The rest of the week flies by faster than I would've liked. Sitting on my bed, I look over the documents that contain the symbols and try to compare them to the sheath of the sword my mother left. I sigh in frustration.
'Staring at these symbols wont get me anywhere.' I lean my head back against the wall before looking over the other papers that I've been ignoring. I picked up a stapled stack labeled 'Lab Reports: [Redacted] Experiments'. Part of the title is covered with black ink, keeping part of the experiment hidden. I quickly flip through the packet noticing more and more sections covered in the same black ink. I go back to the first page and begin to read everything from the beginning. I tried to find the name of the person who created the report but there was either no author or it was hidden beneath a layer of ink.
"...Host must contain a diary and write down their experience during the process…. Ink block, ink block, test subject will be monitored 24/7 until further notice? After the procedure is complete and [Redacted] has given birth, the child has to be under [Redacted] care? What kind of sick experiment was this?" A small lump forms in my throat as an uneasy feeling plants itself in the pit of my stomach. Before I could continue to read, a knock came at my door. I quickly put away the files as I told whoever it was to enter. Sam peeks his head in before opening the door fully.
"If it's about your car, don't worry. I was about to get started cleaning it." He rubs the back of his neck looking off to the side mumbling under his breath. I raise a brow at him asking him to speak up.
"Could you help me pick out an outfit?" I stare at him for a moment, smiling like a maniac. He turns to face me, noticing the wide smile on my face. "On second thought, forget I asked." He goes to close the door but I launch off the bed and swing the door open and grab him by his shoulders, startling him.
"Like hell I'm missing out on the opportunity to help my cousin look nice for his little girlfriend."
"She's not my girlfriend."
"Uh-huh, that's what they always say." I pull him up the stairs and into his bedroom with new found determination. I sit him on his bed as I walk over to his closet and swing the doors wide open. "Let's see what we got to work with." I place my hands on my hips as I look at all of his clothes.
"Just, don't pick anything that'll make me look like an idiot." I turn my head to face him before pulling out one of his black graphic tees and a short sleeved navy blue button down. I toss them onto his bed.
"Where do you keep your pants?" He frowns before walking up to his dresser and pulling open the bottom drawer. Quickly looking through his pants I pull out a dark blue, almost black, pair of loose fitting jeans. "There ya go. That should catch her eye." I pat his shoulder before leaving, giving him privacy. I walk down the stairs and into the garage to get some cleaning supplies. I get a couple rags, a squeegee, cleaners for the windows and interior, and some gloves. I place all the supplies inside of an empty bucket to make it easier to carry. As I walk out the front door I notice Uncle Ron working on adding a stone path to his grass and Aunt Judy planting new flowers in her garden. I greet them making sure to step on the path and not on the grass, per Ron's request. I walk up to Sam's parked car and place the bucket near the driver's side.
"Should start with the windows first." I reach into the bucket, taking out the window cleaner and squeegee. I stand off to the side of the car, spraying the windshield. Using the sponge side, I get the cleaner evenly spread out. Giving it a quick shake I turn it over and start to wipe off the excess. I switch the squeegee to my right hand, making sure the prosthetic has a tight grip on the handle, and place my left on the hood. As I finish cleaning the windshield, I pull my hand off the hood with a hiss. I shake my hand and blow on it trying to ease the burning sensation. I stare at the hood in confusion.
"What the hell?" I mutter under my breath. I walk around to the back of the car and continue to clean. After finishing all the windows I go to the driver door to open it but it's locked. I facepalm, forgetting about the keys entirely. Before I can leave to get the keys, the door slowly swings open.
"..."
"You know. If I was anyone else, I'd be running back into the house saying 'Fuck this' But since I'm not anyone else Ima finish what I started." I grab a purple cloth and some spray before sitting in the driver seat, cleaning every piece of dust and grime I could find. I stare at the steering wheel for a moment, tracing my fingers over it. "What is the connection?" I rub my thumb over the symbol, jumping and hitting my head when the horn activates. "Ah- Shit biscuits! Ow!" I get out of the car and slam the door shut, rubbing the back of my head.
"Are you alright dear?"
"Yeah I'm fine auntie, just hit my head." I look towards her, seeing her smack Ron lightly with her gardening gloves. I smile at them before picking up all the cleaning supplies and heading back inside to put them in their rightful place. After putting them back into the garage, I walk back into my room to grab a small bottle of my Honeysuckle cologne. Walking out of my room, I see Sam coming down the stairs. I smirk and lean against the doorframe as he passes by to collect his things from the coffee table.
"Alright I'm off, Take care of my mom and dad while I'm gone."
"Don't worry I will. Also take this." I toss him the small bottle catching him off guard. He juggles it before clasping both hands around it. I walk him out the door and say my goodbyes. He walks through the grass, gaining an earful from his father. After restoring Sam gets into his car and starts it up causing a big cloud of smog to come out of the exhaust pipe. As he drives off, the smoke slowly disperses leaving all of us stunted.
"Wow. You are so cheap."
"Eh, It's his first car." I walk over to them, helping with their projects to the best of my abilities. After sometime we pack up everything and head inside to clean up and get dinner ready. After making sure that Judy doesn't need my help, despite me practically begging her to help, I head to the upstairs shower with my things. I lock the door and put my change of clothes on the sink. I take off my prosthetic and place it on top of the clothes before undressing completely. I trace my fingers over my collar bone where a small scar sat. I sigh and hop into the shower, washing away today's dirt and grime. After about twenty minutes, I turn off the water and dry myself off. A knock comes at the door causing me to jump.
"Dinner's ready."
"I'll be down in a minute!" I respond back as I finish putting on lotion and get dressed. I throw my clothes into the hamper while I dry my hair with a towel. After drying my hair, I hang the towel back and make my way down the stairs and into the dinning room.
"Took you long enough kid. I was about to start eating without you." I take my seat from across Aunt Judy and chuckle.
"You didn't have to wait for me, Uncle Ron."
"We wanted to. You've been so busy the past few days, we rarely got to spend any time with you." She gets up and places four plates onto the table before sitting next to Ron. A small conversation breaks out while we slowly eat our dinner, enjoying the moment together. Ten minutes go by and Sam has yet to arrive. Uncle Ron opens his mouth, presumably about to ask for his whereabouts, when the front door opens and closes.
"Look who finally decided to show up." Sam doesn't respond and makes a beeline towards the stairs and his room. Both of his parents call out to him worried. I stand up and push in my chair and leave the dining room.
"I'll go check up on him." I say before climbing up the stairs to the brunette's bedroom. I stop at his door, lifting my hand up and knocking softly but loud enough for him to hear. I call out to him hoping to hear some sort of response. After getting none I sigh and place my hand on the door handle.
"I'm coming in." I wait again for a response but all I get is silence. I twist the knob and push open the door. I peak my head in before fully walking into his room, closing the door behind me. Sam lays on his bed throwing and catching a small red ball with a sad look on his face. I stand at his door looking at him with worry.
"Is something bothering you Sam?" He stops tossing the ball and looks in my direction.
"I just- I just feel like I messed up my chance with Mikaela."
"Ah, girl trouble." I walk over and sit at the edge of his bed, offering him a comforting smile. "Mind explaining to me what happened? I won't make fun of you, I promise?" I sit there waiting patiently for him to open up to me. He sighs as he sits up, running his fingers through his messy brown hair.
"Before going to the party, I went to pick up Miles…" He goes into detail on how he showed up to the party with Miles, almost starting a fight with Mikaela's now ex boyfriend, to give her a ride home. "...And then I said, 'There's a lot more than meets the eye with you.' That was a stupid line." He grabs his pillow and brings it up to his face letting out a loud groan.
"Hey, don't beat yourself up over this." I gently pull the pillow away from his face.
"She probably thinks I'm some sort of weirdo, or a creep, or both." I frown at his words, facing my body towards his direction and crossing my arms.
"Listen here and you listen well." I start off activating mom mode. "From what you just told me, She just called it off with her ex. She's gonna need to take a break before jumping into the next relationship. Break ups take time to heal from whether it was small or large."
"But-" I raise my hand, signaling him that I'm not finished.
"She will think you're weird for a while but I know that will change."
"How can you be so sure?" I give him a wide smile before responding.
"You didn't leave her stranded in the middle of nowhere. You respected her boundaries, and you listened to her."
"What?"
"What I mean is, she trusted you enough to drive her home and tell you how she was feeling in the moment. If she really wanted, she would have ignored you and continued walking home." I stand up from the bed and hold out my hand for him to take. "You did good Sam. Come, your dinner is most likely cold by now." He looks at my hand before placing his hand in mine. I pull him off of the bed before letting go and walking towards his door.
"Hey." I turn my head to face him as I open the door. "Thank you. I really needed that." I smiled at him, happy that I was able to help him out.
"No worries. I've got your back Sam. You need me, I'll be there for you."