Status: major editing, rereading is suggested
Beckett
december.
It was December. Xavier was always taking the car and hogging it for hours each day, but he wouldn't tell anyone what he was doing. One time he was just going to meet up with some friends from a couple towns over, except he didn't. Another time he told our Dad he was going to pick up some groceries so Dad didn't have to, which he did. Though it doesn't take seven hours to pick up some food from the store. So in December, I decided to sneak into the passenger seat of the car right when I knew he was going to take it. Obviously this annoyed him, but my brother is horrible at grudges so he accepted his fate, tossing me a nervous glance.
"Wait here," Xavier told me, standing outside the car door and leaning his head into the open driver side window, "I'll be right back." He patted the cold metal of the car twice before jogging through the parking lot to the grocery store entrance. I doubted he'd come right back so I turned up the radio, leaned my head back against the seat and closed my eyes. It was cool outside, but not freezing like it typically would be. That winter had almost been nonexistent, just like an everlasting fall. The windows of the car were down, letting the faint sun warm my fabric-clad arm as it sat on the window ledge. My sweater was enough to keep me warm that bizarre December day. Dad's car smelled a little like the woods and, at the time, I didn't understand how seeing as no one dared went there. Not with the wolves.
About a half hour later Xavier was back with a cart full of plastic grocery bags. I snapped open my eyes, yanking the door open so I could follow him to the trunk of the car. He didn't say a word to me as he loaded up the trunk with grocery bags. I frowned, "Xavier, what are those for? We don't eat any of that shit. You know Dad's on that health kick." He smiled, closing the trunk and giving the cart a gentle push in the direction of one of the cart holder structures. Xavier ruffled up my hair before telling me to get back in the car.
"They aren't for us, Baby Sis," Xavier told me, sliding into the driver's seat. I made a face, sitting in my seat while he turned the key and the car came to life. He sighed, looking at me, "Now listen to me, I need to go drop those bags off somewhere and since you've decided to tag along, you need to come too. You can't tell anyone, okay?"
"Xavier, what have you done?" I asked, watching as he put his hand on the back of my seat and looking back, pulled out of the parking spot. He maneuvered us out of the parking lot and onto the street without a word. "Xavier."
"I made some friends," he said.
"With who? Why do they need you to buy them groceries?" I waited for him to explain but he didn't, not right away. He looked like he was thinking over whether or not he would tell me anything now, or just make me wait.
Xavier laughed, "It's fine. Trust me okay?" I felt the nerves take over my stomach, crossing my arms and watching my brother focus on driving down the street. Never did my brother stray me wrong before and I trusted him, I really did. I nodded to him, knowing he was too focused on maneuvering through the streets to the woods to know what I had done.
"Fine," I mumbled, looking out the window as the faintest sign of tree tops slipped out from above the houses. That was when I realized exactly where these new friends were located: the woods. Or at least near them, but a lot of people refused to live over there because of all the wolves. Now it was just the elderly people who had lived there all their lives and for that reason refuse to leave, or the weird people who have fascinations with danger and wolves and death. I was hoping for the former of the two. "Can you tell me anything about them?"
"Sure," Xavier smiled, switching lanes so we could make a right turn, going closer to the entrance of the woods, "they need food." He glanced at me, clearly looking like he had enjoyed telling me this riveting information. I swatted at his arm. "Okay, something real, um, they're not what you think they are. They're nice people, remember that. Please." His voice strained in a way I wasn't used to hearing from him.
"Of course."
He pulled the car off to the side of the road and turned it off. "You won't believe me, Sofia, but just don't think too hard." I furrowed my eyebrows at him, watching as he stepped out of the car and headed to the trunk for the bags. Regardless of my nerves, I followed behind him, watching as he searched around us for something. "Have an open mind, kid."
Then his eyes focused on something. He had found what he was hoping to find within the woods and it was terrifying to know. Xavier managed to hold the bags in one hand and grab my arm in the other, keeping me close.
Suddenly I knew what he was looking for: a wolf.
"Wait here," Xavier told me, standing outside the car door and leaning his head into the open driver side window, "I'll be right back." He patted the cold metal of the car twice before jogging through the parking lot to the grocery store entrance. I doubted he'd come right back so I turned up the radio, leaned my head back against the seat and closed my eyes. It was cool outside, but not freezing like it typically would be. That winter had almost been nonexistent, just like an everlasting fall. The windows of the car were down, letting the faint sun warm my fabric-clad arm as it sat on the window ledge. My sweater was enough to keep me warm that bizarre December day. Dad's car smelled a little like the woods and, at the time, I didn't understand how seeing as no one dared went there. Not with the wolves.
About a half hour later Xavier was back with a cart full of plastic grocery bags. I snapped open my eyes, yanking the door open so I could follow him to the trunk of the car. He didn't say a word to me as he loaded up the trunk with grocery bags. I frowned, "Xavier, what are those for? We don't eat any of that shit. You know Dad's on that health kick." He smiled, closing the trunk and giving the cart a gentle push in the direction of one of the cart holder structures. Xavier ruffled up my hair before telling me to get back in the car.
"They aren't for us, Baby Sis," Xavier told me, sliding into the driver's seat. I made a face, sitting in my seat while he turned the key and the car came to life. He sighed, looking at me, "Now listen to me, I need to go drop those bags off somewhere and since you've decided to tag along, you need to come too. You can't tell anyone, okay?"
"Xavier, what have you done?" I asked, watching as he put his hand on the back of my seat and looking back, pulled out of the parking spot. He maneuvered us out of the parking lot and onto the street without a word. "Xavier."
"I made some friends," he said.
"With who? Why do they need you to buy them groceries?" I waited for him to explain but he didn't, not right away. He looked like he was thinking over whether or not he would tell me anything now, or just make me wait.
Xavier laughed, "It's fine. Trust me okay?" I felt the nerves take over my stomach, crossing my arms and watching my brother focus on driving down the street. Never did my brother stray me wrong before and I trusted him, I really did. I nodded to him, knowing he was too focused on maneuvering through the streets to the woods to know what I had done.
"Fine," I mumbled, looking out the window as the faintest sign of tree tops slipped out from above the houses. That was when I realized exactly where these new friends were located: the woods. Or at least near them, but a lot of people refused to live over there because of all the wolves. Now it was just the elderly people who had lived there all their lives and for that reason refuse to leave, or the weird people who have fascinations with danger and wolves and death. I was hoping for the former of the two. "Can you tell me anything about them?"
"Sure," Xavier smiled, switching lanes so we could make a right turn, going closer to the entrance of the woods, "they need food." He glanced at me, clearly looking like he had enjoyed telling me this riveting information. I swatted at his arm. "Okay, something real, um, they're not what you think they are. They're nice people, remember that. Please." His voice strained in a way I wasn't used to hearing from him.
"Of course."
He pulled the car off to the side of the road and turned it off. "You won't believe me, Sofia, but just don't think too hard." I furrowed my eyebrows at him, watching as he stepped out of the car and headed to the trunk for the bags. Regardless of my nerves, I followed behind him, watching as he searched around us for something. "Have an open mind, kid."
Then his eyes focused on something. He had found what he was hoping to find within the woods and it was terrifying to know. Xavier managed to hold the bags in one hand and grab my arm in the other, keeping me close.
Suddenly I knew what he was looking for: a wolf.