Open Heart {Under Revision}

Chapter 23- Our Lovely Bones

'Time to speak about the day..(deep breath)..I mean the night which changed everything. The moment I realised my father was not the man I thought but rather an ever formidable artist masquerading his place. And in my heart.'

— Charlotte Turner, Age 15, Pre-med Student. Location: Raleigh, North Carolina.

 Subject's Doctor- Dr. Reynolds Shepherd, PhD, Behavioural Psychology. Dr. Brown was unable to record this session hence her assistant took the place.

San Diego, Fifteen and Half Years Ago...

I let out a low-squeaky whistle seeing the amount of books Sylvan was loading into the SUV. He had yet to attain his driver's license so our long time family driver, Nigel was going to take him to college. Nearby, my mother and aunt Daniella were conversing about my mother's recent publication on intravenous therapy for Lyssa Fever. I wanted to roll my eyes at these two because well, who talked about a bleeding viral fever when the son of family was taking his steps into the world? But before I could even move my eyes in a roll, both the women heard my attempt to whistle.

My mother whirled her blonde head and snapped, "Charlotte! What was that? How can you bring yourself to display such feeble-minded behaviour?!"

She could have just said that I was stupid and saved us from her six-second long rant but mother was mother and she would use every inch of that darn literature birthed inside her gut.

"Nothing mom." I dryly replied even though I knew very well to irk her sometimes. She shot me a disgusted glance and mumbled hopeless in my direction before resuming her conversation with Danielle.

Sylvan caught the exchange and shut off his back door before walking near me. His face was drawn in a tight expression as if already he knew the true behaviour my mother was going to display after he went to Manchester.

"You won't do any trouble after I am gone right?" he asked, looking in the direction of our mothers. I shrugged and kicked an invisible pebble.

"Well I am already a disgrace to my family because my GPA was 4.3. I think the words like 'facetious' and 'uncouth' were also mentioned." I snickered silently. Sylvan was thinking, his brows drawn in.

"Lola, I know you don't want to be like this."

"Really?" I turned back to our looming house, "Nearly twenty rooms, a hall for parties where I'm not supposed to join. Windows gazing at beach. The great good sun. I surely want to be here." I replied, making sure both the women nearby also heard.

Sylvan sighed, and ran a hand on his face. His appearance was shifting drastically. Few months ago, he was a lean-lanky thirteen year old but now, at the age of fourteen—his body was adapting to venture into an adult. He spared a glance again at his mother and said, "You have the phone I got you, right?"

I wasn't allowed to use phone but Sylvan gave me one so we could keep in touch.

"See, Radiance." he used the nickname which had suddenly sprouted in back of his mind couple of days ago. Humph! Was I a light bulb? Light years ahead?! "Behind every beautiful painted and polished house, there lies a reason for surface allure. To hide something." his hazel eyes impulsively darkened, "But we have to be smart and live even smartly to outsmart the hidden lockers."

I gave him an odd look, "You are sounding like puzzle."

"You need to accept that this is who you are now. Once you graduate in couple of more years, you can go to college and be free of this place. Like I'm doing and then—" he peered at the women who were craning in our direction, "Then nobody can bother you."