Chapter 18s: Recidivism

Jenny is sitting opposite me, and she seems a bit absent.

She's been like that since a few days ago when she said she wanted to prove herself to me. I'm not sure why; do siblings need to prove themselves to eachother?

If that is so, it is silly.

I kind of want to ask her what is going on. But her expression betrays that she isn't quite ready to share, and thus I find my eyes drawn to the outside, where the first traces of dusk are already setting in. Then I glance back towards Jenny, or more accurately, to mom's purse.

Why did she bring that thing?

"I owe you an apology, Setty."

Huh?

"I overheard mom and dad talk the other night, after I left your room. And what they.."

"You spied on them?"

My excited voice is hushed, as if they'd hear through the wall. She is avoiding my eyes - the excitement in them is probably too much to bear.

Well, too bad. It isn't like there is a lot of new entertainment in fluffy jail, and this is the juiciest bit of gossip she's brought me all week!

"No! ... Well, not really. Eavesdropped, maybe. And not intentionally!"

She is getting a bit defensive, I notice, and cannot help but grin as I make fun of her flustered expression in my mind. She is really fond of those two fake parents, I know that much.

"Oi pipsqueak, get that smile off your face unless you want me to stop talking."

I motion with a zipper over my mouth, but it remains in its amused expression. Some things simply cannot be helped.

Jenny just sighs dejectedly, oddly enough not willing to get into a playful argument about me respecting her older sister. How unlike her. Finally though, she takes a deep breath and stares at me as if she's going to tickle me.

"Mom and dad.. they are the ones who won't let you talk to your brother. I heard them talking about it."

What? My brain takes a second to catch up.

"What?"

I can't quite say why, but it feels as if the wind is knocked out of me. That makes no sense! Weren't they thinking of having him here too?

"How do you mean, they don't want me to talk to him?"

My nails are digging into my hand as I squeeze it, so instead I find Mr. Parrot and strangle the ever-living soul out of him. For stress relief, of course. It wouldn't be fair to involve Mrs. Piggy and Mr. Rabbit is just too cute to suffer like that.

"They... ugh. I don't know. I can't explain, okay? The bit I heard made no sense to me."

Jenny seems exasperated, and I think I understand. She feels betrayed too. On my behalf. I think so, anyway.

'When you feel hurt, just come for a hug.'

She said that once. And I figure she might just benefit herself. So I toss the dead bird formerly known as Mr. Parrot aside and go to give her a hug. She isn't as easygoing as usual, but the hug soon becomes mutual, and I like to think we both feel a bit better.

It is only when we hear the church bells ringing in the distance that she pushes me away a bit, speaking up once more.

"Setty, whatever you do, you can't tell mom and dad that I'm helping you, okay? I swear I'd end up in as much house arrest as you. I'd hate to end up with house arrest on my birthday tomorrow..."

As she says these words, her finger reaches out and shushes me pre-emptively with a light touch on my lips. Today is a day full of surprises: it is her birthday? Why didn't I know?! Wait, I did... she celebrated hers shortly after I first came here, didn't she?

My thoughts are interrupted by her voice, which is low and on the edge of whispering, yet no less capable of grabbing my attention. "I stole... well, borrowed her bag. She wasn't paying attention to it with that one comedian being on the telly again."

Before I can question why she'd go so far as to do that, she lifts mom's address book out of it.. and the wireless phone from the kitchen downstairs. "What do you.." I start to speak, but she hushes me.

She opens the little notebook, and searches through it for a few moments, then pointing out a particular line in the little book.

"Dial that. It's the number of Cain's therapist."

I must have given her a stupified expression, because she gives me a quirky smile.

"Silly girl, go and dial already! The eight o'clock news only lasts so long. Once mom gets tired of it, she might come looking for her bag... wait, I can just write the number down somewhere. And sneak it back downstairs now. But if she finds out you are calling him, we're toast. Understand?"

Her eyes stare at me insistently as she holds the phone out to me, and it is with shaking hands that I accept it from her.

One step closer to speaking Nii-san..!