RE: caged

Chapter 1

I wrinkle my nose.

The air surrounding me is musty and has a layer of fog drifting along. There are cars parked all over me, some looked as if they’ve been here for ages. On a separate parking lot, there are ambulances, all ready and set in case of an emergency happens, which happens quite frequently. I see people walking into the building, painted with looks of worry and concern.

I sigh, gripping the plastic wrap of the bouquet of lilac, lavender, and daisies. I step into the crisp white hospital and was hit by the sudden gust of cleaning detergent. My nose wrinkles up again and I close the glass door behind me. My legs bring me to room 302, a way I’ve learned to memorize over time.

The door slides open and I see my two year older brother, Thomas, lying down in guarded bed. The IV connected to his arm gives me chills. He turns to me and gives me a smile, revealing all of his pearly whites. I step into the room which receives no sunlight, expecting it to be like every meeting, simple.

“Eden,” he says. “Hi!” He waves the arm free of the IV cord. I smile wryly, returning the wave. I look around the dim room and see that the flowers from before had already gone dry and limp. “So how have you been feeling, Thomas?” I ask as I dump the withered plants and replace with the new vibrant ones.

He shrugs his shoulders. “I’ve been fine. There have been a lot of accidents going on lately.”

I roll my eyes with a playful scoff. “This is Carr we’re talking about. We have drunk students getting into to accidents every six minutes.”

He frowns slightly.

I push it away as I place myself on the open chair. “How has school been? How’s mom?”

“The usual I guess, Mr. W is being a dick as always –” Thomas narrows his chocolate eyes at me. He hates when I use profanity. “—But other than that, it’s just the same as every day.” There’s no point in going in detail. I go to Louis High School, known for its scandals and occasional deaths due to car accidents. Carr has a factory that ships alcohol all over the state, so of course they’re going to be in nearly every store shelf. Our academic scores suck and music is second to lowest in the county. Our sports team has members who take drugs and substances which enhance their performance and are banned from nearly every town. So they usually forfeit. Don’t even get me started on how we’re banned.

As for mom of course, she’s a spineless woman who doesn’t even deserve the title ‘Mother.’

“She’s also the same. Hiding away from the debt collectors and making me get a job.” She fears that they’ll find her on the street going or coming back from the job and jump her.

Thomas releases a sigh but forces a meek smile. “I’m sure she’ll become stronger and braver soon. She just needs –“

“I know, I know,” I interrupt. “She just needs time.”

But how much time does she need?

She’s been acting like a weak pathetic child for nearly three years. My entire high school life has been about working and paying back loans. It’s frustrating!

He becomes crestfallen, “Eden. I know it’s hard for you, having me in the hospital and mom like this, but I promise you it’ll get better.” He reaches out to me. “Can you give me your phone?”

I look at him oddly for a second before reaching for my phone in my hoodie pocket. “Here.”

The sounds of buttons being punched in start and I ponder what he’s doing. Maybe he’s going to text mom?

He ends with a loud beep before handing my phone. The screen says ‘Micah’

I stare at the contact information for a second before looking up at him. “Who’s Micah?” I question. Why would he put a stranger’s number in my phone.

“He’s a good friend of mine. Give him a text and he’ll help you out anyway he can,” he promises me.

Pocketing my phone, I think nothing of it. It’s probably just a friend who’ll help support us or maybe just a prank. He was always a prankster back when he was healthy.

There’s a sudden knock on the wall behind us, echoing in the sunless room. We both crane our necks to see the nurse dressed in white. “I’m sorry but visiting times are over.”

I nod curtly before pulling my bag over my shoulder. I stand up from my seat and wave farewell to Thomas.

Most family members would kiss their older brother goodbye or something but not me. Our family just didn’t roll like that. But I didn’t really have any close moments with Thomas other than when we found out he was diagnosed with his illness. After that, I began to care more about him. He wasn’t just another mouth to feed at home, he was my fragile brother who’s grip with the world is slipping by each day. His sand from his hourglass was running out day by day.

I head to the door and look at him quickly. My finger touch the edge of the door. “Bye Thomas.”

He returned the wave with a sweet smile. My lips curved in a smile before I left the crisp clean building.

….

I stare at the screen of my phone. “Who is Micah?” My fingers graze over the screen. There’s no last name, so I can’t search him up online. I shut my phone off before I rolled onto my bed. I chuck my phone towards my night stand, it hit the moon and star lamp. It topples to the ground and the light bulb smashes into millions of pieces. I gasp as I stand up on my bed.

I scurry to pick up the broken pieces gingerly. Luckily, my skin is safe from the shards.

I finished cleaning up and place my lamp back on the night stand and put my phone gently this time down. A sigh escapes my lips before I sit on the edge of my bed. My eyes avert to the lightless lamp. It’s going to be a dark night.

I always sleep with the lamp on. I sigh, looking at the ground.

It’s going to be a long night.

….

The beeps echo across the room. Thomas looks across the room and sees nothing but shadows looming darkly across the room. He’s used to seeing the eerie darkness every night since he was put into the hospital several years ago.

He sighs as he stares at the hues of gray around him. “I hope that Micah will take care of her…” He says in a daze. Balling his hands against the cotton bed sheet, he smiles wryly. His heart begins to strain and his eyes shut close.