An Alienating Secret

With the Kids

--Alana--

I watched the boys as they enjoyed the beef tacos. Pride welled up inside me. I've always loved when people enjoy my food.

"It's delicious, Mrs. J." Jeremiah said to me.

"Yeah, yeah. Really good." Noah agreed as he stuffed his face.

I made eye contact with Anith and gave a smile. I was really liking her new friends. I had heard a lot about them but seeing them in person was really something else. Soon enough, the kids were finished eating and I started taking their plates to the kitchen sink with Anith's help. Once that was done, my little girl scurried off to join the boys at the table again. I was left alone in the kitchen.

I started washing the dishes and was almost done when I noticed a presence coming into the room.

I turned and made eye contact with the blond one. (Was his name Conner? I really should've taken Abram's advice and learned their names). "Hey, do you need something?"

He nodded. "I just wanted a glass of water, if that's ok. I had forgotten to bring my own bottle."

"Oh, no problem." I quickly rinsed my hands from the dish soap and opened an overhead cabinet. Grabbing a tall glass, I got cold water for the boy and reached the cup towards him.

I let go too soon, thinking Blondie had a firm grip on the cup. He did not, so it slipped from our hands and shattered on the floor with a loud crash.

"Mom, is everything ok over there?!" Anith yelled over.

"I dropped a glass. Could you grab a broom from the garage?"

"No problem."

Anith soon came with the broom, and I cautiously walked towards her. Grabbing the sweeper, I turned around to see that Blondie was gone. I figured he exited the kitchen through the other way, which connected to the hallway between the living room and downstairs bathroom. Too bad he didn't get his water.

Looking at the area again, I noticed little streaks of green liquid on the floor. Those hadn't been there before. They were going in the exact path that Blondie would've taken, except they turned to the right, in the direction of the bathroom.

I excused myself from Anith and- before going to investigate- quickly swept up the glass and discarded the shards, before soaking up the spilt water with a rag. Now no one will slip and get cut. I continued cleaning the floor as I followed the green streaks. They stained my rag pretty badly, but I didn't mind because it was old anyway.

The green liquid smelled like iron mixed with alcohol. I had no idea what it was. And how'd it get there?

Soon enough, the trail continued into the bathroom. The door was slightly ajar and I heard heavy breathing from inside. I cautiously peaked through the opening, and saw Blondie tightly holding his foot while he sat down on the closed toilet. I could see green liquid dripping from the underside of his foot, going between Conner's fingers and ending up on the floor.

Suddenly, as if waking from a trance, the boy grabbed a lot of toilet paper and pressed it against his foot, before twirling the paper round and round its arch. I knew what he was doing- pressuring a wound, and then bandaging it up.

"Hey, are you ok?" I asked, pushing the door open and revealing myself.

Blondie's eyes shot wide open as his head whipped to face me. I could see his hands tremble and drop a bit of his toilet paper bandage.

He couldn't answer. Unintelligible sputtering was all that came out.

I hurried by his side. "You should have told me you were hurt. A-and look at your blood! I can't even deal with this. We need to take you to a hospital."