When Jack stepped off the plan he breathed a sigh.
Not one of annoyance or anguish, but not one of happiness either.
A few nights ago while he was at Cole's shop he got a call from his mother, Hellen.
"Hello?" Jack answered.
"Hi hun!" Hellen replied.
"Mom? Everything okay?" Jack asked.
Helen didn't normally call Jack because she knew he was busy trying to make a life for himself, but on the rare occasion that she did, there was always a reason behind it.
"Oh yeah everything is okay.
I just called to ask if you were coming home sometime soon." Hellen said.
"No, not that I know of.
Why?" Jack asked.
"Did you forget?
The festival is about to start back up again in town.
You promised not just me but your sister too that you'd come home for only two reason.
Either your birthday or when the autumn festival was coming up." Hellen finished.
"Ah!
I'm sorry mom, I guess I haven't really been keeping track of it. I'll hunt for a ticket and try to come home as soon as I can." Jack said.
Now he's back home for no more than a week for the festival, though he isn't in the happiest mood about it.
In his last few years here he didn't really like his home town.
Since he wasn't in total control of himself he ended up turning a lot of the townspeople against him.
Most of them were his class mates but regardless.
"Brother!" Jack heard a voice shouting to him.
While looking amongst the crowd of people in the airport, he spotted a girl with hair so brightly blonde it almost looked platinum, wearing a gray long sleeve shirt, black leggings with converse on too, waving to get his attention.
That girl was Jill, Jack's little sister.
Only sixteen, she's mature for her age compared to most.
But when Jack's home she acts the complete opposite.
She loves her brother very much, and for good reason.
Jack always kept Jill safe and took care of her when Hellen couldn't.
Granted Jack isn't her biological brother, he was adopted into her family long before she was born, because Hellen and their father at one point thought they wouldn't be able to have a kid.
She worries about him all the time when he isn't home, and thanks to past issues he's had she fears he'll lose himself again one day...
Jack fought his way through the crowd only to be greeted by a death hug from Jill.
"It's good to see you home brother." Jill squeaked out while burying her head into Jack's chest.
When it came to Jack, Jill never grew out of calling him brother, she'd even say "big brother" if she was in any form of a scary or harmful situation.
"Yeah, it's good to be home..." Jack breathed yet another sigh.
He loved his sister like a brother should, but he's worried her feelings for him are different.
"What's up with your hair?" Jill questioned.
"Huh?" Jack pulled a strand of his hair.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"Dummy, it looks like it's turning back to normal." Jill said.
When Jill said this Jack recalled that while Joker and him were fighting over control for his body his hair as well as his eyes had change like Jokers.
Crimson red hair and blood red eyes...
But now his hair is slowly returning to the black color it once was.
Though there's still parts of red, almost like he dyed his hair.
"Will ya let go?!" Jack whined.
"But I love you big brother!" Jill proudly announced.
Jack didn't want to say his next words out loud but he knew it was enough to embarrass Jill to the point that she'd let go.
"I think you have a brother complex!" He said.
"N-no I don't!" Jill stammered.
She knew what it meant and it was enough to cause her to panic.
Jill let go of Jack and pouted.
"You're mean" she huffed.
Jack pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Is mom home yet?" He asked.
"Not yet, she will be soon though." Jill chimed.
Jack began to walk off until Jill grabbed the sleeve of his jacket.
"Hey wait for me at least." She whined.
"What? Do you want me to hold you hand like a little kid?" Jack asked.
Jill practically shot out her hand.
"You're kidding." Jack sighed.
"You offered." Jill smirked.
Jack just walked away.
A few minutes later Jill looped her hand in his anyway.
Try as he might Jack couldn't get her to let go.
YOU ARE READING
Carnations for Emily
Fiction généraleA young man struggles with who he was in his past as he tries to protect his childhood friend, Emily. Not just from his enemies but, himself too. When his foggy past catches up to him, he'll have to balance the multiple "selves" in his mind or he ma...
