The Mythical Secret

Part 1: Together, Always

I opened my eyes to the morning lights streaming in through the window. It was an unusually cold morning of mid-August in New York City. I climbed out of bed and gathered my school supplies into a backpack. After throwing on black sweatpants and a red t-shirt, I gathered my straight chestnut hair into a single braid over my shoulder and headed towards the kitchen where my brother Jake was packing my school lunch. I sat at the dining table, watching him move around the kitchen unaware I was there. My eyes slowly drifted to the wall of pictures hanging near the fridge.

My breath hitched as my eyes stopped on one that was full of memories of our parents. It was the family picture we had taken a year before they passed away. Jake and I had our father's chestnut brown hair and our mother's deep, blue eyes. We could be twins other than the fact that he was seven years older than me.

Five years ago, we lost both parents in a car accident. It was the most painful and challenging thing in my entire life. The thought that my parents would never smile with pride at my graduation, never feel the warmth of their hug, and never have my father walk me down the aisle on my wedding day hit me hard. A heaviness settled on my heart and nothing could coax a smile to my face.

Jake picked up their mantle and vowed to take care of us both as my guardian. We packed up our belongings and migrated from the country life of Missouri to New York City. I thought it was strange at the time that we would move so soon after their funeral, however, our parents left us a will which included a townhouse in New York City. It was an old house that was used as a vacation home. Our parents also supplied us with enough money to last us for several years.

We were slow to adapt to our new surroundings. Longing for our parents every day and night was a struggle that we went through side by side. Jake enrolled us in a new school after we got to New York, but on the first day, we were already outcasts. We did not fit in with the high-society kids in the classes, so my brother and I spent all of our free time together, whether it was going to the movies or getting ice cream. This was the new normal and nothing had ever changed that.

Jake and I used to do everything with our parents. Hiking, camping, swimming, and other adventures were regular things. We were all adventurous people, especially me. I needed to keep moving from one thing to another, continually seeking more adventure in my small world. When I was younger, I would take my toys and bury them in the backyard, then days later I would go looking for them. I called it my treasure hunt. Mother hated it when I dug holes in her yard, but that never stopped me.

Another memory made its way to the surface of my mind. My father had just taught me how to ride my bike without training wheels when I was five. It had taken me forever to learn because I was so scared I would fail. I was overjoyed, jumping around, laughing, and tackle-hugging him when I rode it without falling off.

"I knew you could do it!" he told me once he got my attention. "Just remember, Ruby, failures don't define who we are. If you never stop trying, you can overcome anything. Even something as small as riding a bike. Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. Your mom and I have no doubt that you will be a courageous young woman and we will always be right here if you ever need help."

"Promise?" my little voice asked him.

"I promise."

A soft sniffle brought me back to the present. It took a moment to realize it had come from me. Jake looked up at me then his eyes trailed mine to the picture and his stiff posture relaxed. His hand went slack as he put down the knife cutting the carrots. The tears that appeared in his eyes echoed the ache of my heart.

Over the years, Jake has been the strong one, carrying us both through this tough time. Deep down I knew he was hurting just as much as me.

Jake turned back to me and cleared his throat. "The bus will be here any minute, Ruby." He quickly wiped his eyes, packed my lunch box, and set it on the counter. Clutching his phone and a book, he plopped down on the couch in front of the fireplace. That was his favorite spot on the days he did not have to go to work. I would normally come home to find him there. He never leaves the house anymore unless it is a necessity.

He is twenty-two years old now and I am fifteen, but the memories of my parents never faded.

On a good school day, bullies would be too busy with schoolwork and forget about me, leaving me alone. On this particular Friday, it was not one of those days. Steve Worth and his gang of senior snobs paraded through the halls with stink bombs and threw them in my locker. The smell lasted hours, but I managed to carry my books in my backpack for the rest of the day. Next, the cheerleaders ambushed me in the bathroom and locked me in a stall. I only managed to escape when someone heard me call for help and unlocked the door. In the past, their pranks had been worse, but it never stopped the feeling of longing to get out of this town and travel far far away.

"Worthless", "Good for nothing", "Don't belong here", "Hopeless." Their sneers and insults stuck in my head even when I got home to the quiet. I ran past Jake, who opened the front door, rushed to my room, and slammed the door. Tears trickled down my face in waves, breaking down the wall I put up throughout the day. I collapsed into the carpet and covered my face with my hands.

Jake appeared by my side and wrapped his arms around me in a tight embrace. He did not need me to tell him what I was crying about; he went to the same high school, got bullied for the same reasons, and was criticized.

His voice was soft and comforting when he spoke, but it carried a loving and compassionate tone. "I know you don't understand right now, but all this pain you are experiencing will help you become stronger than you ever thought you could be. It's part of us both now, even though we don't want it to be. Losing Mom and Dad is just one hurdle in life to jump over, but that doesn't mean we have to forget the memories and all we went through." He waited until I met his teary blue eyes, a small smile appearing on his lips. "We will always have each other. I wouldn't ask for anyone else by my side. We can get through this together like we always do."

I wiped away the tears from my eyes and tried to match his smile. "Together. Always."

*Author's Note*

Thanks for reading this far!!!  I had written this for a college Dual Credit class last year and wanted to finally share it with you all. There is much more to come, so stay tuned and let me know what you think so far and any theories you have for what is coming next.

Blessings!