Short stories or something...

Every Breath You Take pt 1

Written in July 2020 (I wrote this without intending on a second part but hey ya never know ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

Prompt: The silence woke him (I changed it to "the silence woke her") (Again, found on Pinterest)

Warning: Mentions of guns and crappy parents

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The silence woke me.

To most, silence is the thing that drives one to sleep, but not for me. The yelling from Mom and Dad used to be more often than not the grim lullaby that led me to the dreamscape.

Instead of a comfortable bedroom, I woke up in an unfamiliar, cheap motel room. The walls were plain as well most of the room, only a nightstand placed on the other side of the space being the decor. Judging by the window, it's the middle of the night.

What am I doing here? Then, I remember.

I decided to run away three days ago. Long story short, my home isn't a home anymore. Where am I going? I have... no idea. Just away.

I took my brother, Ben, with me. I could've just stayed with my parents for the rest of the school year and summertime, then be off the college and never come back home, but I couldn't live with myself if I left him there at that hellhole of a house. Ben would've had to spend the better part of eight years with them, I had less than eight months.

He's sleeping next to me, snoring lightly while clutching my sweater. I can't help but smile, relishing how he looks his age while he's sleeping. Both of us probably look a couple of years older than we are. Being in my household for as long as we have will do that.

Deciding to quit on sleep, I grab my shoes and jacket and head outside. I leave the door cracked, making sure I can keep an eye on Ben while I'm out here. In my pocket, I find my lighter and pack of cigarettes. Digging them out, I light a cigarette.

The stars aren't out tonight, only dark clouds. Not that I know any constellations. Up until a week ago, I'd just scroll through Pinterest or Tumblr until I was finished smoking. But before I left, I had to erase and leave my phone at the house. I bought a burner phone with thirty minutes on day one, for emergencies only.

So I just stare up at the cloudless sky, hoping a being of sorts is looking after Ben and me. My hand subconsciously rubs the small of my back. A few years ago I got stitches for a back injury and it still hurts every once and a while, especially if I sleep on a crappy, cheap mattress.

"Em...?"

I turned around quickly, almost dropping my cigarette. Unmistakable chestnut curly hair sticks up in every direction on his head. It's just Ben.

Abruptly, I burn out the cigarette and turn to face him. He looks tired, more so than usual. A splatter of freckles is sprayed across his dark olive skin, mostly on his nose, cheeks, and hands, just like mine. His favorite baseball t-shirt hangs just a little too low, but he looks adorable in it.

"Hey," I said, softly. "Aren't you tired? You should go back to bed."

"You can smoke around me, I'll be fine." Almost immediately after Ben said that, he started to cough, which is why I don't smoke around him. It makes his asthma worse.

"But I don't like to. Stop trying to grow up so fast, kiddo." I ruffle his hair, which he frowns at, but I don't care. He's been like this for a while, trying to be involved in more "adult" things. Being around me while smoking or hiding how he feels His eyes give away his thoughts, though. It's probably a nasty habit he probably picked up from living at home, like me, with smoking.

"Let's go back to bed. We've got a long day ahead of us." I said. We both know that means driving a few more states west.

We settled back down in the full-sized motel bed and Ben fell asleep almost instantly. I stayed wide awake, not catching another wink of sleep. Which sucks, because I don't necessarily want to be drowsy driving with my ten-year-old brother in the car. Three hours of sleep and a few shots of espresso will have to do.