Lost Game Notes (Novel)

Chapter 4: Forgive And Forget

 Alex would think the screaming of the steps would be enough to bring someone to the door, but it wasn't. He knocked on the door, noticing the fine ridges where a sharp object had been thrust into the wood. A knife.

The house and surrounding neighborhood was eerily silent. There were no birds, probably due to the fact that there were no trees. Alex considered turning back, buying whatever groceries and binge watching the rest of the day away.

But that wasn't an option. His sister's safety was at stake, as far as he knew, and he was the one to needed to play along to her stupid games. Apart from that, he needed to settle some things that had been wrestling in his mind for a while now, as hard as that was going to be.

"Who's there?" A sharp voice demanded from behind the door, causing Alex to jump.

"Alexander Brooke," he answered, squaring his shoulders and staring evenly at the door.

Whoever it was was quiet for so long, Alex was going to turn away for real. But then the door creaked open to reveal Sky's wiry figure standing there, slouched and defeated. He was biting his lower lip and avoided Alex's stare. Most of all, his glasses were gone.

"What do you want?" He asked glumly.

Alex stuck his thumbs under the straps of his backpack and replied: "To talk."

"About what?" Sky said. His voice with filled suspicion.

Alex winced. Of all things, he hadn't expected his ex-best friend to be bitter towards him. Sky didn't truly blame the halt to their childhood-long friendship on Alex, or did he?

"Don't act as if you don't know." Alex watched Sky's face, which was, conveniently, still turned down. Alex hated to put innocent, sweet Sky on the spot like Jude did to him, but he had to know the truth. And the easiest way to do that was to be straight-forward.

His indirect-tactic had worked, because Sky was already saying: "I can explain." He licked his lips, twisting a thin silver ring on his finger.

"Please do." Alex couldn't help the hint of sarcasm. And that was pathetic. He should be the one feeling bad, not Sky. But – with the way Sky was acting, that was yet to be seen.

"Come in," Sky said, stepping to the side. "But be quiet, my mother is resting."

Alex came inside, confusion rising as he looked around. The room, which served as a kitchen, living room and divining room, was stripped of most of it's furniture. Dishes were dripping dry on a rack on the counters, a quarter-way eaten breakfast on the table with one bandaged leg. One wall was stained with brownish splatters.

The frail figure of a woman lay one a threadbare couch, sunken eyes closed, white hair framing her gaunt face. She opened and closed her mouth like a goldfish, grunting intelligible garble. Once in a while she would scratch her arm, leaving visible scratch marks. This version of Mrs. Anton was nothing like the jovial, boisterous lady he was so used to seeing just a few months ago.

Alex looked away and saw Sky at the top of the stairs, looking down at him. Alex quickly hoped up the steps, noticing cigarettes that were kicked into the corners of the steps, after they had been stepped on.

Once they had both stepped into Sky's room, Sky shut the door and wheeled around to squint at Alex.

Alex saw it. The bookshelf, stretching from one wall to the other, stacked so tightly with books there wasn't one empty slot. Light from an open window created a perfect box around the entire bookshelf, highlighting each novel.

He had hit the jackpot.

Alex forced his eyes away, promising to look later. He could wait a little. The words that had been playing in his mind slipped past his lips. "Are you going to tell me happened, Skyler Anton?"

Sky visibly stiffened, and a shadow flickered across his eyes for the briefest moment. He sank down unto the edge of his made bed and dropped his gaze, whispering, "Life doesn't always work out for everyone."

Alex shoved his shoulder. "Ever the one for dramatics. What really happened?"

Sky twisted the ring on his finger again, hesitated, then sighed. "Look, Alex. I'm sorry for showing your art to Lawrence. I admit that was stupid—I just was so excited." He paused for a moment, then added, "I promise it wasn't intentional."

Tears rapidly filled Sky's grey eyes, making them look like two pools of water reflecting a sky promising rain. Alex felt increasingly uncomfortable, a certain sense of guilt he first tried to deny. He hated to see Sky cry. He hated to see anyone cry.