Circles

Chapter IV

The sun was high in the sky when Alister woke up. It was Saturday, so he didn't need to get up early for school, and after the restless night he had, getting some more sleep was much needed at that moment.

He lay there for a few moments, wondering what had happened to Noah, and finally decided to get up to find out. He tiptoed out of his room and walked down the hallway to his brother's room.

The house was silent, as if everything that had happened the day before was nothing more than a bitter dream.

When he arrived, carefully opened the door and peeked inside. Noah was sleeping on the floor, covered with a thin blanket. He looked so fragile and small that Alister couldn't help but hesitate for a few seconds, yet he restrained himself before doing anything. He closed the door slowly, backing away, and went to his room to change his pajamas without making any noise.

It was already 2 in the afternoon when he finally heard noise coming from his father's room. A few minutes later, the man emerged from the shower with a fresh and lively face.

"Alister! Son!" he called out upon seeing him. "Dad will cook a great lunch today, do you want to help?"

"Sure, father," the boy smiled.

Both of them went down to the kitchen and started preparing the meal as if nothing had happened, but Alister couldn't help feeling uneasy.

"Father?" he asked cautiously, "Should I call Noah to come and eat with us?"

"Oh, sure, if you want to. That boy always sleeps in late on weekends. I never manage to wake him up, so if you want to try, it's okay," his father replied.

"I'll go then," he smiled obediently.

He quickly went to his brother's room, opening the door with a mix of anxiety and fear.

The boy still lay asleep in the same position as he had seen him hours before; covered with the thin blanket on the floor.

"Noah," he whispered, but he didn't move. "Noah!" he repeated a bit louder as he cautiously approached to touch him.

At that moment, the boy turned over in his sleep, perhaps alerted by his voice, and Alister could clearly see a bruise on his neck, near his ear.

Perplexed and with a strange sensation starting to build in his stomach, he got a bit closer and lifted the blanket slightly, revealing more bruises and marks on the thin arms and back. Alister took a step back, not knowing how to explain what he felt, and without looking back he left the room, closing the door gently behind him.

He went downstairs to the kitchen and sat calmly at the table, as if nothing had happened.

"And? Did you manage to wake him up?" his father asked with a smile.

Alister felt restless, overwhelmed by feelings he had never experienced before.

"No... he didn't wake up," he said. 

"Don't worry about it, it's always the same. I just let him sleep until he comes to the kitchen to eat. I keep something for him here, and he devours it like a hungry animal," his father laughed.

"Father..." he mumbled without thinking, "Ah... no. I'm sorry, it's nothing," he replied, smiling as they both began to eat.

Later, in his room, Alister kept glancing at the clock insistently. He wondered what time it was normal for Noah to wake up after "a night like that." Finally, at four-thirty, a soft creaking from the next room indicated that the boy was awake. He quickly opened the door to his room and found Noah looking surprised, about to descend the stairs.