One Day Past NaNo Year Four - Chapter Eight, Part Three
2:55 pm
Her arms trembled.
"Two."
She took a deep breath.
"Three!"
The ground rose considerably faster than she could have thought, though it was only a drop about five feet to the ground. Her ankle twisted and jarred her for a moment, the rest of her body hitting the ground. Shocked and surprised, she laid there for several minutes until the ringing in her ears subsided. Then, carefully, she got to her feet, testing her ankle, though it was just fine, only jarred by the impact with the ground.
Jess glanced back at the house, silence meeting her inquiry. Then, turning back, she crept across her lawn and stopped at the street. Alex's house was quiet and silent, shapes and shadows moving about within, some big and some small. Her heart raced at the thought of being even near his house, but she knew that she had to know if he was alright.
So, steeling her wavering thoughts, she stepped foot into the street and crossed over to his side of the street. Her muscles were all taught and her mind picked up every single tiny noise that carried in the night. She could almost imagine her mother yelling at her, catching her crossing the street, sneaking out when she had told her to stay inside. However, none of such things happened, and Jess quietly darted to the sideyard and hid alongside a bush.
It had been several years since she'd gotten herself stuck in the bushes at Alex's house, and Jess had never liked being in close proximity to the house. Watching the shapes moving about inside the house, she waited until they moved into a different room and darted across teh lawn again and stopped just under the window she knew belonged to Alex and Eric. Crouching beneath it, her knees sinking into the dirt, she steadied her breath.
Then, slowly she stood up and peeked into their room, a gap in the curtains revealing darkness. Jess knocked on the window once and then twice, her heart sputtering as the notion that Marge might realize it was Jess standing outside the window. However, Eric pushed the window up. His eyes were red rimmed and his face pale and yellowish, though that was more normal than anything for him.
"Where's Alex?" she asked.
"Um, he's sleeping," he said.
"Well, wake him up," she said. "I have to talk to him."
Eric figeted and coughed. "He can't."
"Why not?"
"Because."
"I want to talk to Alex," she said, standing her ground.
Eric sighed. "Fine," he said. "But if Marge finds out I'm blaming you," he said, and then paused for a moment. "But only because he's my brother."
As he turned away, Jess called out to him. "Wait, Eric," she hissed.
He turned back. "What?"
"Is everything ok? I mean with what happened at school?" she asked.
Eric didn't answer, choosing to just stare at Jess.
"Well?"
"Not really," he said quietly before disappearing into the darkness.
Several moments passed, hissed conversations and rummaging going on in teh room that Jess couldn't either quiet hear or make out with her eyes. Then, Alex came to the window.
"Hey," he said quietly.
She gave him a quick once over. "Come outside," she said.
"I can't," he whispered.
"Please," she said.
"I'm in enough trouble as is."
"Yeah, about that," she said, looking at the ground.
"What?"
"I just want to know that you're ok."
"I'm alive, " he said.
"I can see that," she answered. "Just come outside."
Alex glanced back at Eric who had returned to bed. Jess could hear him breathing from where he lay.
"Just go," Eric whispered. "I'll cover for you."
With another moment of consideration, Alex hoped up and pulled himself through the open window, the window having no screen to begin with. With a soft oomph, he landed on the ground in a crouched position. he sucked in a breath, squeezing his eyes closed.
"Come on," she said, reaching down to grab his arm.
"Where're we going?" he asked.
"I don't know," she said.
He stood up with veiled difficulty.
"You ok?" she asked, looking down at him.
Alex shrugged.
Pulling him away, they moved quietly down the street towards Yew Boulevard and turned the corner. Jess dragged him half a block and then turned another corner and took him down Tree Street. Under a street lamp, she stopped and yanked up his shirt.
"Hey, don't do that" he cried out, trying to pry his shirt out of her grasp.
Jess' breath caught in her throat.
Alex glanced down at his belly, a bruise in the process of blossoming into a truely colorful display in the shape of a hand marring his skin. "It's not that bad, really," he said, looking up at her.
She still didn't say anything.
"Doesn't hurt much," he added.
She reached out with one hand to touch it and Alex took a quick step away.
Alex turned his head and bit his lip. "Please don't tell anybody," he said.
"I think you should tell someone, Alex," she said.
"Who?"
"I don't know," she said. "My mom?"
"No."
"Someone at school? They always say taht you should tell a responsible adult if you see something bad," she said.
"I'm not bad."
"I didn't say you were," she said.
He glanced down at his belly before pulling his shirt down.
"Just don't tell anyone."
"Why?"
"Cause."
"Why?"
He didn't say.
"I'm going to tell someone," she said. "Someone needs to know. This isn't the way it's supposed to be."
Alex shrugged. "If you tell I won't be friends with you anymore."
"Don't say that," she cried.
"Then don't tell anybody," he said. "You can't, Jess. You just can't."
"Why not?" she asked.
Alex sighed, staring at the ground. "Because if you do, we'll... Eric and I will probably be split up," he said. "Lots of foster parents only want one kid."
"Well, you two aren't split up right now? Marge and Hank took both of you," she said. "Maybe somebody else will too."
He shook his head, seeming older than his nine years. "It just doesn't work that way."
"Well it should."
"Eric is sick," he said. "Really sick."
"I know. He's been sick since forever," she said.
"He's sicker, keeps getting sicker and sicker," he said.
"He has been missing lots of school," she mentioned, glancing off into the night, looking for potential parents out to find them.
Alex nodded. "The whole reason Marge and Hank took Eric and me when we were little was because of the money," he said.
"The money?"
"Foster parents get money when they take kids in," Alex said.
"They do?"
"Uh huh. And since Eric is so sick, they get more money," he said. "So, that's why we weren't separated."
"Oh."
"But now..." Alex shook his head. "We'll totally get separated if we go to a new foster home. I can get separated from him. He's my brother, Jess."
"I know," she said.
"So you can't tell."
"Ok," she said quietly.
"You promise?"
"Yeah." She held out her pinky finger. "I pink swear."
Smiling, Alex linked his pinky finger with hers. "Thanks Jess," he said.
Her arms trembled.
"Two."
She took a deep breath.
"Three!"
The ground rose considerably faster than she could have thought, though it was only a drop about five feet to the ground. Her ankle twisted and jarred her for a moment, the rest of her body hitting the ground. Shocked and surprised, she laid there for several minutes until the ringing in her ears subsided. Then, carefully, she got to her feet, testing her ankle, though it was just fine, only jarred by the impact with the ground.
Jess glanced back at the house, silence meeting her inquiry. Then, turning back, she crept across her lawn and stopped at the street. Alex's house was quiet and silent, shapes and shadows moving about within, some big and some small. Her heart raced at the thought of being even near his house, but she knew that she had to know if he was alright.
So, steeling her wavering thoughts, she stepped foot into the street and crossed over to his side of the street. Her muscles were all taught and her mind picked up every single tiny noise that carried in the night. She could almost imagine her mother yelling at her, catching her crossing the street, sneaking out when she had told her to stay inside. However, none of such things happened, and Jess quietly darted to the sideyard and hid alongside a bush.
It had been several years since she'd gotten herself stuck in the bushes at Alex's house, and Jess had never liked being in close proximity to the house. Watching the shapes moving about inside the house, she waited until they moved into a different room and darted across teh lawn again and stopped just under the window she knew belonged to Alex and Eric. Crouching beneath it, her knees sinking into the dirt, she steadied her breath.
Then, slowly she stood up and peeked into their room, a gap in the curtains revealing darkness. Jess knocked on the window once and then twice, her heart sputtering as the notion that Marge might realize it was Jess standing outside the window. However, Eric pushed the window up. His eyes were red rimmed and his face pale and yellowish, though that was more normal than anything for him.
"Where's Alex?" she asked.
"Um, he's sleeping," he said.
"Well, wake him up," she said. "I have to talk to him."
Eric figeted and coughed. "He can't."
"Why not?"
"Because."
"I want to talk to Alex," she said, standing her ground.
Eric sighed. "Fine," he said. "But if Marge finds out I'm blaming you," he said, and then paused for a moment. "But only because he's my brother."
As he turned away, Jess called out to him. "Wait, Eric," she hissed.
He turned back. "What?"
"Is everything ok? I mean with what happened at school?" she asked.
Eric didn't answer, choosing to just stare at Jess.
"Well?"
"Not really," he said quietly before disappearing into the darkness.
Several moments passed, hissed conversations and rummaging going on in teh room that Jess couldn't either quiet hear or make out with her eyes. Then, Alex came to the window.
"Hey," he said quietly.
She gave him a quick once over. "Come outside," she said.
"I can't," he whispered.
"Please," she said.
"I'm in enough trouble as is."
"Yeah, about that," she said, looking at the ground.
"What?"
"I just want to know that you're ok."
"I'm alive, " he said.
"I can see that," she answered. "Just come outside."
Alex glanced back at Eric who had returned to bed. Jess could hear him breathing from where he lay.
"Just go," Eric whispered. "I'll cover for you."
With another moment of consideration, Alex hoped up and pulled himself through the open window, the window having no screen to begin with. With a soft oomph, he landed on the ground in a crouched position. he sucked in a breath, squeezing his eyes closed.
"Come on," she said, reaching down to grab his arm.
"Where're we going?" he asked.
"I don't know," she said.
He stood up with veiled difficulty.
"You ok?" she asked, looking down at him.
Alex shrugged.
Pulling him away, they moved quietly down the street towards Yew Boulevard and turned the corner. Jess dragged him half a block and then turned another corner and took him down Tree Street. Under a street lamp, she stopped and yanked up his shirt.
"Hey, don't do that" he cried out, trying to pry his shirt out of her grasp.
Jess' breath caught in her throat.
Alex glanced down at his belly, a bruise in the process of blossoming into a truely colorful display in the shape of a hand marring his skin. "It's not that bad, really," he said, looking up at her.
She still didn't say anything.
"Doesn't hurt much," he added.
She reached out with one hand to touch it and Alex took a quick step away.
Alex turned his head and bit his lip. "Please don't tell anybody," he said.
"I think you should tell someone, Alex," she said.
"Who?"
"I don't know," she said. "My mom?"
"No."
"Someone at school? They always say taht you should tell a responsible adult if you see something bad," she said.
"I'm not bad."
"I didn't say you were," she said.
He glanced down at his belly before pulling his shirt down.
"Just don't tell anyone."
"Why?"
"Cause."
"Why?"
He didn't say.
"I'm going to tell someone," she said. "Someone needs to know. This isn't the way it's supposed to be."
Alex shrugged. "If you tell I won't be friends with you anymore."
"Don't say that," she cried.
"Then don't tell anybody," he said. "You can't, Jess. You just can't."
"Why not?" she asked.
Alex sighed, staring at the ground. "Because if you do, we'll... Eric and I will probably be split up," he said. "Lots of foster parents only want one kid."
"Well, you two aren't split up right now? Marge and Hank took both of you," she said. "Maybe somebody else will too."
He shook his head, seeming older than his nine years. "It just doesn't work that way."
"Well it should."
"Eric is sick," he said. "Really sick."
"I know. He's been sick since forever," she said.
"He's sicker, keeps getting sicker and sicker," he said.
"He has been missing lots of school," she mentioned, glancing off into the night, looking for potential parents out to find them.
Alex nodded. "The whole reason Marge and Hank took Eric and me when we were little was because of the money," he said.
"The money?"
"Foster parents get money when they take kids in," Alex said.
"They do?"
"Uh huh. And since Eric is so sick, they get more money," he said. "So, that's why we weren't separated."
"Oh."
"But now..." Alex shook his head. "We'll totally get separated if we go to a new foster home. I can get separated from him. He's my brother, Jess."
"I know," she said.
"So you can't tell."
"Ok," she said quietly.
"You promise?"
"Yeah." She held out her pinky finger. "I pink swear."
Smiling, Alex linked his pinky finger with hers. "Thanks Jess," he said.