Chapter 7

Seth is legally staying with Rie now. They agreed on signs that Rie can use when Seth has to shut his mouth or when he has to get out of the way.
But he keeps walking right behind her, not leaving her side and when they double checked if nobody is around, they talk to each other.
And Rie finds it very comfortable to have somebody to talk to now, since Seth is really open to every subject and looks at things from a different view then Rie does.
The lonely feeling Rie always used to have has floated away a little.
But she ignores other people a lot more then she already did. Even at home, she doesn't speak a word to her parents and brother, because she doesn't feel she has anything usefull to say. She can't remember having a good conversation with them, so what's the point of trying when she has Seth now? He listens and talks with her whenever she wants and about everything she wants.
Rie sits in her room, making her homework.
Her window is open, a warm breeze enters the room.
Seth is laying on her bed, his arms stretched to the ceiling. ,How would it be like to fly?" he asks.
,Dunno, try it out." Rie mumbles, focusing on her math.
,If I tried I would drop dead for sure." Seth says.
,You have to begin by jumping of a… table or something. And then get a little bit higher everything, until you can fly of a building."
,I don't think humans are build to fly."
Seth lets his arms fall down next to him.

,Pity though." Rie admits. ,It would be a blast to fly in this warm weather."

Seth lifts up his head. ,Warm?"
,Yeah it's hot outside, I think flying would be great to cool off."
,Is it warm outside?" Seth asks, now sitting right up, gazing out of the window.
Rie now turns around to face him. ,Like duh! Can't you feel it?"
,No… not really." Seth says. ,I don't know what I feel, but it's always the same."

Deciding not to show any pity to him, since being invisible must be a murder already, she says,,Well, can't you see I'm sweating like a pig?"

,So that's warm?" Seth says.
,Yeah!" Rie turns to her homework again.

Just a few sconds later her mother is calling her for dinner.
,Dinner already?" Rie mutters, leaving her books open on her desk and moving her chair back. She stretches out and walks to the door. ,I hope we don't have any food I hate."

Seth quickly follows Rie out of the room, upstairs to the kitchen.
Rie sits down at the table and Seth sits down in his safe corner.

,Hello Rie." Her dad is apparently cooking. But it's thursday, he always cooks on thursdays. ,Did you have a good day?"
Rie doesn't answers, but plays with her knife and fork, while eyeing Seth, who is making faces, trying to make her laugh. But Rie keep sher face straight. Though it uses up all her energy to do that.
,Do you need help with your homework? Oh, how did that catch up test go?" her dad still tries to hold up a conversation.

,Diego, let her be." Her mother whispers to him.

,Why? I wanna know. " Her dad says. ,She's my girl."
He looks at Rie, who is shoving little disks of cucumber from a cup on her plate now.
,What has gotten into her? She isn't the same anymore." He whispers to his wife.
,She's a girl in puberty, don't ask so many questions." She whispers back and she lifts a pan of the stove and puts it on the table.
Rie didn't catch a word from her mom and dad's conversation, but Seth did.
And she notice him looking up at her parents. She frowns.
,They were talking about you." Seth says.
Rie eyes her father. About her? What's there to talk about her?

But she decides almost immediately that she doesn't care at all.
She stuffs the cucumbers in her mouth and swallows them down in a few chews.
When every member of the family sat down at last and filled up their plates with food, her father asks her again how school was.
Rie doesn't react, but just pokes the meatball on her plate.
Why does she have to eat at the table? She doesn't want to sit here. It's a total waste of time. She can eat it in her room too, right?
She likes it more in her room and she can talk to Seth in the mean time.
She feels a little guilty to admit to herself, but she doesn't like being around her family. Sitting alone is a better option. Well, alone, aside from Seth.
,Can I finish my dinner in my room?" Rie says.
,So you can speak, huh?" Her father says, sounding a little irritated.
Rie doesn't react on this, but looks at her parents, waiting for an answer on her question.
,Why?" does her mother ask, without even looking up.
,I want to eat in my room." Rie says.
,Why do you want to eat in your room?" Her mother says.
,I just want to!" Rie stands up now, her plate in her hands and she leaves the kitchen.
,No! Come back, young lady!" Her father got up his feet now. ,I don't know what has gotten into you, Rie, but dinner is a familyoccasion! You sit down and eat with us!"
Rie doesn't turn around to face her dad.
,This is why I don't want to eat here." She says with a very clear voice. ,I want to be alone." And she continues her walk back to her room.
Her father doesn't say anything, lets her go.
A small part in Rie wishes he had called her back and forced her to eat with them, without taking no for an answer. That he had pushed her back in her chair if he had to, no matter how hard she would call him names.
But he doesn't and Rie closes the door of her room.

,You know, your father loves you." Seth says later that night, while laying on Rie's bed again, staring at her demontaging a radio.
,I doubt that." Rie mumbles, trying to unscrew a screw. , I bet they are more then happy when I leave the house or… when I drop dead or something."
,Don't say that!" Seth cries out. ,They worry a lot about you!"

,No they don't. All they care about it sweet, innocent, flushing-my-screws-down-the-drain-brother Aye!" Rie throws her screwdriver on the floor in frustration. ,I'm the bitch, happen to be their daughter."
She grabs another screwdriver and continues her work, carefully not looking at Seth, who is looking really close at her face now.
,Why did you leave the table?" he asks.
,Why do you even bother asking me that." Rie's reply is from under her long hair hanging in front of her face.
Seth sits up and moves closer to Rie. ,Your dad told you not to go. And still you did."
,Yeah, and he didn't bother trying harder to keep my in the room, now did he?" Rie bites, looking furious at Seth now. ,Only more proof they don't give a damn about what I do and who I am."
,He didn't bother trying harder, because he is afraid!"
,Why would he be afraid of me!"
,Afraid of losing you, if he is too strict on you!"
,He oughta be more strict, he is losing me!"
,He can't! He can't be strict! Can't you see, Rie!"
Seth now got of the bed and put his hands around Rie's arms, shaking her in frustration. ,He sees you as you are! A fragile girl, a misunderstood girl and he wants to be involved with you and your life, Rie! Can't you see that!"
,How do you know!" Tears are streaming down her face, as she looks away from Seth, just because she can't bare to stare into those skyblue eyes.
The grip around her arms relaxes. ,You can see it… in his face and when he looks at you…. His attempts to make you talk… He is afraid you might shatter, might really lock him out of your life, if he acts too strict on you…"
,You're wrong, he doesn't give a damn about me." Rie whispers. ,Nobody in this family does, okay? So shut up about it."
She turns around on her seat, facing her father peeking through the door.
When he catches her watching him, he quickly closes it, dissapearing out of sight.
Then she hears a knock on the door.
,What?" Rie can't help to snatch.
,Rie…" There is a pause. ,It's me."
,Ofcourse it's you! You were peeking through the door!"
A pause again, before her father starts talking again, a little insecure now.
,Rie… is everything okay?… You were talking to… to…"
Rie jumps up. ,What! You think I'm crazy now too, huh? Cuz everybody in school thinks so! So if we add you, along with mom, the whole list is complete, right!"
,I don't think you're crazy, Rie. You're not crazy! You hear me!" Her father now says, his voice a lot louder. ,I want to know what's happening! Why are you so distant!"
,Go away! Let me be!" Rie shouts at the door. Her chest is hurting from the yelling and she wished everything would go quiet. From the other hand she wants her dad to keep yelling at her like this.
,I won't go away!"
,Go be happy with your wife and son! Leave me alone!"
,What happened with you! You are ignoring us all, Rie! You didn't use to ignore us like this! What's wrong!"
,I'M WRONG! OKAY! I'M CRAZY! NOW SCRAM!" Without thinking, she launches the light on her nightstand into the door. ,DIE FOR ALL I CARE! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"
The voice behind the door doesn't reply anymore.
He has given up, Rie thinks. He didn't continue his fight for her. He doesn't care.
But then the door flies open now with great force.
,No! You're NOT crazy! And I won't leave you alone!" Her father now marches up to her and Rie is too shocked to move.
Just as he is right in front of her, ready to swing his arms around her to hold her down, she slips away and faster then she thought she was able to go, she climbs through the little window of her room.
But she is a little bit to slow and her father catches ahold of her legs.

,No! Stay here! Stay here!" He pulls her back in.
,Let me go! LET ME GO!" Rie screams, kicking and wriggling around as hard as she can, in an attempt to get loose.
Seth is watching the two in silence, not able to do anything, not wanting to do anything.
,I won't let you ignore me! I won't, Rie!" He gets knocked down, but takes Rie with him on the floor. ,Something's wrong and I want to know what!"
,YOU ARE WHAT'S WRONG! LET ME GO!" Rie shrieks, almost running out of breath.
Her father now manages to cling his around around her body and holds her tight against his body, not thinking about letting go.
Rie is twisting and turning and screaming. She wants him to let go, she wants him to continue, not to give in to her. Tears of confusion and sadness are streaming down her face like waterfalls.
Then her mother's voice cries out,,Diego! Diego what are you doing!"
Father looks up and nods his head to the door. ,Get out, Essence! I'm dealing with her! I won't stop until she gives in! Until she calms down!"

He is having trouble holding Rie down, who can't hear anything because of her own screaming, yelling and crying.
,Diego! Let her go now!" Her mother's voice is overflowing in panick. ,You can't hold her down like that! You have to let her go!"
,I DON'T WANT TO LET HER GO, DAMMIT!" He screams, he is crying now too. His red cheeks are wet with tears. ,I DON'T WANT TO LOOSE HER!"
Now Rie finally stops her screaming and looks up at her dad, sobbing and shivering.
She doesn't know what to say and she feels like a little kid. She feels stupid.
Rie lets out another sob. Then she hides her face in his arms and starts to cry again. Crying so hard, she can't controle it anymore. She just can't control herself.
The only thing she wants now is to stop the everlasting battle and arguments she causes and to stay in her father's arms like this.

When she opens her eyes, she is laying in her bed and she can't remember being asleep. But she slept, because her alarm tells her it's already 2 in the night.
Around her are 2 arms and when she turns around in them she sees her father, sleeping. His warm breathe in her face.
She looks at him, brushes the air out of his eyes.
Then she carefully sits up, looking around for Seth, who is sitting on her desk now, staring up out of the window. He is quietly muttering to himself. He doesn't even notice her being awake and looking at him.
,Seth." She whispers, not wanting to wake up her dad.
Seth turns his head and looks at Rie. He smiles. ,Hey."
Suddenly embarrasment hits her. She blushes furiously. ,I'm sorry."
,For what?" Seth asks.
Rie shrugs. She doesn't know. Not a clue, but she is sorry.
,Rie…?" Her father mumbles, waking up now. Looking a little puzzled his eyes finally manage to focus on her. ,Who… who are you talking to?"
Rie looks at him and raises her shoulders.
,You said… you said: Seth… I'm sorry." He says, it's like he has troubles believing himself. It's like he doesn't think what he heard was right.
,Ehm… I did say that." Rie says.
,Why?" Her father now looks awak and sits up too.
,Because… I was talking to him." Rie looks down at her hands.
Seth is watching them with great care.
,But….to who?" His eyes look puzzled.
,Seth."
,Who's Seth?" He now looks around in the room.
,You won't believe me and think I'm crazy… or… shizophrenic or something." Rie mumbles, now turning a quatre and staring at the wall without really seeying anything.
,Can… can you see somebody?" His arms slips around her shoulders. ,Is that what you mean? Is somebody around here?"
,And I am the only one who can see him." Rie turns her face away another quatre, her face not showing to her father at all.
,Are you serious? I mean… for how long can you see him?" She can sense from his voice that he want to treat this moment with extra care. He don't want to mess it up.
,You think I'm crazy huh? You think I'm losing my mind, aren't you?" Rie can't help the trembling in her voice.
,No, no I will never think that! I will never think that." And with these words, he wraps his arms around her. ,I promise you that I believe you Rie. I really do! Just give me a chance to realise."
Rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand she now points at Seth. ,He's sitting right there. He's sitting there since we fell asleep, talking to himself, because he… because he doesn't need sleep and is bored."
Her father looks at the point Rie is pointing and Seth has frozen in his body, waiting for what is coming. Her father stares a feet away from where Seth is sitting.
,Seth's there?" He asks, sounding really insecure.
,You don't believe me! You think… you think I'm crazy huh?" Panicky Rie tries to unwrap her father's arms from her. ,You think I'm making this up! That I'm shizophrenic with an own world!"
,No! No I want to believe you! I will!" His arms tighter around her, rocking her back and forth, hussing comforting. ,Don't go into conclusions. I think you are the sanest girl in the world, I don't think you are losing it. I believe you, I believe Seth's here."
Rie lets out a sob. She hopes he does.
,Is he nice?" He asks.
,Well, he was annoying at first." She quietly admits. ,But it's nice to have… a friend."
,Yeah it is." He hushes. ,Now, please, give me a chance to get used to Seth too. This is new to me, just like it must have been new to you when you met him."
,If you… promise not to tell anyone. And especially mom or the school!" Rie says.
Her father hugs her tight and pulls her back into her bed. ,I promise that, Rie. Please never ignore me again." His voice sounds scared.
Rie blinks and turns around to hug her father. ,I promise. I won't ignore you."