She's sick.
She won't admit it, but I know she is.
And dad does, too.
Her naturally tanned skin is now pale, her forehead always carrying a sheen of sweat. The bright red curls that used to bounce around the top of her head are now flattened and dull. But her eyes...
They're more lit up than ever. As if she was a small child who has found out that they are going to Disney Land. My father had tried questioning her, but he's never gotten a straight answer. Just whispers of ' I love you' and small, but genuine, smiles.
I was starting to think she was becoming mentally ill.
I guess we'll find out soon.
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" So.....Noah. How was school today?"
Father, mother, and I were seated at the dining table, eating in silence until now. It's been this way since Dante's 18th birthday. Just the three of us sitting at the table eating while Dante does whatever he's doing outside at this time at night( which is 9:26 pm).
"Same old. Got a new student in class though." I say disinterested. Now that Dante's been absent during dinner I'm getting all the attention. And I don't like it one bit.
I don't see them in the same light as I did when I was younger. When it it was just me as their child. Ever since I was able to understand what had happened between Dante and them for him to be my new 'brother' I realized how much of a stranger they are to me. I remember the first time I asked them about Dante and how did he become apart of this family (which I soon found out later was a very dysfunctional one).
'His mother asked us to look after him for her while she's gone,'
' Why? Well, it's not my business to tell, but she has reoccurring cancer. She went away for chemo treatment,'
'Honey, not everyone is blessed with a loyal father. His dad wasn't present at the time to look after Dante.'
'Sad to say, but Dante's mother didn't make it. Found overdosed with prescription medication at the hospital.'
And the lies kept coming and coming.
It also didn't help that Dante was basically a mute, let alone talk about his past before coming here. It more like he's existing instead of living. It's the same thing everyday for him: Wake up, ignore me, eat, ignore me, interrogated by the rents, ignores them, pretend to go to school, but actually is skipping which leads me to covering for him, come home stare blankly at me, then up and leave just around dinner time. I sigh. Ain't life grand?
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I lay in bed, staring at the abnormally dried paint on the ceiling. It was harder to make out pictures in it with the only light source being the moonlight streaming through the soft, baby blue curtains. I sighed and kept rolling over, trying to get comfortable. In the end, I was on my stomach, one leg hiked higher than the other, with both of my hands under the thinning pillow. I closed my eyes hoping that tonight sleep will come easily. A few more minutes passed before I felt my breathing slow down slightly and my eyes finally relaxing. Sleep was about to finally take over until I heard the soft thud of the window opening. I was instantly on alert, but the calmed when I felt the bed sink and a familiar calloused hand run through my tangled brown locks.
"Where have you been?" I questioned. His hand didn't falter as he continued gently untangling my hair. I honestly don't know why I continue to ask him this every night. He doesn't answer, and I don't think he intends to. I roll over onto my back and open my eyes. I watch as he watched me. His dull green eyes intensely staring into mine. But something seemed off.
His eyebrows were deeply furrowed causing deep wrinkles to appear on his forehead. And what really put me off was the fact that there was a frown placed on his usually emotionless face. The longer he stared, the more worried I became. Why is he acting like this all of a sudden? What happened while he was out? I looked up at him, worried, and place my hand on his cheek. Instead of relaxing into my touch and placing a soft kiss of appreciation on my palm like he does every other night...
He stands, releasing my hair.
A spike of panic stabs my chest as I hurriedly rip the thick blanket off of me and jump out of bed. "Dante, please. Just this once, tell me what's wrong." He stands, as far as I can see, heavily pondering by the window. The moonlight hitting him in all the right places making him look ethereal. I slowly step closer towards him. When I'm close enough, I gently place a timid hand on his shoulder. "You can trust me."
The rooms quickly fills with silence. He continues staring out the window as if I'm not right next to him trying to gain his attention. I almost sigh out of desperation, but hold it in not wanting to seem impatient. We stay in this position for a long while. So long my legs were starting to slightly shake. I let a small frown slip into my face and turn to get back into bed.
Thump!
I quickly still, my back still facing Dante as he opened the window. I wait silently, expecting him to leave as he had done so many times before.
"Can I?" I jump startled at the deep baritone voice that shook my core. Though it was a mere whisper, I was still slightly intimidated. I felt a hand grab onto my arm as I was turned around to face the dark skinned bo- man, in front of me. I stared up at him, confused as to why he waited this long to speak, let alone to speak to me. I could feel my mouth still gaping, and if Dante noticed then he just chose to ignore it in turn to gently stroke my crimson cheeks. "Can I?" He repeated softly.
Could he really trust me? To be honest , if I were him I wouldn't. But at the same time, who was I going to tell? I had no friends or someone I chatted occasional with. Dante was all I had, besides my parents whom I don't trust as much as I trusted in Dante. Even if he occasionally ignores me, only showing me affection on every other blue moon. Even so I still said,
"Y-Yea! Of course!".
That was the first time ever, that I saw Dante smile. Even if was the world's tiniest smile.
He nodded and took my hand in his, leading me towards the window. As I climbed down from the side of the house, being the first one upon Dante's request, I realized that I didn't ask to where we were going or what he planned on doing with me. But, I also realized that I didn't care. Because I knew Dante would be there to protect me and I also knew how much I trusted in him.
Despite him being a familiar stranger.
