The Dark Side of the Moon

Chapter 11: Florence

-Florence’s P.O.V-

I awoke at the ungodly hour of four thirty. A shadow loomed in front of me and if I didn’t know who it was, I would have gone into self defence mode. Instead, I lunged out of bed and slung my arms around my oldest brother, Jeremy.

I buried my face in his chest and sobbed, knowing full well that this would be the last time that I saw him for at least six months. Behind him, his bags were packed and ready in the hall. My other two brothers, Jackson and Matt were rubbing their eyes in my doorway and trying to wake up fully so they could say farewell to their sibling.

This morning Jeremy was going to be driven off to the nearest city airport and flown all the way down under, to Australia. My whole family had moved here not a year ago from Western Australia, and Jeremy had decided to finish his final year of university back home. It was the very reason that I had fled to cry in the forest a few days ago, the very reason that I had been put right in the path of danger that one night.

His large arms wrapped around me and I sighed, hugging him harder. I knew that he would have to leave eventually, but I dreaded the day and now here it was. My arms squeezed him tighter as if I could keep him anchored here if I never let go. He lifted me off my feet and spun me around, chuckling slightly. Jeremy was never a boy for teary goodbyes or deep and meaningful words, so instead he just kept a hold of me.

Tears streaked down my face and I stepped back, sniffling and attempting a sad smile at the same time. “I’ll miss you big bro. Have fun in the sunny country” I patted him on the back and walked out the door with him. After saying a ‘manly’ goodbye to Matt and Jackson, we headed out into the chilly night air to stand around his car. One final goodbye later, he was heading out of the town and to the big city for a plane trip.

For the rest of the morning, I slept like a log. Around eight when I woke up, I watched the clock tick for hours, not motivated enough to actually get out of bed. When I was finally done with my procrastinating, I slipped out of the comfy warmth of bed and plodded downstairs. Eating breakfast and getting ready for school was a feat that nearly drained me of all my energy.

I finally retreated to my room and sagged against the wall. Feeling the cool surface pressed to my cheek made me sigh and raise my eyes to the roof. I felt slightly empty as if I was missing something inside, and it was true. It never felt quite right to be at home with a member of the family missing, and Jeremy's absence would be prolonged. If he liked it so much back home, he may even choose to stay there and start his own life, and family. In a strangely evil way, I wished that he somehow didn't enjoy his time there, so that he could return home to his family sooner.

Sliding to the floor, the tears streamed freely now and I broke out in uncontrolled sobs. My iPod played quietly in the background, hooked up to my speakers and vibrating softly around the room. The familiar upbeat tunes of a song that he used to always listen to started and I cried even harder. I would miss him so much, and I wouldn’t see him for at least a year, and probably even more.

Ten minutes later, Matt found me. He silently turned off my iPod and lifted me up off the floor, and I now soaked his shirt with my tears. Lying me down on the bed, he sat under me so my head was in his lap and stroked my hair. Nobody spoke, but the gesture meant a thousand words.

When I finally came around, it was about nine o’clock. I walked into the bathroom and washed my face free of the tear tracks, then dried it thoroughly. My hair was a mess, but I didn’t care what it looked like. Instead, I pulled it into a messy ponytail and skipped brushing my teeth. My eyes were still a disturbing red, so I covered them with thick black sunglasses and shouldered my backpack. I headed out the door with a short goodbye to Matt and Jackson.