BLUE

two

Blue hated showing her feelings. It didn't matter who it was, she couldn't express any emotional feelings towards anyone. It made her feel weak and never wanted anyone to see her as such.

Well, all except Redbeard.

Redbeard was the Holmes family dog. And as sad as it sounds, he was her best friend, her only friend. All the Holmes children loved him. He was a part of their family, not just a dog.

He was always there. After she woke up in the middle of the night from a nightmare, after a fight at school or a fight with her siblings or parents. He'd always be there for comfort, to lick away her salty tears with his rough tongue, to rub his soft fur in her face to dry the tears no one else saw.

She walked up the stairs to her room, sighing as she reached her bedroom door. She stopped as she opened the door though and rolled her eyes.
"Redbeard" she said, warningly.

The dog was on her bed, stood on all four legs. She laughed as the dog bounded towards her, licking her face as she crouched down.
"Did you miss me, boy?" She asked him, in a childlike voice. "Did you miss me?"

Her only answer was a low bark and a lick to the face again. She responded with a laugh and sighed.
"It's been a tough day" she told him. She pointed to her lip. "Got hit after a girl called me a freak and I hit her a bit too hard"

Redbeard licked her face again and she groaned with a laugh. "Thanks" she said, wiping it off.

Someone knocked on the door. She sighed and stood up. She opened it to reveal her brother, Sherlock.
"What?" She asked, tiredly.
"You got into a fight again" he stated.

She rolled her eyes "Yes Sherlock I have, what do you want a bloody medal?" She asked cockily.
He raised his eyebrows and scoffed "They really got under your skin this time, didn't they?"

She scowled and sighed "What do you want, William?" She asked leaning on the door, using his real first name threateningly.

"I came to see the damage" he told her.
She sighed "Well you've seen it and now you can go". She began to shut the door but her brother stuck her foot out to stop it closing.

"Not the physical damage". He said.
She frowned "What are you trying to say?".
"I meant the emotional side".

She blinked but showed no other signs of realisation. "I don't know what you're talking about"
"Oh I think you do". Her brother said.

She glared. He was right but she wouldn't let him know that, she wouldn't allow him the satisfaction.
"Get out, Sherlock" she warned.

His eyes scanned her features. Her hands were clenched into tight fists and her jaw was set. It was just as he thought, she was breaking down.

He nodded after a short moment, and left her, walking into his own room and shutting the door behind him.

Blue let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and shut her bedroom door behind her. She looked down at her hands and saw they were shaking ever so slightly. She sighed and Redbeard whined.

She looked at the dog and he tilted his head at her. She smiled a bit and knelt down next to him
"I'm really messed up, boy" she whispered "I don't know what I'd do without you"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blue woke up in the morning and the first thought that came to her head was that she didn't have to go to school today.

She let herself smile at that as she got dressed. She walked down the stairs, a spring in her step.

Her mother was downstairs, wiping the sides. She turned to see Blue coming down the stairs but Blue saw the sadness in her eyes.

"Mother?" She frowned. She was confused. She had never seen her mother's eyes like that and she didn't like it. Something was definitely wrong.
"Blue" her mother said but her words caught in her mouth.

Blue frowned deeper and looked around. Then her eyes fell on Redbeard's bed. It was empty.

She pointed at it "Where is Redbeard?" She asked.

Her mother's eyes clouded over with the same sadness again, and Blue saw her eyes shift to the back room for a fraction of a second.

Blue started shaking. She walked on unstable legs towards the back room. It was not that big and she had trouble getting in.

Redbeard was laid down on the floor, in the corner, a blanket over him.
"Hey boy" she whispered, crouching down. She fought at the lump in her throat.

Redbeard didn't move. She put her ear to his chest, expecting to hear his soft, thudding heartbeat like usual but heard nothing but silence.

A sob escaped her. She breathed deeply and couldn't fight the river of tears that was flowing down her face.

She screamed. It was a scream of pain, loss and emotion. She heard footsteps and raised voices behind her but couldn't make sense of anything. She was too busy drowning in her own sadness.

Arms wrapped round her as she sobbed. Through her tears, she saw it was Sherlock, tears in his own eyes. She looked towards the dog who had been her best friend, her rock. It seemed so pathetic now.

She crawled to him and placed a shaky hand on the soft, brown fur of his coat.
"What do I do now?" She whispered, not caring that Sherlock and her parents could hear. "How am I supposed to live without you by my side, boy?"

Knowing she wouldn't get an answer, she gave into the sadness and felt her heart begin to break inside her chest.

Then all of a sudden, she stopped. She was still breathing heavily but she no longer sobbed. One more silent tear ran down her a face and she wiped her eyes and stood on her shaky legs.
"Blue?" Her mother asked.

Without another word, Blue ran out of the back room, away from her family, away from the loss, away from the dog that would soon be the reason for her downfall.