Brielle Pov
I walked back inside as fast as I could, my arms automatically swinging out next to me in line with my footsteps. Great. Not only was I was clumsy, I now looked like a marching buffoon. Leanne stood in the kitchen doorway and stared at me with wide eyes when I nearly plowed over her.
"Where is the fire?" she mused.
"Oh, it's nothing. I just really want to take a shower." I answered too quickly.
I made it to the bathroom before it happened. A smile broke across my face. I couldn't stop it although I knew I should. It was not a good time for me to gain feelings for anyone, even if they were only superficial. It was typically a good idea that someone be stable and mentally well before they pursued any relationship, but I didn't care. My mystery boy caused me to react in a way my mind didn't comprehend. I looked out of the little circular window next to the mirror in time to see him walk back to his house.
I stood against the wall of my showering for a while. I went over his features in my head over and over, trying to memorize all I saw in those few fleeting moments. I didn't realize the water had run cold until my body began to shiver. I stepped out quickly, running right into Skye who was headed for her room.
"Oh, hey, sleepyhead." I teased lightly. She looked at me as if I were an idiot. I waited, but she didn't respond, only stared at me with incredulous eyes.
"Um...Skye?" I asked.
"What the hell do you want, Brielle?" She snapped.
I was taken aback by the amount of acid in her voice. Skye was the most mild mannered person I knew. I couldn't remember a day that she had ever snapped at anyone.
"What is wrong with you?" This time I had the incredulous tone. She sneered at me and sauntered to her room, turning around to make only one statement.
"My mother is dead. You knew it could happen, and didn't tell me. Now, my mother is dead, my sister is crazy and I am stuck living here."
She slammed the door in my face and I couldn't blame her. She deserved an explanation. I dressed quickly and waited, nervously, outside of her room. I rapped on the door twice before letting myself in. Skye was laying on her bed, legs dangling over the edge, with her signature iPod in her ears. The music was turned all the way up; I could hear iron maiden screaming at me across the room. She will be deaf before she is twenty, I thought quietly.
I sat on her bed and she looked up at me, annoyance clear on her features. Taking out her earphones, she spoke dryly.
"You have two minutes."
I chuckled once nervously and looked at my little sister. It's funny, I felt so much like her mother, it was hard to separate the Skye I took care of, and this one who wanted little do with me.
"Skye...I owe you an explanation...and an apology."
"That is a good start."
"I am so very sorry for what I did, for keeping things from you, for not letting you know how serious everything was." I breathed in a quick breath to calm my nerves. "It was impossibly selfish of me, and I am sorry. I was just trying to protect you all from what I had to see every day."
I expected her to see my side, to forgive me and return to lovable sister she was before…well, before everything changed. It was an understatement to say that her reaction surprised me. Skye turned enraged at my words.
"You! Oh my god, do you hear yourself, Brielle? We all knew what was going on! We all knew mom was sick, the only thing was you knew how bad it was and you kept it from me! I had no chance to tell her goodbye or even see her that day! How on earth can you make this about you?!" She screamed.
My eyes pricked at me when I saw the tears that flowed down her cheeks. I was vaguely aware of Leanne standing in the doorway, but otherwise saying nothing. I stood up to defend myself, but didn't; I just sat there as Skye continued to yell and scream at me, realizing the silent tears that were now on my face. She finally broke down and I hugged her fiercely. We sat there for a while, her still sobbing and me holding her, trying to calm her down.
"Why Brielle, why?" she breathed. "Why would she do this to us?"
I couldn't think of a good enough answer, so I just told the truth.
"I don't know Skye, I don't know."
We sat there for a few minutes, which spanned into a few hours, neither of us saying anything; just holding one another and grieving in our own way. Leanne would check in on us every few hours to find us in the same position. I wondered if she regretted adopting two crazy teenagers. When the windows to her room turned to magenta, then a deep purple color, I straightened myself. Skye had fallen asleep, still holding onto me. Trying my best to pick her up, I was a few feet from the bed when she woke up. She stood herself upright and hugged me one more time.
"Thank you." She whispered.
"For what?" I pondered.
"For..listening" she smiled tentatively, then laid back on her bed.
The day had gone by so quickly, but I was exhausted. I didn't bother to see if Leanne was still awake when I crashed into my bed. Maybe it was the flood of emotions that I had felt this particular day, or the fact that my exhaustion was so severe, but whatever the cause I dreamt that night.
It is interesting, to know that you are dreaming, yet still have it feel so completely real. I was in a dark room, one that was damp and musky. The hair on my head stuck to various places on my face as thought I had been sweating with fever. I reached out to touch a wall, and I felt nothing. I got up and walked though out the room, it seemed to never end. The walls that appeared to be next to me would drift, as I got closer to them. I started to panic. My cautious steps transformed into a brisk walk, then into a furious run. My legs were not fast enough to catch up to the end of the ever-expanding room. A faint glow was ahead of me, it would shine brighter as I ran, only to dim as I got closer to its source. I was only aware that I was awake when my cries broke through the silent night.
I looked around my room; it was the same. I touched my pillow; it was real. Laying my head back down on the pillow, I prayed for a dreamless sleep and was relieved when it came. My own words replayed in my mind as those last few moments of consciousness left me.
"I don't know Skye, I don't know."
