Silenced by the Night

Moment of Truth

Jessica and Mariah were sitting on my bed looking at the drawing posted on my wall, my father’s drawings. Nathan wasn’t with them; I couldn’t believe how they found the way to our house. Mariah was reading the novel ‘Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of The Dawn Treader’

“Do you know that book?”

She sat down beside me, her eyes still glued to the book.

“I’ve heard of it, my mum just wouldn’t wanna buy it”

“Well you can keep it; I have tons of books I’ll be entertained by them”

Jessica approached me and sat down beside me.

“What did Nathan do three nights ago? Why doesn’t he wanna talk to you?”

“Jess, do you know those things that people do. When they actually kiss them without knowing they do, that’s what he did”

“That’s a bit mean isn’t it?”

“You call your brother mean?”

She nodded and walked towards my closet. Paige ran inside and carried Mariah by her shoulder.

“Where’s Nathan?”

“He’s back at the house. They don’t wanna talk to each other”

I looked at Mariah defensively and back to Paige.

“Don’t wanna talk to him? I miss him”

They all gave me a smirk and pushed me outside.

Summer was coming along. Nathan was lucky enough to actually go to Tahiti in summer. Before my dad disappeared he promised to come back and take us with him to a vacation with Caroline and the girls. Until now, I’m still a bit depressed since my father’s death. Jessica came by our house before they left.

“Hey Jessie”

She gave me a hug and whispered something in my ear.

“I’m gonna miss you, I’ll see you in three months”

I kissed her cheek before pulling away from her hug and helping her inside the car. Nathan was reading a book not even looking at me or glancing over for a little while.

“Bye Jessica”

Quiet evenings, awkward feelings, I was feeling overboard without Nathan. I always hate it when they were leaving. We only spend time together at summer and this is how it all turned out. My depression grew stronger; I remembered when I had bulimia he was the one staying with me in the hospital.

“Eleanor, come out of your room and start packing. The cab isn’t gonna wait forever”

Pack up? Where are we going?

“Eleanor Collins, start packing we’re leaving for Tahiti!!!”

“We’re in Tahiti!”

I gave Caylah an awkward look before going out the boat and looking for an empty cabin we can stay in. I remembered someone going here, someone I know. Oh well, I forgot about it just forget about it.

“Nathan, its Ellie!”

There was a yell fifteen feet away from me.

“Hi Nathan”

Paige gave him a wave and looked back to me.

“Ellie, its Nathan”  

Nathan approached me and smiled. His warm smile was the only thing I’d missed for weeks. Jessica gave me a small wave and pulled my luggage.

“Ellie, can you stay in the same cabin as the both of us?”

“Ellie, my bags; they don’t walk themselves!”

Caylah yelled from the harbor.

“In fifteen minutes, I’ll be in your cabin later. After I bring Paige and Caylah’s bags to their cabin”

Truth; the typical game me and Nathan use to play when we were bored. We use to play this game with Hanna, Paige, Caylah and Alice. Today it was me, Paige, Nathan and Jessica that was playing the game.

“How do you play this game again?”

Paige looked to all of us and sat down beside me and Nathan.

“We ask you a question and you need to tell the truth no matter how embarrassing it is. We can’t ask secondary questions. But if you can’t answer the question you say ‘pass’ and you are out of the game. If there are only two players left, if one of them say ‘pass’ the one who asked the question wins. So, shall we start?”

“Yeah”

We answered in unison.

“OK Paige gets to ask a question first”

Paige looked at Nathan then me and then to Jessica.

“Jessie, what is your biggest night fear?”

Silence filled the atmosphere as we waited for Jessica’s answer. Every little girl has a night fear. I mean, when I was a kid I hated having my own room. I would think there’s someone in the closet and all of a sudden gonna jump on you. Or sometimes I would think that someone’s outside my room watching me go to sleep.

“The closet, that’s my night fear. OK, Nathan, what was the stupidest thing you’ve ever done or said?”

The room filled with silence. His eyes were switching directions. He first looked at me, then to Jessica and then to Paige. We never knew each other much; he doesn’t even know my full name. I hate being called ‘Eleanor’. That’s why Caylah calls me that name. He must’ve said something stupid at his age of ten or under it.

But what was playing in my mind was ‘Did he even say a stupid thing to anyone’ or ‘did he do a stupid thing’.

“Making a deal with Caroline so I can’t talk to Ellie anymore”

Paige looked at him eyebrow raised and still smirking at me and him.

“Paige, who do you envy?”

Her eyes were glued to me. The twinkle on them weren’t familiar to me. She doesn’t envy me, does she? She has everything; beautiful clothes, a wide room, a family that respects her; while I have nothing. Hanna was living with someone else, my mum and dad are dead, and what else do I have? Of course it’s only Nathan.

 “Ellie is the one I envy”

Me? Paige Collins envies me? How can she do that? Like what I said, she’s beautiful, she’s perfect, and she’s talented. She can join The X-Factor while we are just in the crowd watching her.

“Ellie, who do you have a crush on?”