"Liz!" My sister called for me.
"What, Patty?"
"I made a giraffe!" She laughed, pointing to a yellow, paper mâché animal. This must've been the seventh one she's made today.
"Good job Pat," I said as I started to walk away. She's probably going to stay in the dining room with all those little paper slivers for a couple of hours. The door shut behind me and I could still hear her giggling at her masterpiece.
The house that belonged to the Death family had been shared with me and my sister for a couple of years now, but it still looked like the home of a stranger. Yeah, Kid was always warm and welcoming (even though it didn't always seem like it), but never knowing what home really feels like is scarring. I don't know how Patty stays as lighthearted as she is.
My mind wandered as I was walking to our room. My hand dragged along the black and white walls, bumping occasionally on a red or yellow decorative item that matched its pair on the other side of the hall.
"Liz!" Kid screamed and swung open the door to my room a few feet away. The suddenness of it made me shriek and fall to the ground with my hands over my head, but my cowardice was short-lived.
I got up to respond to Kid, who was, as of recently, taller than me, "Geez, what is it this time?" I started to wipe imaginary dust off of my clothes.
"I found a bag of potato chips on your dresser, it was ruining the symmetry. Sorry to scare you, I thought you'd still be in the dining room with Patty."
"It's fine, and no, I decided to relax for a bit. Sometimes, taking care of Patty can be like taking care of a toddler."
"Yes, yes, I understand," he said.
After this the air went blank, in a way, with no words or exchanges between us. It ended though, due to Kid, "Well, yes, the potato chips. Liz, you should know better," he chastised me.
I always had the urge to fight back with him and his stupid obsession, but I decided to choose my battles,"Sorry, Kid. I'll throw away my trash next time."
"Good," he started to stride past me, with his head held high, obviously full of his newfound accomplishment, "It seems like every day you become more and more aware that symmetry is everything." He disappeared in the dimly lit hallway, the white stripes in his hair glowing each time it caught a bit of light.
I turned around on my heel and trudged to my room. I knew what he had done before I had even opened the door.
Just like my imagination, the room was rearranged to fit Kid's perfect criteria. He did this every time he got the chance to get in there.
The couches, the beds, even our two little mini-refrigerators were on separate sides of the room. Two standing lamps were pushed in the middle next to the dressers. The way he rearranged everything made it look like the room was split in two: one side for me, one side for Pat. The room also smelled like fresh lemonade: Kid's smell.
The room was fairly large, with a bathroom for Patty and I to share with a closet on each side of the room. It was a perfect square.
I went up to the red couch and plopped down on it. I reached over and grabbed a random beverage. I got a soda, a brand I hadn't seen for a long while. I opened it and took a sip. It's sweet taste filled my mouth and brought back memories. This was the first drink I had after Kid took us in.