Mute || ✔️

Chapter 1-Christian

Chapter 1-Christian

            “See you later, Kaylah!” I called over my shoulder as I walked into my house. After I had shut the door, I set my skateboard down. Then I walked into the kitchen where I saw my brother, Drew and his wife, Molly talking heatedly about something. I rolled my eyes as I walked over to the fridge and grabbed a soda. When I turned back around, they were staring intently at me.

            “I haven’t done anything.” I said with my hands held in the air.

“We know that Christian.” Molly spoke in her so soft voice; you had to strain to hear her.

“Then why are you looking at me like that?” I asked with raised eyebrows. Before I was answered, Drew heaved a sigh. “Chris, sit down. We have something we want to talk to you about.”

I took a seat very cautiously; the last time they had asked me to sit down was when Mom died…and then a year later, Aunt Maryanne.

“What’s going on?” My voice held a wary tone to it. Instead of answering me, my brother asked a question of his own. “You remember Maryanne Webster right? Mom’s best friend from the academy? Aunt Maryanne?”

Remaining silent, I nodded my head. Where was Drew going with this? My brother blew out another breath of air, before he asked another question, “Do you remember her daughter then? Tara?”

Again, I nodded. “Yeah, why? What’s going on Drew?”

            I can feel this is serious conversation by Drew’s tone of voice, and Molly’s body language. Whatever was going on, it was big, I knew that much. With one more deep breath, Drew began to explain. “A few days ago, a copy of Aunt Maryanne’s will turned up and was sent to Molly and I,”

“Okay…” I said slowly.

“It has named Mom as Tara’s guardian.”

“Meaning what, Drew?” I questioned as I sat up a little straighter, trying to brace my news for whatever news was coming.

“Meaning that since Mom is dead, and I have custody of you; I would also take custody of Tara too.”

            “Wait,” I said, pushing out of my seat and standing. The legs scraping against the tilted floor, “You mean she is going to be living with us?”

My older brother and Molly nodded. My sadistic laugh echoed throughout the small kitchen as I walked around. “And where exactly, are you going to put her? We have no room here for another person!”

            “We have that spare bed in your room,” Molly pointed out, “We were going put her in your room.”

“Hello no,” I said while I shook my head, when I had finally stopped pacing and looked at Drew and Molly. “There is no way I’m sharing my room with some girl, let alone some girl I barely know. “

“So what are you saying Chris, that we should just turn our backs on this girl- the daughter of the woman who never turned her back on us even when Mom died?” Drew shot back, with an irritated look. Instead of answering his question; I said, “We don’t know this girl Drew. Not anymore, we haven’t known her for five years. A lot can change in that time.”

            My brother nodded his head. “You are so right Chris. We don’t know her anymore. But I want you to think about something. Remember that year when you were eleven, before you were put in my custody.”

I nodded my head.

            “I want to remember how it felt to be moved from foster home to foster every few months or sometimes weeks- to not really have a place to call your home. That’s what she’s felt for the past five years. And you could’ve changed over that course of that year too. In fact you did. But we still took you in.”

Sighing, I hung my head. He had cornered me. I did remember what it felt like to not really be wanted and to just be placed somewhere. I sighed. 

"When is all this happening?" I finally asked, after a long awkward silence.

            "We are planning to go get her this weekend. I'm just waiting for Neil to call me back." Drew said.

"This weekend? And you decided to spring this on me just now?" I asked sarcastically. Shaking her head, my sister-in-law explained, “We didn’t know about this until a few days ago, Chris. But we as soon as we knew we knew we wanted her here as soon as possible. So will you please go and clean up your room and make it neat for her to come and stay?”

            Again, I sighed and I felt my tense posture soften. I knew I couldn’t fight with Molly; she was too soft, sweet, and nice that no matter how hard you tried, you just couldn’t fight with her. With a reluctant nod, I turned, walking back to my room.

            About halfway through my cleaning, I found an old photo album. Stopping, I kneeled down to the ground to pick it up. After I wiped most of the dust of the cover, I read the cover.

Christian and Tara: From Birth to Present.

            Absentmindedly, my hands flipped through the glossy pages. But they soon stopped when I came to the last page. My eyes scanned it. This was the last one of us before…life happened. The memory struck me like a lightning bolt.

            “Christian?” A ten year old Tara asked me. Just months before my mom would die.

“Yes Training Bra?” My ten year old self asked. Her face scrunched together at the sound of the nickname, I had recently just given her weeks ago, but it quickly disappeared.

“Will you always be my best friend?” She asked as she twirled a lock of her dark brunette around her finger. Something she always did when she was nervous.

“Of course I will Tara. I will always be there to protect you from everything to!” I exclaimed standing up and striking what I thought was a hero pose. Tara giggled. I flashed my toothy grin at her; which only made her laugh more…

        I shook my head, snapping the book shut. If I only could have told my ten year old self that we wouldn’t always be best friends and that I couldn’t protect her from everything…