Farewell and Goodnight || Sequel to Closer to You

Eleven

Chapter Eleven.

{ E L L I E }

Luke and I made our way back home and I wanted nothing more than to fall asleep or curl up in the house and stay close by him. I liked the feeling of Meg and Louis' home. There was something about the aura and the smell of their house. It truly felt like a home and maybe that was because of the kids' energy and one light was always on and there was always food in the fridge, but whatever it was, it made it feel complete.

Meg and I grew up in a house that didn't feel like a home. Meg, unfortunately, had grown up in it longer. In this house, there was no running. There was tiptoeing upstairs to reach the other phone line in hope that the police just might listen this time. There were heads that were always kept down, shoulders that were always hunched over, and closed blinds and locked doors.

I remember when Meg would come home from school and I was sitting in the lap of my mother, no older than four. My mother was braiding my hair. To this day, feeling fingers in my hair can always soothe me.

I remember her shutting the door quietly, mouth not even moving the slightest. She never talked about her lessons at school because no one ever asked. There was no after school snack or time to watch TV. That was when the battle began.

Walter and Meg might make eye contact. She would quickly avoid his gaze and rush upstairs. He would smile from the kitchen.

I don't know why my mother put up with him. I don't know why he was full of so much anger. Sometimes, I think I understand. Then I remember that I don't.

Mama would finish my braid and I would sort of waddle after Meg, braving the stairs and trying to catch up to her. She'd hear me behind her and she'd stop.

"C'mere, Ellie." She'd coo, scooping me up in her shaking hands. At that point, she'd take me up into her room. Meg would read me a story or two before starting her homework. I'd play with her old dolls on the bed as she worked at her desk. I remember seeing her get frustrated. She tap her fingers against the black steel chest that held all the money she had saved up for our escape. She lightly tug at her hair and sigh heavily.

She thought I didn't notice, but I always did. I would watch her, then try to do anything to get her to relax. Even if that just meant asking her to braid my hair.

"But your hair is already braided, Ellie." She would slowly begin to loosen up. Her smile grew a little wider. "Mama already did it."

I would then proceed to undoing my braid before her eyes, pulling at the rubber band and shaking my hair out until the braid came loose.

"What braid?" I would give her a toothy grin.

"C'mere little one."

Only Meg could braid my hair so perfectly. She laced more than my strands of hair together.

"Back so soon?" Meg smiled from the sofa with Louis' arm around her shoulders. The two were cute together.

"Yeah. We just went by the little arcade." Luke said casually, squeezing my hand a little.

"El?" Louis chimed, making me snap out of my heavy thoughts. "You okay?"

I stared at him for a moment, blinking hesitantly. "Uh. Yeah. Sorry. I was just - "

Everyone's eyes fell on me as I started to ramble.

"Nothing." I cleared my throat. "Nothing at all."

"You sure?"

"Yeah." I blinked slowly, looking at the TV before looking over at Meg.

"Could you b-braid my hair?"

Meg's eyes sort of widened, not dramatically, but slightly. She wasn't one to give away her emotions completely, but I learned her slight gestures still held great amount of emotions behind the mask.

She smiled and nodded, her tight knots coming undone.

"C'mere little one."