“Van? You home?” a voice called out, bright and casual, completely unaware of the way my chest had collapsed in itself.
My vision tunneled.
Someone was in the house. Someone I didn’t know.
My hands started shaking before I could stop them. I wanted to run, to become invisible. But I couldn’t go anywhere.
A tall figure with dark hair entered the living room. His dark eyes took in the empty space before he froze.
“Oh. Uh…hi?” The stranger said, blinking. “You are not my brother.”
I couldn’t breathe.
My chest tightened, sharp and fast, panic clawing up my throat. The room felt too small even though this man didn’t take a step closer to me.
The stranger’s dark eyes widened. “Hey-hey, it’s okay. I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m just – “but the words didn’t reach me.
All I could hear was the door slamming open. All I could feel was the shock of something entering without warning. All I could think wasnotagain, not again-
The stranger lifted their hands slowly, palms out. “I’m Evander’s brother. I swear I’m not – look, I’m sorry. I should have knocked. I didn’t know he had a friend.”
Brother.
The word finally cut through the panic.
I swallowed, trying to drag air into my lungs. My voice came out barely audible. “He…he’s at work.”
The sibling nodded quickly, still keeping his distance. “Right. Yeah. I know. I just came to grab something he borrowed. I didn’t mean to freak you out.”
I pressed a shaking hand to my chest, trying to steadily breathe. “I…I didn’t hear you. I didn’t know…”
“I got it. I’ll go slow. No sudden moves, promise.”
I dipped my head, not taking my eyes off of him.
He stood frozen for a good minute; hands still lifted like he was trying to show he wasn’t a threat. His eyes flickered over me once, and something in his expression shifted.
No confusion. Not annoying. Recognition.
He saw it. Hesawme.
“Hi.” He blinked, his eyes softening as he really looked at me. “I’m Rowan?”
I tilted my head. Was he askingmeif that’s who he was?
“IamRowan. Van’s brother.”
I blinked, trying to place that name with anyone I may remember from the past. But I drew up a blank.
“You….” I sighed, not able to form more words.
“Came to get something. Yes.” A pause as his eyes looked over the living room and part of the kitchen that he most likely could see from where he stood; shoulders a bit wider than Evander’s were. “Uh…a tool kit. He borrowed it to fix a few little things last week. I need it to fix something my kid broke.”
“That’s….in the laundry room.” The place all the tools were kept. I remember seeing a few different sets in there, and I put them nicely in one of the cupboards above the washer.
“Yeah. It’s a blue one. It has a handle. And it may have a sticker on the side that’s a bit faded.”
I knew what he was talking about.
