Figures in the dark

Arrival

Chapter 2

Josh Dunne

I saw the entire thing happen in front of my eyes, but I pretended I didn't. I knew Nikita was probably calling me, in fright, asking me to see what was going on with our mother. I'd already seen her before boarding the bus, her eyes hollow as they usually were and skin the color of a fluid-dry corpse. What was different about this time was that how inactive and still she'd gone, near the windowsill, staring at my sister. Obviously, it would've unsettled her.

I'd been closing the door when I heard our mom whispering into the receiver of the telephone. Yes, I know. When will I get the money? It was always something about money or going somewhere that she couldn't tell us about and it annoyed me to no end because I wasn't allowed to question it, like some little kid she couldn't trust. Nikita was different. She accepted it.

You'll need restraints with Josh. He's violent. When I heard that, I stopped in my tracks. She was talking about me to someone on the phone. What the fuck, mom. I shifted from my hiding spot behind the door, left ajar. I was never the type to fear confrontation, so that's what I did. The next couple of minutes went by quickly. Mom hung up the phone mid-conversation and gave me a look of horror like she got caught doing something inappropriate. Her horror turned to apology but I couldn't take any of it. I walked out on her in the midst of our altercation because this wasn't new. Of course, she'd always be sorry but she'll never reveal anything like we were still five-years-old and we didn't deserve to know anything, even if it was about us. Why doesn't Nikita ever ask mom what the fuck she's up to these days? I was mad. Real mad.

So, I didn't even look at Nikita when she was pointing me towards the windowsill. It was better that way. Nikita, she was talking about us on the phone to some stranger. She said someone needed to restrain me. I thought of telling her all this and mom's strange behavior, when I realized how stupid it sounded. I knew she'd reprimand me for eavesdropping and that mom probably didn't mean anything and that it was my fault mom didn't bid us goodbye because she's just like mom when she talks about dad. Annoying.

So, I sat down next to Matt and busied myself with conversing about Legend of Zelda. Matt told me about some cheats he'd learned which I knew but I pretended I didn't, just out of sheer irritation. I watched Nikita's face go from unnerved to dejected as the bus sped down the roadway far from our house. She sat down, trying desperately to get rid of her panic and to calm herself, but was failing as she furiously bit at her ruined nails. If she'd been back home she'd be in the backyard treehouse that was too small for her. Now, she had plugged in her earphones and was gazing out of the window with wide eyes, staring at the green treeline unique to Oakenmore.

"She looks kinda scared," Matt said in an observing tone. He had been looking at my sister and I hadn't realized that I'd stopped listening to him. "She nervous or something?"

I wasn't going to reveal anything about our delusional, psycho mother to Matt or anyone else for that matter. Not even Nikita, if I could help it. She loved and trusted mom so blindly that I felt sorry for her.

"Yeah, she's scared of getting lost in the woods." I lied mellifluously like I was a natural at it. I imagined someone telling me that my sister was scared of getting...lost. Oh for God's sake, she's sixteen, I'd say. But that'd be pretty mean, I think. Whatever it was, Matt seemed to buy it.

"Is it like...about your dad's disappearance?" He almost didn't finish his sentence. I hated the direction this conversation was heading towards and I couldn't help but be repulsed. None of the things we did was anything even barely related to 'dad'.