The Days Family Split Apart

Tears

Unlike the days, the nights where awfully cold. Cold enough that I could see my own breath in front of me. Though the half-moon stood high and the sky clear, it was almost so dark that I couldn't see anything.

Phoenix had already flown back to my mother's house way before I was done checking on the house that was left for me. And all that was in it.

I listed around the house, checked if anybody was awake. Only the wind was awake through the Village. Or so I thought. Marry stood right inside the living room, starring me down as I came in. If she hadn't moved, I would never have seen her standing there in the shadow. I screamed as she scared the crap out of me but I quickly got a hold of myself and looked around if I woke anybody up. Only my 6-year-old little sister, Mira, moved slightly.

   "Where have you been?" Marry's voice was a clear mix of; 'I don't really care' and 'you are so done'.

I looked down and avoided to answer. Marry didn't say anything either. Just stood there, watching me in the dark with her arms crossed over the chest. Her green eyes glowed weak in the moonlight. "That doesn't matter now. Go to your room, and stay down there. No more going out for a week unless I say so." Marry said and turned around. My mother disappeared behind a wall to check on Mira in her bed. I took on my shoulder and started to walk down into my room with a lowered head.

My room was covered in moonlight and gave everything a silver- and grey-ish feel to it. I sat down under my window and looked out. The stone wall was cold and felt good under my fur. The wind was cold and the silence calming.

No judging nor negative energy. I could relax. But only for so long.

   The morning woke me up with screams and shouting from the upstairs.

One voice was my mother's; the other I didn't really know but it sounded familiar. In-between there was some sort of bird scream. That too sounded familiar. A moment went by before it hit me.

   "Phoenix!" I said fast and nearly got a blackout from getting up too fast as I headed for the stairs. Upstairs my vision let in and became blurry for a second but as soon as I got it back, my heart stopped. It was the same man as I hit in the head yesterday. Our eyes met and he, too, froze. We starred into each other's eyes for a minute in the awkward silence I created by coming up the stairs until something weakly moved in the corner of my eye, fitting with his hands. He held Phoenix with his entire hand around his neck in one solid grip.

Phoenix's eyes were dim but they had a slim glow of life, and they were looking at me. The anger and heat immediately rose within me and the man moved Phoenix behind him and our eyes met again. Now he looked just as scared as yesterday when my eyes changed to red. Though he did not move and I knew that my eyes had not changed. I could feel that they hadn't. He starred me down until my mother took the word; "So you say my bird broke into your house this night?"

That alone caught my attention. Phoenix had been with me all night in the house and only left early this morning to go and catch breakfast. There was no way this man was right.

I let my arms fall down as I breathed out for what felt like forever since I saw the man standing in the door way.

   "It sure did. And it's a monster just like the rest of this house." The man's eyes were like stones. Unreachable and cold. Full of fear and hatred for the unknown.

I looked at my mother. She looked at me as she always did. Like I was trash and should just disappear. Not that I didn't want to. I hated to be where I didn't feel like existing. I wanted to be free and not with my mother filled with negativity. I wanted to be where I felt like I was someone. That I was existing. Some where where I could finally feel love again.