Christobel

Chapter 5

Bel

As the dreaded holidays drew closer, Bel kept a wary eye on his cellphone. He could just sense it, the moment his father would call him and order him to get on a plane to fly down South for a "family holiday." Bel dreaded those damned holidays. Dreaded the family part most of all.

He would have to sit, play nice, and hide his tongue piercing from his grandmother. She would go on and on about how the Devil was taking him, how his soul was lost for all eternity. Bel had once told her that if she gave him an ass plug maybe the Devil would stay out of him. His father had slapped him so hard across the face that one of his molars had flown out. Bel scoffed at the memory. He'd met the devil and flipped him off as he walked out of his house. They wanted nothing to do with each other. Unfortunately, the police had picked him up later and flown him across the States to his mother's. From the fists of the devil to the arms of Lilith.

Bel pushed his tongue into the gap in his mouth. He did that every time he thought about his father around this time of year. Bel scowled; he wished he'd had the foresight to take his tooth with him when he left. It would have made for a sick ring.

Despite all of the bad blood between them, his father would insist that he spend the holiday break with them. There was something about family and the absurd need to play pretend down South that made Bel's stomach lurch. Nothing annoyed him more than being forced to spend time with his relatives. His father would insist that he be present, that he sit through the uncomfortable questions that he insisted Bel not answer.

Worst of all, Bel could just imagine having to sit beside his step-siblings. He could just feel their bodies pressing up against his arms, their sickly, fake, sweet smiles making him want to hurl. Bel had returned to his father's place after his mother kicked him out the last time to find that he now had a stepmother and three step-siblings. Apparently, the kids had no idea he existed, and his stepmother had thrown all of his things out. Bel had slept in the basement until his father shipped him off to boarding school. The military no longer wanted anything to do with him. He became somebody else's problem.

He became Lei and Leo's problem.

Bel looked around him. The campus' trees had changed color, some trying, but failing, to match his hair. He liked the way the colors changed, the way they mixed and played around with the wind. Lei had given him a sketch pad during the Fall Festival planning to help him brainstorm designs. He'd kept it in his bag since then, occasionally taking it out to doodle. He was making do with the traditional twelve colored pencils he carried around with him.

Bel didn't work too hard. Sketching was just a hobby, something he'd picked up to irritate his parents and tame his anger into something manageable. He let his eyes wander, focusing on the colors. Red, orange, yellow, and brown. He set all thoughts of his past life aside and started sketching.

Leo plopped himself down beside him, Lei not far behind. She took the seat across from Bel, twining her legs with his underneath the table. A smile tugged at the corners of Bel's mouth as he pushed his toes to her calves. She had a book in her hands, something thick and colorful. Leo produced a textbook and worksheet from his bag. He put his headphones on, giving Bel a conspiratorial smile as he began his work with a minute sway of his shoulders.

They sat together in silence. He squinted up at Lei, and proceeded to add her silhouette on the sketch. She peeked at his work once, smiling widely before returning to her book. Leo hummed occasionally, sometimes he would stop moving, throw his head back and look intently at the sky, as if somehow whatever answer he needed was written on the clouds. Finally, he pushed his headphones off and pressed onto Bel's side.