Post by Chloe on May 28, 2013 23:48:10 GMT -5
((I'm debating on taking this character so I thought I'd write this and see what you guys think.))
I didn’t know what to make of words, those little insignificant noises that everyone made. Never liked talking, not after what happened with my parents. People didn’t bother me during group discussions. They knew that there wouldn’t be a response anyway. There was really no point to talking at all. It didn’t help my case that I’d lost everything in the span of a day: parents, best friend, home…and in return I got a beast of a relative that seemed to hate me more than anyone I’d ever encountered in my entire life.
It didn’t take me long to get use to my new life with Aunt Miranda. As long as I kept quiet and stayed out of her way, it wasn’t too unbearable. The doctors and my aunt think it has something to do with the “traumatizing accident”, according to the shrink my aunt made me go to after a month of not much more than a nod to whatever she asked me. The shrink always brought up something about how boys at my age didn’t refuse to talk to anyone. That I wasn’t normal like the other guys my age. That therapist made me relive the accident every session, it wasn’t trying to solve my self-imposed silence; this was all about trying to figure out how that night may have changed me.
-
“Tell me what happened, Daemon,” her sickly, sweet smile was enough to put me on edge.
I stared at her for a little. She expected me to talk to her. Crazy lady, I didn’t even talk to my aunt, why would I talk to her.
“Please? I won’t tell anyone sweetie.” Pointy glasses, they looked like devil horns. My mom use to have glasses like that. They made her look like a princess though, not like a demon. My vision tilted so I was looking at her from an angle. She didn’t look like my mom. My mom was pretty. Where was my mom?
My vision righted itself and I felt words leaving my mouth. That memory was just so clear.
“Sirens. A man yanking the back door open and pulling me out. It hurt; my arm felt like it was burning. There was shouting, I saw my friend being dragged out of the car as well. Where were my parents? Why wasn’t anyone saving them? Why weren’t they saving Tanny’s parents? Everything seemed to be swimming, nothing was clear. Light seemed to be everywhere even in the dark, it was burning. I heard more shouting as there was a loud BANG! The light seemed to get more intense before I felt like I was flying and white doors slammed shut, cutting me off from the light and heat.”
-
I hated that memory more than anything. I had to continuously lie to the shrink before she agreed that I was fine. She was really nice, it felt bad having to do that, but it wasn’t helping me. I just saw no point to words anymore, not when they got me in trouble.
-
“Daemon! You stupid boy! Put that down!” my aunt was screaming at me. Just because I was looking at her precious collection of glass figures and had picked up one of the little dragons. It was smooth and cold to the touch, hard. Not much different from my old plastic toys but it had a sense of fragility to it.
“I just wanted to see it.”
She glared at me and went to grab me. The piece fell from my hand and I started running to my room, terrified of what she would have done to me. There was a shattering sound as my feet carried me quickly away, that’s when the mistake hit me. Instead of just letting her grab my hand and handing her the figure, I’d dropped it on the hardwood floor. I flinched as the sound of heavy footfalls followed me; a hand yanked me off my feet and dropped me on my butt. She glared down at me, rage in her eyes. The same rage my father got in his eyes before he beat me.
-
Seeing her that angry with me didn’t happen as much now. She picked up some sign language from what I taught her after coming home from middle school. The only reason I learned was because there was a class at the youth center and it figured that even if I wasn’t deaf there needed to be ways for me get thoughts across faster than a paper and pen could allow. She started taking classes on signing, not really sure if it was to understand me or just to know if I was signing something bad about her.
I am a sophomore now, and my signing is pretty good. However, making friends is still hard. So even with the weather outside acting like a mini hurricane, I didn’t mind braving it to go spend time with Eros. He is my best friend, well since I lost my other one. I still didn’t know what really happened to her. This was one memory of meeting Eros, I didn’t mind taking over.
-
I was sitting in the little youth center class; the walls were bare except for the signing symbol charts hanging on some of the walls. The teacher was younger than my aunt, but older than the girl who babysat me on Wednesday nights. She was showing us signs with her hands. Making two circles with her thumb and pointer finger while keeping the other three fingers extended, she kept moving them from her two circles touching to her pinkies touching.
“Family,” she said, repeating the sign to us.
A blonde in a flannel and jeans sat next to me, he looked bored. I was just feeling frustrated; I didn’t really get what that movement with her hands had to do with family. The kid looked at me and snickered slightly.
“Don’t get it?”
I shook my head and felt the temperature rise around my face. I just wanted him to stop talking to me. His smile grew and he nodded slightly.
“Me either. My momma signed me up. Thought it’d be good for me with my cousin being deaf and all. Why are you taking it? I know it’s not for fun. Did your mom sign you up too?”
I shook my head again and rubbed at the back of my head. His face screwed up slightly and he crossed his arms staring me down.
“What? You mute or something? ‘Cuz my mom told me that mutes usually are deaf too, or they’re voice thingy got messed up and they can’t talk no more. Are you like that?”
I shook my head again and shrugged, whispering to him, “I just don’t like talking.”
“Oh? Alright, why not?”
I shrugged lightly and tried to concentrate back on the teacher, but the kid just wouldn’t give up. He kept elbowing me till I looked at him, he was frowning and had his arms crossed again.
“Fine. You don’t have to talk, but you at least gotta tell me your name. I’m Eros.”
“Daemon.”
“Daemon? What kinda name is that? I’ll just call you Danny. You cool with that?”
“Eros! Pay attention or I’m going to call your mom!” the teacher yelled, “You to Daemon!”
Eros looked at the ground and tucked his hands between his knees. From where the teacher was standing I could only guess that he looked like an innocent kid, but where I was I saw the smirk growing on his lips, his blue eyes were dancing with amusement. Once the teacher went back to her lesson, Eros started snickering slightly. I couldn’t help but join in.
-
The wind slammed into the window near my bed like a deranged bird hoping to get into the warmth that the house offered, breaking me out of my trance like state. My aunt was probably downstairs watching some old lady show that involved a lot of tissues being used up in the span of thirty minutes. Go figure, even a hard old witch like her could have a soft spot for TV dramas.
I grabbed my hoodie and slipped my iPod into the pocket before pulling the fabric over my head. Sliding down the railing to the first floor I headed to the living room to see the rotund woman, also known as my aunt, before heading off to my Eros’s house. She sat in that chair like a blob of fat, a pre-mentioned tissue dabbing at heavily made up eyes.
Aunt Miranda, I’m heading over to Eros’s home. My hands touched my chin to my cheek which was the sign for home as I leaned against the doorframe and watched her place the tissue neatly on the arm of her chair.
“What time will you be back?” she asked, turning her murky green eyes on me. The same eye color that I have. “I want you home for dinner.”
I’m staying over ‘til the game is done. You know how Ms. Ares is. She’ll want me to stay over. I signed with a shrug. Not an argument I can win easily.
“Fine, just text me when you are on your way home then,” she said picking her used tissue back up and looking at the screen as a rather large woman convulsed on the ground. I sort of wished that she was the one having a seizer. A quick glance back at her and she was staring at me with an eyebrow raised.
You got it Aunt Miranda. I signed quickly, slipping out of the room and heading out the front door in a matter of seconds, not wanting to make her mad.
On my way to Eros’s house, I couldn’t help but plug into my favorite music and view at the world as if it were a movie for a bit. My vision was blurred from the wind and water being thrown at me. Even though the water felt like ice daggers digging into the skin on my face, and the wind felt like it was trying to shove me into the street. There didn’t seem like much could dampen my mood. I got to watch the Cowboys play with one of my only friends and get away from my aunt for a day.
Not that I blamed her, but since coming to live with her I couldn’t get over the strange looks I got. I get it; her sister died, and now she’s stuck with the devil’s spawn. It’s not like I asked for that man to be my father, but he wasn’t a terrible man. He just had made some bad choices in his life. I hated thinking about them, but I couldn’t escape the memories sometimes.
-
“Riley! Stop it!” my mother was screaming at my father, her hands trying to pull the figure away from me as blows hit my body. “You’re going to kill him!”
“He mouthed off to me!” my father’s dark eyes raging like a fire as he aimed another punch at my face. My small arms darting up to cover it, just so he couldn’t break anything close to my brain. He smelt strongly of alcohol, I shouldn’t have asked about why we’d missed soccer practice. I should have just accepted the fact that it would have been better to have quit the team. Mom couldn’t work and keep up with everything that I had going on. With my dad coming home and getting wasted right after his day was done, she had to have her wits about her.
“Aria get off of me!” he yelled throwing her back and turning from me to her. I took my chance and scrambled behind the couch, away from the reach of his fist. I knew he wouldn’t hit my mother, he never did.
As she talked him down I ran up to my small room and curled up on my bed. Scratchy blankets and soft quilts tried to offer some comfort to my bruised body, lulling me to sleep. I woke up when I heard my door click open, keeping my eyes shut tight. Floorboards creaked and the weight of my bed sank dangerously to one side. A large calloused hand smoothed my hair back from my face.
“I’m sorry Son. I didn’t mean to...”
-
A large gust of wind nearly succeeded in pushing me off the side walk, breaking me out of my thoughts. I kept walking, picking up my pace and eventually, the five blocks to Eros’s house became three more doors. Heading the steps to the country styled house I didn’t bother to knock. If I was expected then it was always open for me. Walking through the door and straight into the living room, I nearly dropped my jaw. Sitting on the couch was Scarlet, Eros’s step-sister, in nothing more than short shorts and a cropped tank top. Not that I minded, but it was hard to concentrate on a football game when that distraction was going to be sitting right next to me. This was bad. If she was watching the game with us, she better be putting on some goddamn pants or something, I did not need Eros catching on that I thought his sister, no matter what relation, was hot. I pulled out my iPod and turned it off, just as Scarlet shifted and her shirt hiked itself up slightly.
I dropped my iPod and bent to pick it up quickly, wrapping the headphones around it.
“Nice,” Scarlet said from her spot on the couch, tossing her ginger hair.
Eros walked up behind me and smirked, “Are you always this clumsy?”
One of my many talents. I shrugged before pocketing the device.
Eros just laughed lightly and shook his head before plopping down next to Scarlet.
“What he say?” she asked looking up at him.
“That clumsiness is one of his many talents,” Eros said smirked at me and rolling his eyes.
Strangely enough after he explained, she started cuddling up to him. It was a little weird, but I guess since they were step-siblings and Scarlet hated her dad for marrying Eros’s mom, it made sense to her. I sat next to him and kicked my feet up onto the coffee table. I hoped that they would quit it soon. It was really irritating that they acted like a couple and never even bothered to try and explain it to people. Hopefully Nikki would come over and Scarlet would hit her bitch status. She always hated Eros’s girlfriend, good thing too, because I hated the girl as well. It wasn’t because she was dating my best friend or that she was just about as good looking as Scarlet, but more the fact that she was abusive and controlling. I’d seen him get used; she’d take his money and keep him from hanging out with anyone that she didn’t like, namely me. He’d come to my house to rant off about how she was cheating on him, hell I’d caught her myself a few times making out in the back of a car with one of the football guys.
About a half hour passed and I was dying. Scarlet needed to get dressed, soon or my brain was going to explode. It was getting a lot harder to keep my eyes on the screen and not on her. So far I was having trouble remembering anything from the game. Eros was going to be really suspicious if I couldn’t rage on the game later. The door bell rang and Eros got up to answer the door. Scarlet smirked at me and pulled a blanket over herself. That pissed me off, now that Eros was gone she was going to act like a lady.
If it’s Nikki you might want to get dressed. My hands were shaking slightly.
“Okay, I got Nikki out of that. So my guess is that you think it’s that bitch,” she said with a smirk.
I sighed and nodded, figures she’d catch on that my sign for Nikki was the sign for bitch with a N.
“Twix!” Eros called, “Someone is here for you.”
Why they called their half-sister a candy bar was beyond me. I just know that her real name was Whitney and she preferred Twix. Their little sister ran down and made a noise like a banshee about to eat someone. I heard at least three sets of feet run upstairs, but Eros didn’t come back. Nikki never brought anyone over to play with Twix, so it couldn’t be her. I glanced at Scarlet, who shrugged at me and headed upstairs, hopefully to put on some friggin’ pants. I got up and walked to the front door. Eros was just standing there star struck. Was it Emma Stone at the door or something? I headed over to him and punched him in the shoulder.
Are you alright?
He didn’t react so I turned to look at who was in the doorway. Needless to say, I knew why he was standing there like an idiot. The girl was stunning. She stood there in the door way like she was pissed off, shoving the hair that covered half her face back to glare at us with pale gold eyes. She kinda looked like a Goth chick despite the Jujitsu uniform she was wearing. The way her hair was falling I would have thought it was cut short, except that was killed by the pony tail that was hidden by her neck.
“Brina and Kat didn’t say anything about two brothers,” she said crossing her arms.
She wasn’t as curvy as Scarlet but she had a nice shape from what I could te- wait…what was I thinking? I shook myself out of my idiot stare and smiled at her. I’m just a friend, we’re watching the football game.
“Ah,” she didn’t even seem to notice that I was signing at her. The face she was making showed confusion. Maybe she was trying not to be rude, but usually there was at least a question to Eros about why he was hanging out with a kid that didn’t talk.
“Boys,” Scarlet snapped from behind us. “Move and stop standing there like idiots.”
I made a mental note to myself that I hated that Ginger and would kill her for that later. I stepped out of her way while my retard of a best friend stood their gawking. Our favorite little soulless one stepped forward to the girl.
“Hi. I’m Scarlet Mason. Twix’s older sister.”
Our guest seemed to relax slightly, but kept her arms crossed. “Tanny Terror.”
That name rang a bell somewhere in the back of my head. She looked a lot like my friend from before the accident. She seemed a lot angrier than the girl I remembered though. If it was her then maybe it was this sudden reappearance that was causing my jack rabbit heart beat. I headed back to the couch, not really wanting to be around her while I got my head together. It couldn’t be her. That would be like a dream come true, or my worst nightmare. She’d know everything about me, and that scared me more than the horror movies Scarlet and Facili liked to make the rest of us sit through. I closed my eyes and tried to block out the memories that were trying to swarm my brain; I couldn’t let her get close. If it was her, she didn’t even seem to recognize me. Then again I’d gotten a lot taller and manlier then when we were kids. Maybe this was all in my head and it wasn’t my Tanny.
Next thing I know the couch dipped down next to me and the sound for the game picked up again. I let the darkness be taken over by the light again and saw that it wasn’t Eros sitting next to me. I scrambled away from Tanny as she rolled her eyes at me and turned her attention to the game. Throwing a signal out to the sea, Eros was lost to my desperation. How do you miss your best friend trying to get some help? The dumb lug was too busy being a goober. Scarlet caught my eye and smirked at me, making it really obvious who had offered to let her stay. Dammit Scarlet, I was going to kill her. Not that I had anything against this girl at all, more just I didn’t want all my secrets out in the open.
It was awkward as all hell for the rest of the game. The girls were making idle chatter while Eros seemed to remain a statue of stupidity towards everything but staring at Tanny. Over the years I’d learned a few things about my dumb quarter Greek friend. He really did believe in love at first sight. Which might be why he was stuck with Nikki, she put on that really cute front and then, WHACK! Reality check, thanks.
-
When I got back to my aunt’s house and headed up to my room, I knew that it wasn’t just coincidence. There had to be something more to it; she wouldn’t just show up now. Then again I could be totally insane and have the wrong person. I was just so positive that it was her that I didn’t want to question it. I twisted the key in my door and locking it so that I’d have some privacy from my prying guardian. I reached into the darkness and pulled out an old leather bound binder. Sitting on my morning enemy of a bed and letting it envelope me in comfort I opened the old thing and looked over the photos my aunt wanted to burn.
My mom was smiling along with my dad. They were holding hands, fingers tightly interlocked as her head rested on his shoulder. The house behind them was two stories high and was painted a shade of green that made you want to throw up. I was sitting at their feet, probably about two years old. It was strange to look at, I never remembered them smiling, just the frowns and angry words that they screamed at each other days before the accident. Flipping a few more pages I came across when I was five. There was a bracelet; I guess because it was leather my dad didn’t kick up a storm about it. I kept searching, not really sure of what to make of the random photos of my life. That is until I really looked at the color of the bracelet; it was green, and not the gold I knew. Jumping out of the monster I headed over to my desk and pulled the rough handle of the drawer. I took the leather out and studied it, they were defiantly different. Heading back over I sank into the softness and kept searching.
I was about an hour in when I found the picture. Judging by the fact I was wearing a pair of too big jeans with a hole in the knee, and a Spiderman t-shirt, I was about eight, and there she was. I knew that it was her; she was my neighbor before the accident that took me to the fat troll’s house. She was even wearing the bracelet I was holding in my hand. I couldn’t believe it; I hadn’t been back to that street or even opened this album since the accident five years ago. That’s when our parents got sidelined by a truck.
-
“Danny, baby boy, sit still,” my mom laughed from the passenger seat of the van as I squirmed in my seat.
My dad was driving, slightly drunk from dinner. Tanny’s mom and dad were sitting right behind them, while the two of us were in the back with her little sister. Brina gurgled at me as I made weird faces at her, Tanny laughing at me as well. Our parents were talking about something, I caught words involving “card night”, which meant that Tanny and I would get to hang out longer than usual.
Suddenly the parents were shouting at my dad as there was a loud screech and a flash of light coming from outside the car. I saw my mother’s panicked face a moment before everything collided.
-
Our parents had both died in that car crash, on our way home from dinner, but where had she gone? When I knew her she only had one sister, but at Eros’s house she had said two names. Then again maybe it was a cousin or a friend of Brina’s that she was babysitting.
My head reeled with the thought of where she could have ended up. I’d have to figure that out from her eventually, but there was another problem brewing. If I got to close to her, how many different ways could that be taken? I could already tell that Eros was falling head over heels in love with this girl, and I wasn’t sure if she even remembered me. Then again if they started dating and got Nikki out of the picture, can’t say I’d mind too much. I kept going through the pictures right up until the crash earlier and she’d been in most of them. We’d done a lot together; with each picture more of my memories came back. I just wasn’t sure how to go about with asking her about things. It didn’t seem like she remembered me at all. Maybe everything would make sense in the morning.
-
Mornings suck, seriously suck, especially Mondays. I hate Mondays. My head felt like my aunt had come into my room in the middle of the night and tried to bash my brains in with a cinderblock. Screw it. School was going to be the death of me today. I dragged myself from the bed’s grip and got ready as quickly as I could. I wanted to get out before the devil was up; sliding down the railing I realized a little too late that she was awake. How that fat tub of lard got a job as a health teacher was beyond me.
“Daemon! Get in here and eat something!”
My body suddenly felt heavy, like I was walking through sand and sinking slowly. Why couldn’t I have a sweet aunt like Peter Parker or something? How did I get stuck with her? I poked my head in and looked at the spread she’d set out. Slightly surprised at the fact that it was my favorite food and not the glop she usually made in the morning. I sat down poking at the foreign objects on my plate. Was it really edible?
“Are you going to eat or what?” she asked.
I wasn’t planning on it.
“I slaved over a hot stove to make you a meal. The least you can do is try it.”
Who are you and what have you done with my aunt?
“Daemon watch your mouth and eat up.”
I didn’t want an episode with my head already pounding and sinking in on itself, but on any other day I would have egged this on till she popped. Not really for the satisfaction of making her angry, I really didn’t want that, but more to just see what I could get away with. Tentatively taking a bite I tried not to grimace at the watery flavor of the eggs or the fact that the toast was two shades from being charcoal. In its own way, I guess the gesture was nice. Once she stopped watching me and went to go and get something from the den, I got up and ran out of there faster than you could say racecar.
My daily walk to school seemed like the world was disappearing around me. I couldn’t place why, but it seemed like everything was going to go right there. The sounds of cars racing by seemed to vanish as I got closer. The leather around my wrist seemed to brand the skin it was touching with each step I took. Why was my heart beating so fast? Why was I nervous? It wasn’t like there was a giant chance of me running into her. She must have been at the school; I mean where else could Tanny have been?
I swallowed and shook my head. I really needed to get my thoughts off of her. Eros and Scarlet pulled up in their red pick-up truck and nearly ran me over, one of his favorite things to do to me when I was only half awake. Most people would have found this annoying, but I’d gotten use to it. Hell, it kept me on my feet and with an aunt that likes to make your life a living hell if you messed up it was good practice on my nerves and patience. Otherwise I’d probably have to flee the country within a few days, considering how she tried to slap me over the head with a spoon the first time I’d gotten an ‘F’ on a report card.
Suddenly my ears were hit with a cacophony of noise, symbols crashing, a ‘loud-as-all-kick’ horn. Turning, I glared at the blonde cowboy and flipped him the bird. His smile was a bit too smug as he pulled into a parking spot. I headed over to our usual spot under the oak tree in front of the school and tossed my stuff against the trunk. Facili, my artificially colored red head friend, was already sitting down and yelped when I tossed my stuff and it almost hit her.
“Watch it, Einstein!”
Maybe you should move your Irish-Italian butt somewhere else. The one problem with talking to her was that, she only knew the sign language alphabet. So when I was communicating with her I had to take the time to spell out each word, and make it slow enough where she could catch it.
“I was here first, and I’m starting to regret letting you come over when Grandma was over.”
And that, Facili, would be your first mistake.
“Oh shut up before I take my sock off and tie it around your hands.”
Touchy.
I smirked at her and sat down. It didn’t usually take Eros long to get over here, he usually ditched Scarlet to her cheer friends as soon as possible. That kid was acting like a doofus ever since meeting Tanny. I didn’t like it.
“So who’s the girl Eros is talking to?”
What? I looked around and spotted Eros talking to Tanny.
She looked a lot different at school than she had last night. She wasn’t wearing the uniform for Jujitsu, but rather jeans and a tank-top. It was like getting punched in the gut, the fact that both our lives could have been so different if that drunk driver had never taken out our parents. I got up and headed over to them; I saw Tanny’s eyes dart over me quickly as I walked up and punched Eros in the arm. She smirked slightly, but it seemed hidden, almost like she knew something that I didn’t.
“Oh…Daemon what do you want?” he asked, clearly he wasn’t exactly thrilled that I was cutting into his girl time.
Pull your tampon out, Eros. I looked at the sky for a second. I just thought I’d come over and extend an invitation to join us back on Earth under the tree.
I felt daggers in my back as I directed the signs towards Tanny, probably Eros getting ticked. She raised an eyebrow at me and moved her hair out of her eyes. I wasn’t sure why, but it almost felt like she was trying to decide if she was going to punch me or not. It wasn’t like I signed anything too horrible.
“Is he always like that?” she asked Eros, “Doesn’t he talk?”
“He doesn’t like to. You get use to it after a bit. He can still hear you.”
“Oh,” she said looking back at me, “Alright. I still have no idea what he said though.”
“He wants us to go over to the tree with him,” Eros explained, before turning back to me. “Fine, we’ll head over in a sec.”
I felt my lips twitch before falling back to where they had been. I nodded slightly and headed over to Facili without another sign. However, our other friend had found her way to us from her Disney friends, and was now sitting next to Facili. The two girls were probably talking about the new movie that Disney was planning to put out. I knew that Eros was probably mad at me so it was good that she’d showed up. He was a lot nicer around “innocent Corry” than when she wasn’t there. Then we were either best buddies or he was smacking me over the head for a smart-alec comment. I sat down next to the girls and smiled at them before Scarlet came up in a way too short skirt. Surprising that Eros let her out of the house like that.
“Daemon! What in the world are you wearing?!” she yelped.
Clothes? I dunno. I just threw on something. I lifted my shoulders slightly before letting them drop again.
She shook her head and picked at my hair and clothes. Sighing and tossing my hair back and forth, almost as if trying to decide what she wanted to do with it. I didn’t like being a doll, but letting her do this had to make it so that Eros knew I was just being friendly to Tanny. I mean, it couldn’t hurt to show him I still had a crush on Scarlet. At least, I think I did. At this point I wasn’t too sure, I wasn’t as happy as I should be getting this attention from Scarlet.
“Get a room,” Facili laughed lightly.
“Shut up,” Scarlet laughed grabbing a fist full of grass and throwing it at her.
Tanny and Eros walked over and sat down with us; it was weird seeing the two of them together after just one day. Then again, Eros always had a way with words. I glanced at the clock tower and shook my head, in a matter of seconds Scarlet would drag Eros to talk to the popular kids and leave us misfit toys for a bit. Corry and Facili were way to into a conversation about some videogame, so that left me and Tanny. I guess that would be as good a time as any to try and talk to her, but I really wasn’t sure if my way of communication was going to work. She didn’t know any sign language.
As if on cue, Scarlet’s hand disappeared from my personal space and she was grabbing Eros and dragging him off. I shook my head as I watched my best friend look as if he was being pulled away from the best videogame in the world. Idiot. There is no such thing as love at first sight. Once they disappeared around the corner I glanced at Tanny. She was studying me, almost as if she knew what I knew. That’s went I realized that there was something she wasn’t letting on about the other day.
“So, Danny boy,” she said her eyes locking with mine, “I haven’t seen you in a few years.”
I was shell shocked; she really did remember who I was. I lifted my hands to communicate but she waved them down and scooted a little closer so that whatever it was she was going to say wouldn’t be heard by Facili and Corry.
“Unless you’re going to talk, I’m not going to talk or listen to you. I think it’s time you started talking again, since you can,” she said with a smirk, “You look good, better than before.”
She moved away and tried to talk with the other two. I watched her try and get in on the conversation. She really did remember me. I looked at the sky and contemplated it, since she remembered me I could have someone to talk to, but she wouldn’t let me get away with sign language. That was something I wasn’t sure if I could do, actually talk to someone. If she hadn’t remembered me then there wouldn’t have been the fear of the others finding out about that day.
-
My father’s fists wouldn’t stop hitting me, they seemed to come from every direction. My arms couldn’t cover everything without leaving something else exposed. As the beating continued I heard the front door creak open.
“Danny? You in here?” Tanny’s voice called out.
My father didn’t hear her, lost to his own drunken rage. When she walked into the room I heard her gasp. I glanced through my fingers as she stood in the doorway. Suddenly the blows stopped, but I knew that he was going to go for her. Make it so that she couldn’t go to her parents and tell them what was going on here. I took my chance and pushed myself up as he advanced on her.
“What the kick are you doing in my house brat?” he hissed out, the alcohol making everything sound blurred together.
I saw her struggling to come up with something to tell him. Rushing past my dad I grabbed her by the arm and we ran from the house. I made a bee line for the line of trees that separated her backyard from mine. The place where we’d go to meet up and decided on what we were going to do for the day. We hid behind a tree and listened for footsteps, trying to find out if he had followed us.
Finally we were sure that he hadn’t. I turned to Tanny and wiped some of the blood off from under my nose. She stared at me and started shaking.
“Danny, you gotta tell someone,” she said grabbing my hands. “Come on. We can tell my daddy and he’ll make everything better.”
I shook my head and pulled my hands out of hers, placing them on her shoulders. “You can’t tell anyone, Tanny. You can’t. My dad’ll get sent to jail if you do. I don’t wanna put my mom through that. Promise you won’t tell Tanny.”
She stared at me, almost as if I was the stupidest boy on the face of the planet, “Silence isn’t the answer for everything, Danny.”
“I know, but for this…it has to be. Promise me you won’t tell.”
“I promise.”
-
I sat thinking about it for a bit when Scarlet and Eros came back. Tanny was right, silence wasn’t the answer for everything. Some things needed to be let go of in order to grow. She’d moved past the accident, past finding out about what was going on in my home. Now the other five were talking and I was sitting, thinking about what would happen if I spoke again. Taking a deep breath I moved closer to the group. Something had to change, and it might as well start with me.
“Hey,” my voice sounded so raspy in my ears, after going unused for so long. No one seemed to hear me so I tried again. “Hey…guys.”
Still no one heard me. My voice was too weak and scratchy, clearing my throat I tried again. “Hey…guys. Do…you want….to hang out…at the park…tonight?”
That caught their attention, even with the pauses from words sticking in my throat, and the raspy quality that made me sound like a serious smoker, I knew that they’d heard what I said. Eyes widened as the words seemed to finally reach them. Half of the group seemed shell shocked, staring at me. Tanny smiled slightly and leaned back against the tree. The look in her eyes told me that this is what she thought I needed.
“He talked!” Scarlet screeched.
Eros just smiled and locked an arm around my head. “Sure thing, Danny.”
I could tell that by breaking down my wall I’d changed something in the group for the better. That I wasn’t as scared about them finding out the truth about what had happened to me when I was a kid. I could only hope that it wouldn’t change our friendship entirely.
I didn’t know what to make of words, those little insignificant noises that everyone made. Never liked talking, not after what happened with my parents. People didn’t bother me during group discussions. They knew that there wouldn’t be a response anyway. There was really no point to talking at all. It didn’t help my case that I’d lost everything in the span of a day: parents, best friend, home…and in return I got a beast of a relative that seemed to hate me more than anyone I’d ever encountered in my entire life.
It didn’t take me long to get use to my new life with Aunt Miranda. As long as I kept quiet and stayed out of her way, it wasn’t too unbearable. The doctors and my aunt think it has something to do with the “traumatizing accident”, according to the shrink my aunt made me go to after a month of not much more than a nod to whatever she asked me. The shrink always brought up something about how boys at my age didn’t refuse to talk to anyone. That I wasn’t normal like the other guys my age. That therapist made me relive the accident every session, it wasn’t trying to solve my self-imposed silence; this was all about trying to figure out how that night may have changed me.
-
“Tell me what happened, Daemon,” her sickly, sweet smile was enough to put me on edge.
I stared at her for a little. She expected me to talk to her. Crazy lady, I didn’t even talk to my aunt, why would I talk to her.
“Please? I won’t tell anyone sweetie.” Pointy glasses, they looked like devil horns. My mom use to have glasses like that. They made her look like a princess though, not like a demon. My vision tilted so I was looking at her from an angle. She didn’t look like my mom. My mom was pretty. Where was my mom?
My vision righted itself and I felt words leaving my mouth. That memory was just so clear.
“Sirens. A man yanking the back door open and pulling me out. It hurt; my arm felt like it was burning. There was shouting, I saw my friend being dragged out of the car as well. Where were my parents? Why wasn’t anyone saving them? Why weren’t they saving Tanny’s parents? Everything seemed to be swimming, nothing was clear. Light seemed to be everywhere even in the dark, it was burning. I heard more shouting as there was a loud BANG! The light seemed to get more intense before I felt like I was flying and white doors slammed shut, cutting me off from the light and heat.”
-
I hated that memory more than anything. I had to continuously lie to the shrink before she agreed that I was fine. She was really nice, it felt bad having to do that, but it wasn’t helping me. I just saw no point to words anymore, not when they got me in trouble.
-
“Daemon! You stupid boy! Put that down!” my aunt was screaming at me. Just because I was looking at her precious collection of glass figures and had picked up one of the little dragons. It was smooth and cold to the touch, hard. Not much different from my old plastic toys but it had a sense of fragility to it.
“I just wanted to see it.”
She glared at me and went to grab me. The piece fell from my hand and I started running to my room, terrified of what she would have done to me. There was a shattering sound as my feet carried me quickly away, that’s when the mistake hit me. Instead of just letting her grab my hand and handing her the figure, I’d dropped it on the hardwood floor. I flinched as the sound of heavy footfalls followed me; a hand yanked me off my feet and dropped me on my butt. She glared down at me, rage in her eyes. The same rage my father got in his eyes before he beat me.
-
Seeing her that angry with me didn’t happen as much now. She picked up some sign language from what I taught her after coming home from middle school. The only reason I learned was because there was a class at the youth center and it figured that even if I wasn’t deaf there needed to be ways for me get thoughts across faster than a paper and pen could allow. She started taking classes on signing, not really sure if it was to understand me or just to know if I was signing something bad about her.
I am a sophomore now, and my signing is pretty good. However, making friends is still hard. So even with the weather outside acting like a mini hurricane, I didn’t mind braving it to go spend time with Eros. He is my best friend, well since I lost my other one. I still didn’t know what really happened to her. This was one memory of meeting Eros, I didn’t mind taking over.
-
I was sitting in the little youth center class; the walls were bare except for the signing symbol charts hanging on some of the walls. The teacher was younger than my aunt, but older than the girl who babysat me on Wednesday nights. She was showing us signs with her hands. Making two circles with her thumb and pointer finger while keeping the other three fingers extended, she kept moving them from her two circles touching to her pinkies touching.
“Family,” she said, repeating the sign to us.
A blonde in a flannel and jeans sat next to me, he looked bored. I was just feeling frustrated; I didn’t really get what that movement with her hands had to do with family. The kid looked at me and snickered slightly.
“Don’t get it?”
I shook my head and felt the temperature rise around my face. I just wanted him to stop talking to me. His smile grew and he nodded slightly.
“Me either. My momma signed me up. Thought it’d be good for me with my cousin being deaf and all. Why are you taking it? I know it’s not for fun. Did your mom sign you up too?”
I shook my head again and rubbed at the back of my head. His face screwed up slightly and he crossed his arms staring me down.
“What? You mute or something? ‘Cuz my mom told me that mutes usually are deaf too, or they’re voice thingy got messed up and they can’t talk no more. Are you like that?”
I shook my head again and shrugged, whispering to him, “I just don’t like talking.”
“Oh? Alright, why not?”
I shrugged lightly and tried to concentrate back on the teacher, but the kid just wouldn’t give up. He kept elbowing me till I looked at him, he was frowning and had his arms crossed again.
“Fine. You don’t have to talk, but you at least gotta tell me your name. I’m Eros.”
“Daemon.”
“Daemon? What kinda name is that? I’ll just call you Danny. You cool with that?”
“Eros! Pay attention or I’m going to call your mom!” the teacher yelled, “You to Daemon!”
Eros looked at the ground and tucked his hands between his knees. From where the teacher was standing I could only guess that he looked like an innocent kid, but where I was I saw the smirk growing on his lips, his blue eyes were dancing with amusement. Once the teacher went back to her lesson, Eros started snickering slightly. I couldn’t help but join in.
-
The wind slammed into the window near my bed like a deranged bird hoping to get into the warmth that the house offered, breaking me out of my trance like state. My aunt was probably downstairs watching some old lady show that involved a lot of tissues being used up in the span of thirty minutes. Go figure, even a hard old witch like her could have a soft spot for TV dramas.
I grabbed my hoodie and slipped my iPod into the pocket before pulling the fabric over my head. Sliding down the railing to the first floor I headed to the living room to see the rotund woman, also known as my aunt, before heading off to my Eros’s house. She sat in that chair like a blob of fat, a pre-mentioned tissue dabbing at heavily made up eyes.
Aunt Miranda, I’m heading over to Eros’s home. My hands touched my chin to my cheek which was the sign for home as I leaned against the doorframe and watched her place the tissue neatly on the arm of her chair.
“What time will you be back?” she asked, turning her murky green eyes on me. The same eye color that I have. “I want you home for dinner.”
I’m staying over ‘til the game is done. You know how Ms. Ares is. She’ll want me to stay over. I signed with a shrug. Not an argument I can win easily.
“Fine, just text me when you are on your way home then,” she said picking her used tissue back up and looking at the screen as a rather large woman convulsed on the ground. I sort of wished that she was the one having a seizer. A quick glance back at her and she was staring at me with an eyebrow raised.
You got it Aunt Miranda. I signed quickly, slipping out of the room and heading out the front door in a matter of seconds, not wanting to make her mad.
On my way to Eros’s house, I couldn’t help but plug into my favorite music and view at the world as if it were a movie for a bit. My vision was blurred from the wind and water being thrown at me. Even though the water felt like ice daggers digging into the skin on my face, and the wind felt like it was trying to shove me into the street. There didn’t seem like much could dampen my mood. I got to watch the Cowboys play with one of my only friends and get away from my aunt for a day.
Not that I blamed her, but since coming to live with her I couldn’t get over the strange looks I got. I get it; her sister died, and now she’s stuck with the devil’s spawn. It’s not like I asked for that man to be my father, but he wasn’t a terrible man. He just had made some bad choices in his life. I hated thinking about them, but I couldn’t escape the memories sometimes.
-
“Riley! Stop it!” my mother was screaming at my father, her hands trying to pull the figure away from me as blows hit my body. “You’re going to kill him!”
“He mouthed off to me!” my father’s dark eyes raging like a fire as he aimed another punch at my face. My small arms darting up to cover it, just so he couldn’t break anything close to my brain. He smelt strongly of alcohol, I shouldn’t have asked about why we’d missed soccer practice. I should have just accepted the fact that it would have been better to have quit the team. Mom couldn’t work and keep up with everything that I had going on. With my dad coming home and getting wasted right after his day was done, she had to have her wits about her.
“Aria get off of me!” he yelled throwing her back and turning from me to her. I took my chance and scrambled behind the couch, away from the reach of his fist. I knew he wouldn’t hit my mother, he never did.
As she talked him down I ran up to my small room and curled up on my bed. Scratchy blankets and soft quilts tried to offer some comfort to my bruised body, lulling me to sleep. I woke up when I heard my door click open, keeping my eyes shut tight. Floorboards creaked and the weight of my bed sank dangerously to one side. A large calloused hand smoothed my hair back from my face.
“I’m sorry Son. I didn’t mean to...”
-
A large gust of wind nearly succeeded in pushing me off the side walk, breaking me out of my thoughts. I kept walking, picking up my pace and eventually, the five blocks to Eros’s house became three more doors. Heading the steps to the country styled house I didn’t bother to knock. If I was expected then it was always open for me. Walking through the door and straight into the living room, I nearly dropped my jaw. Sitting on the couch was Scarlet, Eros’s step-sister, in nothing more than short shorts and a cropped tank top. Not that I minded, but it was hard to concentrate on a football game when that distraction was going to be sitting right next to me. This was bad. If she was watching the game with us, she better be putting on some goddamn pants or something, I did not need Eros catching on that I thought his sister, no matter what relation, was hot. I pulled out my iPod and turned it off, just as Scarlet shifted and her shirt hiked itself up slightly.
I dropped my iPod and bent to pick it up quickly, wrapping the headphones around it.
“Nice,” Scarlet said from her spot on the couch, tossing her ginger hair.
Eros walked up behind me and smirked, “Are you always this clumsy?”
One of my many talents. I shrugged before pocketing the device.
Eros just laughed lightly and shook his head before plopping down next to Scarlet.
“What he say?” she asked looking up at him.
“That clumsiness is one of his many talents,” Eros said smirked at me and rolling his eyes.
Strangely enough after he explained, she started cuddling up to him. It was a little weird, but I guess since they were step-siblings and Scarlet hated her dad for marrying Eros’s mom, it made sense to her. I sat next to him and kicked my feet up onto the coffee table. I hoped that they would quit it soon. It was really irritating that they acted like a couple and never even bothered to try and explain it to people. Hopefully Nikki would come over and Scarlet would hit her bitch status. She always hated Eros’s girlfriend, good thing too, because I hated the girl as well. It wasn’t because she was dating my best friend or that she was just about as good looking as Scarlet, but more the fact that she was abusive and controlling. I’d seen him get used; she’d take his money and keep him from hanging out with anyone that she didn’t like, namely me. He’d come to my house to rant off about how she was cheating on him, hell I’d caught her myself a few times making out in the back of a car with one of the football guys.
About a half hour passed and I was dying. Scarlet needed to get dressed, soon or my brain was going to explode. It was getting a lot harder to keep my eyes on the screen and not on her. So far I was having trouble remembering anything from the game. Eros was going to be really suspicious if I couldn’t rage on the game later. The door bell rang and Eros got up to answer the door. Scarlet smirked at me and pulled a blanket over herself. That pissed me off, now that Eros was gone she was going to act like a lady.
If it’s Nikki you might want to get dressed. My hands were shaking slightly.
“Okay, I got Nikki out of that. So my guess is that you think it’s that bitch,” she said with a smirk.
I sighed and nodded, figures she’d catch on that my sign for Nikki was the sign for bitch with a N.
“Twix!” Eros called, “Someone is here for you.”
Why they called their half-sister a candy bar was beyond me. I just know that her real name was Whitney and she preferred Twix. Their little sister ran down and made a noise like a banshee about to eat someone. I heard at least three sets of feet run upstairs, but Eros didn’t come back. Nikki never brought anyone over to play with Twix, so it couldn’t be her. I glanced at Scarlet, who shrugged at me and headed upstairs, hopefully to put on some friggin’ pants. I got up and walked to the front door. Eros was just standing there star struck. Was it Emma Stone at the door or something? I headed over to him and punched him in the shoulder.
Are you alright?
He didn’t react so I turned to look at who was in the doorway. Needless to say, I knew why he was standing there like an idiot. The girl was stunning. She stood there in the door way like she was pissed off, shoving the hair that covered half her face back to glare at us with pale gold eyes. She kinda looked like a Goth chick despite the Jujitsu uniform she was wearing. The way her hair was falling I would have thought it was cut short, except that was killed by the pony tail that was hidden by her neck.
“Brina and Kat didn’t say anything about two brothers,” she said crossing her arms.
She wasn’t as curvy as Scarlet but she had a nice shape from what I could te- wait…what was I thinking? I shook myself out of my idiot stare and smiled at her. I’m just a friend, we’re watching the football game.
“Ah,” she didn’t even seem to notice that I was signing at her. The face she was making showed confusion. Maybe she was trying not to be rude, but usually there was at least a question to Eros about why he was hanging out with a kid that didn’t talk.
“Boys,” Scarlet snapped from behind us. “Move and stop standing there like idiots.”
I made a mental note to myself that I hated that Ginger and would kill her for that later. I stepped out of her way while my retard of a best friend stood their gawking. Our favorite little soulless one stepped forward to the girl.
“Hi. I’m Scarlet Mason. Twix’s older sister.”
Our guest seemed to relax slightly, but kept her arms crossed. “Tanny Terror.”
That name rang a bell somewhere in the back of my head. She looked a lot like my friend from before the accident. She seemed a lot angrier than the girl I remembered though. If it was her then maybe it was this sudden reappearance that was causing my jack rabbit heart beat. I headed back to the couch, not really wanting to be around her while I got my head together. It couldn’t be her. That would be like a dream come true, or my worst nightmare. She’d know everything about me, and that scared me more than the horror movies Scarlet and Facili liked to make the rest of us sit through. I closed my eyes and tried to block out the memories that were trying to swarm my brain; I couldn’t let her get close. If it was her, she didn’t even seem to recognize me. Then again I’d gotten a lot taller and manlier then when we were kids. Maybe this was all in my head and it wasn’t my Tanny.
Next thing I know the couch dipped down next to me and the sound for the game picked up again. I let the darkness be taken over by the light again and saw that it wasn’t Eros sitting next to me. I scrambled away from Tanny as she rolled her eyes at me and turned her attention to the game. Throwing a signal out to the sea, Eros was lost to my desperation. How do you miss your best friend trying to get some help? The dumb lug was too busy being a goober. Scarlet caught my eye and smirked at me, making it really obvious who had offered to let her stay. Dammit Scarlet, I was going to kill her. Not that I had anything against this girl at all, more just I didn’t want all my secrets out in the open.
It was awkward as all hell for the rest of the game. The girls were making idle chatter while Eros seemed to remain a statue of stupidity towards everything but staring at Tanny. Over the years I’d learned a few things about my dumb quarter Greek friend. He really did believe in love at first sight. Which might be why he was stuck with Nikki, she put on that really cute front and then, WHACK! Reality check, thanks.
-
When I got back to my aunt’s house and headed up to my room, I knew that it wasn’t just coincidence. There had to be something more to it; she wouldn’t just show up now. Then again I could be totally insane and have the wrong person. I was just so positive that it was her that I didn’t want to question it. I twisted the key in my door and locking it so that I’d have some privacy from my prying guardian. I reached into the darkness and pulled out an old leather bound binder. Sitting on my morning enemy of a bed and letting it envelope me in comfort I opened the old thing and looked over the photos my aunt wanted to burn.
My mom was smiling along with my dad. They were holding hands, fingers tightly interlocked as her head rested on his shoulder. The house behind them was two stories high and was painted a shade of green that made you want to throw up. I was sitting at their feet, probably about two years old. It was strange to look at, I never remembered them smiling, just the frowns and angry words that they screamed at each other days before the accident. Flipping a few more pages I came across when I was five. There was a bracelet; I guess because it was leather my dad didn’t kick up a storm about it. I kept searching, not really sure of what to make of the random photos of my life. That is until I really looked at the color of the bracelet; it was green, and not the gold I knew. Jumping out of the monster I headed over to my desk and pulled the rough handle of the drawer. I took the leather out and studied it, they were defiantly different. Heading back over I sank into the softness and kept searching.
I was about an hour in when I found the picture. Judging by the fact I was wearing a pair of too big jeans with a hole in the knee, and a Spiderman t-shirt, I was about eight, and there she was. I knew that it was her; she was my neighbor before the accident that took me to the fat troll’s house. She was even wearing the bracelet I was holding in my hand. I couldn’t believe it; I hadn’t been back to that street or even opened this album since the accident five years ago. That’s when our parents got sidelined by a truck.
-
“Danny, baby boy, sit still,” my mom laughed from the passenger seat of the van as I squirmed in my seat.
My dad was driving, slightly drunk from dinner. Tanny’s mom and dad were sitting right behind them, while the two of us were in the back with her little sister. Brina gurgled at me as I made weird faces at her, Tanny laughing at me as well. Our parents were talking about something, I caught words involving “card night”, which meant that Tanny and I would get to hang out longer than usual.
Suddenly the parents were shouting at my dad as there was a loud screech and a flash of light coming from outside the car. I saw my mother’s panicked face a moment before everything collided.
-
Our parents had both died in that car crash, on our way home from dinner, but where had she gone? When I knew her she only had one sister, but at Eros’s house she had said two names. Then again maybe it was a cousin or a friend of Brina’s that she was babysitting.
My head reeled with the thought of where she could have ended up. I’d have to figure that out from her eventually, but there was another problem brewing. If I got to close to her, how many different ways could that be taken? I could already tell that Eros was falling head over heels in love with this girl, and I wasn’t sure if she even remembered me. Then again if they started dating and got Nikki out of the picture, can’t say I’d mind too much. I kept going through the pictures right up until the crash earlier and she’d been in most of them. We’d done a lot together; with each picture more of my memories came back. I just wasn’t sure how to go about with asking her about things. It didn’t seem like she remembered me at all. Maybe everything would make sense in the morning.
-
Mornings suck, seriously suck, especially Mondays. I hate Mondays. My head felt like my aunt had come into my room in the middle of the night and tried to bash my brains in with a cinderblock. Screw it. School was going to be the death of me today. I dragged myself from the bed’s grip and got ready as quickly as I could. I wanted to get out before the devil was up; sliding down the railing I realized a little too late that she was awake. How that fat tub of lard got a job as a health teacher was beyond me.
“Daemon! Get in here and eat something!”
My body suddenly felt heavy, like I was walking through sand and sinking slowly. Why couldn’t I have a sweet aunt like Peter Parker or something? How did I get stuck with her? I poked my head in and looked at the spread she’d set out. Slightly surprised at the fact that it was my favorite food and not the glop she usually made in the morning. I sat down poking at the foreign objects on my plate. Was it really edible?
“Are you going to eat or what?” she asked.
I wasn’t planning on it.
“I slaved over a hot stove to make you a meal. The least you can do is try it.”
Who are you and what have you done with my aunt?
“Daemon watch your mouth and eat up.”
I didn’t want an episode with my head already pounding and sinking in on itself, but on any other day I would have egged this on till she popped. Not really for the satisfaction of making her angry, I really didn’t want that, but more to just see what I could get away with. Tentatively taking a bite I tried not to grimace at the watery flavor of the eggs or the fact that the toast was two shades from being charcoal. In its own way, I guess the gesture was nice. Once she stopped watching me and went to go and get something from the den, I got up and ran out of there faster than you could say racecar.
My daily walk to school seemed like the world was disappearing around me. I couldn’t place why, but it seemed like everything was going to go right there. The sounds of cars racing by seemed to vanish as I got closer. The leather around my wrist seemed to brand the skin it was touching with each step I took. Why was my heart beating so fast? Why was I nervous? It wasn’t like there was a giant chance of me running into her. She must have been at the school; I mean where else could Tanny have been?
I swallowed and shook my head. I really needed to get my thoughts off of her. Eros and Scarlet pulled up in their red pick-up truck and nearly ran me over, one of his favorite things to do to me when I was only half awake. Most people would have found this annoying, but I’d gotten use to it. Hell, it kept me on my feet and with an aunt that likes to make your life a living hell if you messed up it was good practice on my nerves and patience. Otherwise I’d probably have to flee the country within a few days, considering how she tried to slap me over the head with a spoon the first time I’d gotten an ‘F’ on a report card.
Suddenly my ears were hit with a cacophony of noise, symbols crashing, a ‘loud-as-all-kick’ horn. Turning, I glared at the blonde cowboy and flipped him the bird. His smile was a bit too smug as he pulled into a parking spot. I headed over to our usual spot under the oak tree in front of the school and tossed my stuff against the trunk. Facili, my artificially colored red head friend, was already sitting down and yelped when I tossed my stuff and it almost hit her.
“Watch it, Einstein!”
Maybe you should move your Irish-Italian butt somewhere else. The one problem with talking to her was that, she only knew the sign language alphabet. So when I was communicating with her I had to take the time to spell out each word, and make it slow enough where she could catch it.
“I was here first, and I’m starting to regret letting you come over when Grandma was over.”
And that, Facili, would be your first mistake.
“Oh shut up before I take my sock off and tie it around your hands.”
Touchy.
I smirked at her and sat down. It didn’t usually take Eros long to get over here, he usually ditched Scarlet to her cheer friends as soon as possible. That kid was acting like a doofus ever since meeting Tanny. I didn’t like it.
“So who’s the girl Eros is talking to?”
What? I looked around and spotted Eros talking to Tanny.
She looked a lot different at school than she had last night. She wasn’t wearing the uniform for Jujitsu, but rather jeans and a tank-top. It was like getting punched in the gut, the fact that both our lives could have been so different if that drunk driver had never taken out our parents. I got up and headed over to them; I saw Tanny’s eyes dart over me quickly as I walked up and punched Eros in the arm. She smirked slightly, but it seemed hidden, almost like she knew something that I didn’t.
“Oh…Daemon what do you want?” he asked, clearly he wasn’t exactly thrilled that I was cutting into his girl time.
Pull your tampon out, Eros. I looked at the sky for a second. I just thought I’d come over and extend an invitation to join us back on Earth under the tree.
I felt daggers in my back as I directed the signs towards Tanny, probably Eros getting ticked. She raised an eyebrow at me and moved her hair out of her eyes. I wasn’t sure why, but it almost felt like she was trying to decide if she was going to punch me or not. It wasn’t like I signed anything too horrible.
“Is he always like that?” she asked Eros, “Doesn’t he talk?”
“He doesn’t like to. You get use to it after a bit. He can still hear you.”
“Oh,” she said looking back at me, “Alright. I still have no idea what he said though.”
“He wants us to go over to the tree with him,” Eros explained, before turning back to me. “Fine, we’ll head over in a sec.”
I felt my lips twitch before falling back to where they had been. I nodded slightly and headed over to Facili without another sign. However, our other friend had found her way to us from her Disney friends, and was now sitting next to Facili. The two girls were probably talking about the new movie that Disney was planning to put out. I knew that Eros was probably mad at me so it was good that she’d showed up. He was a lot nicer around “innocent Corry” than when she wasn’t there. Then we were either best buddies or he was smacking me over the head for a smart-alec comment. I sat down next to the girls and smiled at them before Scarlet came up in a way too short skirt. Surprising that Eros let her out of the house like that.
“Daemon! What in the world are you wearing?!” she yelped.
Clothes? I dunno. I just threw on something. I lifted my shoulders slightly before letting them drop again.
She shook her head and picked at my hair and clothes. Sighing and tossing my hair back and forth, almost as if trying to decide what she wanted to do with it. I didn’t like being a doll, but letting her do this had to make it so that Eros knew I was just being friendly to Tanny. I mean, it couldn’t hurt to show him I still had a crush on Scarlet. At least, I think I did. At this point I wasn’t too sure, I wasn’t as happy as I should be getting this attention from Scarlet.
“Get a room,” Facili laughed lightly.
“Shut up,” Scarlet laughed grabbing a fist full of grass and throwing it at her.
Tanny and Eros walked over and sat down with us; it was weird seeing the two of them together after just one day. Then again, Eros always had a way with words. I glanced at the clock tower and shook my head, in a matter of seconds Scarlet would drag Eros to talk to the popular kids and leave us misfit toys for a bit. Corry and Facili were way to into a conversation about some videogame, so that left me and Tanny. I guess that would be as good a time as any to try and talk to her, but I really wasn’t sure if my way of communication was going to work. She didn’t know any sign language.
As if on cue, Scarlet’s hand disappeared from my personal space and she was grabbing Eros and dragging him off. I shook my head as I watched my best friend look as if he was being pulled away from the best videogame in the world. Idiot. There is no such thing as love at first sight. Once they disappeared around the corner I glanced at Tanny. She was studying me, almost as if she knew what I knew. That’s went I realized that there was something she wasn’t letting on about the other day.
“So, Danny boy,” she said her eyes locking with mine, “I haven’t seen you in a few years.”
I was shell shocked; she really did remember who I was. I lifted my hands to communicate but she waved them down and scooted a little closer so that whatever it was she was going to say wouldn’t be heard by Facili and Corry.
“Unless you’re going to talk, I’m not going to talk or listen to you. I think it’s time you started talking again, since you can,” she said with a smirk, “You look good, better than before.”
She moved away and tried to talk with the other two. I watched her try and get in on the conversation. She really did remember me. I looked at the sky and contemplated it, since she remembered me I could have someone to talk to, but she wouldn’t let me get away with sign language. That was something I wasn’t sure if I could do, actually talk to someone. If she hadn’t remembered me then there wouldn’t have been the fear of the others finding out about that day.
-
My father’s fists wouldn’t stop hitting me, they seemed to come from every direction. My arms couldn’t cover everything without leaving something else exposed. As the beating continued I heard the front door creak open.
“Danny? You in here?” Tanny’s voice called out.
My father didn’t hear her, lost to his own drunken rage. When she walked into the room I heard her gasp. I glanced through my fingers as she stood in the doorway. Suddenly the blows stopped, but I knew that he was going to go for her. Make it so that she couldn’t go to her parents and tell them what was going on here. I took my chance and pushed myself up as he advanced on her.
“What the kick are you doing in my house brat?” he hissed out, the alcohol making everything sound blurred together.
I saw her struggling to come up with something to tell him. Rushing past my dad I grabbed her by the arm and we ran from the house. I made a bee line for the line of trees that separated her backyard from mine. The place where we’d go to meet up and decided on what we were going to do for the day. We hid behind a tree and listened for footsteps, trying to find out if he had followed us.
Finally we were sure that he hadn’t. I turned to Tanny and wiped some of the blood off from under my nose. She stared at me and started shaking.
“Danny, you gotta tell someone,” she said grabbing my hands. “Come on. We can tell my daddy and he’ll make everything better.”
I shook my head and pulled my hands out of hers, placing them on her shoulders. “You can’t tell anyone, Tanny. You can’t. My dad’ll get sent to jail if you do. I don’t wanna put my mom through that. Promise you won’t tell Tanny.”
She stared at me, almost as if I was the stupidest boy on the face of the planet, “Silence isn’t the answer for everything, Danny.”
“I know, but for this…it has to be. Promise me you won’t tell.”
“I promise.”
-
I sat thinking about it for a bit when Scarlet and Eros came back. Tanny was right, silence wasn’t the answer for everything. Some things needed to be let go of in order to grow. She’d moved past the accident, past finding out about what was going on in my home. Now the other five were talking and I was sitting, thinking about what would happen if I spoke again. Taking a deep breath I moved closer to the group. Something had to change, and it might as well start with me.
“Hey,” my voice sounded so raspy in my ears, after going unused for so long. No one seemed to hear me so I tried again. “Hey…guys.”
Still no one heard me. My voice was too weak and scratchy, clearing my throat I tried again. “Hey…guys. Do…you want….to hang out…at the park…tonight?”
That caught their attention, even with the pauses from words sticking in my throat, and the raspy quality that made me sound like a serious smoker, I knew that they’d heard what I said. Eyes widened as the words seemed to finally reach them. Half of the group seemed shell shocked, staring at me. Tanny smiled slightly and leaned back against the tree. The look in her eyes told me that this is what she thought I needed.
“He talked!” Scarlet screeched.
Eros just smiled and locked an arm around my head. “Sure thing, Danny.”
I could tell that by breaking down my wall I’d changed something in the group for the better. That I wasn’t as scared about them finding out the truth about what had happened to me when I was a kid. I could only hope that it wouldn’t change our friendship entirely.