China White
One
I beat my feet hard against the concrete again and again. I could feel the cool crisp midnight air filling my lungs along with my arteries expanding with the increased blood flow. I felt I could run like this forever, maybe longer, that’s all I wanted to do, it’s all I needed to do right now. Fear added to the adrenaline pumping through my veins.
Darry’s feet pounded the ground next to mine and his heavy breaths created an exhaled fog. He wasn’t tired, he was extremely fit, I had no idea why seeing as I had never really seen him engaged in any sort of physical activity. I knew I would be tired if it weren’t for the large amounts of adrenaline.
There was a peaceful silence between us as we ran, it was nice and I knew Darry enjoyed it, The Silence. It wasn’t too noisy, but Darry had come from New York, he had mentioned multiple times he enjoyed the much more peaceful suburbs of Brampton. The streets were lined with picturesque houses, the sort of typical family style homes with multiple stories and huge double door garage’s that could fit expensive cars. The sort of place both Darry and I wished we lived in, I could speak on Darry’s behalf, everyone wished they could live in Heart Lake estates but this was real life for me although I craved that life, nobody I knew including me or anybody in my family would ever live there.
I looked at Darry and he turned his head and gave me a grin. “You know I’m going out of my way for you Al.”
“Yeah I appreciate it Daz, thanks buddy, you know I couldn’t do this by myself.”
I sighed. I really did love Darry he was my best friend and he cared about me like nobody else did and I was really grateful for everything he did for me, he knew me like nobody else.
“Allie, ‘Darry Began, looking ahead focusing on the government houses that now surrounded us, he pondered on what he was going to say for a moment taking serious thought into his words. ‘ Do you think you could ever move away from here? Get out you know. This place aint good for you; you know your family aint good for you. Look what they do to do Al. It aint right ya know, I know people that could take good care of you and maybe you could make it, get out of the bad habits and influence.”
His words made me feel good but at the same time a tear ran down my cheek. I knew he was right and I couldn’t stand it anymore because I needed to get out this place, he knew it was killing me inside.
My house I would have liked to call a home lingered just a block away.
“You know I want to, I wish I could I just don’t know what to do, I know you think I can’t deal with this but maybe I can.” I finally stated forcing myself not to picture scenarios of what would most likely happen when I walked in the front door, I knew I couldn’t deal with it but I couldn’t let Darry know that.
“I will let you decide this one on your own Al, I won’t make your decisions but you know how I feel about your life and where it’s going.” Darry replied. His pupils grew large and they were barely visible against his dark brown eyes the light from the streetlight made it just possible to see them. I knew he was scared, like he was every night he did this for me. It had seemed not a moment ago we were both standing a block away but we were now in front of my house. It was dank and it had a gloomy presence to it. The window to the kitchen was smashed and the decaying leaves from autumn still lay scattered across the front yard unraked from the end of the season. This was home although I always wished I didn’t have to call it that. Darry gave me a crooked little smile, the kind he does when he tries to show he’s not nervous or afraid. I returned a smile and then looked back to the house. A faint light shone through the smashed kitchen window and I knew somebody was defiantly home.
Darry ran behind the house and jumped over the fence. He climbed up onto a branch on the old maple tree in the backyard and gave me thumbs up.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes as I opened the front door. The old wood and rusty hinges made an uncontrollable creaking noise making it almost impossible to enter the house silently. I opened my eyes. The hallway and the stairs were dark and a dim light shone from the kitchen like I had seen from the yard. The wooden staircase floor beneath my feet creaked and cracked as I made my way up to my bedroom. I tried to tiptoe as silently as I could, I hardly breathed in my efforts to make as little noise as possible.
My efforts went to waste.
“Allie?” I heard Justin’s voice from the kitchen. It was no use trying to be silent when he knew I was home. I walked back down the stairs and into the kitchen.
There my brother sat, his eyes looking down at the cheap, chipped and damaged kitchen table that had been thrown around a few times by both Justin and Glen.
“Yes?” I croaked looking at the blood stains on his arms and clothes. I could not bare this. I looked out the window and saw the shadowy outline of Darry sitting in the tree waiting. He was the only person outside of my family that knew of my brother’s cruel hobby. Of course Justin didn’t know that.
I turned back to Justin. He knew I couldn’t look him in the eye and that bothered him.
I had no idea how he expected me to react to the things he did, anybody would be afraid. He expected I would not be afraid, how could I not be?
How could I not be scared for my own life, if I did something wrong, I wouldn’t want to know what would happen to me but the thing that killed me most was that I could not love my brother, no matter how much I tried or how much I wanted to. I never could, knowing what he was.
“Please look at me Allie.” Justin pleaded. He began to sob softly. My heart was heavy and I felt horrible but still I did not look at him.
“Where’s Glen?” I questioned glancing out the window once more to see if Darry was still there, he was. “You mean dad? Where do you think, yeah he’s getting his fix he’ll probably be back soon anyway.” He replied angrily.
“You know I can’t call him Dad.” I whispered.
“Yeah I know.”
“Listen; tell Darry if he tells anyone I’ll kill him.” Justin Informed getting up off the dining chair and walking out of the kitchen.
“Don’t think I don’t know he sits in the tree in the backyard and watches you.”
Darry’s feet pounded the ground next to mine and his heavy breaths created an exhaled fog. He wasn’t tired, he was extremely fit, I had no idea why seeing as I had never really seen him engaged in any sort of physical activity. I knew I would be tired if it weren’t for the large amounts of adrenaline.
There was a peaceful silence between us as we ran, it was nice and I knew Darry enjoyed it, The Silence. It wasn’t too noisy, but Darry had come from New York, he had mentioned multiple times he enjoyed the much more peaceful suburbs of Brampton. The streets were lined with picturesque houses, the sort of typical family style homes with multiple stories and huge double door garage’s that could fit expensive cars. The sort of place both Darry and I wished we lived in, I could speak on Darry’s behalf, everyone wished they could live in Heart Lake estates but this was real life for me although I craved that life, nobody I knew including me or anybody in my family would ever live there.
I looked at Darry and he turned his head and gave me a grin. “You know I’m going out of my way for you Al.”
“Yeah I appreciate it Daz, thanks buddy, you know I couldn’t do this by myself.”
I sighed. I really did love Darry he was my best friend and he cared about me like nobody else did and I was really grateful for everything he did for me, he knew me like nobody else.
“Allie, ‘Darry Began, looking ahead focusing on the government houses that now surrounded us, he pondered on what he was going to say for a moment taking serious thought into his words. ‘ Do you think you could ever move away from here? Get out you know. This place aint good for you; you know your family aint good for you. Look what they do to do Al. It aint right ya know, I know people that could take good care of you and maybe you could make it, get out of the bad habits and influence.”
His words made me feel good but at the same time a tear ran down my cheek. I knew he was right and I couldn’t stand it anymore because I needed to get out this place, he knew it was killing me inside.
My house I would have liked to call a home lingered just a block away.
“You know I want to, I wish I could I just don’t know what to do, I know you think I can’t deal with this but maybe I can.” I finally stated forcing myself not to picture scenarios of what would most likely happen when I walked in the front door, I knew I couldn’t deal with it but I couldn’t let Darry know that.
“I will let you decide this one on your own Al, I won’t make your decisions but you know how I feel about your life and where it’s going.” Darry replied. His pupils grew large and they were barely visible against his dark brown eyes the light from the streetlight made it just possible to see them. I knew he was scared, like he was every night he did this for me. It had seemed not a moment ago we were both standing a block away but we were now in front of my house. It was dank and it had a gloomy presence to it. The window to the kitchen was smashed and the decaying leaves from autumn still lay scattered across the front yard unraked from the end of the season. This was home although I always wished I didn’t have to call it that. Darry gave me a crooked little smile, the kind he does when he tries to show he’s not nervous or afraid. I returned a smile and then looked back to the house. A faint light shone through the smashed kitchen window and I knew somebody was defiantly home.
Darry ran behind the house and jumped over the fence. He climbed up onto a branch on the old maple tree in the backyard and gave me thumbs up.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes as I opened the front door. The old wood and rusty hinges made an uncontrollable creaking noise making it almost impossible to enter the house silently. I opened my eyes. The hallway and the stairs were dark and a dim light shone from the kitchen like I had seen from the yard. The wooden staircase floor beneath my feet creaked and cracked as I made my way up to my bedroom. I tried to tiptoe as silently as I could, I hardly breathed in my efforts to make as little noise as possible.
My efforts went to waste.
“Allie?” I heard Justin’s voice from the kitchen. It was no use trying to be silent when he knew I was home. I walked back down the stairs and into the kitchen.
There my brother sat, his eyes looking down at the cheap, chipped and damaged kitchen table that had been thrown around a few times by both Justin and Glen.
“Yes?” I croaked looking at the blood stains on his arms and clothes. I could not bare this. I looked out the window and saw the shadowy outline of Darry sitting in the tree waiting. He was the only person outside of my family that knew of my brother’s cruel hobby. Of course Justin didn’t know that.
I turned back to Justin. He knew I couldn’t look him in the eye and that bothered him.
I had no idea how he expected me to react to the things he did, anybody would be afraid. He expected I would not be afraid, how could I not be?
How could I not be scared for my own life, if I did something wrong, I wouldn’t want to know what would happen to me but the thing that killed me most was that I could not love my brother, no matter how much I tried or how much I wanted to. I never could, knowing what he was.
“Please look at me Allie.” Justin pleaded. He began to sob softly. My heart was heavy and I felt horrible but still I did not look at him.
“Where’s Glen?” I questioned glancing out the window once more to see if Darry was still there, he was. “You mean dad? Where do you think, yeah he’s getting his fix he’ll probably be back soon anyway.” He replied angrily.
“You know I can’t call him Dad.” I whispered.
“Yeah I know.”
“Listen; tell Darry if he tells anyone I’ll kill him.” Justin Informed getting up off the dining chair and walking out of the kitchen.
“Don’t think I don’t know he sits in the tree in the backyard and watches you.”