Midnight Music

Chapter 6-- Flashback

Eight-year-old Amy's back was hurting from spending so much time in her current position, but she didn't feel like moving. Knees brought up to her chest, arms folded and resting on top, cushioning her head while she quietly sobbed. Her older half-brother Jason, or Ace as he was called by nearly everyone, knocked on the door as he swung it open.

"Hey, pixie! Dinner's almost re-" he stopped abruptly at the sight of the little girl on her bed. Closing the door behind him, he walked over to her as he spoke softly. "Amy?"

She couldn't hear him over the music that played in her headphones. He pushed the pause button on the little CD player at her feet, then sat next to her on the blankets. She lifted her head enough to glance at him, then reluctantly took off her headphones, sniffling as she rubbed at her eyes and nose.

"What's wrong?" He asked softly, stroking her back. "Is it the kids at school again?" She nodded, and his heart tore inside his chest. Though he was now a well-liked freshman in high school, he knew what it was like to be picked on. And what hurt him, even more than the bullies' punches and kicks back then, was the fact that Amy was getting bullied a lot. His sweet little sister, however annoying she can be, did not deserve any of it. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She didn't respond, but her eyes were searching though invisible pages in her head for words. Ace took the headphones, put them on, and hit 'play' on the CD player. She stole my 'Lord of the Rings' soundtrack again, he discovered as the music filled his ears. At this point, he became more flattered and proud than angry whenever Amy snuck into his room and "borrowed" his CDs to listen to them. It meant that she liked the same stuff he did, and she wasn't listening to only Disney princess songs like every other girl her age.

Suddenly, the music stopped. He looked down to see that Amy had paused the CD this time. She was ready to talk. "I told the teacher this time, and she made them apologize. But they didn't mean it, and they didn't stop. They just wouldn't stop. . ."

The teenager wrapped his arms around the girl and held her close. "What did they do?"

"They called me 'Lamey'. Everyone thinks I'm weird because I like books, and I'm too scared to sing in the school play."

"Well then, you're going to have to show them that you are very talented, and that you deserve to be the star of the play. They won't call you lame once they hear you sing." Ace knew how much she loved to sing, almost as much as she loved music in general. Amy gave a small smile, but her bright blue eyes were still very sad. There was more. "What else did those kids say?"

"They. . . they kept saying that Dad and Lisa aren't my real parents. That none of you are my real family, and that you don't really love me," Two fat tears rolled down the girl's cheeks as she looked up at her brother. "I love Lisa, but why did Mom leave? Does Dad not love me because she left?" The kids said those things because they noticed she didn't look like the rest of her family. Ace's ginger hair, his father's red hair, and Lisa's golden locks-- none of them could validate Amy's chocolate brown waves.

The young man bit his lip. She's still too young to understand what our mom did, why she left, and the reason why Dad seems to neglect her all the time. He pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head. "Family is about more than blood. We are your real family because we truly love you. Those kids are just jealous that they don't have a family as awesome as yours. Don't let them bother you."

Amy nuzzled into his shirt. "Thanks. I love you, Jason."

"I love you too, pixie," He flexed his developing abs as she tried to punch him in the gut, then countered by tickling hers. "No more pouting. I better not see any more tears, pixie. You got it?"

"Okay. Okay!" she protested between laughs.