Page 19 of 912321

The crying keeps going, louder now, like he’s running out of breath.

Please don’t let this be a bad day.

I tuck the pen in my pocket and hurry downstairs. The hallway is quiet, but I can still hear my little brother crying. When I push open the room door, Milo is on the floor blanket, his tiny face all scrunched up and wet and mom is on the bed, turned to the side, a bottle still in her hand, like she fell asleep holding it. I always get scared when she sleeps like this.

“Mom?” I whisper first, then a little louder. “Mom, he’s crying.”

I shake her arm gently, but she doesn’t wake up. She doesn’t even move.

I try to touch her forehead with my fingers, then push her hair out of her face. She’s all sweaty, and shaking. Dad always says don’t bother her, but what else can I do when she’s like that?

She’ll wake up soon.

Grown-ups forget things a lot. Maybe she just forgot to wake up and make sure the baby is okay.

Milo starts wailing again, so I stop trying and pick him up instead. He’s cute, really cute. He already has mom’s eyes. I hold him the way I’ve seen Mom do on good days, a hand behind his head, his body against my chest.

My arms tremble a little, but he fits against me like he knows I’m trying my best.

“It’s okay,” I tell him, even though my throat feels tight. “I got you, baby.”

I sit down on the floor, rocking him slowly even though my arms feel shaky. The bruises are fading but the pain is still here. His little fist grabs my shirt like he’s holding on to me, and I softly press my cheek against his head, so he knows he’s not alone.

I start humming the song Mom used to sing when he was first born. I don’t remember all the words, so I made some up, but it seems to work, because Milo hiccups, then quiets.

It takes a while, but he finally settles his face against my shoulder like I’m the safest place he knows, and I whisper again against his warm skin, “I’ve got you; your sissy will always be here.”

When he finally sleeps, I stand up carefully because I really don't want to wake him up, and I look at Mom one more time. She has a big bruise on her eye, poor mom.

I don’t know what she needs, but I know what he needs now. So, I take him to my room, close the door softly, and keep humming.

If nobody else is going to take care of him, then I will.

7

Damien

Play - West Coast by Lana Del Rey

Old Floors

I'd expected St. Ellesta to feel like a fortress, but it wasn’t the case. There was something unsettling about how ordinary it looked. The grey brick, the trimmed hedges, the students laughing on their way to class. If someone had dropped me here blindfolded, I'd have guessed Ivy League before the FBI. The official part of the arrival takes less time than expected. Paperwork, a name badge, a brief tour I don’t really need.

By the time it’s over, I’m already in the professor’s suite set up for my cover.

I can see the sea from my window; the cliff opposite is high, but it's special to be here and look at it. A far cry from where I grew up, the noise, the people, the heat, and the memories and loneliness.

Many people would find it beautiful and calm, the way the ocean moves irregularly, the sound of the waves crashing against the island's high rocks. For me, it was more of a violent and cold landscape, maybe that’s why I like it that much.

“Mr Caldwell, do you like it?” The headmaster, Spencer Porter, smiled as he handed me the last papers to sign.

“The apartment is very high up, you have a very nice view from here,” I replied as I turned to face him.

He approaches me, gazing out the window. “St. Ellesta was just a small-town college before the former headmaster, over forty years ago, decided to turn it into an FBI-affiliated academy. The view from here is spectacular. The student campus is just a few meters away, and the training facilities are at the end of this driveway,” he says, pointing to a large reddish building. “You were probably given the schedule before you arrived.”

He hands me the sheet of paper again, which I take and read. “I received all that information this morning. I also took a residence further away to ensure the sealed files weren't left unattended.”

He nodded before chuckling, “I’m not entirely sure what the FBI is looking for in our small Seraphin Bay town, but I hope you find it. As long as our students learn things, I’m happy.”