A/N: With the help of my AH-MAZING beta raven-eyed-lass, I have edited this chapter. Much nicer, don't you think? Chapter 2 is written and is in the editing stage, so stay tuned, folks!
Antonio had been talking to his brother for nearly half an hour now. The soft evening light filtering through the living room window was fading fast. He wondered if the moon looked the same from where his brother was.
He remembered that when they were little, the faded leather couches were mountains dotting the countryside. The wide green carpet was soft grass beneath their feet. So many wars were fought here. Animals were taken captive, cars were thrown, and towns were sat on. Now he was sitting on a leather mountain with a computer in his lap, and his brother was out in the world, fighting a real war.
"Tomorrow's your first day of school, right?" Juan smiled, the glow not a bit dulled by the screen. Behind him was a room in which everything seemed to be gray. Bunks, blankets, walls, Antonio didn't know there were so many shades of that one dull color.
"Yep." Antonio studied his big brother. Juan's usually long brown hair was cut close to his head, and his new muscles were already beginning to show through his army green t-shirt.
"Are you scared?" Antonio rolled his green eyes. What a silly question, coming from Juan, he thought, considering what he's training for.
"Nah, it's just high school, not even my first year! I'm pretty sure I'll survive. Speaking of surviving, how's boot camp? The army chicks noticing you yet?" Juan laughed his loud, rich laugh.
"I don't have time for girls. All the ones around here are too serious anyway. You may not realize it now, but you're lucky to be where you are. Girls, sleeping in, rope swings…and all the glorious food you can eat! We have to get up at four thirty every morning, and they took away my churros. Said they weren't allowed. I think they just wanted some of Mamá's cooking." His warm brown eyes betrayed a hint of exhaustion. "I miss you, Antonio, I miss you a lot."
Antonio wished he could reach through the laptop screen and hug his brother tight –so tight that he would break an arm and have to be discharged, so tight that he would realize how much his family needed him, so tight that his hermano might come home.
"I miss you too. Do you want to talk to Papá?" Juan frowned.
"No. Is Mamá home?"
"No, she had to work late again." Antonio felt something soft rub against his leg. He pushed his computer off his lap so he could pick up the little bundle of fur. "Angelita's here though! Say hi to Juan!" He gently waved her paw for her.
"She's so big!" Juan's frown melted into a smile. "Hey there girl! She's what, five months now?"
"Yep." Antonio tried hard to keep his voice from trembling. "She was two months old when you gave her to me, and it's been three since you left." He buried his face in the puppy's fur to hide his tears.
"Man, I wish I could pet her, she looks so soft!" Juan kept on smiling like the oblivious idiot he was.
"She is." Antonio muttered, stroking her golden-red fur. Juan looked over his shoulder at the distant sound of yelling.
"Coming, sir! I've got to go Tonio, talk to you soon!"
"Wait! Juan, when are you coming home?" Antonio stared at the words on the screen, tears welling up in his eyes again. Video chat disconnected. "Adios hermano, te quiero." With a sigh, he closed the computer. He stood up and re-adjusted Angelita in his arms. She rested her head on his shoulder contentedly. "Come on, baby girl, let's get your dinner."
Beep~beep~beep~
Antonio slammed his fist into his alarm clock to make it stop. Sitting up and blinking sleepily at nothing, he ran a hand through his curly brown hair. Practically glowing with contentment, he sat there for the next few minutes until he was rudely interrupted by a reddish gold, medium-sized cannonball that launched herself into his lap.
"Ay! Buenos días, Angelita." He caught her before she landed on his crotch. "Guess what? Today's the first day of my new school!" He kissed the crown of her head and rolled out of bed, landing unsteadily on one foot. Angelita chose this moment to hop off the bed, skitter between his legs and run out the door. Antonio lost his balance completely and landed on the floor with an "oomph."
"Gracias, girl, that woke me up for sure." At the sound of his voice, the dog poked her head around the door. "I can see you, diabla! Come 'ere." He lifted himself to his elbows and grinned at her. She ran back to him happily and licked his nose. Sitting up and bringing her into his lap, he scratched behind her ears.
"Do you think they'll like me? I mean, moving to a new school can't be that hard. I did it when I moved to America, and I didn't even speak English! Of course, that was third grade." He sighed forlornly. "Everyone's nice in third grade." He pushed her off his lap gently and got to his feet.
"What should I wear? Hmm…clothes probably." He looked over his shoulder at Angelita. She just sat there and panted, occasionally thumping the ground with her tail. He threw open his closet door and grabbed a pair of jeans. Tossing them on the bed, he opened his drawers and tried to find a t-shirt. "Do you think "Viva España" would be too weird? I mean, I still have kind of an accent…would it make too much of a statement?" His dog didn't reply. "What about my Beatles shirt?" Still no reply. "Oh jeez, I'm talking to a dog. It's official, I'm crazy. Beatles it is, then."
He pulled his clothes on and tripped down the stairs, pulling just short of the kitchen when he heard voices.
"It was your fault that he left, Julían! If you hadn't been so stupid-" Antonio cleared his throat as he walked in.
"Good morning!" He smiled brightly at them, squashing his anger. He really hated it when they fought, especially when they knew he could hear them.
"Didn't see you there, Antonello! First day of school today!" His father's smile seemed a little forced, and his mother's hands shook as she poured coffee.
"I know, I'm excited." Antonio sat down at the table and grabbed a piece of toast from the plate in the middle.
"Well you don't look very excited! It's your first day of school since we moved here!"
"He's nervous Julían! Stop pestering him!" Antonio's mother slammed her coffee mug down on the countertop. A little spilled over the side and dribbled down into the tiled floor. He made it the focus of his attention as his parents started yelling again.
"You're the nagging wife in this situation, Isabella! Don't tell me what to do!"
"It's a free country! I can tell you to do whatever I want!"
"You sound like you're five years old! No wonder Juanito felt like he had to leave! His mother probably annoyed him to death!"
"Look who's talking! You were always trying to make him "the perfect son." I'm sure he got fed up with you! All I wanted to do was make sure he had a happy childhood."
"I wanted a perfect son because he was my only son!" Julían stopped once he realized what he had said. "I-I mean…"
"What do you mean 'only son,' Papá?" Antonio's voice was cold, yet he still didn't look up from the steady brown drip of coffee.
"Lo siento, it was a slip of words. I meant to say first son…"
"Now you've done it Julían. Look at his face!"
"Just shut up Isabella! Now Antonello…"
Antonio flinched at the sickly sweet use of his name. Antonello was a term of endearment, not a way to water things down. He allowed his green eyes to move from the bright yellow mug on the counter to the pristine kitchen table.
When the whiteness began to hurt his eyes, he glanced furtively at his mother. Her lean frame was quivering with anger as she tucked a lock of straight black hair behind her ear. Straight. Black. His father also had straight hair. Though it was gray now, its original color was reddish brown, the color of Juan's.
With a jolt, Antonio realized that he didn't fit. How could he not have noticed before? His green eyes, which were uncommon, stood out in a family of brown eyes. They all had smooth, calm hair, while his always looked as though he had just run through a tornado. All the people who call me oblivious are dead on. Why didn't my parents tell me? Antonio felt the unfamiliar heat of anger as the turned his glare from his mother to his father.
"Don't do that! You can't just brush that off! Why didn't you tell me? You let me live for fifteen years without letting me know that you weren't my real parents? When were you planning on telling me? What the hell's wrong with this family?" Antonio's voice grew louder and louder, he was certain he'd never been this mad. "Ever since Juan left, you guys just can't leave each other alone! I try to be open with you, I tell you when I get in trouble so you don't have to wait for a call from the school. I come to you for everything, because we're a family, we don't keep secrets!"
"Fine! You're adopted, okay? There. I said it. Something your padre was never brave enough to do!"
"Isabella-" Julían reached for his wife's hand, but she smacked him away.
Before either of them could say anything else, Antonio was up and running out the door, his backpack knocking over a lamp as it swung wildly behind him.