Spare Me

13. My Brother The Fellon

I was already tired of this, everyone stared at me. At school, at home, anywhere I went and someone spoke to me and figured out I couldn't hear them I was given a look showing their pity. It was getting a lot easier after Ethan told dad, I got a special doctor to help me. Good news I would get my hearing back. Bad news, they don't know when, so in the meantime, I have to learn to read lips. Yeah, that be great, three days in and I can't tell the difference between if someone is saying hello or pillow. I gave up on talking, turns out without hearing I can't tell if I'm shouting or whispering! I also took time off school. There is no point of going if I can't understand the teacher. So I was home alone, staring at the picture from the basement, trying to identify the woman in it. I banged my head against the table. She looked so familiar, I know I know her but how? I set the photo down and rubbed my tired eyes, and went through the facts again. It was grandma's house, that she gave to mom when she went into assisted living, the one I lived in till burned. The girl in the photo had drawn the pentagram, and I knew the girl I just don't remember how I knew her. Questions flew around my head. Who was the woman? Why was she in my old house? Why did she draw a pentagram on the floor? Was she in a cult? Could this tie to the shattered photo and my loss of hearing? That last question slipped in by surprise. Could they be related? It made sense and didn't at the same time. I didn't believe in ghosts, I been down that road and I saw my baby brother get set on fire. But I searched everywhere for something that could cause me to go deaf, and I turned up empty handed. My brain hurt from too much thinking, I needed a snack. In an agreement, i felt my stomach rumble. I stood up and went downstairs. I opened the fridge doors at looked at my options.

OJ, tuna, ketchup, leftover pasta, and lettuce.

I chose the leftovers and put it in the microwave and set it for 60 seconds. And set a reminder to go shopping.

I let out a sigh and twirled a strand of hair around my finger staring off into space. I was brought back as big, heavy arms crushed around my arms and torso. I screamed, but the arms didn't let go. Hot breath tickled my neck in a movement that meant whoever was attacking me was talking.

I squirmed against the hold.

"Let go of me!" I screamed loud enough my throat hurt after. I fought against him till I could see his face. I hated that face. I hated that smug smile, his scary black hair that framed his black eyes. Those eyes could put the fear in the devil, in Jack. No, i take it back Jack was scared of nothing. I looked back his face, he had a slight stubble, giving him an evil villain look. Spike my twin brother. I took in a shaky breath and pulled him to a hug. He pulled away and started so speak. I scrunched my eyebrows together. He was speaking too fast to make out what he saying. He stopped and gave me a confused look.

"Why are you looking at me like cat,"

Wait no that's wrong, why are looking at me like that.

"You're speaking too fast I can't understand,"

"I said I missed you,"

"Well you wouldn't have to miss me if you didn't kill that guy," I must be yelling because his eyes widened.

"Alright what's going on, ear infection?"

"Temporarily deaf,"

"How the hell that happen?"

"To be honest, no clue,"

I shook my head and raked my hair back. Spike tapped my shoulder, I looked at him and he pointed at the microwave. I went over and got my pasta. I looked back over and the spike was gone. Wow, great job onyx, let the murder out of your sight for pasta. I looked on the main floor and then started up the stairs. I checked my room and found in standing in front of my desk. I knocked on the wall.

"What are you doing in my room?" I asked hoping he could tell I was pissed. He held up the photo I'd been starting at.

"Why do you have a picture of mom?"

I froze. It hit me that woman looked like mom in her teens, why couldn't I make the connection? I grabbed the photo out of his hand.

"That's mom?" my panic must have slipped out because he gave me a look.

"Yeah, I got to say I never heard stories about her devil worshipping,"

I shook my head in disbelief.

"That can't be mom, dad would have known,"

"You mean Billy?"

"No I mean dad, he took us in. he would be your dad if you didn't just serve a sentence of 10 years for murder,"

"Oh sure play the murder card!"

"It's not a card spike! You killed somebody because of what? How does a seven-year-old murder, someone!"

"Oh, it's pretty easy to kill your therapist when they're trying to talk about your dead mother!"

I didn't realize till now that his back was turned to me.

"Say something else, use the same voice."

"Like what?" yelled turning back around.

"I heard that,"

"What,"

I barely made it out, but I didn't care I could hear loud noises again and I don't care if Spike was grumpy that made me happy.