A Horrible MistakeA Chapter by VaenrilDun dun dun, the saga begins... Haha.When I was born, Mom and Dad were happy. They were playful and cuddly and warm, and they took me everywhere they went. I was the light of their lives, they told me. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I liked the way it sounded. Tyler was born when I was four years old. Mom and Dad showed him to me, and told me I was his big sister, so I had to help take care of him. I liked Tyler. He was cute, and always giggled when I played with him. Mom and Dad took us everywhere they went, and said we were the lights of their lives. Then Mom and Dad went away, and didn’t bring us with them. They left Tyler and I with Aunt Chloe, made us promise to be good and said they would come back soon. I wasn’t sure what to do. I took care of Tyler and tried to be brave, but Mom and Dad had never gone away before, and I was scared. What if they never came back? It wasn’t bad with Aunt Chloe, but she wasn’t Mom. Mom and Dad did come back, but things were different. When she had left, Mom had been very pretty. Her skin had been tan and smooth, her dark hair long and thick, and her mouth quick to smile. When she came back she was pale, and she was distant, and she almost never smiled. Dad told us that Mom was going to have another baby. He told me the same thing before Tyler was born, and he’d been happy then. Now he only looked scared. When our baby sister was born, I was six and Tyler was two. Mom had stopped smiling and only cried. Dad became silent, not even talking to Mom or Aunt Chloe. The first time I saw my baby sister, I was sure there had been a mistake. She didn’t look anything like us. Tyler and I both had the same black hair, tan skin, and wide eyes as Mom. The baby was pale, her eyes a deep black, and the little tuft of hair on her head was bright red. When I asked Dad if there was a mistake, he just stared at me. We visited Aunt Chloe a lot after the baby was born. I asked her if there was a mistake. She patted my hair and sighed and said, “Yes, honey. There was a horrible mistake.” And she wouldn’t say anything else about it. It was a moment before my call was answered. Tyler emerged from his room, rock music trailing after him as he came into the kitchen. His black hair was up in messy spikes, but I didn’t bother telling him how ridiculous it looked. Lily wandered into the kitchen, a Rubix puzzle cube in her hands. She twisted and turned the cube over and over in her pale fingers, though she wasn’t even looking at it. “Dinner, Lily,” I repeated, though I knew it was useless. She wouldn’t eat until she’d finished the puzzle. Tyler glanced to Lily and smiled softly in amusement. “Come on.” He gently took her shoulders and guided her to a chair. She sat without protest, her dark gaze on the floor, her fingers working ceaselessly at her cube. Tyler and I sat with her and started eating. We didn’t bother waiting for Dad to get home; he never ate with us, anyway. A moment later, Lily had the puzzle finished and set it on the table. She sat up a little and put her hands together, palms facing each other. “Grace,” she said in a firm murmur. I couldn’t help smiling as Tyler rolled his eyes. Regardless of his displeasure, we mimicked Lily, and the three of us sat in silence. I don’t know where Lily learned to say grace. Tyler and I never taught her, Mom and Dad weren’t around enough, and Aunt Chloe didn’t bother with it. Lily never went to school and could rarely focus enough to watch television. I chalked it up as something she just knew, like wearing black to Mom’s funeral, even though the tradition had never been explained to her. There were a lot of things Lily just seemed to know. She’d never set a food in a school, but she could read and write, and occasionally did Tyler’s homework if he left it out where she could find it. She even taught herself Spanish and Italian, and some other language, though I couldn’t identify what it was and she would never tell me. Sometimes I wondered if she could read my mind. After a moment, Lily lowered her hands and started eating wordlessly. She held her fork between two fingers and ate her spaghetti very slowly, one noodle at a time. “Has Dad been home today?” Tyler asked as he ate, glancing at me from the corner of his eye. I sighed and shook my head. “No, he’s been working,” I muttered, wondering why he was bringing it up. He knew Dad worked all day, leaving before we woke up and returning after we went to sleep. Even on his days off, he was never home. Tyler frowned and didn’t say anything. He glanced at Lily before looking back to his dinner, eyes downcast. I chewed my lip, watching my siblings. I hated the quiet tension between us. “Lily,” I said after a moment of quick thinking. “Why don’t you show Tyler what you learned today?” I grinned at Tyler. “She’s learning French.” Tyler blinked at me, then looked at Lily and slowly smiled. “Oh yeah?” Lily lowered her fork and sat up straight. She began listing the French words she’d learned flawlessly, her gaze focused on the Rubix cube beside her plate. Tyler and I couldn’t help smiling. Lily’s always been different, besides just knowing things without learning them. She also learned things quickly, jumping in without the slightest hesitation. She looked different, too. Tyler and I both had Mom’s black hair and brown eyes. Lily, however, had brick-red hair that no one else in our family had, and eyes like oil. Her features were sharp where ours were soft, and her eyes were oddly cat-like. Lily finished reciting the French alphabet in monotone, before she started on numbers. Once she got to ten, she fell silent. “All I know,” she murmured. “She memorized all that today?” Tyler asked, grinning. “Sheesh. I thought learning how to solve a trinomial would be impressive.” A faint blush rose to Lily’s face as she continued eating. She didn’t speak, focused on her spaghetti. After dinner, Tyler and I cleared the table and washed the dishes. “So how’s school?” I asked as I dried a plate and put it away. “Need any help with your homework?” “It’s fine,” Tyler said, picking at a stubborn bit of food on a fork. “I’ve already finished it.” “Yeah? That’s good.” I couldn’t help feeling a little relieved, unsure if I’d even be able to help with his homework. I’d graduated high school by taking classes online, and I hadn’t exactly passed with flying colors. There had been other things on my mind. Lily waited until we washed all the dishes before nudging my arm. “Display,” she murmured, holding her Rubix cube toward me. I smiled at her and nodded. “We can put it on display,” I said, and gingerly took the cube, knowing she would become distressed if her puzzle wasn’t handled with utmost care. I followed her into our shared room, where a bookshelf was empty of books and instead filled with completed Rubix cubes and several framed jigsaw puzzles. I put the new cube in an open space on the top shelf. “There,” I said, and smiled at her. “How’s that?” The faintest hint of a smile tugged at her lips. “Thank you,” she mumbled, then paused. “Thank you,” she repeated in the same tone, suddenly uncertain. I hesitated before ruffling her hair fondly. “You’re welcome,” I said gently. “Do you want another puzzle?” Slowly, Lily nodded. I went to our closet and tugged a puzzle from the shelf. I sat Lily at our desk and dumped the puzzle out onto the wooden surface. Immediately Lily got to work, taking up a few pieces. She quickly built the outline, barely looking at the puzzle. I watched her for a moment, then sighed and went out to the living room. I found Tyler on the couch, staring at the blank television screen. He seemed lost in thought, a deep frown on his feminine face. It was kind of odd, seeing the seventeen year old so deeply disturbed. “Is this show any good?” I asked, moving to sit beside him and gesturing to the blackness of the TV screen. Tyler glanced at me, and his frown softened a little. “I was just thinking,” he said slowly, leaning against the arm of the couch. I waited, but he didn’t elaborate. I watched him quietly as he observed the crème-colored carpet under his bare feet. “What’s wrong?” I asked finally, weary. After taking care of them for most of our lives, it was hard to see Tyler and Lily troubled and not be able to fix it. “Huh? Oh…” Tyler sighed and closed his eyes, digging his fingers through his hair. He always wore it up in spikes in an attempt to counter his soft, feminine features. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I started thinking about Dad, and that got me thinking about Mom… I don’t know.” I raised an eyebrow at him, confused. “Are you okay?” As far as I knew, Tyler never bothered to think about Dad or Mom. “No.” Tyler shrugged and stood. “I’m going to bed. ‘Night…” He left the living room, hands in the pockets of his baggy pants. I watched him go, concerned. It was only eight at night, and Tyler never went to bed early. Standing, I wondered back into the bedroom I shared with Lily. Her puzzle was finished on the desk, and she was laying on her bed, eyes closed. For a moment, she looked like a corpse; her skin was paper-white, and her chest was barely moving as she breathed. I paused in the doorway, watching her. A cold nervousness gripped my heart as, briefly, I was reminded of Mom. “Lily…” I moved to the bed quickly, and gasped when I saw her eyes were opened. She stared at me, eyes focused as they never were. “W-What are you doing?” I managed after a moment, giving a weak smile. I had to wonder why I’d gotten so nervous, silently scolding myself. “Sleeping,” Lily replied, watching me fixedly. She was perfectly relaxed against the bed, still fully dressed, her short hair splayed out across the pillow. “So early?” I asked, surprised. “Are you feeling sick?” I touched her forehead, and her skin was cold. “You should change into pajamas, you’ll be more comfortable.” Lily slowly shook her head and closed her eyes. “Comfortable,” she said. “Okay.” I pulled her blanket up over her and kissed her forehead. “Goodnight, Lily.” I switched off the light and left the room, sighing to myself. The light was off under Tyler’s closed door, but his rock music was still playing, and I doubted he was asleep yet. I returned to the living room and sat on the couch, rubbing my eyes. It was too early to go to bed so I put a DVD into the player, but I ended up watching the clock more than the movie. I knew something was wrong with Tyler and Lily, and maybe me, as well. A sense of foreboding had seemingly settled over our house. I was worried the most about Lily, who was never bothered by anything. Whenever she was teased in the park as a child, she didn’t flinch. Being jostled in the grocery store didn’t draw the slightest hint of protest from her. When she had found Mom’s dead body, she hadn’t even blinked. The only thing that seemed to genuinely upset her was car rides, and only in my car. Despite her usually calm, relaxed demeanor, Tyler and I knew how careful she really was. She ate slowly, always stayed close to us in public, and on the rare occasions she spoke, she selected her words very carefully, as though afraid that once she said them, she could never get them back. The movie credits were rolling up the screen when I looked back, and I realized that I’d daydreamed through most of the film. I sighed and stood, stretching my arms, before turning off the TV and returning the disk to its’ proper case. I was putting it on the shelf of DVDs beside the TV when I heard the front door open, and, glancing to the clock, I saw that it was almost midnight. Dad was home. I glanced up, watching as he entered the living room. He looked tired, but I couldn’t pity him. He was tall and used to be fairly muscular, but he’d thinned over the years, and now he looked almost withered. He didn’t notice me at first, and when he did he started with surprise. “Juliana…” he said slowly, gingerly setting his briefcase and jacket on the couch, as though afraid the piece of furniture would flee if he moved too quickly. “What’re you doing up? Don’t you have school?” I frowned at that. “I graduated last year,” I said stiffly, arms crossed over my chest. I was glad Tyler was in bed, he couldn’t stand to be in the same room as Dad without punching something. Dad faltered. “Oh… Right…” He fell silent, fidgeting uncomfortably with his green tie. “Where are, uh… Tyler and… the other one?” he asked after a moment. A twinge of anger tugged at me. “Her name is Lily,” I said quietly, glaring at the wall so I wouldn’t have to look at him. “And they’re sleeping. Why?” He shrugged. “I was just wondering. I didn’t think you liked sitting out here alone.” “I’ve been doing it since I was twelve.” “Oh.” I rolled my eyes. “Why do you bother? You aren’t around enough to know any of this, anyway,” I said bitterly. I couldn’t help feeling coldly toward my father, especially when he acted as though Lily didn’t exist. “I can’t be around… Lily,” Dad said, muttering her name distastefully. As though that was an excuse. “She’s your daughter,” I snapped, glaring at him. Dad looked at me evenly. “She’s a demon,” he growled, more tense and angry than I’d seen him in a long time. I felt myself stiffen, my fingernails digging into my biceps. It was all I could do to resist punching my father. “You’re disgusting,” I hissed, and stalked out of the room before he could reply. My blood boiling, angry tears burning my eyes, I went to my bedroom and shut the door, careful not to slam it. A lot of people felt bad when I said my dad was almost never home. ‘You poor thing,’ they’d say. ‘How have you and your siblings gotten by?’ I was reminded that it was better when Dad wasn’t home. Absently dressing for bed in an oversized shirt and flannel pants, I buried myself under my sheets, glaring into the darkness. ‘Stupid b*****d,’ I thought, gripping my pillow to steady the trembling in my fingers. ‘How could he say something like that about his own daughter?’ There was silence in my room, but I couldn’t sleep. Dim moonlight streamed through the blinds over the window, leaving a pattern of dark and light lines across the carpet. I couldn’t hear anything, not even the ticking hands of my watch beside my ear. The lack of distraction left me with my thoughts, thundering through my head. ‘I hate him, I can’t believe he would say something like that. What does that mean, “she’s a demon”? He’s so stupid, he doesn’t even know her, or me or Tyler, either. What makes him think he can just say things like that, especially to my face? I wish he would just -” “Jai?” I started as the voice came through the silence like a shot. Pulling the blanket off my head, I found Lily standing beside my bed, gazing down at me. “What’s up, Lily?” I sat up, brushing my hair from my face. “I thought you were sleeping?” She didn’t respond, simply staring. After a moment she reached out, tugging lightly at my blanket. I watched her, confused, realization slowly dawning on me. “Do you want to sleep with me?” I asked. Lily nodded, paused, and nodded again. Wordlessly she climbed onto my bed and crawled over my legs, settling between me and the wall. She relaxed on her stomach, closing her eyes. I watched her quietly, and couldn’t help a small smile. I tugged the blanket out from under her and pulled it up around her shoulders, earning a mumbled ‘thank you’. Before I could lay back down, a soft knock came to my bedroom door. I looked up as it opened, weary that it would be my father. Tyler slid into the room and shut the door behind him, a pillow under his arm. He saw I was awake, but didn’t say anything, moving to sit on the edge of my bed. “Did you have a nightmare?” I asked, eyebrows raised at him. Even in the dark, I could see the blush on his face. “No, I didn’t have a nightmare,” he snorted, shoving his pillow into the spot beside mine. “I was in the bathroom and I heard you talking to Dad.” He looked over his bare shoulder at me, glancing me over as though to make sure I wasn’t injured. “Oh.” I glanced away, embarrassed. I hadn’t thought that Dad and I were being loud enough to hear. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to hear.” “I know.” Tyler laid down and pulled the blanket over him. “Go to sleep, it’s after midnight.” I blinked at him, then at Lily. I smiled softly and laid down between them, grateful for my queen-sized mattress. “That should be my line. You’ve got school in the morning,” I murmured as I set the alarm on my watch for him. He mumbled something in reply, but I didn’t understand him, and he was asleep before I could ask him to repeat himself. I listened to my siblings’ breathing for a while, watching the moonlight through the blinds. ‘Yeah,’ I couldn’t help thinking as I drifted to sleep. ‘It’s better when Dad isn’t here.’ © 2009 VaenrilReviews
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1 Review Added on October 6, 2009 AuthorVaenrilPalm Coast, FLAboutSo, my name is Megan. I'm nineteen years old, and I've been writing stories since I was... ten, I think. I hope to become a published author soon. I live with my dad and my stepmom, and two kitten.. more..Writing
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