He stands there, watching my every move, I stare into the black pits in his eyes as he pulls back the belt, and releases the blow to my back. It sends waves down my spine like a million knives are burning into my skin. My eyes sting as tears threaten to fall, but I hold them in, if I show weakness he will probably do it more. I look around me through the hazy blur that covers my vision, several Marcuses surround me caving me in, caging me like an animal, and another blow hits my back.
"this is for your own good Elizabeth" they say as their hands rise again. My heart races and tears roll down my cheeks as sweat beads off my face. The belts come plummeting down and...
I open my eyes and squint due to the sudden bright light illuminating my room. I draw my covers across my bed as my feet make contact with the floor. It is cold. Feeling around my bedside table I grasp my glasses andshove my glasses onto my face and clear my vision.I look outside my window admiring the grey houses glistening with ice. My body is tense and my breathing is fast , very fast.
" It's just a dream" I whisper, " it's just a dream".
I look through the window again, it is winter, it is dark, cold, but beautiful at the same time. I could stare at it for hours, but in every, tree, window, building, I see Marcus.
Pulling my hair from my face, I walk out my room and into Tobias's.
I open the door and a slight creek rips through the air, I gasp and look over to Marcuses room. He didn't hear.
Tobias opens his eyes and worry spreads across his face. Tobias scoots over and lifts the covers up leaving a gap for me to go in.
" Your shaking" he whispers. He looks at me symaphetically, but not like I am weak like an injured puppy, " it's just a dream".
I am two years younger than him, I am 14 and he is 16 and i dread the time when winter will end and summer will emerge, I dread the Time when he will leave. He has always been my protective brother, the one who treats my wounds, the one who makes me strong. When he leaves, I will have nothing.
I force the thought from my mind and relax my muscles, after that sleep catches me quickly.
I wake up in my bed and flicker my eye lids open. My alarm rings through my ears sending vibrations down my body, reading 4:00. I sweep myself out of bed and go to the bathroom to have a shower.
The hot water rolls down my back, as if washing the bad from my life away, as if making me forget the things to come. The tension in my muscles relax and I stand there for a while, just concentrating on the rhythm of my breaths.
Afterwards, I get dressed in my regular abnegation 'uniform', brush my teeth and continue my daily routine like a machine, bearly looking at the chore list nailed on my door.
1. Wash the dishes
2. Make breakfast
3. Organise the kitchen
4 wash the clothes
5 iron the clothes
6 make lunch
While making breakfast, tobias walks in to the kitchen with the same unreadable expression on his face. But over the years, I have grown to know how he is feeling through the way he flicks his eyes from side to side when he is angry, or the way he walks too straight when he is sad. Marcus thinks we are selfish, unappreciative children and that we are lucky we are not faction less. But really, we are much more than that, he is much more than that.
Tobias sizzles the bacon while I chop the tomatoes. I think of it as a game, practicing aiming and firing it into the vegetable.
"Here" tobias says as he takes the knife from my hands, " go upstairs and do your other jobs, I will do the rest, just remember to come down at 6:00 for breakfast. By that time Marcus should be done eating and ranting about Jenine" Tobias rolls his eyes and a smile escapes the corner of his mouth, the once emotionless mask now gone.
"Thanks" I say with a smile.
I continue the rest of my jobs and have some toast for breakfast after Marcus has had his meal. Me and Tobias then leave the house and begin walking to school. However, while other people go to normal route to the hub, me and Tobias go around the edge through the faction less sector so we can race each other running as fast as we can, without anyone noticing. It is these little things that I will miss the most when he leaves, when he moves out, when he changes faction, when, when, when... Oh shut up Elizabeth, pull yourself together! He is leaving and there is nothing you can do to stop it!
..Or is there?