can we talk please?" I don't know why I wanted to talk to him so bad, his brother had hurt me but I knew that he was hurting just as much if not more than me. He looked torn between running down the hall and turning back to talk to me.

"We have nothing to talk about, Adam hurt you and now he's gone end of story." That was it that was my answer, Darius continued his walk down the hall with his head down and his arms wrapped around himself. I entered the movie room and plopped on the couch. Maybe I should have pursued him, he looked so hurt and sad nothing like the Darius I knew. I should have tried to get him to talk to me more, he obviously wasn't coping well with what happened but what could I really do to help him anyway.

***

It's been three weeks since I talked to Darius I only see him in passing and he avoids looking at me. I was informed that yesterday Adam was sent to psychiatric hospital per a judge's order. He has been written off as basically mentally insane and too unstable to be put into the system. In all honesty I don't think it's fair, I know it's not my decision to make but his sentence just seems too lenient to me. I don't know I guess I'm just not satisfied with how things turned out at least it didn't have to blow into a big thing and the case was handled quietly. Daniel was probably angrier than me about the whole situation. He complained about how Adam should rot in jail and that all they're going to do to him at the psychiatric hospital is dope him up. That might be true but maybe the drugs will turn his brain to mush or something.

Eric came by to see me for a little bit yesterday he said that he was sorry something like this happened under his watch and about how I must think he's a bad guardian. I didn't blame Eric in the slightest there were hundreds of kids at Big Smiles I wasn't expecting him to keep tabs on all of us but it was his job so if someone wanted to blame him they could. Daniel thought Eric was being silly though because no one knew that Adam was going to do something like that, no one expects that of a sixteen year old.

Recently Daniel and I have been talking about leaving, but we can't leave until we are eighteen. It's not like we have anywhere to go, there is no one outside of this orphanage that's on our side but maybe we can get out. Maybe we can escape our past that is covered in red.