Gen Two- Chapter Twelve

I couldn't believe it wasn't even lunchtime yet. The morning had dragged on for so long I felt as if the day should already be over. However, the day had dragged on in a good way. The amount of leaves fallen in our yard had grown to a ridiculous amount. Truth be told, dad had always been the one to do the majority of the raking. He hadn't had his own yard to rake growing up, so that apparently translated to him loving to do it as an adult. With him now gone, the task had been left up to the rest of us. That meant it hadn't been getting done. In order to remedy the situation, my mom had made a deal with my friends that she would whip up a massive lunch with everyone's favorite dishes if they came over to help get the leaves into easily disposable piles. We would also be free to watch as much television or play as many video games as we wanted in the afternoon. It was a deal quickly agreed upon.

The leaves had long been raked as promised, although a second sweep would have to be done as our playing had scattered some here and there. Mom was still working on lunch, so we had time to kill anyway. The crazy amount of tall piles allowed us to try something we had never tried as a game before. It was boys against girls, and it was an all out fight.

Holly had been following me relentlessly, and I knew she was about to catch up. I tried glancing over my shoulder to spot her, but the leaf piles gave her plentiful hiding spaces just as it gave me a heap of ammo. Knowing I couldn't let her get the jump on me, I glanced up to Midas.

     "Enemy behind your back left pile!" he called out for my benefit after searching out the area from his higher vantage point.
     "That's not fair!" Holly protested, standing up in a huff.
     "I am the current king, Midas, and we boys rule the kingdom of Jungle Gym Land right now, so I can do whatever I want!" Midas projected boastfully.
     "Well, you're not going to be ruling for much longer!" Holly warned.
     "Quiet, peasant of the enemy!"

Holly stuck her tongue out at him.

With her being distracted, I changed the flow of the battle. Holly was the one running away now, although she gave it her best effort to retake the offensive. Her strategy ultimately ended up relying on dodging around the piles to escape. The game we were playing had been made up on the spot, so the rules were a bit vague or didn't make too much sense. One of the rules was that if you got 'hit' you had to sit down for a whole minute before returning to battle. Getting 'hit' consisted of either being hit the face with leaves or having some stuffed down the back of your shirt. The former option was the easier one. It was in one of the instances where Holly tried getting me from behind where I did a pretty impressive sudden turn to swipe a massive armful of leaves and toss them right at her head. She was soundly hit, but I was confused when she merely smiled mischievously.

     "Thank you for falling into my trap." she mocked victoriously as she sat down.

I frowned deeply before I thought to glance once more towards Midas. Holly's plan was immediately clear when I saw both Mimosa and Rosemary stealthily scaling the ladders up the jungle gym. She had been distracting me.

     "Midas, watch out!" I called.

He whipped around with a start- having been completely oblivious to the two girls.

     "What? What happened to Azure?" Midas said in alarm, as Midas had been effectively switching between keeping Mimosa and Rosemary hit without tripping the camping rules we set up.
     "He's using the restroom!" Cyclone yelled the answer to us.

He, Wisp, and Hunter were sitting on the porch eating snacks, talking, watching funny videos on their phones, and occasionally watching us play.

     "You can't use the restroom in the middle of a war!" Midas complained.

I was rushing over to help him, but I knew it was too late. Mimosa and Rosemary were already on the platform. The rules required two players from the opposing team to storm the jungle gym exactly like they had done to overthrow the current ruling team. Midas, having no choice, abandoned his perch by sliding down the pole before they could 'wound' him by both grabbing an arm- something that would have forced him out of the game for two minutes.

Mimosa stayed on the jungle gym to rule as the new queen while Rosemary slid down to rejoin as another fighter. Even Midas and I together couldn't hit her while avoiding getting hit ourselves. Holly's timeout wore off too, and the four of us were constantly going back and forth. Azure, the almost traitor, eventually returned to give us more of advantage. Still, it was proving next to impossible to usurp Mimosa. Having her up there was a solid strategy for the girls, for Holly didn't fall prey to Azure's capturing tricks the same way her sister did. She and Rosemary were surprisingly capable of keeping us at bay despite having fewer numbers. The game had started out as simple fun, but now it had truly become a serious match. That meant it was even more fun. I was getting really into it when I nearly bumped into Malachite. He had been wandering about not doing much of anything. I was going to apologize, but he opened his big mouth first.

     "Hold up," he said, raising his hand, "Are you guys seriously still playing this stupid ass game? I thought I might finally be able to enjoy some peace back here. How long are you all going to run around like headless chickens?"
     "If you don't like it, leave," I retorted sharply, "This is my house, not yours."
     "Geez, sorry, I thought family was welcome here," Malachite responded with a condescending, sarcastic bite, "I just figured it might be nice to avoid you lot giving me another fucking headache."
     "What do want us to do? Not have fun?" I questioned bitterly.
     "Have fun in a less annoying way?" Malachite suggested with an arrogance that made my blood boil, "Seriously, aren't you eleven now? What kind of weird eleven-year-old boy would rather play make believe than videos games or whatever?"
     "Better weird and playing make believe than being a delinquent like you." a third voice joined in tartly.

It was Hunter. He barely entered my line of sight before Malachite let out the largest, most infuriated sigh I ever heard in my life.

     "Can't get away from you for one damn second, can I?" he complained intensely.
     "I would be more than glad to leave you alone, but you keep being an asshole." Hunter snapped back.
     "Why don't you lighten up? Lump knows I was just messing around."
     "Why don't you cut the crap?" Hunter jibed mockingly, "That sort of excuse is just pathetic. Anything you try to pass off as funny isn't remotely amusing, and I'm getting real sick of you screaming how we're not your family but you'll pretend like you are whenever you want something from us. You have no right to come here, interrupt Coal from having his fun, and act like your being annoyed is anyone else's fault but your own."
     "Blah, blah, blah. You know, you are right. You're not my brother, so stop telling me what to do!"
     "Now who's acting like the five-year-old?"
     "Shove off! Don't make me gag you with your stupid beanie!"
     "Do you want me to punch you in the face?" Hunter warned dangerously, completely serious, taking a threatening step closer towards Malachite, "Because saying stupid shit like that is how you get punched in the face."

The thick rage crackling between the two had popped up within seconds, and it looked as if it would escalate violently within seconds as well. Not that I was shocked at the current outcome. Malachite's behavior, unfortunately, had not been getting any better. It was merely continuing its steady downfall instead. The same could be said for his and Hunter's relationship. The weak brotherly bond they had managed to form was all but gone, and I knew things were so bad that Hunter spent most nights at Aunt Rose's house or even bunking with Uncle Al because he couldn't stand sharing a room with Malachite anymore. Not wanting to deal with another one of their fights, I thought of what I could say to break them up when Rosemary appeared.

     "Would you two stop it!?" she barked ferociously as she boldly got between them and pushed them apart.
     "Don't get mad at me. I'm trying to help." Hunter protested.
     "But all you ever do is help things progress towards a fist fight! If you just listen to what dad says and ignore him or, in this situation, just have grabbed Coal and have walked away then this idiot wouldn't be able to do anything to bother anyone else!" Rosemary jabbed her finger towards Malachite.
     "So I'm just supposed to let him get away with being an asshole?"
     "He's going to be one no matter what until he gets his act together, so why bother giving him an excuse to be an even bigger one? I'm the one who always has a headache thanks to you two constantly bickering! Seriously, why can't you get along?"
     "No chance in hell," Malachite mumbled under his breath, "But you'll get your wish. The argument is dropping, because I'm so fucking done with this."

With an extra scowl sent Hunter's way, Malachite stomped away to the other side of the yard.

I wish I could say that was the last of our problems with him that day. Sadly, there was worse yet to come. Even sadder, it involved me, although Malachite naturally didn't intend to cause what happened. I knew even he would never be that heartless. The argument between the non-brother brothers put a damper on our playing. We started the game up again, but no one was really getting into it like they were before. Mimosa got bored being queen, and when she tried to switch with Holly us boys were able to recapture our position on the jungle gym. Ten minutes later, we decided we were done. The leaf piles were getting scattered too much, and it was time for lunch anyway. A great feast lifted our spirits. All of us returned outside after we digested to enjoy the last of autumn's decent weather. The girls and Midas were in the section of the yard by the sandbox, and I pulled out the frisbee to toss it back and forth with Azure. It was good fun for a while, but then we got bored.

     "Last toss!" Azure declared, readying a solid throw.

It would turn out to be quite the throw indeed. Part of the reason we decided to stop with playing frisbee was because the wind had been picking up dramatically. The disk was going all sorts of places thanks to the manipulation of air currents. As if playing with us itself, the wind caught the frisbee mid-air after Azure tossed it. I had no choice but to watch as it soared over my head with no hopes of me reaching it. I was worried it would go over the fence and out of the yard, but it sailed straight before dropping down over the small fence that encased the pool. It also passed right over Malachite, who had taken to sulking by himself on a lounger. I wasn't eager to approach him, but I thought enough time had passed for him to calm down to at least be decent.

     "Mind handing me my frisbee?" I asked nicely like normal.
     "Uh, yup. I do mind. Get it yourself." Malachite denied shortly.
     "Please? It's just right there. You'd barely have to sit up." I requested.

I kept my irritation out of my voice believing I could keep the peace, yet, just like at my birthday party, my effort wouldn't last for long. Malachite had been too awful for too many weeks for me to put up with him for any extended period of time.

     "And you'd barely have to walk twenty feet around the fence and through the gate to get it," Malachite mocked, "Don't ask me to help you when you got me yelled at earlier."
     "You got yourself yelled at earlier. You made fun of me and my friends for no reason at all." I pointed out with cold indignance.
     "It's not my fault you losers are so damn annoying." Malachite muttered.
     "You know, I feel stupid for ever thinking you were cool!" I went ahead and snapped, "I liked how you were a bit rough and rebellious and questioned the rules that didn't make sense. You seemed to know who you were, and you were proud of it. You did some bad stuff back then too, but it wasn't anything like what you're doing now! You're just an absolute jerk who's selfish and cruel! You've had everyone throwing their love on you for so long, and you think you're so far above them that you break everyone's hearts and tear them down for good measure without thinking anything about it! What are you so angry at? Do you want to be alone in this world, because that's what's going to happen at this point!"

Malachite's scowl had grown dangerously dark. I'm sure he had a good selection of curses to shout back at me too, but he didn't get the chance. My eye was still on the frisbee. It had been a gift from dad from a previous birthday, which meant it was something I now cared about more than ever. We had spent countless hours in the yard sending it every which way. We had both sent it flying over the outer fence on accident more times than I wanted to admit. That meant though that I knew exactly how annoying it was to have to walk around to retrieve it. There was also a chance it could land in the road where a car could run it over. I feared something like that when a crazy gust of wind blasted through the yard once more. The poor frisbee was helpless against it. It bounced and skidded across the pool tiles before suddenly darting up thanks to the invisible force rattling everything and scattering more leaves from the piles we really needed to bag up. I was a bit worried when the frisbee bounced high against the fence and almost went over it, but it thankfully clattered down on this side. I was already darting around the fence and through the gate to collect it before the wind tested its wrath again. Malachite was pushed out of my mind even as I darted past him, but I clearly wasn't out of his. I wouldn't be allowed to get away without him enacting some sort of revenge.

The whole thing happened far too fast for me to understand what had occurred, which was strange because, in a way, I did understand all the pieces of what was going on. My attention had been so focused on the frisbee sitting upside down there against the tiles, and in the next moment my world was spinning. A hard something, Malachite's leg- not where it had been a split second ago and not where it should have been at all, collided painfully with mine. I saw the blue and white tiles, I saw the white of the fence, and then there was a searing, agonizing pain in my head that grew greater when the chlorine water swelled around my entire person before I understood I had even fallen. The blurry, swarming sight of the pool's floor steadily grew closer as I limply descended through the water, but I couldn't swim an inch despite knowing I desperately needed to move. The crippling pain in my head was vastly overwhelming. My sight darkened as did the water around my head as something red mixed with it. I tried to call out for help, but there was nothing to be done. My lungs screamed as intensely as my instincts did when at first there was nothing to fill them and then there was nothing but water left to flood them. The only thing left that felt reasonable to do was cry, but I wasn't even capable of that. All I could do was feel my body lightly drop against the bottom as the pain in my head swept away everything into a terrifying darkness.

There was no sense of the passage of time. There was no sense of anything. There was nothing I was aware of. Those last seconds of blurry confusion were what my mind clung to as new sensations overtook me. The pain dulled for a brief moment before slowly crescendoing back up in intensity as my eyes struggled to open. I could at least tell the situation had changed greatly. There was no struggle to breathe, and even though my body protested I was able to shift ever so slightly. More seconds passed, and I reclaimed better control of my body. I got my eyes to crack open properly. My sight continued to swarm for several extra seconds, but soon the blobs of orange and white shifted into the lines and shapes of a room. A hospital room by the smell of it. They always had this certain scent to them. My nose was working faster than my mind was at figuring everything out, apparently.

I woke up a bit more with each second. I saw more with each blink. Mom's worried stance stood out against the curtain as she stared dully out the window. Uncle Blaze was not too far away doing something on his phone. Neither had noticed I was awake.

     "Mom?" I croaked out quietly.

My fears that I wouldn't be able to make a sound or that she wouldn't be able to hear me were completely unfounded. Mom's head turned to me immediately. The briefest of smiles flashed across her face after an instant of shock wore off, and she sat herself down on my bed before I could take in another breath.

     "Wha-?"
     "Shh, don't try to move too much," mom interrupted gently as I tried inquiring about the strange situation I was in while attempting to sit up, "Let me help you."

I was indignant about her treating me as if I was paralyzed or something until I realized my body pretty much was paralyzed for the moment. A tingling on my skin alerted me that everything could be moved, but my body was taking its time connecting everything and getting it to cooperate with itself once more. Mom helped me shift onto my back, and she propped my pillow better up behind me so I was sitting up at least a little bit. She smoothed my hair and kissed my forehead.

The soft, encouraging smile she wore faded away as she looked at me. Exhaustion and the pain in my head made it so I could barely do more than stare back. It took a lot of effort to try asking my question again.

     "Why am I in the hospital?"

Mom ran her hand lightly against the right side of my head. Her fingers gently traced over a bandage stuck firmly against a long cut.

     "Wisp said it sounded like you were getting into something with Mal again, is that right?" mom answered with her own question.
     "He was being a jerk, and I told him off," I answered breathily, "I went inside the pool fence to get my frisbee, and then..."
     "Mal tripped you," mom revealed, continuing where my knowledge went blank, "I'm sure he didn't mean for it to hurt you like it did, but you clipped your head hard against the pool edge and fell into the water. It was a good thing Wisp, Hunter, and Cyclone were still on the porch. Wisp immediately dove in the pool to get you out while Hunter and Cyclone helped. Midas ran inside to get Blaze and me, and when we got outside Wisp had just gotten you breathing again using CPR. Hunter sacrificed his beanie to stop the blood gushing out of your cut as much as possible."
     "Oh," I laughed quietly, "That was quite the sacrifice indeed. I'll have to get him a new one."
     "I've already promised to get him one," mom explained, "It's the least I can do given how grateful I am for those three acting so smartly so quickly. You have no idea how terrifying it was coming out to see you lying still drenched in bloody water. You did have to have a few stitches, but you didn't have to lose much hair. You've got so much of it you can barely even see the bandage. Although, you do have a slight concussion as well. You'll be resting for the next few days."
     "Have I been out long?" I wondered.
     "A few hours. The doctor said we could take you home though before dinner as long as you show no signs of further damage when he comes in to check you over one last time."
     "And what's happened with Mal?"

Mom fell silent and hesitated to say anything further. Uncle Blaze, who had been standing nearby listening, took a step closer to be the one to answer.

     "Damn brat did a runner," he revealed bitterly, "You know, I'm going to have to sit that kid down and see how he likes to deal with me. Eden's too soft and sympathetic on him. It was bad enough he just stood there watching you start to drown even though he was the closest one to help, but when Wisp, Hunter, and Cyclone were distracted pulling you out he bolted since they weren't able to stop him."
     "And no one knows where he is?" I asked.
     "Eden, Deny, Rose, and Jac have been out looking for him. Eden texted me recently saying he thinks he knows where he's hiding. Mal's going to be glad I'm not going to be the one who finds him. I'm seriously done with his shit." Uncle Blaze scoffed angrily.
     "He's not going to weasel getting out of trouble by shouting and trying to play hide-and-seek this time, I agree," mom said, "But let's not focus on him right now. I'll go get a nurse so Coal can be looked at, and then I'll call Eden to let him know he's awake."
     "Right." Uncle Blaze acknowledge with a hint of reluctance.

Mom gave me another kiss and kind smile before departing from the room. Uncle Blaze quickly took up her spot on the side of the bed, and I, feeling better and more coherent, was able to sit up a bit on my own. Uncle Blaze smiled grandly.

     "I have half a mind to be angry at you too," he chuckled as he ruffled my hair carefully, "Don't promise me that you're not going to go anywhere and then make me come out to find out you're looking like you're at death's door."
     "It's not like I tripped myself!" I chuckled along, "Was it really that bad?"
     "Well, head wounds have a tendency to bleed a lot. The sight certainly made my heart stop. I thought Ethereal was going to have a heart attack, and Mimosa started absolutely bawling. It was a good thing Allium, Dahlia, Frost, and Flower were all able to come over so quickly to calm the chaos."
     "I guess I do feel a little sorry for worrying everyone then and causing problems." I mumbled guiltily.
     "Nah, don't be. Like you said, this obviously wasn't your fault. Just do what you can to be careful in the future." Uncle Blaze comforted.
     "I wonder if I'll get a scar to match dad's," I pondered aloud, "I know his was on his forehead, but..."
     "Even if you do, no one will be able to see it. You've inherited the Vivid genetics of a wild mess of fast growing locks," Uncle Blaze teased, "You've got that extra sensitive ticklish spot too."

I hurriedly covered my neck with the blanket as I knew what was coming. There was a section on the left side of my neck under my chin that was especially ticklish. Uncle Blaze and I fought gently with each other as he tried to reach it while I did everything in my power to keep him at bay. Mom was rolling her eyes and shaking her head in amusement when she walked back in with the doctor to find us already playing around like normal. There was barely a point in the doctor checking me over.

I grew tired super quickly though. Mom had me walk around the room a little after I was told I was fine and had my bandage changed. I was already yawning by the time we got to the car, and the next thing I knew I was waking up in my bed. Apparently, I was still small enough for Uncle Blaze to carry me up the stairs and place me under my covers. I ate a small dinner in bed that evening as I was still feeling rather out of sorts and wasn't all that hungry due to some light nausea. Mom let me play video games on her laptop until I crashed and fell deep asleep again. I didn't wake up until the next morning where I felt almost entirely fine. I simply had to move slowly as I felt the tiniest bit unsteady. Everything seemed as if it was back to normal, which included Wisp pestering mom about that mysterious topic he wanted answers to. I expected it would end with mom sharply bringing it to close like she had done every other time before, but she and I were both in for a shock. Slowly walking down the stairs, I heard the revelation without either mom and Wisp spotting me.

     "Why are you being so stubborn?" Wisp sighed in exasperation.
     "It's clearly hereditary. You keep going on about this no matter how many times I say no." mom reciprocated, putting her hands on her hips.
     "If you would just say it, I could-"
     "I'm not going to say it, Wisp, and I'm tired of repeating myself! If you don't stop pestering me, I'm going to have to ground your for the first time in forever!"
     "I'm pestering you because you don't understand! I just need you to say the truth!" Wisp prompted desperately.
     "Why is this something that you need to know so badly? You haven't cared for years, and now you're acting as if it's a matter of life or death."
     "Just tell me!" Wisp demanded, and there was something about his voice that signaled something was about to crack.
     "If you can't even give me a reason-" mom started, and she was the one interrupted this time.
     "Because I already know, alright?! I already know that it's Glacier who's my biological dad!"

The heightened rumble of voices was replaced by dead silence. Wisp looked desperate as he had before, and mom was stunned speechless. She glanced around not knowing what to do when she finally spotted me on the stairs listening to it all. Her gaze alerted Wisp to me too, and I broke out of my daze to stride over to them with immense curiosity.

     "H-how are you, Coal? Are you feeling alright?" mom asked with a stutter as she once again lightly traced her fingers near my bandage.
     "I'm alright. A little lightheaded and my head hurts some, but it's nothing I can't handle." I comforted confidently.
     "Good. That's good." she said so softly I had trouble hearing her.
     "What's going on here?" I had no choice but to ask, "Is Wisp right? Is Grandpa Glacier really who the mysterious sperm donor was?"

Mom sighed heavily, and she glanced between my brother and me. Having calmed down now that his secret was out there, Wisp spoke like himself.

     "I'm sorry for being so aggressive about this, but I couldn't take it anymore. I was tired of hiding it. To tell the truth, I've known for a long time that Glacier is my biological dad. I figured it out during junior high, although I suspected it even earlier than that." he admitted.
     "Really? You did?" mom asked with quiet but somewhat intrigued curiosity.
     "Mom, it's so obvious I'm surprised no one else had figured it out but me. We look exactly alike!" Wisp remarked with amusement, "You even made my middle name his middle name. You wanted to make our relationship a secret, but you made things a bit too obvious."
     "I suppose...that's not untrue." mom conceded with a weak laugh before sighing again, "We were going to tell you when you turned eighteen. Just like how we would have been able to find out if the situation was a typical situation with a sperm donor. It wasn't that I had a problem with letting you know sooner, but it was Glacier who wanted to wait. He didn't want to cause any tension between..."

She trailed off uncertainly. I thought she was merely talking about there being some tension between Grandpa Glacier and dad, which was understandable. However, then mom glanced at me cautiously. What made me more suspicious and confused was that Wisp gave me the same sort of look. I frowned, and that seemed to spark them focusing on the one worry that was obvious.

     "I know. You don't have to worry, mom" Wisp reassured her, "I know very well who my real dad is."
     "I know you do." mom responded with a warm smile, pulling Wisp in for one of her signature hugs.
     "If it feels too soon, I won't go...but, is it alright if I go over to Glacier's?" Wisp then requested.
     "Didn't I hear you mentioning something earlier about how you had planned with him to go over for a visit today anyway?" mom pointed out with an amused, suspicious smirk.
     "Just covering my bases." Wisp shrugged with a goofy grin.
     "It's alright with me. You two go and have your talk. I know he has wanted to speak to you honestly despite his reservations otherwise."

Wisp gave mom another quick hug, he carefully gave me one, and he was on his way without another word. Mom took off into the kitchen before I could question her about that suspicious moment. Not that it mattered too much. I figured it out on my own. Not feeling up to standing or moving about for more than a moment or two, I made the big couch in front of the television my spot. I was finally free to watch my shows without interruption, but my mind putting the pieces of the puzzle together distracted me from their plots. The truth hit me solidly after a good while of nothing making sense.

My brother had regained a bit of what the rest of us had lost. Dad would always be Wisp's real dad just like he had said, but there was that connection between him and Grandpa Glacier that he couldn't deny. A bloodline that was wholly separate from the rest of us. Random traits and personality quirks from family members he had never met. The other half that created his existence. It was a big thing. An important thing. It was something I had had, and now Wisp was healing the gap somewhat for himself. Raring jealousy surged within me, and I understood why mom had been worried about telling the truth. The relief Wisp was getting was something the rest of us couldn't grab for ourselves.

With my head not in the best of conditions to sort through the newfound revelation properly, I ignored it for the time being and actually watched what was playing on the screen. Mom puttered here and there going about her daily routine. Prism and Desire made appearances before both heading out as well. Cerise cuddled with me for a while until she went upstairs to bother Uncle Blaze. Television got boring after a while, so I switched to video games. It was about the time when I got the urge to move around again when the doorbell rang. Mom went to go greet the person, and I was not the happiest seeing who walked in.

     "Ah, Spruce. Hello." mom said with an amused hint of embarrassment.
     "Forget you invited me over?" Mr. Trail chuckled.
     "Well, maybe just a little..."
     "It was kinda a chaotic day yesterday." I began to explain, alerting my teacher to my presence.
     "Hello, Coal. Sorry to intrude again." Mr. Trail apologized teasingly.
     "Just as long as it doesn't become habit." I warned likewise.
     "Sorry, but we're friends now," mom played along, "So you're just going to have to get used to him being here."
     "Exactly. Besides, from what I've heard your house is where a lot of interesting things go down. For example, what happened yesterday?" Mr. Trail wondered.
     "Unfortunately, nothing good. Coal's cousin tripped him by the pool. He hit his head, getting a slight concussion, and fell into the water. Coal was unconscious at the hospital for several hours until he woke up and we were allowed to bring him home." mom admitted.
     "Oh, I'm so sorry. Are you alright?" Mr. Trail asked, immediately more serious.
     "I think I'm going to have to miss a whole week of school at this point." I revealed dramatically.
     "The doctor said he should take a few days off. Wednesday is the day he said would be fine to let him go back to school given that no symptoms of hidden injuries manifest." mom instantly shut me down, "Which reminds me, I'll need to call the school later to let them know."

That led mom and Mr. Trail into some conversation I wasn't interested in listening to. They only paused so mom could ask me what I wanted lunch to be. I answered with shawarma, and those were the last words we spoke to each other as the two adults pretty much forgot about me. I would have gone up to my room if there had been a computer or television in there, as my scrambled brain had me forgetting about Wisp's unoccupied room. So, I stayed where I was and played through three difficult levels of the platform game I had running while mom and Mr. Trail made quiet background noise for me. I faded my concentration on their conversation in and out. The only reason I cared at all was because mom began to sound a little off. Mr. Trail did more and more of the talking while she grew more prone to responding with simple 'Hmm's, 'Mmm's, and 'Uh-huh's. She sounded as if she was tired, but that wasn't exactly a big alarm or even anything out of the ordinary. Thanks to the baby, mom had a bizarre sleeping schedule. I also didn't think to say anything because mom was cooking, and she often focused more on that than talking.

Of course, it was only after I was proven wrong that I realized how wrong I was. I should have addressed the strain in mom's voice, because I think Mr. Trail being there prompted her to ignore the warning signals she was given. The mood crashed within seconds. Mom was plating the food up, and I was browsing on the console's online game store for any cheap games or ones one sale that mom might let me get. I had a lot of sympathy brownie points, and I was determined to use them. That is, until I heard what the adults spoke next.

     "Are you alright?" Mr Trail's softly asked question was full of concern, worry, and a hint of panic I didn't like.
     "Yes," mom answered, the end of her syllable already wavering with pain that signaled in the desperate, agonized word she spoke next, "No."

I sat up quickly and turned around, and what I saw was mom quickly sinking to the ground as Mr. Trail did his best to help her down as gently as possible. Despite how it dizzied my head and warped my vision, I jumped up to rush over. Mom sat on the floor quivering in pain clutching one hand around her stomach and her other on the kitchen carpet. I didn't waste any time grabbing the nearest small garbage can to place in front of her as she looked as if she was about to be sick. Mr. Trail let mom rest against him as he rubbed her back. Each passing second she looked worse and worse.

     "Your uncle is here, right?" Mr. Trail asked me, rather calm and collected given the unexpected situation, "Could you go get him?"
     "Right." I remembered.

I had forgotten Uncle Blaze was right upstairs with Cerise. No time was wasted in dashing over to the stairs, especially not when I heard mom make good use of the garbage can. That Sunday would not be a peaceful one like we anticipated. Just a few hours earlier compared to the previous day, we were forced to head right back to the hospital.