Finding Life

Seven

Izzabella

After Alex dropped me off, I stood in the driveway for a few moments, just trying to capture the memories tonight had given me.

I felt a tad insane for taking pleasure in my experiences tonight, but I guess that was all in the act of rebellion.

Now normally if I was home later than usual (which was seldom) my mother would always leave the house lights on and would be waiting up for my return, but as I glanced around the unlit, dark house with nobody around to greet me, I realized that this time was very different.

I took off my shoes at the door and tiptoed my way upstairs, careful not to wake Josh as I crept by his slightly ajar door.

Soft snores came from his room and I was very tempted to go and tuck him in, like I did when he was a baby, but I resisted the urge and headed to my room.

Throwing off my clothes, I changed into my pyjamas and set my alarm for the next morning.

Completing my nightly routine, I hopped into bed and settled myself underneath the sheets and the comforter and adjusting the pillows.

Sleep did not come easy, but my thoughts welcomed stress and other emotions with open arms.

It was like a swirling storm of sinister thoughts developing in the back of my brain, pushing me deeper and deeper into a place that I knew absolutely nothing about and as those emotions stampeded over my chance of sleep, I was sent into a dazed faze. I felt weightless for all but a minute.

It was then that I realized, my life was a controlled, predictable dark whole that I was quickly tumbling into. I had fallen for life's greates trap- reality.

I sighed and tossed around in my bed, searching for the most comfortable place to lay my head, but with no success, I decided to give up on the hopeless cause that was now known as sleep.

The house was eerily silent as I made my way down to the kitchen. I grabbed a juice-box and took a seat on a stool and edged it close to the marble island. I held the straw through my lips and glanced over at the time on the microwave.

6:24am

I sighed once more and turned my attention instead towards the thumping noise coming from upstairs. It was very persistent and seemed to increase in volume as the moments dragged on.

"Josh?" I called out. "Is that you bud?"

After receiving no reply, I took it into my own hands to investigate myself.

Carefully, I inched up the stairs, peering my head around the corner.

"Josh?" I tried once more.

The light flicked on in my mothers room and her door opened. Her hair was pulled up neatly into a ponytail and she was dressed in a pair of slacks and a hoodie, uncommon attire for her. She held three bags in her hands and a suitcase trailed behind her.

"Mom?" I questioned.

Startled, she glanced up and set her bags down by her door. I only saw a small portion of her bedroom from the opening of the door, but the part I did see had been emptied.

"Why aren't you asleep?" Her voice was cold and detached and she didn't make eye contact with me.

"I couldn't. Whats going on? What are you doing?" I was panicked now.

"A business trip. Its only a few weeks." She brushed past me after she retrieved her bags once more.

"Where?" My brain was running wild with questions, but I knew I couldn't possibly ask all of them in the short amount of time I suspected we had together.