✓ Chaos Theory | Diego Hargreeves [1]

【CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN】

—chapter twenty-seven.

 ❛ so much history... ❜  

"M'THINKING ABOUT PICKING UP SOME DOUGHNUTS FROM GRIDDY'S."

Normally, that elicited at least a gasp of excitement from Ellis Verbeck, or some sound of quiet approval from the mention of the sweet treat. If there was any way to the young boy's heart, it was doughnuts, and normally she was able to use them as a segway into talking to him. But not that morning.

Elodie carefully maneuvered into a new line of traffic before sparing a glance to her brother beside her. He was settled against the other end of the car, looking out the window. Quiet and private as always. It didn't even seem like he had heard her -- and if it wasn't for the fact that there was no other sound but her voice, she would have assumed he hadn't.

"Doughnuts tonight? How's that sound?"

"Works for me," came his response several beats later. He didn't look her way.

Silence had never been an easy idea for Elodie to digest. She had grown up surrounded by noise, and learned to use other forms of sound to drown out the screams around her. But when there wasn't any sound at all, she often had found herself feeling lost and overwhelmed, like her own thoughts were going to be her downfall. Normally she was able to drum up some conversation between them; she'd mock her own poor driving skills and he would chime him, joking that 'that was why he never let her drive him to school'. Or, she would ask about his latest creation and draw his ideas out of him so that when he left the car she was left stunned and shocked that such a horrible man could be such an intelligent boy's father.

But not that day.

She glanced at him again. He remained in the same position, backpack pressed by his gangly legs and hands folded tight in his lap. "You okay, buddy?"

Maybe it wasn't her. Maybe it was like their therapist had said -- they cope differently, and sometimes people needed peace and quiet to sort their thoughts. Maybe school was bugging him, or their Grandmother, or anything else but her. She wasn't certain about that, but it was possible.

"Ellis? You with me?"

"How's Diego doing?"

Elodie very nearly crashed the car right then and there at his words. She had to swerve dramatically onto a smaller street, cursing and gripping her wheel so tight her knuckles turned white and smoke steamed. At least Ellis wasn't looking then, though by his words, that was the least of her problems then.