Deep Waters

Chapter Twenty-Four

"Who peed in your Cheerios?" Gavin asked Kason. We both watched my boyfriend grab a Gatorade out of the fridge with a sour look on his face.

"I don't eat Cheerios," he replied in a grumble.

"Then who peed on you?" Gavin laughed but Kason just ignored him.

"Me and Holden are going on a quick run," Kason turned and told me. "I'll start training you when we get back." I just nodded as he went on his way.

"Someone definitely peed in his cheerios," my brother commented under his breath.

I playfully slapped his arm. "Leave the poor man alone."

Right at that time, the girls walked by the kitchen, and Marla poked her head in the door. "Hey, we are leaving. Are you sure you don't want to come, Delilah?"

I nodded and slipped her a small smile. "I'm sure, but thanks."

"I want to come," Gavin whined.

Marla rolled her brown eyes at her boyfriend. "You have to stay here and help Sam with the animals. You know that."

She turned to leave when Gavin called, "Miss you already!" She just laughed in return and a moment later we heard the front door close. I watched my brother slouch in his chair and stir his spoon around his bowl of soup. "I literally miss her already...I'm going to be so bored until she gets back."

I just stared at him. Was he serious right now? "They are literally just going to get some groceries," I reminded him. "She will be right back."

"Well yeah, but I just want to hang with her."
"You hang with her every day."

"And your point is?" he asked.

"My point is, you can't go thirty seconds without seeing each other," I said. "What happens if Charles kills one of you? What happens next? It's going to be hard for you."

My brother stared at me as if I had gone crazy. "It's going to be hard either way..." he told me, raising his voice. "Why are you thinking like that anyway?"

I breathed. "I'm just trying to be prepared, Gavin."

"Yeah, well, you don't have to be such a downer all the time," he snapped.

"I'm not a downer all the time."

"Yes, you are!" he stood up from his seat at the table and faced me. "You can be so depressing to be around. Try being positive for once!"

I clenched my jaw. "There aren't many opportunities to think positively in our situation!"

"Just stop focusing on all the negative."

"This who situation is negative! We can't just ignore what is happening around us!" I yelled at him.

Sam then walked in the room and crossed his arms in front of his chest, looking to be analyzing us both very closely. "Everything okay in here?"

My brother didn't even glance at him and took a step toward me. "No one is ignoring the fact that our father is on a killing spree. We are just as worried about our safety as you are. But for everyone's sake, please stop freaking out about it all the time. You are only making everyone else more worried. If you act like you are handling everything well, then everyone else will feel better about the situation," he told me sternly. "You are only causing more panic, even for yourself...so just stop." With that, he turned around and walked out of the room, bumping shoulders with Sam on his way.

I growled loudly in frustration and slammed my hand on the table. "Woah there, the table did nothing to you," he told me with his hands out as if he was trying to tame a wild animal.

"Go away, Sam," I spoke through gritted teeth.

He exhaled and scratched the back of his neck. "No...can I give you some advice?"

I finally looked up at him properly. "I have a feeling you are going to tell me what you think, no matter how I respond."

He nodded and shrugged, admitting that my guess was true. "Just consider what your brother is saying," Sam said. Maybe try to handle all this stress a little more calmly."

I tilted my head and scrunched my eyebrows. "I don't think you know how stress works."

The man rolled his eyes at me. "Just don't panic when it gets to your head. Breath. Think rationally. Talk to one of us about what you're thinking," he advised. "That way you are still getting out your emotions, but in a safe, not threatening manner." No longer wanting to hold eye contact with him, I looked down at my hands on the table. "Okay?"

I nodded. "Okay." The man aggravated me, but I guess he did give pretty okay advice.