The Fallen Reader

Prologue

Blake
Age 14

I could tell Mum was having a hard time after the move. Though we've been living at our new home for almost a year now, I could still see her struggling to adjust even though she tries to hide it from me as best as she can.

It both broke my heart and filled it with raging anger towards my father, who made Mum this depressed.

I turn down my music to listen closely and hear nothing but the silent night. Mum must have finally fallen asleep. She thinks I don't hear her cry herself to sleep every night after sitting for hours into the night in the kitchen, rereading the divorce papers and loans she still had to pay off.

I can't seem to fall asleep anymore due to staying up all night waiting for Mum to fall asleep after her crying session. And what seems to keep me up at night are the questions that run through my head like a marathon on steroids. Why did dad kick Mum out after she found him cheating? Why is he filing for divorce if he claims he loved Mum? Why didn't Mum do anything when she found him cheating? How can they lie to my face saying they love each other when all it does is break them?

All these questions I can ask them both, yet I bite my tongue knowing what their answers would be.

'You're just a kid. You don't have to understand any of this.'

The next morning, I left before Mum woke up but left a note to tell her that I'll be at the park. It's the only place and time I feel like I can finally breathe. I didn't make much of an effort to make friends, but there are guys around my age, older and younger, that I play soccer with. But today, the park seemed empty other than the Allen kids playing with a puppy, and their Mum, Mrs. Allen watching over them.

I almost turned back and went home but stopped when I felt a tug at my t-shirt. I turn to find Seth Allen pointing at the soccer ball in my hand.

"You wanna play?" I smile at his cute little nod and jump. He was deaf but it still amazed me at how he could read lips.

"Sure, let's play." With that, we played a few games just kicking the ball towards each other, throwing it and having the puppy chase after it. I'd purposefully lose a game or few for a fair game for Seth's sake, but if I had to be honest, my attention wasn't just on the game.
My gaze kept landing on the girl that sat between the two big trees. Her nose buried in a book. She looked like she could be around my age.

"Her name's Emma, my little sister." Mrs. Allen answered when she must have seen my obvious curiosity.

"Oh." Was all that came out of my mouth. "Why haven't I seen her before?" I asked, I come to this park almost every day since the beginning of summer and never seen her before.

"Mainly because she's always indoors." She chuckled. "I brought her out here today to remember the feeling of actual grass and breathing in fresh air." Mrs. Allen says the last part louder than necessary, but Emma pays no attention. "You should go introduce yourself-"Just then, Mrs. Allen-or Liz, as she'd like to be called- phone rings and excuses herself to answer.

Seth tugged my shirt again to play and then frowned when he realized I was losing on purpose and how my attention hasn't really been on the game, he smirked. He shook his head and kicked the ball in Emma's direction.

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Guess who's baaaccck
*insert evil giggle*
Hope you all enjoyed the Prologue to the spin-off of short story The Silent Reader.
Comment your thoughts because I'd love to hear(read...) them.

What's your favorite book at the moment?🫠