Chapter Seven: Sisters and Brothers

Well, here I am with vomit and tears on me as I sit in the corner looking at all the carnage that ruined my birthday. First, I’m forced to invite all these people I don’t even know or care about. Then, my sister, who abandoned me and Levi, comes in and expects to be given a warm welcome. Finally, some robot poisons the drinks and I’m stuck over here in the corner. Drinking a mug of hot cocoa while medics and Safe Haven evacuate the poisoned.

Pitcher: You okay?

Great.

Jaxson: Why do you care?

Pitcher: Because, you’re my little brother.

I scoff and return my attention back to the crowds of people clamoring over the poisoned people being dragged out. This is all my dad’s fault. If he hadn’t made me invite them, then maybe they wouldn’t have gotten sick.

As I’m thinking, a medic walks up to us and Pitcher starts to put herself in between me and her.

Pitcher: What do you want?

Medic: Ma’am, a patient has requested to see you both. And, he’s requested that you ride with him in the ambulance.

Joanne and I looked at each other before following the medic through the crowds of people. Now that I’m closer, I really do see the pain these people are going through. Some of them were nearly dead while nurses and first aids carried them through more people and carefully stepped over vomit.

The medic led us to an ambulance outside with the back doors already opened. We went around to the back and saw our dad on a stretcher in the back.

Pitcher & Jaxson: Dad?!

Gerald: Kids? Kids. Come on. We have to get daddy to the hospital.

Medic: He’s a little delirious. He may not be all the way there until we get the poison all the way out of his system.

Joanne and I climbed into the ambulance. And sat on either side of dad as he laughed goofily.

Gerald: Yes, Tanya, I’ll get the milk before I get home. Love you too.

Jaxson: Tanya?

Pitcher: My mom. Not yours. We’re half siblings.

Jaxson: That’s where my middle name came from?

Pitcher: Yea.

It kind of made me mad that Joanne’s mother’s name is my middle name. I didn’t want anything to do with her, let alone her mother. Thank whoever runs the galaxy I’m not fully related to her.

Pitcher: She killed herself when I was ten.

Oh. I look at Joanne and she has tears in her eyes.

Gerald: Why are you crying, Joey?

Joanne: I’m not Joey anymore dad, my name’s Joanne.

Gerald: Really? Haha. Right. You changed it after you ran away. How’s being away from home by the way? I hear you have two girlfriends and a boyfriend. They better be treating you right. Wait. How are you calling home?

Joanne looked at me as if I had any clue how to handle dad in this state. I shrugged and she just smiled.

Pitcher: I found a really good phone.

Gerald: Wow. You have to visit some time. Jaxson signed up for his school’s soccer team and I think you’d like to see him run. He’s so fast, just like you.

Joanne looked at me with a smile.

Pitcher: Really?

Gerald: Yep. He doesn’t know I watch his games, though, so shhh! I know he thinks I’m embarrassing, so I just wear a disguise and hide in the stands with the other parents.

Jaxson: That man in the trench coat and funny glasses was you?!

Gerald: Jaxson?! No! I spoiled it.

Dad’s face became sad and Joanne put her hand on his.

Gerald: You should really come home, Joanne, I canceled your spot in that boot camp I was going to send you to. I kicked out Jaxson’s mother after I realized she hit you.

Dad took Joanne’s hand and gripped it slightly.

Gerald: I swear I can do better. Please come home.

Joanne: I’ll think about it dad.

She looked at me as if looking for some type of help.

Gerald: Jaxson! Your sister might be coming home! He gets excited when I yell that. He used to watch your escape chases on the holo-net when he was six and all the way up until he was thirteen. After you were captured by...Safe Haven. Ugh! I have a headache.

Pitcher’s face turned sour at the mention of her being captured.

Pitcher: After you snitched on me and had me locked up.

Is that seriously what she thought?

Gerald: I did? I’m sorry.

Jaxson: You didn’t do anything dad.

Joanne: What?

Jaxson: Dad didn’t sell you out! Levi told me that Safe haven found your hideout and raided it! You’re not special enough for someone to snitch on you, Joanne!

Gerlad: Stop yelling!

Both of us shut up as dad rubbed his forehead.

Gerald: Joanne was captured...I tried to get her home, but...someone stopped...it’s so fuzzy.

Joanne: Wait. Who stopped you dad?

Gerald: Can’t remember.

Jaxson: Does it matter?! You had every opportunity to come home. Levi would’ve used his Toronto status to sweep all of the laws you broke here under the rug!

Gerald: Levi? Levi...stopped me.

Both Pitcher and I froze at that statement.

Gerald: I...tried to get her out, but Levi stopped me. He threatened me and I had to leave you in there Joanne.

Joanne: No. No. Dad, you have to be lying.

Jaxson: Levi? No.

Jaxson & Pitcher: He’s such a good friend.

The two of us looked at each other and, then, we realized what was happening.

Joanne: He tricked us.

Jaxson: The best liar in the sector.

Joanne: The most infamous actor in the sector.

Jaxson: The best thief in all of the sector.

Joanne & Jaxson: The best friend I ever had.

Jaxson: Turned us against each other.

Joanne: But, why?!

Jaxson: Because he hates you. He said it, didn’t he?

Joanne: But, why would he- Because, I abandoned him, left him with that jerk of a boyfriend, and left him to the mercy of his parents. He hates me because I was never there.

Jaxson: The same reason I hate you.

Joanne: Jaxson, I-

Jaxson: So, nobody in my life is trustworthy?! You never came home, Levi lied to me and kept you locked up in a prison, and Dad was so selfish he let him do it! Ha! Wow. I can’t believe it.

Dad reaches to grab my hand and I pull away.

Jaxson: Don’t touch me! I hate you!

I run out of the ambulance and into the crowd of sick people and I don’t hear Joanne running after me. A part of me believed it was because I was fast enough to outrun my problems.

“He’s so fast, just like you.” Dad said, but I don’t want to be like her. I’m faster than her. Slower than her. Anything, but just like her. I just want to run away. You know what? Maybe that’s not such a bad idea.