Red Butterflies

Chapter 7

I awoke to my alarm ringing in my ear. I grabbed my phone and swiped it silencing the annoying, echoing sound. I jumped out of bed, excited to see my best friend and hurried to the bathroom and did the usual. Within half an hour I was showered, dressed (which included hair and make-up) and had my bag packed. I headed down stairs to greet my mother and sister. To my surprise Ellie wasn’t at the kitchen table. “Mum, where’s Ellie?” I asked her surprised. “She’s got a temperature, she is staying home” She replied to me. I nodded and walked into the lounge room. I didn’t eat breakfast; it made me sick, every time I tried eating in the morning it resulted in a stomach ache that lasted throughout the day, so I sat on the couch and watched cartoons until it was eight o’clock.

I then headed out the door and into my car, driving myself to school like I usually did. The drive was boring but my spirts lifted up as soon as I got to school. “Skylar!” Tye called out to me. “Tye!” I replied back to him. We greeted each other with a hug and spent the morning chatting away about the most random things. The bell rang for form and I turned around to start walking to class when I heard a cough and grunt come from him. “Aren’t you forgetting something?” He asked me. I raised an eyebrow at him. “No?” I replied slowly. “Where is my hug Sky?” “Oh.” I blushed as I walked up and hugged him. “That’s better.” He said to me. “Now have a good day ma’am” We then parted in different directions.

That was the only time I saw him that day and the day was just as boring as the last. It was repetitive. The same old bullshit that happened every day for the past four years. School, study, more school, glares from Azalea, arguments with my mum and Ellie, the only difference was the fact I had a new friend, I had someone who kept me smiling and just as I thought things were getting better my lightbulb exploded and my world came tumbling down like a tonne of bricks. It was like a wild cat and hyena mixing with each other, a combination you don’t want to happen. My family and I received news, news that completely broke my heart.

I got home from school that afternoon and a police car was parked outside my house. My heart started pounding. I was confused as to why a police car would be outside of my house, I was worried. I got out of the car and swiftly walked to the front door of my house and turned the handle and walked inside. I couldn’t see anyone, but I could hear mum and Ellie sobbing words to each other that I couldn’t understand. I cautiously walked down the hall into the living room and found them sitting next to each other hugging with a police officer standing in front of them with a grim subtle look on his face. There was no emotion in his face. His tan skin stood out in the white living room and his cheek bones rose high in his cheeks.

 “Mum?” I asked her. She stood up immediately and opened her arms then hugged me tightly. She cried more and more and I still had no idea why. Ellie was now hugging a plush pink pig dad had bought her. I was so confused. “Mum.” I repeated. “What’s going on? Why are you and Ellie crying, what has happened? Why is there a cop here?” I asked again going one hundred miles per hours. She just shook her head. Ellie tried speaking, but the words were muffled as she couldn’t get enough air through to her lungs to speak.

The police officer looked at mum and she nodded as she lead me to a chair. She placed her hand on her mouth and then removed it. My heart was pounding. The suspense was killing me. I just wanted to know what had happened. “Dads dead.” She said to me. “What?” I replied to her slowly. “Dads dead.” She repeated to me. “He died earlier today.”

Pain. There was nothing but pain. No other emotion was felt. I clenched my fist and my muscles tensed. I slid off of my chair falling to the ground and screamed. Tears started gushing out of my eyes and falling onto the carpet. How could this have happened? Of all times, of all people, my father. I started getting confused and angry as sadness swept over my body. My vison started fading as tears consumed my eyes. Each time I took a breath my breathing became harder it felt as though my air ways were blocking up. I was left on the living room floor crying and screaming.