Vulunarability: Book One

O1.

When the loud voices echoed throughout the walls of the cottage far from civilization, the oldest daughter, who now was 9, took it upon herself to distract her younger brother from listening. Nera Blair held four year old Liam in her arms, flipping through the crackling pages of a bedtime story that was read to the young boy almost every day. As the night went on, Nera spoke, with different voices for different characters. Her brother bubbled with excitement, exploding in fits of giggles whenever Nera would do anything different from the norm. Raindrops splattered against the glass windows, grey and blue and purple hues painting the sky into a horror-esque appearance. The tan skinned little girl pulled her brother close in hopes that her attempts at distraction were at least somewhat working for the boy, kissing her forehead as she read the story that was all too familiar to her. She had to learn how to take care of him, since the long hours of their parents' careers had forced the two siblings to fend for themselves for most of the day. Nera couldn't blame them, though. In a third world country such as the Philippines, you had to do so much to be able to earn a decent amount of money. Five people in a family already took a toll on both their parents, so they knew why they were never home and understood. Still, she was lucky enough to have her grandmother by her side, and although at times she had to take care of her too, she was grateful that she had someone like her grandmother to help her out.

The onyx strands of her hair blended into the deep shadows as the light in her room flickered. It wasn't even enough to illuminate the entirety of the room, and it needed a change. Lightning and thunder played the main roles of the storm in the background, but not even the rumbles of the sky could stop her from reading to her little brother.

Nera found herself immersed in the fable speaking of bravery, and wondered if she would ever be as courageous as the book's characters.

"And so, the iguana fought the fox with such courage, keeping the predator away to protect his family. The fox ran away quickly, surprised at the sudden strength the iguana had and made sure to never go against the iguana and his family again. The end," Nera spoke softly in her native language, combing through Liam's sable brown hair as his half lidded eyes grew heavier.

"Why does the iguana have to use force to fight back?" Liam murmured in a quiet tone, rubbing out the tiredness in his expression. Nera furrowed her brow as she wondered, shutting the book closed. Often, at this point of the story, he would've been asleep already.

"I dunno, Liam," said Nera. "Maybe sometimes you have no other choice."

"Do you think that maybe the iguana and the fox could've talked about it?" The younger boy asked, his eyes now wide in curiosity. Even if there was no way the fight could've ended civilly, Nera bit back a smile, kissing his smooth forehead gently. Even at a young age of four, her little brother already held much more of an emotional quotient than others she had met during school.

"Maybe," Nera said, even if it wasn't true. Just then, the voices grew louder and louder. Liam turned to her, his head tilted.

"Are mommy and daddy yelling again?"

She sighed. "They are, sweetie. Now, go to bed. You have school tomorrow, don't you?"

He smiled a toothy grin. "Level 1!"

Nera couldn't help but smile back. Ever since Liam turned four and transitioned from playschool to the actual levels, he felt so giddy and proud of himself that it was absolutely adorable. "Yes, you are. Now, go to sleep Li. Love you."

He nodded, already in his pyjamas, and hopped onto the lower bunk bed close to the window, snuggling close to the warm blankets and stuffed animals. A few moments passed, with the soft breathing of Liam coming to a steady pattern, and Nera watching the stars with her arms tucked under her knees. The sky gave way to the clear night sky as soon as the storm ended, and Nera heard herself sigh contently.