Silently Falling (UNEDITED, ORIGINAL)

Chapter Twenty One

Silently Falling (ORIGINAL): Chapter Twenty One

Sunday

Sunlight flows into my room through my bay window, causing a red outline to be seen behind my closed eyes. I groan and turn over to face the other way, but the light somehow captures this side of my room too. With a sigh I slowly open my eyes, blinking to get used to the sudden change of aperture. I smack my lips and slowly sit up, scratching my head as I do. My lazy eyes trail to my clock and I squint at the neon red digits.

8:15 AM

I close my eyes for a second and mentally prepare to get up. I roll over and grab my phone, letting out a dejected sigh as I realize I forgot to plug it in last night. I mentally slap myself and hesitantly glance at the percentage.

It only has 40% left. I purse my lips with a scowl and begin to unlock my phone, but as I see the date resting just beneath the time, I freeze in place and my blood runs cold.

December 5th.

My mother's death anniversary.

My entire mood falls and I drop my phone onto my bed, suddenly not knowing what to do. I knew this day was coming up, but no amount of preparation could get one ready to mourn their deceased mother. I mourn her every day, but the anniversary of her death is something special.

It's the 12th year I've been without her, and every year seems harder than the last.

I close my eyes briefly and mentally prep for the day ahead. Today revives the single memory of her I strive to forget; seeing her lying lifeless on the floor.

After my father ran inside to see what was wrong that day, I ran into the house after him even if he told Toby and I not to. I unbuckled myself and jumped from my car seat to see what was the matter.

Never in a million years would I have imagined what scene lay in front of me.

I open my eyes back up and they instantly land on my piano. My mother's old piano. I bite my bottom lip and frown, letting my gaze drop as my heart does.

Every year on the day of my mother's death anniversary, Toby drives me to her grave two hours away. It's located in the town she met my father in, they had decided to be buried there together. However, my dad never expected for her to have to be buried so soon. No one did.

Toby hasn't paid his respects to our mom since my father moved to New York. He agrees to drive me every year, but he sits in his truck as I walk down to her grave. I think it's because he doesn't think she would be proud of who he is. She wouldn't be proud that he parties every weekend or that he sleeps with girl after girl and then throws them away like chopped liver because he thinks he can't have the one girl he truly wants.

He's ashamed of himself, and it's holding him back from mourning her properly.

I throw my covers off my body, the chill in my house seeping through my skin and making my bones shatter. My frown deepens as I shuffle to my closet and pull on a sweatshirt, heading to my brothers room directly after. I don't want to waste anymore time, I want to be able to spend as long as possible with her.

I pad down the hallway and gently knock on his door. I get no response back and I push the slightly cracked door open to find that his sheets are empty.

My eyebrows furrow as I look around his vacant room. I check his bedside to see if his phone is here, but when I don't see it even more confusion enters me. Then everything clicks when I remember he went to a party last night; he hasn't come home yet.