Unearthly Earth

Earlier that month

"You don't understand! You'll never understand her!" I screamed at my mom standing in the doorway. This was three weeks before yesterday, when I had actually talked my mom out of sending her.

 “Do you know what that will do to her? To me, to us?!” I began to raise my voice when I felt a sting against my cheek where my mom had slapped me.

“Don’t you dare talk to me like that Tabitha Elizabeth! You don’t understand that I’m trying to help her! She’s not the little girl I raised anymore. She’s different. She needs help. She Is a ticking time bomb.”

“Different? DIFFERENT? YOU WANT TO SEND HER AWAY BECAUSE SHE’S DIFFERENT?” I spat my words at her. “Is it because she likes me more than she likes you? Do you ever wonder why? You’re a horrible mother, that’s why!”

I knew I had gone too far. A hint of hurt, anger, and remorse crossed over her face.

“Go to your room Tabitha. If I can’t have an open honest conversation with you, then I don’t want to have one at all.” There was a part of me that understood why my mom wanted to send her there, and there was a part of me that wouldn't ever understand.

“No, not I won’t go to my room.” I felt my kiddish side take over as I walked out the front door. I refused to be a prisoner. 

                                                                        **Two weeks later**
I awoke from my slumber, to the sound of thunder rolling through the sky, remembering that Heidi wasn’t sleeping on the other side of the room anymore. I looked at the clock. "Four in the morning?" I said out loud, drowsily.

My head was pounding. I slipped out of my bed and went to the bathroom to get some aspirin. That was when I heard someone downstairs. I walked silently making the smallest steps possible trying not to make too much noise. I tip-toed past Nina and Davin’s rooms’ and made my way to the stairs.

I stopped and listened for a second, waiting for the noise to happen again so I could determine whether to wake mom and dad.

I heard it again, the muffled sound of a voice. I quietly walked partly down the stairs and about 7 stairs down I seen the problem. Mom was at the kitchen table, crying silently with dad holding onto her shoulders as if to comfort her.

She had breakdowns all the time, no thanks to her childhood.  Her mother was abusive, and her father left before she was born. I'd be that way to if I was her. When I looked over at my father, I realized this wasn't just another breakdown. I could see the tears welling in his eyes when he looked at me.

"Sit down Tabitha" my mom said, pausing to grab a tissue. She handed me it as I sat down.

"What's wrong mom, why are you crying?"

"Tabitha" She squeaked through the tears. "Heidi won't be coming back."

"What do you mean." I said looking at her desperately for answers.

"She had an asthma attack and slipped away in her sleep last night."

My mouth dropped open, I stared at my father looking for some hint that it was a lie, but I seen the tear slip down his face. Dad never cried. I got up, walking towards the door.

"Where are you going Tabitha?" My mom said standing up towards me.

"This is your fault, YOURS!"  I opened up the door, and I ran. I ran till I couldn't breathe, till I felt like my lungs were going to collapse. I flung myself onto the grass and cried, cried for everything that had ever happened to me, cried for Heidi, cried for myself and my future without my best friend.

 The sun had started coming up before I got up off the grass. My legs were itchy, and I had green grass stains on my pants. My mascara was running down my face. I looked like I had been through hell, and that was the truth. 

When I got back, everyone was up. There were tissues laying all over the place. I knew immediately that mom had told- Davin, I mouthed the words. I started searching for him and found him on Heidis bed.

"It's really true, isn't it?" I hugged him, feeling the tears from his face seep into my shirt.

 "It's really true." I whispered silently. I had to be strong, I was the oldest but she was my best friend.

What would I do without her?