Beneath These Ashes

4

The minute I step into the house, I drop my bag and go looking for my parents. "Mom? Dad?"

"We're in here," I hear my dad shout back.

I follow his voice to the living room where both of them are seated on the couch, looking as if they've been waiting for us to arrive for a while. Willa reaches the doorway just as I sit on the loveseat across from them, trying to keep my eagerness to a minimum. I've been waiting for any sort of news from him for two weeks now and I can't believe I forgot about it. I was told not to expect much, that the time he's spent in the facility has changed him a bit. But, I've always thought my parents were good at exaggerating and this isn't any different. I know my brother like the back of my hand and it's enough to know that he's strong. He's trying to get out of there as much as I want him out.

"So? What's the news?" I ask. "How's he doing?"

My dad chuckles and shakes his head. "One question at a time, El. Aiden's fine, really."

His eyes dart to Mom's for a split second but it's long enough for me to catch. Parents think they're experts at hiding things, especially from their kids. But there's always a flaw, it just takes time to pick up on. For our parents, it's the fact that they can't help but look at each other when there's something they're keeping from us. The sad thing is, I don't think they've come to realize that we know they do it. If it were anything else -- anything less serious than my brother's current state in a juvenile confinement facility -- I'd brush off their attempt to hide something from me. But this isn't a time for secrets, I won't let it be.

"Tell me what happened," I say. "You can't keep things a secret forever, not this. What did he say?"

Willa walks across the room and sits beside me on the couch. I know she saw the look between Mom and Dad just like I did. They've got our attention now; the hard part is getting them to give it back to us. "What didn't you tell me on the phone earlier?" Willa asks. "Mom, all you said was that he got in trouble with some kid. Was that it?"

Mom shrugs and reaches for the cup of tea in front of her, bringing the steaming cup to her parted lips. She takes a sip and places the cup down next to the one I can only assume is Dad's. "It was just a little altercation but, he is being reprimanded for it. At the time that I called, I think I was just a little overwhelmed; I didn't mean to make it sound so serious."

I feel Willa nudge my elbow with her own and I nod my head once. The fight might've happened and I don't doubt that it did since Aiden can be just as temperamental as Colton, but that can't be the whole cause of their odd behavior. It doesn't add up.

I shift in my seat and turn my attention to Dad who's doing everything he can not to keep eye contact. Whenever we have conversations like this and there's some kind of bad news involved, my father is always the one to remain silent. Never the bearer of bad news and rarely the cause of it. That usually falls onto Mom.

"Dad," I say. "C'mon, just tell us. Whatever it is, it's not like we can't handle it. We're not five year olds."

He sighs and I'm surprised that he doesn't share another look with Mom. She glances at him and I can tell she wants to stop him from speaking but, she doesn't say anything. He runs a hand down his face and over the scruff I know for a fact Mom told him to shave a few days ago. Just by looking at them, it'd be easy to think my father has most of the say in their relationship. He's a giant compared to my mom and being the business man he is, there's a certain air of confidence and importance that surrounds him. But even with all of that, my mom's attitude and quiet confidence are enough to overshadow him it seems. I think most of the time he lets her be that way because I know for a fact he could speak for himself more often. My mother can just be very intimidating despite how small she may seem physically.