Page 260 of Phobia
Get some sleep, baby brother.
You’ve had enough terrible for one lifetime, thanks to me. I’ll take it all to the grave.
Give you the peace you deserve.
Love always and forever,
Your big sis.
I look up, with the paper clutched between my trembling fingers.
Asa’s staring at me, eyes as wide as saucers.
My lips part. But I have no idea what to say.
I’m at a loss.
My legs want to give out. So I stumble over to the bed, plopping down next to Asa, handing him the paper. He takes it, folding it back up and stuffing it into his pocket.
The room is quiet for several minutes.
“Asa…” I eventually mumble. “I’m… I just…”
That’s all I’ve got.
He releases a ragged sigh, resting his head on my shoulder. His soft, messy blue hair tickles my face. Circling my arm around his waist, I pull him in as close to me as possible. And I just rub his back, for minutes on end, while he shivers in silence.
My lips are in his hair, kissing him when he croaks, “I guess I’ll… take a shower.”
***
It was a rough night.
Duh.
After Asa showered, I was trying to get him to eat something, but he was very unenthusiastic about it. Until he discovered that we had Strawberry Pop Tarts, at which point he ate two. I guess they’re his second favorite to the S’Mores kind.
It’s interesting… Loving someone you know next to nothing about. It’s kind of exciting. Every day is something new. And no, it’s not all good stuff. But let’s just say I haven’t been bored a day since I moved to Riot Park.
By some minor miracle, Mom didn’t say anything about Asa sleeping in my room with me. And yes,sleepingis a term I use very loosely, because he really didn’t sleep.
He told me he couldn’t, and I didn’t push him on it. But a few times, he started to drift, only to jump up like the bed was on fire, screaming and clutching at his throat like he couldn’t breathe.
I told my mom he was having nightmares…If only that were true.
I want him to understand that the note from his sister should help put his phobia to rest. She admitted to everything, told him none of it was his fault.
But now his fear is tied up with the trauma of losing his sister, finding out she was rotting in the next room for a week, and that she’d actually killed their parents when they were kids. I’m sure it’ll take much more time for him to get passed this.
I just need to be here for him.It’s all I can do.
My eyes flutter open, and I startle when I find Asa lying there, staring at me.
“Sorry…” he murmurs. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s okay,” I hum.
“I like watching you sleep.” He lifts his hand to brush it along my neck. “You look so peaceful.”
