The Fall of the Aftons

043: Michael Afton

Michael sat on the edge of the long, sturdy tree branch. He loved climbing trees. Being so high up in the air was a lot of fun. Tonight, he had climbed the tree to escape his feeling of loneliness. It had worked at first, but he still felt the emotion bubbling up his throat. He was alone. 

Alone. 

What a funny yet relatable word.

He missed Noah. He missed Felicity. He missed the little boy that just arrived at the Center.

He missed Terrance. Why was he never home? It was technically illegal for him to leave Michael home alone when he went to hang out with friends. Just because Michael could care for himself didn't mean Terrance should leave.

He missed William. Why was he never home, either? He was so busy with work. He came home late, and when he didn't, he was in his office working until Michael went to bed. When was the last time he did something for Michael? He never cooked. He didn't clean. He didn't do the laundry. He didn't help him with homework--not that he needed it. He didn't do anything other than work. Michael understood that he worked so they would have money, but they had plenty of it! He was always buying new things. Just recently, he bought a pretty expensive car.

He missed Khael, who'd climb into the trees along with Michael, even though he was petrified of heights.

He missed Aster, who'd freak out whenever he found that the twins climbed the tall trees, and would climb up the trees they went in so he could get them down safely--and Aster had been just as afraid of heights as Khael.

It was crazy. He thought of the Afton household as his home nowadays, not even thinking about it. It became a habit over time. But the more days that passed, it began to feel less and less like that. He missed his old home. At his old home, he was cared about. He was cared for. Was he such a difficult child that Terrance and William refused to do anything with him? Or were the two just oblivious to his needs?

Michael stared up at the starry sky. He recognized numerous constellations from an astronomy book he owned. It surprised him how many he could find. He even found one his dad had made up. His father, Avery, had called the fake constellation "Musical Song." It was meant to branch off the lame personal joke he'd had with Michael and only Michael. Khael and Aster had known about the fake constellation, but they didn't understand the joke behind it. That was for Michael and Avery alone.

Michael suddenly heard a snapping branch and a loud shriek.

He whipped his head toward the sound, trying to see what was the cause.

"H-Hello? Who's there? A-Are you okay?" Michael called when he heard another branch.

A girl around Michael's age climbed into view a yard or two below him. What was a kid his age doing up so late? He knew it was a hypocritical thought, but it was true. He was only up because he always greeted William whenever he returned home. It didn't feel right to not do so.

The girl had pale brown hair that she wore in a tightly woven plait that hung down her back. Her skin was a pale-ish tan. Her cheeks were freckled, and her eyes were a light shade of navy blue. She was wearing a white shirt, a hot pink skirt, numerous bright orange bangle bracelets, and marigold orange flats. She also had small, golden studs in her ears. He recognized her from school. She was in the classroom next to his--if he remembered correctly, in Miss Pollitwitz's classroom. He couldn't exactly remember what her name was. Was it Ellie or Ella?

"Are you okay?" Michael asked. He hoped he would receive an answer this time.

The girl looked up at Michael with wide, surprised eyes. She laughed and began to speak in an apologetic voice filled with giggles. "Oh, I'm sorry!" she exclaimed. "I didn't see that you were up this tree. I mean, you're up pretty high. Can you blame me?" She laughed again. Michael noticed her grip on the branch grew tighter every time she laughed. It was probably a safety precaution so she didn't slip and plummet to her inevitable death too early in life. "What do you mean, am I okay?"