Finding Everett | ✔️

Chapter One

It was weird to think of his young brother being all grown up, even though he still lived under the same roof as he and spoke with him every day. Everett, in his mind, could only visualize the small little boy that walked around with a plastic guitar and over-sized sunglasses in the living room.

And what about Cole? Everett had never even seen him. He scowled at nothing as he realized that he could guess from here to tomorrow and still have no idea what his youngest sibling looked like.

Jeffrey got married a little over two years ago. What did his wife look like? He was at their wedding, but what was the feel of it? When you looked, what did you think of? He had no idea. He knew that everyone kept talking about a Winter Wonderland theme, but that told him next to nothing. It was one of the more frustrating things. He lived and was related to these people, but he was lost. He felt as if he didn't belong in their world.

An annoying buzz that came from his left brought Everett back to reality. It was obviously day time and it was time to get up and move around; time to get ready for the day. His hand reached out and slapped the button on top of his clock, silencing the awful noise.

Pushing the covers down to his knees, Everett pulled his legs out from under the blankets and swung his feet over the side. He stood and turned to his left, counting his steps as he slowly walked. "One ... two ... three ... four ..."

As expected, once he hit six, he had touched the door to his bathroom. He repeated the routine as he made his way towards his shower and got into his usual swing of things. It was hard sometimes, being unable to see. Everett hated that he couldn't enjoy things that other people could enjoy. It bugged and irked him. He couldn't run and play baseball with Jesse. He couldn't go bowling. He could barely go swimming, but he basically had to have a babysitter for it. He couldn't even drive.

Everett felt trapped. And it usually manifested itself in his attitude and demeanor. He wasn't unpleasant. But he was still a little aggressive at times. He supposed that it was just his natural reaction to things at this point. His introverted nature kept him away from people anyways. Having a disability fueled that fire, nearly making him a recluse. He shied away from people, even those who helped. His friends all became a figment of the imagination; nothing but a hole in his dying heart. His own family no longer brought him the comfort and reassurance they once did. In fact, he resented them more than anything.

How fair was it that while he struggled through life, not knowing who was beside him, or if anyone was there at all, that they had the pleasure of being able to view the world still? He was in total darkness and he could do nothing about it.

At first, it frightened him; for a young boy who was still afraid of the dark, being trapped in the hollow world that his blindness brought him was excruciating. He was scared. What was he supposed to do? How was he supposed to live?

He asked himself these questions every day, that is, until the answer came to him around his thirteenth birthday, and oh, what a simple answer it was. It rang clear in his mind like the sound of crystal being tapped: life was no longer his to enjoy.

After this grand revelation came to him, Everett sought shelter in the only world he could still enjoy: music. The piano became his best friend and he knew it better than anyone. Everyday he sat there after school, listening to the notes and practicing the best he could.

When his parents finally figured out that this was the only thing keeping their son on this side of sanity, they hired out the most skilled piano instructor available. At first, Everett protested. He had the desire to figure this out on his own. But when he learned how much he was missing by not having an instructor, he quickly gave in. It didn't take him long to master the instrument. His teacher was almost disappointed with the speed with which his pupil learned, but proud none-the-less.