Chapter Two: Back to Normal
Curt was frozen, chills sweeping through him violently, but he didn't move a muscle. Something told him not to, some instinct or memory deep inside him made him stop any movement, even breath.
Alex stepped into the shadows of the room and gestured toward him. "When did you get here?"
"Just… Just a minute ago."
"Why are you in my room?"
Curt looked around blankly. "Your room?"
"Yeah," Alex replied, dropping onto the bed. "Yours is across the hall, remember?"
"No." Curt turned from his brother. Before he could move, his brother's hand caught his belt, pulling him back onto the bed. "What?"
"Missed you," Alex replied, with a wink and a smile, tousling Curt's hair.
The touch sent a wave of terror through him. "You too," he choked out and let Alex fold his arms around him in a warm hug.
A shadow fell across them and Alex sprang back quickly. They both looked to the door, where their father stood, heavy frame shielding them from the hall's light. "Curt, what are you doing in here?"
"I didn't know-"
"He thought it was his room, Pop," Alex replied before Curt could get a sentence out.
Dorothy's hand appeared on Michael's shoulder. "Honey, the doctor's said he might forget some things…"
Michael pulled away from his wife. "You're room's across the hall. Dinner's in an hour. You might want to clean up."
Curt stood and squeezed past his mother and father. He'd spent the past eighteen months cleaning up, but it didn't look like it had done any good.
*
The table hadn't been set for five since the day he'd been shipped off to the hospital. That morning had been the last time, breakfast in the waning summer heat. Eggs and pancakes. How odd that he remembered that, but so much else remained forgotten.
His mother made pork chops for dinner. She informed him that they were his favorite with a bright smile. He played along, digging voraciously into the home cooked food while the other members of his family stared at him.
He felt like an alien. They all kept staring at him, as if they expected him to strip naked and dive into the green beans. He tried to keep his eyes on his food, but he felt their eyes in him. Especially Alex's.
His sister finally broke the silence with a gentle, "Report cards were sent home today."
Michael and Dorothy both turned to look at their daughter. "Yes, that's right, isn't it?"
"Will we be pleased, Judy?" Dorothy asked, a tight smile stretched across her lips.
"I think so."
"We'll have to get Curt reenrolled, won't we?" she continued. "Are you looking forward to going back to school after break, darling?"
Curt nodded tersely. "Of course," he said, forcing the lie from his lips.
Dorothy sighed while her husband just stared down into his plate. "Everything's back to normal."
Curt's head moved of its own accord; his eyes snapped to Alex, who was in mid-bite. He paused, met Curt's eyes, then chomped down on his forkful of pork.
*Normal.* Curt looked back to his plate and sighed. *Yeah, right.*
Curt was frozen, chills sweeping through him violently, but he didn't move a muscle. Something told him not to, some instinct or memory deep inside him made him stop any movement, even breath.
Alex stepped into the shadows of the room and gestured toward him. "When did you get here?"
"Just… Just a minute ago."
"Why are you in my room?"
Curt looked around blankly. "Your room?"
"Yeah," Alex replied, dropping onto the bed. "Yours is across the hall, remember?"
"No." Curt turned from his brother. Before he could move, his brother's hand caught his belt, pulling him back onto the bed. "What?"
"Missed you," Alex replied, with a wink and a smile, tousling Curt's hair.
The touch sent a wave of terror through him. "You too," he choked out and let Alex fold his arms around him in a warm hug.
A shadow fell across them and Alex sprang back quickly. They both looked to the door, where their father stood, heavy frame shielding them from the hall's light. "Curt, what are you doing in here?"
"I didn't know-"
"He thought it was his room, Pop," Alex replied before Curt could get a sentence out.
Dorothy's hand appeared on Michael's shoulder. "Honey, the doctor's said he might forget some things…"
Michael pulled away from his wife. "You're room's across the hall. Dinner's in an hour. You might want to clean up."
Curt stood and squeezed past his mother and father. He'd spent the past eighteen months cleaning up, but it didn't look like it had done any good.
*
The table hadn't been set for five since the day he'd been shipped off to the hospital. That morning had been the last time, breakfast in the waning summer heat. Eggs and pancakes. How odd that he remembered that, but so much else remained forgotten.
His mother made pork chops for dinner. She informed him that they were his favorite with a bright smile. He played along, digging voraciously into the home cooked food while the other members of his family stared at him.
He felt like an alien. They all kept staring at him, as if they expected him to strip naked and dive into the green beans. He tried to keep his eyes on his food, but he felt their eyes in him. Especially Alex's.
His sister finally broke the silence with a gentle, "Report cards were sent home today."
Michael and Dorothy both turned to look at their daughter. "Yes, that's right, isn't it?"
"Will we be pleased, Judy?" Dorothy asked, a tight smile stretched across her lips.
"I think so."
"We'll have to get Curt reenrolled, won't we?" she continued. "Are you looking forward to going back to school after break, darling?"
Curt nodded tersely. "Of course," he said, forcing the lie from his lips.
Dorothy sighed while her husband just stared down into his plate. "Everything's back to normal."
Curt's head moved of its own accord; his eyes snapped to Alex, who was in mid-bite. He paused, met Curt's eyes, then chomped down on his forkful of pork.
*Normal.* Curt looked back to his plate and sighed. *Yeah, right.*