Knock knock

All three boys sitting on the couch looked over at the door at the same time, watching as Haron opened it and stepped inside.

“Hey kids, dinner is ready, so wash your hands and come downstairs, please.” He smiled and left the room, leaving the door cracked open.

Arthir sighed and slid off the couch, eyes on the t.v. that was still playing. Vynsan grabbed the remote and pressed the off button, also getting up to walk towards the door. Sitting up, Olli shuffled towards the door too, following the brothers to the bathroom to wash his hands.

They took turns at the sink, then went downstairs to the dining room. Olli could hear the adults chattering as they set the table, bringing over the food and silverware.

The kids took their seats at the right end of the table while the adults sat on the left. Dinner was delicious, but Olli still stuttered slightly when he talked, especially with the adults around. It wasn’t as bad when he talked to Vynsan and Arthir, but he still didn’t know them well enough to talk normally. He was always better with his stuttering when talking to kids than adults.

As soon as Arthir finished eating, he sat there in his seat, bouncing his leg up and down impatiently, like a little puppy. (A/N- I’m too tired to think up a new animal so let’s pretend he knows what puppies are-_-)

The adults weren’t oblivious and excused him when they noticed he had finished eating. Vynsan and Olli soon followed suit, putting their empty dishes in the sink and heading upstairs, where Arthir had turned the t.v. back on. He glanced their way from where he was sitting on the couch then looked back at the t.v.

“Vynsan, it’s your turn to pick, so I’ll watch t.v. until you’re done.” Arthir smiled and held the remote in his hands, waiting until Vynsan had picked a game and set it up. Olli had never been very good at video games, especially since he rarely played them. The last time he remembered playing any was when he was invited to a party in second school, though they hadn’t let him play for long.

Vynsan had picked a two-player game, so they would have to switch out every so often, but he let Olli play first. It was fairly simple, easy for beginners, and pretty fun. Olli traded the controller with Vynsan whenever his character died, which surprisingly, wasn’t too often. He had fun watching too, and sighed when Drynden came upstairs to tell Vynsan and Arthir that it was time to go home.

It wasn’t too late, but tomorrow was Olli’s first stir at his new school, and he wanted to get to sleep early. Haron and Sanel had already gone to bed, so he set his alarm and started getting ready for bed.

Go to the bathroom? Check.

Brush teeth and wash face? Check.

Pajamas? Check.

Now Olli was ready for bed, so he turned off the lights, burrowed under the covers, and closed his eyes. Thoughts drifting away like dandelion fluff, his mind went blank.

***

I can’t believe I’m still afraid of thunderstorms.

I had managed to squish myself under my bed, wrapping up in my cocoon of a blanket as rain pelted the window of my room. The house was rocking back and forth. The power had gone out as I was doing homework, which hadn’t happened in a while. I couldn’t remember the last time the power had gone out, but it hadn’t lasted as long as this.

Lightning flashed, illuminating the dark, shadowy room, and shortly after came the deafening boom of thunder. I reflexively flinched, squeezing my eyes shut tight. My aunt and uncle had left for dinner hours ago, so they should have been back by now. They usually weren’t out for too long, and if they were planning to stay out all set, my aunt would usually leave me a note. Something like, "We’ll be out, don’t set the house on fire, or else" scrawled in messy handwriting I could barely read.

Did they get stuck in the rain? Did they capsize while they were coming home?

I want to go check outside, but the storm is scary, so I wrap up even tighter in my blanket and stay, shivering under my bed.

Somehow I managed to fall asleep, but it felt like only a few minutes had passed before I was squinting my eyes open to the sound of a man shouting through the house. His voice was rough, and I could tell he had been drinking by his slurred words and how he called me Ostin. My own uncle couldn’t even remember my name, not that he used it when sober. That didn’t matter though, because the only time I got called Ostin was when Georgi was angry and drunk, most other times I was completely ignored.

It was still raining, the wind howling as it drove raindrops to pelt the walls and windows of the house, but I couldn’t hear any more thunder. As I dragged myself out from underneath my bed, I put up a hand to shield my eyes from the lights. The power must have come back on sometime during my nap.

Glancing towards the window only showed a blurry reflection of my room, so I could tell it was still dark outside.

I reluctantly made my way to the door, but at the sound of my uncle’s yelling getting increasingly angrier, hurried down the stairs.