Wednesday worries (1/2)

A moment of serenity passed within the warm embrace of Sophie's bed.

What could be better than to float at the tempting precipice of sleep?

To feel that promise of a well-rested mind.

The weight of her tired limbs almost gone.

Really, the only thing missing was to be finally taken...

Only for Sophie's alarm to pull her back into the harsh truth of reality.

A few uncoordinated slaps brought the phone to cease its usurpation, yet the knocking of her brother followed before she could even consider a second attempt.

She could feel her teeth grind on one another while struggling to get up from her brief rest.

Her brother only stopped his incessant attack at her ears when she opened the door and stared at him through her half open eyelids.

Jacob's reaction to her accusing gaze was predictably defensive.

"Ugh... Sophie? Is anything wrong? You look... kinda tired..."

Wrinkles dug into her forehead at his notion of the obvious while he took a step backwards as a reaction.

'Really?! I wonder what tells you that?'

Sophie scoffed, her lips dry from a long interrupted night, and walked past him.

"Yeah, I bet you would too, if you were being kept awake by whatever the other two were doing..."

With one hand swung she towards her father's bedroom, emphasizing who she meant before she stomped into the bathroom to battle with the still lingering effects of her exhaustion, by splashing a good measure of water into her pale face.

Reflected in the mirror greeted her the broom of a witch, with its black bristles standing off in all sorts of random directions.

From the other side of the door came Jacob's curious voice, seeking to understand her statement.

"What do you mean? I didn't hear anything."

Sophie rubbed her eyes before answering.

"Obviously... but I got derived of my sleep, and that just because dad and Karen thought it might be a good idea to host a door slamming competition at one o'clock in the morning."

The door opened once more in front of Jacob after she finished her morning routine.

Written in his face, the look of unmitigated confusion.

"A what?"

It followed a frustrated sigh when she left towards the living room, her mind still mildly hazy.

"The hell I know! I'm just glad they didn't smash each other. That would have been way more awkward... God, I just need some coffee. Right... now?"

To much surprise awaited both of them a generously prepared breakfast and a hurried father that carried even more tasty treats towards the table.

With the smell of fresh baked bread, egg and bacon in the air felt Sophie almost like she might have eventually succeeded in falling asleep.

Their father must have noticed the both of them immediately, giving each a hearty grin and leading them to the feast.

"Coffee is right on the table, but I can also prepare you some for on the way, if you want?"

Sophie managed only a nod in response, before succumbing to the grave appetite that had built with this sight and eating herself across the entire supply.

While she felt herself encapsulated by the overwhelming offering, seemed Jacob to be a little skeptical.

Her brother threw her an almost agitated look as she downed her second mug of coffee and behaved rather reserved whenever their father returned with another plate of bacon.

"What are you doing? Don't you think there's something off? Dad never makes so much breakfast, unless... something is incredibly wrong..."

She barely paid attention to his nagging whisper in between her ravenous bites.

"I know, but I'm too tired to care. Now reach me the bacon, Sherlock."

Even after giving her the plate, Jacob played more around with his own meal than actually eating, clearly distracted by the unusual morning.

A state Sophie ignored until his next question arose.

"Didn't you say they fought this morning? What if that's the reason?"

That conclusion made enough sense.

For what other reason would their father try so hard to distract himself, almost like on their first day of school?

His brief appearance every once in a while only added to her brother's theory.

Just the same as the way he avoided direct eye contact.

She thought back about the nightmarish distraction that had kept her awake, and although she had barely understood a word, there was something to be checked for.

"If you really want to know, then just look if the car is back. I heard someone driving off. Although the speed made it sound like it was Dad..."

As if called by the magic word, appeared the suspect in question again, with more delicious treats for Sophie's bottomless abyss of a stomach.

"Another batch of bacon, coming right up!"

With him barely back in the kitchen sneaked Jacob away, leaving her just enough time to decimate the delivery.

His eyes were wide open after his recent discovery.

"The garage is open, but empty. What now?"

It wasn't really like Sophie cared about Karen's absence.

That only meant coffee was back on the table and what more could she want?

"Now sit down and eat. She's not coming back just because you're panicking."

Maybe something sweet to round of the hearty meal?

Jacob didn't seem to agree though, instead leaning his head on both hands.

"Oh no... what if she's gone because of yesterday..."

That sudden reminder of Sophie's slip up the day before made her stop right with her knife in the almost empty glass of chocolate cream.

"Excuse me! It's not my fault when she chooses to miss out on Dad and you. I did apologize."

Her rash retort didn't seem to gather quite the response she expected from her brother.

"Huh?"

No, the clueless look on him made clear he didn't even know about her confrontation with Karen.

He wasn't accusing her of it, but himself.

Just why?

'Yes, why? It's obviously your fault.'

Sophie ignored the biting sarcasm in her own mind and instead chose to ask for answers at the right address.

"Wait... what were you talking about?"

Jacob almost jumped from his chair, called out by the conspicuous mention.

"Nothing!"

'Yeah, because nothing means something...'

She rolled her eyes at the obvious lie, only to get interrupted by the return of their father.

"Do you two want anything else?"

Just like with Jacob, there was that hint of guilt at him.

Why else all the effort, but to not deal with it?

Well, not like she could pretend herself to be different...

The knife in her grasp scratched against the inside of the jar, her eyes fixated on the empty bottom.

"I would like some more of that nougat cream, if that's okay. And Jacob here wants to know why Karen disappeared in the dead of night."

Her direct approach caused her brother to cough some of the milk back up he tried to drink.

A similar response came from their father, who dropped his fake smile at the notion.

"I guess it was bound to happen that you two notice... even if I didn't expect it that fast... I... look, Karen and I have to sort some things out."

Awkward silence filled the living room afterwards, interrupted only by her slow chewing.

Somehow, she felt more empty than before the breakfast when their father continued.

"But it's important to me... that you understand that it's not your fault."

Sophie met an unsettling resistance when she swallowed the rest of her meal.

"See? Told you so. She's coming back, eventually. So stop worrying and eat something."

That was certainly preferable than to overthink the topic...

[---][---][---][---][---][---][---][---]

Greeted by the innocent chirping of early birds stepped Sophie and her brother outside, both bearing a mantle of quietude around them.

Her own eyes laying somber to the path before them, clouded by a feeling of weight upon herself, while the steps of Jacob dragged beside her over the pathway.

Whatever thoughts would have come to pass, though, the broken pieces of Sophie's adversary brought a swift end to her torment.

She looked upon the step that was no more, her head nodding aside while her brother jumped the part in question.

That was one too many things out of order for her, time to cast the brooding aside.

"Hey, what the fuck happened to the stair, Jacob?"

Pulled back by her call, he hesitated just a moment too long before turning around to answer.

"Ugh... didn't Dad want to repair it? Maybe it dropped and shattered?"

The other stone plates seemed fine, and there was no dent from an impact. Even the dried blood from her fall was still there.

'Why leave the rubble then and not clean up?'

It must have happened before Jacob came back from God knows what they even did, or else he would not ignore it.

It just brought her more questions to think about.

Sophie shrugged the unsolved murder of her former fiend off, occupied much more by the answers she wanted from her brother.

Instead of jumping the missing step like Jacob, Sophie walked over the rubble, feeling slight satisfaction of being the survivor of their dispute.

Back besides each other, they continued their walk to school, while Sophie furthered their conversation.

"Fine then. That aside, do you care to tell me what happened yesterday after Warren literally kicked me out?"

The topic brought another thought she had failed to cling to back to mind, the involvement of herself as instigator of his punishment.

While she gnawed on the inside of her lip, though, noticed Sophie some familiar signals in Jacob's behavior.

There was that same look in his eyes when she caught him in the window frame, those darting eyes of a culprit found to be lying.

"I... ugh... something had burned in the... wiring and... Warren made us stay. As punishment! Yes! Because of what happened during the game."

That still sounded as suspicious as the time Monica said the same, and like the rest that seemed to happen behind her back in the last time.

So he was the wrong address to ask...

"Yeah... I still want to apologize for even getting you into that trouble..."

Jacob visibly relaxed when she changed her tone, which left herself feel lighter as well.

"Thank you... but that's unnecessary. You didn't break the rules. I did."

Despite his words, there was a lot in the last time she could have added to that apology, except that Jacob didn't bother bringing it up either.

He was dishonest towards her, quiet and constantly nervous.

Just why?

"... but I don't get why it's then everyone except me who got pulled for that 'punishment' you are talking about. Especially Monica, and that even though she was in the other half of the hall, doing her class representative thingy."

There he tensed up again, clearly occupied with something, and it wasn't like he disliked talking about his feelings either.

Rather, the opposite.

'Yup, that's more your problem...'

Certainly hard to deny that thought, but there was more that didn't add up.

Jacob interrupted her calculations, a certain shudder in his voice.

"I mean... you know her... always looking out for others... and about Warren... who knows what's going on in that head, ain't I right?"

His nervous chuckle didn't really convince her either, only adding fuel to that feeling of doubt.

"And what is it that happened yesterday? Did Dad punish you for coming late, or what? How would Karen's disappearance then be your fault, though?"

Jacob stopped in his track short before the crossing Felix usually lurked around, unable to give her any answers.

Maybe he was afraid to receive the same greeting as yesterday, or her questions were just digging too deep.

Sophie didn't care for the first and continued, her arms ready to strike for the inevitable, before trying to settle the second.

"Jacob, I'm just worried about you. Please tell me if there's something bothering you. You can talk with me. We're siblings, for fuck's sake!"

Her brother didn't look at her, remaining stuck in place a few meters behind her, his gaze lowered and the hands wringing.

So it had been the second and her worry for an interruption by Felix seemed to have been unnecessary.

Even though the concern itself turned out to be for naught, that it was her first thought made her doubt grow an ugly thorn.

"Especially if it's me… that bothers you..."

Jacob's reaction to her words was immediate, his arms now in a defensive position. Although he looked at her, no sound crossed his lips.

Just like Felix, who must have caught up to the serious tension and stepped out of his hiding place, obviously unsure what to add to the conversation.

Sophie ignored both, while a painful smile sneaked on her face, her hand waving to the newly arrived.

"... or that dumbass over there..."

However silly the situation felt, the awkward silence that followed made it all the more unbearable.

What did it matter anyway…

"Just… forget I even asked."

She met no resistance when she left, not by the hands of her so-called friends, or the never silent voice in her head.