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My eyes prickle at my mum’s words.
“You’re letting it ruin us. He needs our help!”
“Please, Jenny, we can do this. We need to do this for him. Together.”
“Goodbye, Eric.” Mum leaves through the door and slams it shut behind her, making it echo throughout the warmly coloured house. I wish there was some green paint so I could add a bit of colour. We have this huge house, and it’s all brown and white.
Dad hangs his head. He lets out a sigh and squats down with his arms on his knees, burying his face in his hands.
I open my door fully and slowly make my way down the wooden stairs. “Dad?”
His head quickly turns to me, looking at me with red eyes, and he smiles. The same smile the doctor gave me earlier today when he delivered some ADHD nonsense.
“Hey, buddy.”
“Where did Mum go?”
“She’s, uh… she’s… gone on a very long holiday, Alex,” he stutters.
Something doesn’t sound right about the way he says that. I’m not sure what it is, but it gives me a sick feeling in my stomach like earlier.
“W-when will she be back?” I ask. I can feel pressure behind my eyes. Something isn’t right.
“She’s… um…” A tear slips down his cheek, and he drops his head again. “I’m not sure, Alex.”
I don’t know why I want to cry. Mum never paid any attention to me. I don’t really know her. I try to show her all my love—like Jacques said I should—but she never pays attention to me. She always kicks and pushes me away. Sometimes she even leaves bruises on me. They hurt for days. I always try to tell Dad about them, but whenever I do, Mum always shows up, and I get too scared of her reaction to tell Dad.
Maybe she’s just going to take a break from us, and she will come back all happy and finally love me. Maybe she’ll stop hurting me, too.
I wake up the next morning to my dad nudging me gently. Is Mum back now? If she is, I’ll make sure to love her better. Maybe that’s why she didn’t say goodbye to me.
“Hey, buddy,” he says softly.
I rub my eyes, puffy from all the crying I did last night. Sitting up, I stretch my arms over my head and yawn. Dad is crouched next to my bed—dressed in his white shirt and black trousers—and smiling, but it’s not his usual wide smile, and he has dark circles under his eyes. Plus, his hair looks a lot like mine when I wake up in the morning.
“I know you’re upset about your mum, but…” He pulls out the softest teddy bear I’ve ever seen in my life from behind his back, and my jaw drops with a gasp. “I thought this little guy might cheer you up.” He grins.
The sleepiness disappears quickly, and I snatch the teddy bear, cuddling him into me. He’s so fluffy and soft. And the best thing about him? He’s green. He even smells like a fresh forest. I smile widely at my dad, but he has tears in his eyes.
“Thank you, Daddy. I’m going to keep him forever.”
He laughs and messes up my hair. “What are you going to call him?”
Now that’s an impossible question. What if I forget his name?
I press my finger to my chin and hum. “I don’t know yet.” I shrug.
“Well, you have an important decision to make, bud. Breakfast is ready downstairs,” he says as he gets up and leaves.
I jump up and down on my bed, letting out an excited squeal. Pulling the teddy away from me, I look into its beady black eyes. Maybe this teddy won’t leave me like my mum did. He might even love me back, because I love him already.
Today is going to be a good day.
Chapter 2
Xander
Idrag the stick of charcoal down the smooth paper, black coating the side of my hand where I’ve already blended the trees. The rare warmth of the morning sun seeps through my white button-up shirt, birds chirping their melody in the background. We rarely get sunshine in London, so when it does come out, I like to sit outside and soak it all in. Apparently, being outside is good for your mental health; that’s what my therapist told me years ago, and it’s become a habit.
