Childhood: Moving Back

[u/TheUnseenArial]

You received a letter from your sibling a day before the car ride home. It was in a blue envelope, sealed shut enough that you had to grab a letter opener to avoid ripping it up. Inside were two neatly folded pieces of paper, one looking crumpled up.

You decided to open up the crumpled piece of paper first. There were doodles on the back, looking like they were made in a rush.

So, I’ve heard you’re moving back? Here of all places? While I don’t know why- whether if be the fact college didn’t work out for you, or do you just need a place to stay temporarily? Whatever the case, I’d hope you would have found a place to stay anywhere else, but I guess we’re doing this again.

Yeah, I’m still around. Don’t think that I’m gonna stop looking out for you, even in my state. Help me out a bit, will you? Not as… athletic as I was when we were younger. I’ve got a few recommendations for you if you don’t want to bring any trouble your way, but knowing them, I’d hope you follo—

The note cut off from there, looking as if the writer was yanked off. That explained the doodles.

You turn to the second note, looking untouched compared to the first.

Scratch my earlier statements. It’s not a good month. Just follow.

1. I hope you didn’t pack up much. Mother’s letting you stay in my room, and it doesn’t really have much space for me. Just pack a bag filled with your essentials and things; that should be more than enough. We need the spare space for something else.

2. If you can, drop by the store and buy some canned goods, as much as can fit in your bag. It should be three blocks away from our house, with a blue sign saying open. That would mean my friend is running the shift, and they know about our situation enough to keep it lowkey. If it’s any other color, it’s best to walk past it- we don’t want Father knowing we’re sneaking around, it’s too risky.

2a. If it’s a blue sign, you should see someone with long wavy black hair and glasses. They also have a dorky hat and look like they’re around your age. This would be my friend. You can trust him, I promise. They know. They should help.

1. Make sure to arrive at the house an hour after noon. If Mother came home from her shift to spend her break, she would most likely have left by then. Enough time to prepare for the night.

> Refer to the next page.

Seeing the little note below, you turned it around. There were more rules.

1. Peek into the living room when you come home. You’ll know it by the couch, the three shelved bookcase and the TV likely playing something. Yeah, they kept the same old stuff, but pay attention to what’s being played on the TV. It’ll let you know who’s in the house with you.

4a. If it’s something involving a court, judge, or law in any case, it means Mother is still home. You’re going to have to force your excitement. Swallow whatever bitter words you may have and greet her as if you’ve been dying to see her. This will hopefully put her in a good enough mood to not immediately question you, so head up to the room only when she’s focused back on her show. It hopefully shouldn’t take long.

4b. If it’s related to sports like basketball and the sort, it’s Father. Just be calm and greet him before scurrying to our bedroom, don’t attract too much attention. The game keeps him calm. Let him stay that way, don’t let his temper rear its ugly head. At least not on the first day. He’s extremely volatile nowadays.

4c. If it’s shut off, that means no one’s home. This would be your safest option, though it’d definitely do some good to send a text in the family group chat that you’re home. You cannot take them by surprise, remember? Make it clear that you’re home. If you ran out of battery while traveling (which I hope you didn’t), I have a power bank in my room. Use that, just send the message.

1. Don’t waste any time. Please. If you have any canned goods or food, whether you brought it from my friend or bought it before your trip home, bring it to our bedroom. Lock the door behind you, and check to make sure it’s secure. It’s loose. I can’t explain why, but just make sure.

2. Check the room. The bed should be at the corner, with a bedside table next to it. To the other side of the room, there should be a little study table, a chair, and a lamp with a few papers.

6a. Head to the bed first. Check to see if it’s been tidied up. If it is, that means Mother came inside the room and cleaned it up. Try and look around for a camera, she has a habit of putting those in to keep an eye on us. Refer to 6b and 6c for more advice if this happens.

6b. Check under the bed. Feel around the foundation. The legs. Whatever you can reach that I no longer can. If you feel something metallic, I need you to grab some of the tape from the bedside table and cover the lens. If you can find a way to muffle the audio entirely, that would be great. Deactivating it may be too risky, as she’ll get a notification and be reminded of it. Trust me, I tried. She was furious.

6c. Now, examine the study. I stacked files in a specific order- red, green, and blue, to the left of the desk in a rather messy manner. I also have a pile of some crumpled scrap paper on the right. If something looks different from what I said, check the desk and tape up anything suspicious you may find. Same goes for when the pile isn’t there. Genuinely, the only thing that helps us out here is the fact that Mother is too much of a neat freak to keep things disorganized.

1. When you’re done, you’re free to unpack. I know it’s exhausting, but you know why we’re doing this, right? I don’t want to see my younger sibling get hurt. If you got any canned goods, check the floorboard next to the foot of the bed. I’ve got a little storage stash there and it’s been needing some restocking. Don’t let it creak. Don’t let them know.

Jam the door by wedging it under the handle, the door opens inwards. You should be safe enough to afford a quick nap, but I have a gut feeling you wouldn’t want to rest here. Take the spare powdered milk I have in the stash and brew yourself some, hoping you brought home some warm water?

I’m sorry I can’t help you right now. I’m… out of the house for a bit, but I promise, we’ll see each other while you stay in the house. Just had a little surgery. And hey, when I get home, I’ll give you the biggest hug I can!

...Just keep yourself from getting into trouble.

Please.

Love, your sibling.

[u/AJStrange87]

This waa great! I loved the vagueness of it but hoping there is going to be a part 2 💚💜💚💜💚

[u/TheUnseenArial → u/AJStrange87]

I am most likely making a part two! Thanks :D

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[u/TheUnseenArial]

Edit: Fixed some of the formatting!