Healing Hearts (bxb)

Chapter 26 - Deal with a demon

The knock on the door of our room, after lights out, surprised both me and Wendy. Normally, nobody would come in here, since we were literally supposed to be asleep or at least quiet, but now somebody had something else in mind and it had to be one of the counselors, as one was always watching our floor and would have stopped another kid from entering and leaving their own room. I glanced over at Wendy, who simply shrugged, just as that somebody opened the door and revealed themselves to be James. 

"Tommy? Ah you are still awake. So, Simon granted you something nice today, since you cooperated so nicely the other day in the basement. There is a call for you, your sister, if you want to take it" James said and I immediately was wide awake, hastily getting out of bed, even if I was wearing my very embarrassing checkered pajamas. But I didn't care because of Julie...Julie called?? How did she even got the number of the camp or a phone?? But I didn't care, I would get to talk to Julie! I looked at Wendy, who nodded eagerly, encouraging me, since she knew I wanted to talk to my sister for the longest time now. 

After my talk with Kenneth, we went to the hangout room where we met the others and that was another very depressing hour. Because they knew. They all knew what had happed down there in the basement with me and how I must have felt. Eric took my hand, telling me he had been down there once himself, but when he didn't want to, they let him go, because they never cared much about him. They didn't really make an effort to 'change' him, since...well they were racists and for once he said he didn't mind that at all. Anyway, they were all really depressed and angry at Simon and they all wanted to hug me and tell me that it was going to be ok. 

So I did think I deserved this. I got up, put on my slippers and followed James, walking past Peter, who was on this floor and gave me a disapproving look, even though I literally had Simon's blessing to do this. We walked down the stairs and into the common room, where he nodded his head, signaling me, that I could pick up the phone, where Julie was waiting for me. I took a deep breath, maybe now not so ready to take the role of the sarcastic and bitchy brother who wasn't broken and most of the time high off his ass, just so she wouldn't worry. She shouldn't know how I truly was, she should think I was completely fine in here. So I took another breath, before picking up the phone.

"Julie?" I asked, sounding bored, even though I could almost hear nothing but the beating of my heart in my ears. That was how nervous and eager I truly was to hear the voice of my little sister again, the only family member who had ever cared about me. Sure Jesse cared, but not like Julie. She was an angel, even if I would never ever tell her that. 

"Tommy?? Oh Tommy, Tommy! I've missed you so much! I-I snuck out of my room and downstairs to call you! Can you believe that? Me?? Yesterday I found the number in mommy's dress book and wrote it down! I miss you! Its different without you and without Jesse...when will you be back?" she asked and I smiled, even though normally her rambling would annoy me, but now, it felt like home. I pressed down the heavy feeling that was laying on my chest as I knew, that I couldn't tell her the truth. That I didn't know when and if I would ever be back...that this could take years and by then, she would be all grown up and me broken. 

"Soon Julie. Soon. How are you? Is mom...Is mom being nice to you?" I asked and for a second, Julie, who had just rambled like the little kid she was, fell quiet. That was answer enough. I already knew she would let her anger out on Julie, but a small part of me still had hope I was wrong. She was only 11 after all! She was a child and shouldn't get yelled at, but from personal experience I knew, that my mother couldn't give a shit if the kid she was yelling at was still too young for something like that or not. She just wanted to let it out, even if it was on her own children. 

"I mean...yeah? Its mom, you know? She's nice and then uhm...not. She's grumpy, a lot, actually and has a lot of migraines, since you and Jesse left. But I am so glad you will be back soon! How is the camp? Do you have fun?" she asked and I gulped, thinking about everything that already went down, especially recently. I didn't want her to worry about me, she should think I was fine and happy, just like Jesse now was. When I explained to her, that he and Nathan had to leave in order to be happy, it got easier for her to deal with the loss of her favorite cousin, who loved her dearly.