𝗥𝗘𝗗𝗔𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗬 | 𝙅. 𝙆𝙄𝙍𝙎𝙏𝙀𝙄𝙉

𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞

A long while had passed and by the time we'd rolled up to my old home, Jean was passed out, his head lolling to the side on my shoulder. The two-story home, wedged in between a small bakery and another house with an alley in between stood in front of me. Ivy started to crawl alongside the once blank walls to the front of the house, showing the age of how long it's been since I've been here.

I walk the horse up to the front and take a deep breath to myself, preparing for the worst. Pulling myself together I tap on Jean's cheek lightly with my hand, waking him up.

He lifted his head from my shoulder, his arms releasing their hold around me as he yawned, his hands reaching for the sky and rubbing at his tired eyes. He looks at the house in front of us then back to my quiet form in front of him.

"This it?" I nod. I look away and pick at my nails, but I could still feel Jean's heavy gaze burning into the back of my head. He gets off the horse a few moments later, holding out a hand for me to take once he's settled on the ground.

I take it with a tense smile, hopping off the steed. We walk a few feet and I tie the reins around the gate, ensuring the horse wouldn't have any chance to take off.

I look at the house again, tensing up slightly when I see a figure move by a closed curtain window.

"I'll wait here, yeah?" Jean says, standing by the horse. I nod and take out the form Shadis handed me earlier, smoothing it out along my thigh, ridding it of its wrinkles.

I take one last deep breath and walk up the small sets of stairs, placing myself right in front of the door and hold up my hand to knock, but nothing happens. My upraised fists tremors in the air as I silently will it to move, still aware of Jean's gaze from the gate.

"C'mon, you're gonna be okay. You're okay," I whisper to myself. I shake my tense shoulders, rolling them back, and finally, knock on the door.

Footsteps echo inside the house and the door opens up to reveal my mother, a displeased expression resting on her face once she sees me.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Without even a single glance back at Jean I shove past my mom and into the house.

"Hello to you too, mother," I say dryly, closing the door behind me. My mother follows behind me as I stride through the small dining room and towards the study, not even taking the time to look around.

"Let me ask you again, you brat, what the hell are you doing here?" I ignore her, slamming open the twin doors to my father's study, starling my bum of a father in his chair. His face screws in disgust at my sight, my mom's shrill voice echoing inside the house.

I stalk up to my father who was seated at his desk and snatch up a pen. Slamming the paper Shadis gave me onto the table I spoke up.

"Sign this," I say, willing my voice to be firm. My father doesn't even look at the paper, he only leans back into his chair, his hands interlocked and resting on his stomach.

"I thought you said you would never come back home," he says, his voice deep. I didn't have the strength to say this wasn't my home any longer. He peers up at me while my mother comes to his side, her eyes narrowing at me. "Where's my dear brother, still risking his life for a useless cause?"

My nails bite into my palms to keep myself from lashing out at the jab towards Miche.

"Just sign the paper." I nudge the paper closer to him, but again, he doesn't so much as take a glance towards the form. He walks over towards me, his chair scratching against the wooden floor. He and my mother now stood in front of me as he reached a hand out to my face. I flinch back hard, my back hitting the bookshelf behind me.