Nobody Else-Short Story

It’s about time I introduced you to both my main characters for The Search for Alis in one short story. So, I am very happy to introduce you to R and Elias in one of my favorite short stories I have written. 

***

R always worried when Elias was gone longer than he should have been. It wasn’t that he was super late, but he should have been back easily thirty minutes ago. 

She tried to distract herself by studying the detailed cracks in their wall while twisting a lock of her hair around her finger. 

Through the openings where bricks had fallen through, she could see the golden light from the setting sun. It looked pretty at the moment, but she knew what terrors the collapsing wall did when a storm came. 

She looked away from the wall, towards the closed door. Elias always took forever to do anything. He probably got distracted by something on his way home from getting food. Or maybe something worse happened. 

She sighed and stood up from the battered chair. She fumbled with her hair as she tied it back. Then she walked to the door, placing her hand on the doorknob. She began to turn it, only to stop herself. 

Worrying about Elias wasn’t going to change anything. On top of that, it was dangerous to go outside after dark. It was better for her to stay home where her brother could find her. 

He was just probably stopping somewhere to do something quick. Nothing to worry about. He hated her worrying over him. 

R shook her head and pulled her hand off the doorknob reluctantly. She turned away, walking to the opposite end of the house. 

Before she even realized it, she was pacing back and forth and twisting her fingers together. 

If he didn’t get back soon, she would have to go look for him. A hundred scenarios of what could have happened to him, ran through her head. Then again, he could always just be late. 

He was hardly ever this late. 

Besides, he had promised they could go to the rooftop that night and go stare at the stars together. It was always R’s favorite thing to go onto the rooftop with her older brother. 

She felt free up there. Everything that seemed to crush her soul would just melt away when R was as high as she could be, staring at the stars. She felt like she could just sprout wings and take off across the sky. Escape everything. 

But no. That wasn’t how life worked. Life likes to throw you into the worst situation possible and watch you struggle to survive. Life was what kept R and Elias in captivity in a city that looked like it was the home of every dark thing. 

Life liked to curse you with pink hair and rip away your parents. 

Life liked to keep your brother away to watch you squirm as you waited for him. 

Life liked-

“What did I tell you about worrying?” A voice caused R to stop mid-step. 

She looked at Elias. “Why were you-”

“No, wait, before you get angry at me for staying out so long, let me explain myself,” Elias said, shutting the door behind himself. “Look, I’m sorry I was out so late. It was hard to get food. But you really shouldn’t have been worrying. I was fine.” He fumbled with his satchel as he fished out a much-too-small package of food. 

R took the package from his hands, setting it down on the table. “I know, but you aren’t usually out this late, even on food day.” 

“Uh-huh.” 

“What are you doing?” R asked, turning to face him. Then she gasped. “Wha-”

Elias handed her the wooden box. He was grinning wider than he had in years. 

R gently cradled the box as she slowly lifted the metal latch. Tears sprang into her eyes as she saw what was inside. 

“Y-y-you found it?” She croaked, lifting the shining silver flute out of the wooden box. 

Elias nodded. “That’s what took me so long. I know it’s late, but happy sixteenth birthday.” 

R ran over to him and threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you, Elias. Thank you so much.” 

“Mother wanted you to have it. It was the least I could do to find it again,” He replied, hugging her back. “Now, I found it. You need to play something.” 

R pulled away, beaming. She wiped the tears off her face with the back of her hand then lifted the instrument to her lips. She shut her eyes as she always did. 

The notes slowly poured from the instrument. Calming the tense air. 

Unlike the images that usually filled her head when she played, memories drifted through her mind like a dream. 

She saw two young kids spinning each other around. A girl with pink hair playing the flute and a boy with a mop of dark hair. 

Despite the fact they were in a dark alley, they danced and laughed as if they were in a palace, dancing at a late-night ball. 

The scene changed. Now the two kids were older, sitting atop a rooftop, gazing wonderingly at the horizon beyond as the sun rose. 

“I wonder what’s over there sometimes. Beyond the horizon,” the girl whispered. 

The boy wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “One day, R. I am getting us out of here. We will go on an adventure and see what is beyond the horizon together.” 

The girl leaned onto his shoulder and grabbed the flute from her side. She lifted it to her mouth, playing a soft melody. 

Again, the scene changed. This time to the girl and boy running down the street, big smiles on their faces. The girl clutched the flute tightly in her hands, keeping it steady at her lips as she played. 

The boy spun in a circle to the beat of the music, while still keeping his balance and continuing to run. His face pulled into a mischievous smirk. 

The girl returned his look with a daring gaze as she darted over to a pile of stones. She skipped up the stones with quick movements. She did a small spin at the top of the stones, then jumped down. She continued to run along her brother’s side, who was laughing and calling her a ‘show off’. 

Then R’s eyes flew open to see the tall figure of Elias standing in front of her. He raised his eyebrow in an unspoken question. 

R winked then began tapping her foot to the music. She then spun on her heel, allowing her brother to steady her then spin her again in a dance they had made so long ago. 

Elias was laughing as they danced around the room. 

R tried to memorize the scene perfectly. From the sunlight peeking through the bricks, to the battered, yet smiling, face of her brother. 

Nobody ever could make her happy like Elias could. He knew her better than she knew herself sometimes. 

If she had to be trapped in Regnum City, there was not one person she would rather be trapped with than her older brother.

***

Until next time, 

A.J. Syngraféas