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sonoflongshotAiden was trying to figure out how he got here. Well, not on the dock by the boathouse. That was a simple matter of walking. Alone because he walked out of a large building with lots of people in it with a cellphone cradled against his ear. Now, his phone was held loosely in one hand as he watched sunlight play on the lake waters.
He supposed he should be afraid of the lake. He nearly drowned here a couple weeks ago. But that was a special circumstance. There normally wasn't lake monsters there. Or giant squids. Or anything that Hogspimple place had in those books. It's not that he forgot what happened either. The taste of the water and the burning of his lungs were not things that would easily meander away from his recollection. It's just... he couldn't blame the lake for what happened to him.
He could blame himself for the past two conversations with his father on the cellphone. The first came the day Hana had made it to Japan. Apparently, the haunted and haggard look had stayed for the flight and beyond. It was nice to hear she got there okay. It was less nice when Dad started to prod for information. Aiden managed to stay vague for a bit; he hadn't known what Hana would want told or not. His father was a light touch most times; people barely noticed he turned things the way he needed. Except when it came to the welfare of his wife and children. Even the cranky older younger brother.
"Aiden." Dad didn't sound like he thought he had been given the whole story.
"But that's what happened."
"Not entirely. Everything, Aiden." His voice was getting a little harder and insistent.
"I... don't know what she wants told. I don't know everything. Misha probably does. Call him?"
"Aiden..." The third time his name has come up. Dad is not giving up.
The teen sighed. "Alright. Here's everything I know has happened lately."
The second call from his parents came at what was probably the end of his sister's stay. Aiden hadn't been too sure how long she would be gone. Both parents on the line, so it seemed like something serious. When they said everyone was fine, Aiden relaxed. Which made the gut punch in the next sentence hit a little harder. Hana didn't want to be there anymore. She wanted to move out. Away. It was at that point he had started walking. He couldn't be around people. People distracted him. He needed to think. To wrap his mind around how miserable his sister had to be and how he had done not enough to help her not feel that way.
He went over everything that had happened from his end. It gnawed on him that he did something wrong. That he didn't do enough of something to keep his twin happy, but then again, he was getting the idea his stock with her was diminishing. He had made her promise not to avoid him anymore. Period. She could have avoided everybody but him. Before she left, she was still avoiding him and everybody else.
There was some serious thought on the end of that dock that if her promise to him meant nothing, then his promise to not go off on adventures without telling her didn't have to be followed. Except he couldn't justify going back on his own promise. His bike racing wasn't an adventure. It was more of a test. A challenge. And he always came home with no stories to tell. Adventures needed stories. Even if the end included being impaled on a samurai's sword.
But he thought he had until graduation. Aiden knew life would probably take him on a different path than his sister, but he thought he had more time. A few more months to hang with her. A little longer to be two goofy kids late at night in front of a television. That couldn't happen when she was elsewhere and commuting in. He had always had a sense of comfort knowing his sister was sleeping under the same large roof. That one person in the mass of students and teachers understood him implicitly and was always there. Now, he didn't have it.
It was stupid and childish and probably a bit too possessive to ever bring up to his father. But it was what Aiden felt.
The Mojoworlder stood at the end of the dock and stared vacantly over the water. His cellphone was held so loosely it was threatening to fall either on the wooden dock or in the murky waters under the dock.
He just needed to get a handle on this. Hana wasn't abandoning him. It was probably better for her peace of mind if she left. Because things had been pretty terrible around here for her. She would never mean to purposefully hurt him. So, he would just have to try out some acting skills of his own. Be supportive. Ignore his own feelings. Help her out.
...
He thought he had until at least May.
He supposed he should be afraid of the lake. He nearly drowned here a couple weeks ago. But that was a special circumstance. There normally wasn't lake monsters there. Or giant squids. Or anything that Hogspimple place had in those books. It's not that he forgot what happened either. The taste of the water and the burning of his lungs were not things that would easily meander away from his recollection. It's just... he couldn't blame the lake for what happened to him.
He could blame himself for the past two conversations with his father on the cellphone. The first came the day Hana had made it to Japan. Apparently, the haunted and haggard look had stayed for the flight and beyond. It was nice to hear she got there okay. It was less nice when Dad started to prod for information. Aiden managed to stay vague for a bit; he hadn't known what Hana would want told or not. His father was a light touch most times; people barely noticed he turned things the way he needed. Except when it came to the welfare of his wife and children. Even the cranky older younger brother.
"Aiden." Dad didn't sound like he thought he had been given the whole story.
"But that's what happened."
"Not entirely. Everything, Aiden." His voice was getting a little harder and insistent.
"I... don't know what she wants told. I don't know everything. Misha probably does. Call him?"
"Aiden..." The third time his name has come up. Dad is not giving up.
The teen sighed. "Alright. Here's everything I know has happened lately."
The second call from his parents came at what was probably the end of his sister's stay. Aiden hadn't been too sure how long she would be gone. Both parents on the line, so it seemed like something serious. When they said everyone was fine, Aiden relaxed. Which made the gut punch in the next sentence hit a little harder. Hana didn't want to be there anymore. She wanted to move out. Away. It was at that point he had started walking. He couldn't be around people. People distracted him. He needed to think. To wrap his mind around how miserable his sister had to be and how he had done not enough to help her not feel that way.
He went over everything that had happened from his end. It gnawed on him that he did something wrong. That he didn't do enough of something to keep his twin happy, but then again, he was getting the idea his stock with her was diminishing. He had made her promise not to avoid him anymore. Period. She could have avoided everybody but him. Before she left, she was still avoiding him and everybody else.
There was some serious thought on the end of that dock that if her promise to him meant nothing, then his promise to not go off on adventures without telling her didn't have to be followed. Except he couldn't justify going back on his own promise. His bike racing wasn't an adventure. It was more of a test. A challenge. And he always came home with no stories to tell. Adventures needed stories. Even if the end included being impaled on a samurai's sword.
But he thought he had until graduation. Aiden knew life would probably take him on a different path than his sister, but he thought he had more time. A few more months to hang with her. A little longer to be two goofy kids late at night in front of a television. That couldn't happen when she was elsewhere and commuting in. He had always had a sense of comfort knowing his sister was sleeping under the same large roof. That one person in the mass of students and teachers understood him implicitly and was always there. Now, he didn't have it.
It was stupid and childish and probably a bit too possessive to ever bring up to his father. But it was what Aiden felt.
The Mojoworlder stood at the end of the dock and stared vacantly over the water. His cellphone was held so loosely it was threatening to fall either on the wooden dock or in the murky waters under the dock.
He just needed to get a handle on this. Hana wasn't abandoning him. It was probably better for her peace of mind if she left. Because things had been pretty terrible around here for her. She would never mean to purposefully hurt him. So, he would just have to try out some acting skills of his own. Be supportive. Ignore his own feelings. Help her out.
...
He thought he had until at least May.
