Broken Strings

C H A P T E R F I F T E E N

"That was her magic,
she could see the sunset,
even on those darkest days."

- atticus

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Ryan Hayes didn't understand his mother. And he didn't get along with her. At the age of twelve, all he knew was he hated his mother.

No, hate was too strong of a word. He just didn't understand her. That was a simple way to put it.

He had been eight years old when he had woken up in the middle of the night to yelling and fighting. The only words he remembered were his dad yelling at his mom about how she was responsible for Aunt Cassie's death. And after that, it was no doubt that Ryan had taken his father's side.

Because his mother was too reclusive and avoidant. She seemed unapproachable.

But that didn't mean he didn't still love his mother.

Unlike his little sister, he just wasn't into the overly dramatic need to repeatedly tell his mother he loved her.

But he still needed his mother and her love.

So he stood outside the door to her bedroom. And knocked twice, softly.

His eyes widened in surprise as the door opened. He didn't think she would open the door for him. And he would've walked away with a heavy heart but also knowing that he deserved it.

Why she still bothered to care about him and love him was still a mystery.

He wasn't the best son.

He didn't tell her much about what was going on in his life but then he often kept to himself anyway. He wasn't too good with words either. He had been a little harsh to her in the past and he had never apologized. But that was more of his personality; he was quiet, he came off as rude at first and he kept mostly to himself. Qualities he inherited from his father.

And he too had been too quick to turn against his mother.

And last night scared him. Something was wrong, so very wrong with his mother.

Such paleness wasn't normal. He couldn't shake the image of his mother barely holding onto Sebastian, crying that it hurt too much. Ryan wasn't sure what 'it' was. And the way her nose had suddenly started bleeding and Sebastian had yelled for Ryan to get him a pack of ice. Then there were the two large pills that Sebastian had handed her. They weren't normal pills for pain or a fever. This much Ryan knew.

He awkwardly ran a hand through his hair, a habit he had picked up from his father, as he stared at his mother's thin figure and pale face.

Something was so very wrong. And he was going to try and find out what.

"Hey um Mom. I just wanted to ask. It's....I mean my last game is tonight. Are you coming?" Because he wanted her to come. She hadn't come any of games this season.

And he really wanted her to go to his last game.

Anisha smiled softly and nodded. She didn't want to go to his game. She wanted to sleep.

She was tired. And she didn't have a lot of energy.

She didn't want to be pretend to be happy.

But she knew, she knew these last few moments were all her kids would remember. And she was trying to give them good memories of her to remember.

And she hoped it would be enough. Enough for them to know that once, long ago, they had laughed and talked alongside their mother.

Anisha had actually been awake for a while. She had lay in bed, wondering about last night. Ryan would know something was wrong. She really hoped he wouldn't tell anything to Andrew. Luckily Mira had run upstairs to her room the minute they had gotten home and hadn't seen anything because she would've easily babbled about it to her father. Her little girl had no filter. But Ryan had stayed behind. And he had seen everything.