It was silent. Dark. Empty. Not exactly a place for children. And yet a young girl of twelve was seated outside the tent, keeping watch. While an older boy of fourteen was inside, sound asleep.
Without thinking, she took out a photograph from her pocket. That photograph was like her comfort object for her, but she had never really looked at it. She did, now. It showed two children, looking nothing alike. Except for their eyes. The girl was about nine, the boy about two. They were grinning at the camera happily. The day at the beach. When little Jason died. When everything started going downhill. Memories flooded her, and she let them overflow her.
"Mom! I can take care of Jason, you know," she grumbled. And I have been, since he was born because you didn't want to do so, she thought angrily.
"Thalia," her mother spoke with such gentleness it surprised her. "You deserve a break. Go on, have fun."
Thalia hesitated a little. Then making up her mind, she sprinted off to edge of the waters. Probably the worst decision she ever made. Seeing as she had to return to hysterical mother and a non-existent little brother.
It seemed like one of those poorly written essays on 'My worst day at the beach'. Except for the fact that this was real. Her brother was dead. Her mother was drinking more than usual. She was yelling more often.
And it was all because she chose to leave.
A single tear dripped down her chin, narrowly missing the photo. The sun was rising. Had she really been up that long? Her eyes flitted to the tent flap as a blonde boy walked out. For a fleeting moment, she wondered if this was what Jason would look like when he turned fourteen. Then she shook her head. The pain would never go away if she kept dwelling on it.
"What's that?" he asked, moving next to her.She picked up the picture and stuffed it back into her pocket.
Somehow, she just couldn't tell anyone about him.
"Nothing," she smiled, leaning on his shoulder. "Absolutely nothing."