Early Bird | ✓

20 | swallow

           "May I talk to you for a moment, love?" their father inquired of his wife, his hand subconsciously pulling her closer to him in a protective manner. Lizzy's mother's eyebrows furrowed as she stared into her husband's eyes. For the first time since he arrived, Lizzy gazed into her father's face and noticed the age lines outlining his forehead, his sagging shoulders, an aurora of hopeless weariness emanating from him.

           "Of course. In the bathroom?"

           Lizzy's father's mood infected the atmosphere, the anxious tension palpable. Lizzy and Logan exchanged worried glances, a sense of sibling understanding floating between them. Without saying a word, Lizzy appointed Logan to eavesdropping duty and he accepted this mission with determination and resolve. As their parents held each other's hands and disappeared into the bathroom, Logan slinked to the locked door, his ear pressing against the wood to maximize the sound. Lizzy gesticulated that she'd wait in her bedroom, expecting that Logan would soon join her with the furtive news or somewhat an idea of what was going on—as for Lizzy, she hadn't a single clue.

           She teetered on the edge of her bed, her knee bouncing nervously. Each second seemed to be an hour, a lifetime, as she waited for her brother. Finally, she heard a rapid succession of deep breaths and pounding feet, her door swinging wide open with a rosy-faced, bug-eyed Logan racing inside. Lizzy immediately stood upon his entrance and waited impatiently while Logan slowly caught his breath, his hands on his knees and his chest rising and falling in rhythm with his pounding heart. "Logan, you are really out of shape," Lizzy commented when Logan's convalescence never ceased.

           "I...wouldn't be...talking...my...unathletic...sister," Logan sputtered out in between breaths before collapsing onto the floor dramatically.

           "Oh, shut up. Can we talk about how unathletic I am later? Right now, I'm dying to know what you heard." Lizzy leaned over her brother who had a sheen of sweat on his forehead, his eyes closed in exhaustion. Lizzy was losing her patience and delving into frustration fast. "My room is seriously like two feet away from the downstairs bathroom. All you had to do was climb up some stairs."

           "There's a lot more stairs than you think, especially when you're running because your life depends on it," Logan defended, climbing to his feet with the help of his sister's hand. Together, they perched on Lizzy's bed and Lizzy was unable to contain her eagerness at hearing what was happening with her dad.

           "Did Mom and Dad catch you?" Lizzy asked, her jaw dropping open. Logan shook his head, his attention glancing toward the door for a moment to make sure that they were indeed alone.

          "So Mom and Dad were in the bathroom, you know?" Logan finally commenced after determining that they were safe from any peeping parents.

           Lizzy rolled her eyes and almost pulled at her frizzy hair in irritation. Her brother really knew how to rile her up and keep her in unbearable suspense. "No, they were in Europe." She drew out the sentence, her voice dripping in sarcasm like it was covered in honey. "Keep going and get to the juicy part of the story because all I'm getting right now is a piece of crap."

           Logan glared at his sister for interrupting his story and for her rude comments. "Fine. I don't have to tell you what I heard downstairs." He crossed his arms and flipped his head around until he wasn't facing Lizzy anymore. Lizzy tried to apologize and tugged at his arm but his stubborn lips stayed sealed and he didn't look her in the eye. After a few minutes, Lizzy resolved to sit back and wait it out; if the secrets he unearthed contained any worth, Logan would eventually slip them out simply because of his excitement.

           Lizzy was right and she smiled with satisfaction when her brother's head pivoted back to face her, his eyes swimming with emotions—restlessness, terror, desolation. After they connected gazes and Lizzy observed these moods, her smile weakened and she wondered if she even wanted to know what he had to say. Curiosity, however, ultimately won and Lizzy listened closely as Logan revealed all that he had heard.

           "Mom and Dad are in the bathroom and I'm listening to their conversation. At first, I don't hear much because I can't really hear their voices well because of the door and all. Anyway, I finally hear something and it was Dad saying, 'We'll figure it out, love. We always do. I should've listened to Patrick.' And then Mom was crying and he was trying to make her feel better, saying, 'It's gonna be alright, honey. We're going to be fine. I'll look for another job starting tomorrow and, after I find one, everything will be back on track.' Lizzy, does that mean what I think it means?"

           Lizzy's stomach clenched painfully and she felt as though she was about to be sick. A single tear dripped down her cheek, the only movement on her otherwise motionless face. The entire world she'd known had smashed around her like a car colliding into another. She and her family were simply minding their own business when out of nowhere a meteorite clanged to the Earth, shaking their very bones and leaving them rattled and unsure of what to do next.

           "I don't know what you think it means, but I think Dad lost his job."

❁
A/N:
We made it to 20 chapters!!!  This is so exciting!  I can't wait to see where this story is going in the near future!  In writing, I have just finished chapter 33 and started chapter 34.  I also have just reached 70,000+ words.  My goal is to finish this book in the near future, but we'll see!  It will most definitely be completed this summer :)
Remember to vote and comment if you enjoyed!  I love hearing your feedback on how I can make this story the best it can be!

- Payton