Appointed Read Free Page B

allowed to use the microwave, and even then I think that’s lucky because she’ll find some kind of an excuse to keep him away from it.”
    â€œIt’s like she wants to make him helpless.”
    â€œShe can control it. Mom needs that to feel secure.” He shrugged, trying to not make a big deal about it, but Cheyenne wasn’t going to let it drop.
    She looked into his eyes. “Why?”
    â€œIt’s just what she does. When Dad died, it was hard on all of us. Everything changed so fast. By controlling my brother’s life, Mom thinks she can keep living in the glory days of when Dad was still around. That’s my theory at least.”
    â€œAnd you—”
    â€œTake care of the family. I don’t mind. She needs someone to help hold her up, and so does Anj since he blames himself for the whole thing. Even though it wasn’t his fault.”
    â€œWhat did happen to your dad? I mean, if you don’t mind my asking. Just, if you want to talk about it, I’m here to listen. I want to know everything about you, and I worry about you and—”
    Zes silenced her with a soft kiss on the lips. “You’re sweet. I haven’t brought it up much because I’m never sure what to say. It’s taboo inside the house so we’ve gotten used to not saying a word, talking like he was never here. I think it helps Mom feel less alone.”
    â€œI won’t pry anymore,” Cheyenne said.
    Don’t shut her out. He took in a deep breath. “We were eight. Anj and I were playing outside in the rain. He likes mud, something about the texture, and one of our favorite games has always been saving the worms from puddles. Anyway, we were outside in the garden, and all of a sudden Anj started talking about how he could see. Naturally, I was confused because he’s been blind since birth, and at the time, his magic hadn’t kicked in to its full potential. I tried to get him to explain what he was talking about, and he started walking away, following after some kind of blue door? Granted, he didn’t say it was blue because he didn’t know what the color looked like at the time, but the way he described it led me to that conclusion.
    â€œAnyway, I turned away from him for one second to do something, and he was gone. Like that.” He snapped a finger. “I told my parents what happened. They both freaked out. Dad ran outside, and then he was gone too. That was the last time I saw him alive.”
    â€œI’m sorry,” she whispered. Part of him wanted to brush the words off because they were ones he was tired of hearing. Her sympathy was appreciated, though. It felt real from her when so many others’ words were insincere.
    Slowly, Zes shook his head. “Dad was found a few hours later, lying facedown in the middle of the backyard. We still don’t know what exactly happened to him. Autopsy never came back conclusive, so I’m pretty sure cause of death involved magic. Anj was missing for a week and a half. We didn’t know if he was alive or dead. In anger my—”
    He stopped, unsure if he should keep going. When he glanced over at Cheyenne, and saw her blue eyes wide and filled with tears, he decided to take a leap and tell her something he’d never shared with anyone. His mom and his brother knew, but only because they had lived it with him.
    He took in another breath and then exhaled slowly, closing his eyes. “In anger, my mother said it was my fault. For a long time, she held it against me. It took five years for her to forgive me and realize it was just one of those things that happened, but sometimes… sometimes I wonder if she was right.”
    â€œWhy do you think that?” Cheyenne asked.
    â€œBecause if I could have stopped Anj from disappearing, then it wouldn’t have happened. It’s always been my job to keep watch over him so he doesn’t get hurt. You might not understand,