Silent Boy | Phan

//chapter six//

The next morning I woke up to Dan writhing around next to me.
We'd shared the bed, as neither of us wanted to make the other sleep on the floor.
Now, something was wrong.

"Dan?" I whispered, shaking him.
Dan didn't react, still rolling around and letting out slight whimpers every so often.
He was plastered with sweat.

"Dan!" I shook him again.
"Dan, Dan, please wake up!"
Suddenly he opened his eyes.
He started screaming.

"Dan! Dan, it's okay!"
I put my hand on his forehead, and leant over him.
"It's fine. You're with me."

Dan blinks at me, the whites of his eyes showing.
Slowly, his body starts to relax.
I stroke my hand over his forehead.
Dan begins to breathe, and cease shaking.

I lean down and kiss him on the forehead.
Dan lifts his hand and pushes hair out of my eyes.

Suddenly, he pulls his hand away and rolls over.
He scrunches his eyes shut and refuses to respond to me.

"Dan?" I softly whisper.
He just pulls the covers over his head.
I sigh and walk away.

He always does this.
As soon as he allows himself to feel, he pulls away.
"What happened to you?" I say under my breath.

I grab our room key, and quietly leave Dan be.
Once out of the room, I take a deep breath.
I begin to walk down the stairs.
I leave my thoughts with Dan under the covers.

It's raining outside.
Oblivious, I trudge through the streets.
I'm not myself.
I'm a shell.

"Phil?"
I look up.
"Philip! What on earth are you doing?"
Only two people in the world call me Philip.
One of them is Father.
"Louise?" I breathe.

"Phil! You're going to catch your death out here!"
Louise runs up to me and puts her raincoat around my shoulders.
"You're out here." I pointed out.
Louise laughs that all familiar laugh.
"Yes, but I had a raincoat."

"Come on Phil, I'll take you to my house."

Louise opens the door.
I haven't been here in a long time.
It smells the same as it did when I was ten.

Louise's little sister Darcy comes running in.
"Lou? Who's this?"
I hang my head.

"Darcy, this is Phil. You haven't seen him since you were this big!"
Louise held her hands about 10cm apart.
"Hello Phil!"
Darcy runs up to me and wraps her arms around my legs.

Louise pulls out three different movies.
"Which one?"
I shrugged.
I hadn't heard of any of them.

She smiles, and puts all three down.
"How about this one?"
She pulls out a movie I recognize.
The first superman.

"Louise!" I gasp.
"Yes!"
My favourite childhood memories include watching this with Louise.

She slides the disc in.
I sit down on the couch, my hands between my knees.
Louise sits next to me.

My mind overflows with memories.
I feel my eyes begin to water.

"Why did we stop hanging out as much, Louise?"
Louise looks at me.
Her eyes are sad.

She begins to open her mouth.

"Who the fuck are you?"
Louise says in a voice I don't recognize.
I blink two or three times.

A man appears behind Louise.
He's shielding a woman and a young boy.
"Get the hell out of our house! Who the hell are you?"

I feel a stinging slap on my cheek.
I stand up.
"Louise? What's happening?"
I look to where Louise is sat.

She's not there.