Chapter 4
Sometimes I feel like life is passing right before my eyes. I watch through the bus window as people walk around with their loved ones. A sister, a parents, a boyfriend… they all seem to have someone worth it. They laugh and make faces at each other, they seem to be having a lot of fun.
As I ride the bus home I wonder what I'm going to find. My brother is already home but my sister is still at school, or college as she prefers. I can picture my family in my mind right now. My parents are probably ignoring each other and my brother is playing in the living room, by himself.
It takes exactly 30 minutes for me to get to my bus stop and another 10 minutes walking. I take my time, since I don't actually want to get home. Ten minutes becomes fifteen, but I finally reach my front door. I open the door quietly and walk straight to my bedroom in the attic. I know that if I don't go down in the next two minutes my mother will come get me, by the ear.
"Hello" I greet my family once I step in the living room.
"Hi" My parents answer back and my little brother comes to give me a hug. I try my best to hide my face of anointment. Nathan knows exactly how much I hate when he hugs me like we are best friends, of course he would do that on purpose.
"I'm going to get something to eat" I say as I try my best to push him away. I make my way to the kitchen and start searching. I make myself a bowl of cereal, since I can't find any decent food. I sit on the table by myself with my headphones on. I really don't feel like hearing my brother's voice echoing through the house.
I finish as soon as I can and run to my bedroom. I'm sure about the reason why I spend so much time in my room. This place is where I'm myself, I don't have to fake a smile or force a laugh to anyone. I can be miserable.
As I look out my window I can't help but admire the beauty of the woods right next to my house. The tall trees seem to reflect the sunlight, the different kinds of flowers making the place colorful. But what really calls my attention is what is inside, under all the superficial elements.
"Forget it Katherine!" I think to myself, "you have more important things to do." I try my best to keep my head on this world and go back to my homework. I want go in there some day, I've never been in the woods before but It seems like a good place to set your mind free.
I spend the next two hours or so locked inside my room doing my work. I wait until my mother calls me down for dinner to face my family. As I walk in the kitchen I see the exact same scene from this morning. My sister has her phone under her napkin; my brother is making a mess of his food while my mother helps him to eat, even though he is six years old. But the only person who calls my attention is my father, he is quiet and distant, his eyes are blank, no expression showing on his face. It feels like he is not even here. I take my seat by his side and take one of his large hands in mine.
"Evening dad." I whisper. He only smiles at me but doesn't answer. I've never seem my father look so sad.
"Katherine, eat your food and go to bed please." My mother says. I do as I was told. As I finish, before anybody else, I wash my utensils and my plate before panting a kiss on my mother's cheek and my father's forehead. Here I go straight to my world of nightmares.