Listen to 'Lost Boy' by Ruth B for this chapter.
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I say goodbye and watch Taylor go inside, throwing me a wave then shutting the door. Before that she had been looking at me with worry in her eyes which only confused me. She also asked me a couple of times if I was okay - which I think I am - and I haven't figured out why. Maybe because of that moment I had?
Shrugging away my unanswered question I walk away from the perfect neighbourhood.
I decide to go see Cole. It's been a few days and he hadn't been at school so I should check up on him, make sure he's alright.
After knocking on the grand door at the front of his massive house I wait for Cole to open it, however when the door swings open I'm greeted by someone much smaller. A girl that resembles Cole with sandy blonde pigtails and light grey eyes.
"Kai!" Naomi exclaims, beaming up at me.
I'd seen Naomi, Cole's little sister, numerous times before when I've been round. I sometimes help Cole look after her by playing with her, which she loves. She's a very perky girl, so innocent and oblivious to the world surrounding her.
What I would give to be carefree again.
"Hiya, Naomi."
I smile as she wraps her short arms around my waist to give me a hug. After she pulls away I begin to ask for Cole but she already has her small hand in mine and is pulling me inside.
"Cole's in the sitting room. We're watching Sleeping Beauty." Naomi says happily as she drags me in that direction.
Like any other five-year-old girl, Naomi loves princesses and all things Disney. Her pink princess dress and glimmering tiara give that away.
We enter the sitting room but what I see is nothing I was prepared for. I double over laughing hysterically at the sight before me. I laugh so hard that I have to stop to take a breath and tears stream down my face.
Cole, frowning, is sitting on the couch wearing a bright pink tutu skirt and a shining tiara on the top of his sandy blonde locks that exactly matches Naomi's only less glittery.
"Are you done?" Cole asks minutes later, arms crossed and cheeks burning red.
"Nope." I reply, popping the 'p' before erupting into laughter again. I can't help it. He has literally just made my entire day.
When I finally stop laughing I plop down on the couch next to Cole and try to give him an apologetic look which lasts about three seconds as I am not sorry in the slightest. You can't blame me.
"C'mon, you know that you look hilarious."
"I think big bro looks very peautifole." Naomi chirps from her seat in front of the tv.
I smile at the adorable way she says the word 'beautiful'. Cole rolls his eyes and huffs.
"Yeah, I know I look stupid." He whispers so that Naomi doesn't hear. "But she made me wear this and you're not meant to rub it in."
I just smirk at him in response.
"We were playing princesses."
"Thought as much." I reply, a gleam in my eyes.
Glancing towards the tv I watch as the prince leans down to kiss the princess awake. Naomi squeals with such delight that you'd never guess she'd seen the movie millions of times before.
What little it takes to make a child happy. I just scowl at the overplayed cliché.
After the movie finishes I get up and follow Cole into the pristine kitchen. Counters of marble and cupboards of the clearest white take up the space as well as the most up-to-date oven, microwave and stove.
"You're not going to cook are you?"
Disbelief is obvious in my voice. Cole doesn't have any clue how to cook. Unlike me, the most he can manage is baked beans and toast, maybe pasta on rare occasions. I had to teach myself how to cook considering my dad never does.
"Pfft, no. Who do you think I am? Mary has the day off today so I'm just going to order us some pizza."
Mary is the Weller's maid. She's a lovely person who Cole and Naomi consider as part of the family. She's more of a mother to them then Mrs Weller ever was Cole tells me. She cares a great deal about them and is usually always here. Mary is the one who cooks most days.
She's kind of like a mother figure to me too. Well she looks out for me and feeds me whenever I'm here alongside Cole and Naomi. I owe her and Cole a lot.
"I'm just going to get three margaritas. That okay with you, Kai?"
I nod. Originals always work with me.
Cole grabs the pizza brochure from one of the drawers and dials the number. I leave him to it and go find Naomi who is now sitting cross-legged on the carpet playing with her Barbie dolls. She looks up to the sound of me approaching.
"Hey Kai, will you play with me? Pwetty please?" She begs while giving me a look that makes it impossible for me to say no.
"Sure." I shrug. I'm a sucker for her puppy-dog eyes.
A few minutes later Cole walks in to see me holding a doll and pretending it's interacting with the other two Naomi has her fingers wrapped around. I feel absolutely ridiculous but Naomi is having a good time so I guess it's worth it.
When did I start caring so much about others?
Naomi isn't like others though. She's just a little girl and I don't want her finding out how ugly the world is during her childhood. That's what I had to go through and I'd rather no one else goes through that, especially someone as pure as Naomi. Her heart is too kind.
I understand why Cole feels the need to protect her from everything, from the truth about their parents, the fights and the imperfection. She mustn't learn about the darkness. Not yet. Not for a very long time.
"The pizza should be here any minute now." Cole informs us.
My stomach rumbles at the sound of that and suddenly I can't wait for the pizza to arrive. Cole and Naomi must feel the same way.
"Yay! I'm starving." Naomi cheers, letting go of her dolls and jumping up and down like pizza makes everything right in the world.
I wouldn't disagree.
Moments later the doorbell rings and Cole runs to answer it.
"You want me to pay?" I call over.
I feel guilty since I eat so much at the Wellers. I can cook for myself at my own house but more times than not I can't be bothered. Plus I don't go home very much so am usually here.
"Nah, I've got this." Cole shouts back.
I hear the door shut and Cole walks in carrying three boxes of pizza.
"Can we eat here in the sitting room? Please Cole!" Naomi pleads excitedly.
"Fine, but just for today." Cole answers. "And don't make a mess, okay?"
"Promise." Her smile stretches from one cheek to the other showing a gap where two of her top teeth were missing. She'd told me all about her visit from the tooth fairy who gave her three whole pounds.
When it comes to Naomi, Cole will do anything to make her happy. She is his top priotity. And he is her only parental figure. That means he has to be responsible and mature to set a good example, something no one our age should have to do.
I applaud him as he is doing an amazing job. I know it is so hard on him and sometimes too much, but thats why he's got me. And Naomi is an incredible child.
They both care unconditionally about the people they cherish and have hearts of gold. I'm lucky to have Cole. I'm lucky to have one person who actually gets me.
Cole hands me my pizza and places Naomi's one on the ground beside her. She's switching the tv on and this time decides to watch a show about faries. She begins singing the theme song. Something about Winx, Thinx or somthing like that.
Me and Cole take the couch and I instantly open up my pizza box and start demolishing the delicious goodness within. Before I know it the pizza is finished and I feel satisfied. Cole finishes just as fast as me, no surprise there.
I lie back and take a deep breath, licking my fingers. Then I ask the question that's been tugging at me for a while.
"So how are things with your parents?" I know he doesn't want to talk about this but he has to get it all out and I need to know if he's alright or not.
Cole sighs. He doesn't say anything for a while and I decide that he's not going to answer, but then he takes a deep breath and delves into the past few days.
"You know how my parents are. I don't remember the last time they got along and we were a normal family. It's been really bad recently though."
Oh no. That's definitely not a good sign.
"Ever since that day you called me, they've been at each other's throats fighting and arguing. Every little thing one of them does infuriates the other. But this time they started by fighting about us, me and Naomi. That was the day you called me.
Mum was blaming dad and dad was blaming mum. They were fighting about the responsibility they shared and about how the other wasn't doing a good job at raising us. Both of them were beyond angry. I have no idea what sparked this topic but it caused the biggest fight they'd ever had or at least the biggest one I've ever seen.
I was in Naomi's room with her like I told you, doing as much as I could to block out the noise and distract her. She told me she was hungry so I made her promise to stay put and left the room for the kitchen to grab us some snacks. I was quick, only grabbing a few things while Mary watched me from her seat on the barstool. I still feel bad that she has to witness my parent's ignorance.
As I was grabbing the last thing I heard a deafening bang. I knew instantly that Naomi must have heard it and knowing her she was going to leave the room to look for the cause. I dropped everything and sprinted for the living room where my parents were currently fighting. I ran as fast as I could with only one thought racing through my mind: Naomi must not find out about our parents.
But I wasn't fast enough. Naomi was already there, frozen in the doorway. When I got to her I peered inside the room to see a hole in the wall. Broken ornaments and vases were in smithereens all around but I couldn't stop staring at the wall.
My parents were too busy still arguing that they didn't even notice us there. They couldn't even pay attention to their very own children watching the mess they created. The people they were fighting about because they apparently 'care about us'."
Cole begins to shake beside me, the anger taking over. His hands are balled into fists and his eyes are dark. I reach out and place my arm on his shoulder in an attempt to tell him that I'm here and everything will be okay. He looks at me then continues.
"Naomi's eyes gave away her utter terror. I'd always hidden this from her. Me and Mary had always cleaned up after them before Naomi could see. I'd concealed all this ugliness from her. But this time - this time I wasn't good enough. "
"No." I pitch in. "Don't say that. This is not your fault."
He has to know that he's not the one to blame. It's not up to him and there's nothing he could have done.
"I knew you'd say that." Cole grimaces like he's in pain and his eyes turn glassy. A single tear rolls down his cheek and I squeeze his shoulder.
"I dragged Naomi away from the scene and back to her room, grabbing the food on the way. She didn't say a word and that look on her face never changed all the way there. I sat her down and tried to pretend like nothing had happened. I tried playing with her and giving her food but she was still in shock.
She didn't speak or move. I began to panic having no clue of what to do. I tried gently shaking her, giving her water, shouting at her but she was in a daze. She just stared at the telly in front of her, not moving except to breathe and blink. So I did the only thing I could - I held her tight and let her know I was there.
Eventually she fell asleep but I didn't sleep a wink that whole night. I was too scared for Naomi. The next day she woke up and was better but still not her regular self. She was distant and unsure.
I was so worried but thankfully she's okay now as you can see. It took a few days but she's back to her normal, happy self. I know the memory still lingers in the back of her mind though, threatening and terrorising. I would give anything to rid her of what she saw. to remove that memory. She's too young for this, too innocent."
Cole glances towards Naomi who's laying on her stomach focusing intently on the tv. Admiration and love is evident in his eyes. His gaze ligers and I look towards her too. Her legs swing back and forth, head resting on hands which are propped up by her elbows.
She looks over at us, realising we're watching her and smiles a real and genuine smile. I shoot her a small smile in return and turn to face Cole, seeing he's trying his hardest to do the same.
"She's lucky she has you, you know? Cole, things would be much worse if you weren't here for her. You couldn't have done anything in that situation. Please understand that."
Cole nods slowly, faking a smile. I know he doesn't believe what I'm saying but he will. He must forgive himself. He's done and is still doing so much. More than he's obliged to. More than most.
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A/N
Hi guys!
Soooo that was intense, am I right? Poor Cole. We finally met Naomi so what did you think of her? What about Cole and how protective he is over her? And Kai's determination to make her happy? Let me know by commenting. I'd love to hear what you think.
Thank you for reading this chapter and I really hope you liked it. Its a bit longer than my previous few so let me now if you prefer longer chapters or shorter ones. Again please vote, comment and promote. Your support means a lot.
Mai x