New York City

Real and surreal

It was summer and I was in middle school. My brother, Nathan Fisher, was in high school.

He had made it very clear that I was not welcomed in his social school life.

I, however, had been very insistent at that time, arguing with him about his friends circle, academics and almost everything. While mom and dad were proud of me, Nathan became more distant.

He always said that I needed to stop behaving like his older sister when I was not.

I didn't understand at that time. I should've let go. It was his life and I messed it up.

One day, I saw him with the school's foreign exchange student, Éloïse Moreau.

Everyone was talking about her then, where she came from, who she really was, what she liked and disliked, if she had a boyfriend and possibly every personal question that could exist.

Me, I had hated her ever since she stepped into our school. She had looked like one of those mean bad girls. The heartbreaker, on-and-off relationship, different-guys-mean-different-kinda-fun type. I trusted my intuition since people said that it was good and that I was very good at reading appearances.

So can probably guess how I felt when I saw my brother hanging out and flirting with her. I tried to stop myself but a few days later, I couldn't take their little over-friendly strolls anymore.

Back then, even I'd been reckless, impulsive. I was only 14 and pretended to be older. Nathan was 17 and seemed to grow more childish each day.

So, I did the first thing that came to mind.

I walked up to those two and said, 'Hey Nathe! Where's Mary? You know you had an appointment with her! Don't tell me you forgot! She is like your best girlfriend till date!'

Nathan gave me a cold but blank look. He said, 'Libby, I broke up with her on Saturday. Today's Tuesday. You better be updated. It can be trouble for you to go on poking your incredibly long and sharp nose everywhere, don't you think?'

I was pretty humiliated but still gave a last try, 'Alright, sorry! It seems like you aren't gonna come walk me home.'

Éloïse looked confused. That gave me satisfaction.

Nate played smart, 'Oh, right. First, let me introduce you to my new...er..buddy here. Éloïse, this is my sister Libby. Lib, this is Éloïse Moreau.'

'Pleased to meet you,' the she-devil said with a perfect french accent that got on my nerves.

'Hey,' I said curtly. Nathan did the goodbye honours, that is, hugged her and came with me.

He didn't say anything all the way to home. As soon as I closed the front door, he punched the wall.

Then he took my framed certificate off the wall and smashed it on the floor. He stomped and kicked the glass so hard, that it cracked.

He said with breaks in between,'How—many—times have—I—told you to—stay—AWAY from me and my STUFF!

I kept quiet as I watched my 4th grade science fair certificate tear slowly. He then raised his hand to punch or slap me.

I whimpered.

Thankfully, mom came in from the kitchen running, gave a sob when she saw what he was doing, gave my brother an exasperated but woeful look and slapped him.

He was stunned.

All of us were.

Mom had never laid a hand on any of us. Then again, my brother had never been in the mindset to hit me either.

Unfortunately, my dad chose that moment to come in. Frankly, I would've rather jumped off a well than face what was to follow. My mom started screeching about everything she had witnessed. My dad's expression was really terrifying.

Nathan ran up the stairs to my room and locked himself in there. Dad mounted after him. He banged the door but nothing happened.

He came back down looking 15 years older. Mom and dad then had a chat with me. They asked what had happened. I tried explaining that it was my fault, but judging from their expressions, they thought otherwise. They told me that they might hospitalise Nathan if necessary but I had to stay away from him.

Since my room was blocked, I slept in Nathan's room.

The next morning was horrifying. I woke up to find my long, brown hair cut into a misshapen, small, boy cut. I shouldn't have cried, but I did.

I went to my room. The door was open. Nathan wasn't there but my stuff was messed up.

My eyeliner was spilt all over the floor, my clothes were in the bed and bathroom, my mirror was in shards.

I left for school before mom and dad woke up.

This all happened because I had made myself visible to Éloïse.

School wasn't pleasant.

Nathan kept giving me dirty looks whenever he saw me.

My brother had become Éloïse's playtime object. She had started controlling him. I was pretty sure she was the one who had influenced him to do all the horrible stuff at home.

My brother never really came home anymore. He was doing a live-in with the she-devil at her rented place.

One fine day, I decided to take control. I went to the girls' changing room and stood in front of Éloïse.

'What do you want, darling?' she asked with a sickeningly sweet smile.

'What I want, is my brother back. I want my, our, Nathan back. He's not normal anymore. He lives in this fantasy world where you are going to be with him forever. I know the kinds of you, Éloïse Moreau. You don't deserve Nathan, much less own him,' I said, sounding every bit angry as I really was.

She made a tch sound and said, 'Having a feud, are we? I am sorry. I will definitely leave him now. You drove me to it, queen bee. You're the "it" girl of the school, you'll understand. Oh! I mean you were, 'til this chick', she said pointing at herself, 'came along. That's why you're here. No, don't speak. Your brother is captivated by my beauty. If you're wondering what happened at your place that night, know this, oh yes I confess, I was delighted.'

Éloïse continued.

'The thing is dearie, this time you'll lose. It'll be my beauty against your brains. And I'll win. You brother is in a surreal world, as you said. Whatever you do, you won't bring him back. Libby, you don't know what I can do. I can wreck your life, which I am going to do. Not directly, but very, oh yes very, subtly. I'll make this small visit of yours, count.'

With that last note, she flung her hair and walked away.

Her threats had been real.

Very real.

She was capable of a lot of things. I was sure of that.

And I was right. The next few days were hazy. Rumours spread that Éloïse had broken up with Nathan, he was living like a homeless kid, he had mentally broken down and that he was taking some serious drugs.

My image faltered and I became negatively popular.

Then a news arrived at our house, Nathan was at a hospital. He had almost succeeded in his sixth suicide attempt.

He had drunk a lot, hit his head with something hard and then slit his left wrist.

At the hospital, doctors said that Nathan had almost no chance of surviving since his condition was critical. A few days later, he went in coma.

My parents said that they had always known that my brother's careless actions would lead him to do this. They still didn't believe that I was the culprit.

And the worst part? Éloïse Moreau was safely out of the country after destroying my brother subtly.
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Name: Soap
Music by: Melanie Martinez
No copyright infringement intended.