Graffiti chapter 4 by blackdragonflower
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"Crystal! I have a surprise for you!" Josh called out as he pushed open the back door. The older woman poked her head out from the kitchen.
"Yes Josh?" Her voice was soft, but rich like silk. It certainly didn't suit the house she was living in, though it was rather cozy.
"Look who's here." Josh stepped aside, smile wide. Crystal's hand flew to her mouth, tears pricked her eyes.
"Oh my lord... Matt is that you?"
"Yeah." Mello eyed Matt, the redhead was rubbing his toe on the floor shyly. "What's up mom?"
"Dear... Matt, here, now." The redhead gulped and trotted over. He gasped when he was pulled into a tight hug. "You had me so worried young man!"
"I'm sorry mom..." Matt managed to breathe out. "I got... busy..."
The older woman let the boy go. "Busy with what? You had me so worried and no one knew where you were!" She finally spotted Mello. She blinked dark lashes a few times, then tilted her head slightly to the side. "Sweetie... who's this?"
"Crystal... this is Mello. They sent me to an orphanage."
"Orphanage? Ah, I see... Hello Mello. It's nice to meet you."
"Hi." Mello huffed. There was something about this woman that made his skin itch with recognition. The way she pinned her dark brownish-blonde hair up, the pure color of her blue eyes, it reminded him of his mother, Maria. He clenched his teeth tightly.
"Why don't you all come inside and take a seat? I just finished making some cookies in the shop out front, they're chocolate chip." Mello smiled kinda, Matt was grinning broadly. Josh gave Crystal a polite little bow.
"Sorry Crystal but I can't. I have to go somewhere. Later though?"
"Alright. I'll see you soon Josh." Mello and Matt sat down on the couch. Mello cringed at Crystal's cheerful laugh, a forgotten memory returning to him.
"Mello? Where are you?" A woman with rich blonde hair, and bright aqua eyes, frantically looked around the room.
"Right here mommy." The little boy came from the room he shared with his mother. He rubbed his eye sleepily. Maria grabbed the boy into a hug, the randomness of it scaring the kid. "M-mommy what's this for?"
"I'm sorry, did I scare you?" Mello nodded. "I'm sorry sweetie." She giggled quietly. Maria gave Mello's nose a playful tug. "I've got your nose..." The blonde little boy looked at her curiously then shook his head in defiance.
"No you don't! My nose is right here!" He pointed to his tiny nose, a grin on his face.
"Aw, you're just too smart for your own good!" A door shut and Maria looked towards the stairs.
"Is that daddy?"
"I don't know..." Maria scooped the boy up and took him quickly over to the closet and shoved him inside. She put a finger to her lips. "Be quiet okay? Don't make a sound." Maria kissed the boy's forehead and closed the door leaving him in darkness. Mello peeked through a crack in the door, there was a man there, one he didn't recognize.
"Maria... we need you to come right away... Michael he's... maybe you should just see... hurry." Mello's breath caught as he saw the anxious look on his mother's face. She rushed from the room. Mello stayed cooped up in the closet for half an hour before he crawled out. The tucked away apartment was quiet, so much that it nagged at the boy. He grabbed a throw-over blanket and crawled under the bed. He curled up and his eyes closed.
"Mello? Mello?! Where are you?!" Mello awoke roughly hearing the urgent tone in his mother's voice. He saw her shoes from where he was under their bed.
"Mommy?" He said loud enough so she could hear. She got to her knees and looked under the bed, her face relaxing a bit. Mello crawled out from under the bed, his thumb in his mouth. Maria gently pulled him close to her.
"Mello... I have something to tell you... daddy died..." The child didn't cry, he couldn't. He just sat there numb, cheek against his mother's chest as she hugged him closely. She held him not to keep him in one piece, but to keep herself from falling apart.
"Hey Mells? You okay?" Matt nudged the blonde in the shoulder with a finger. "Mell-o..."
"I'm fine Matt." Mello closed his eyes. He reopened them when Crystal walked in. The smell of fresh cookies mouthwatering. She put the plate on the table and sat down in a chair opposite of them. Mello studied her a moment then found himself asking, "Does the name Maria mean anything to you?"
"Why... yes it does." Crystal blinked a little taken aback by the question. "I had a daughter named Maria, she ran away at eighteen..."
Mello shook with a new truth that weighed heavy on his eleven year old shoulders. "Your daughter... my mother... is dead."