5.5 – No more smiles for you

This takes place on Sariel and Max’s eighteenth birthday.

No one’s POV

“Is this what you wanted to show me? What is this place?” Sariel asked as they set foot on the lot.

“I’m surprised you don’t remember.” Max replied.

“That’s not answering my question at all. Is this where you spend most of your time? At a skate park? Since when do we even have a skate park in this town?” Sariel asked.

“If dad knew I spent this much time here he’d probably lock me up for good.” Max’s words surprised Sariel.

“Max…” She’d been so caught up in the day’s festivities she’d only just noticed Max’s switch to serious. These days she hadn’t really seen her serious brother, and she wondered why he was suddenly so serious.

“Do you still remember what happened here or is it just me?” Sariel looked around. The trees did look familiar. It didn’t mean she wanted to remember on her birthday.

Max turned around, and with tears in her eyes, Sariel nodded. Feeling bad he rushed over to hug her. Sariel was assaulted with the memories of their mother’s death again.

Sariel pulled back. “Okay, you’ve brought me here for no reason other than to make me cry on our birthday. Can we do something else now?”

“Ha sorry, that wasn’t my goal.”

“Sorry.” Sariel apologized as well. She was doing a lot of that lately. “So you’re saying this place is where mom got murdered?”

“Yeah.”

“And that you’ve been hanging out here for most of the day?”

“Yeah.”

“And why did the town decide to build a skate park here?”

“It wasn’t them. At first I thought it was, but something else came up.” There was Sariel’s brother, being vague again.

“Okay, who did?”

“That’s another story.”

Sariel could see he was about to tell her the real reason why he brought her here, but she had a question she wanted to ask first.

“Why Max? Why do you come here so much? Why are you torturing yourself?”

“Torturing myself?” Max asked, looking surprised at the question. Sariel felt confused.

“Sariel, if someone’s torturing themselves here, it isn’t me.” Sariel felt slightly insulted at the thinly veiled accusation.

“Sis, I’ve dealt with my problems. Being here, where mom was last alive is a sort of comfort for me. And I also really enjoy snowboarding.”

That’s right, her brother had already all figured it out.

“But this isn’t why I brought you out. I wanted to talk about this moving thing with you, and this is the most silent place I know.”

“MAX!” Sariel yelled, shutting him up.

“See this is why I brought you all the way out here.” Max said, backing up in case his sister decided to hit him.

Sariel glared at him.

“Sariel! Stop being so stubborn!”

“No, no, no, no, no! Both you and dad aren’t even willing to get to know Charles.”

“Sariel, that werewolf-”

“So now you’re penalizing him because he’s a werewolf?! It’s because of hates for supernaturals that mom died!” Sariel yelled, mentally pushing away the torturous images.

“No Sariel I didn’t mean that!” Max defended.

“It doesn’t matter, when you guys move I’m staying here! I’m eighteen now and dad can’t stop me! Whether he wants it or not, I’m staying with Charles.”

“But Sariel…I wanted you to stay with us, I-” Sariel had never seen Max look so disappointed.

“I wanted you to be there when my baby is born.” Max said. Sariel’s heart jumped. Max was going to be a father?

“But whatever Sariel. If you want it to be like that, then so be it. Don’t expect lots of smiles in your last few days with us.” Max spat.

“He’s just trying to guilt trip me.” Sariel muttered.

I owed it to Max to let them have a good birthday (or so I thought, ended up not being a good birthday at all. I can’t keep up with these guys! Can’t they be happy for one day?).

*sobs* Max’s sad face makes me sad :(.