The cold was always awful. Made her shake so hard you wouldn’t be able to differentiate the tics to the shivers. Isaac couldn’t let her stay in the house alone, though. Dad had gone to buy more produce and made him promise not to let his baby sister out of his sights. She had called bull but neither budged.
And now they were out here, freezing off their rears and searching for a goat.
“I-Isaac!” She called over to him. He was pink in the nose, shuddering with only a fleece coat wrapped snug over his scrawny shoulders.
He looked back to her from the hilltop. “Stay there!” he grumbled, sore with anxiety. “I’m can’t see her from here—must’ve ran into the woods!”
She groaned for the seventh time that hour. No matter how guilty she was of the crime, …show more content…
Lydia looked away. He would treat her like an adult when she started acting like one. Screw that, she wanted respect without having to earn it from her own family.
Isaac shook his head. “That doesn’t matter. Look, I promised dad I wouldn’t let you out of my sight—”
“And you won’t.” She paused. “Just let—let—let me come with you, it’ll go faster and I’ll be right next—next—next to you the whole time.” She sucked in a deep breath, then continued, “We—we—we’re wasting time.”
He ran a hand down his freckled face. “Ugh, fine. But you tell me when you can’t go on, got it?” Snapping was a thing he did when he gave up, a sign of defiance against the idiot who dared prove him wrong, so when it was directed at her, Lydia couldn’t have been more ecstatic.
They circled their land’s perimeter; each knew it like the back of their hand. Back when she was small enough to carry, Isaac would set her up on his shoulders and take her everywhere with him. All along the fields, through the woods, and into town when he was made to run errands. Took her so often she could map the whole county out like it was just another toenail that needed clipping. He stopped when she reached ninety pounds at age …show more content…
“He hates me.” The words were so simple, spoken crisp as the winter air.
Looking at her brother, her foolish, nonsensical brother, Lydia truly didn’t need to ask who and why. Their father was a man of choice. He chose between his happiness and his job, his wife and his money, and between his children.
Isaac was never of his priority, was told to man up and take care of himself. He never had a childhood, someone to care for him. The only person to do that was long gone. Instead, his focus was turned to caring for his sister, following every command to a T, and keeping himself together with sellotape and safety pins.
It wasn’t like Lydia had never noticed nor cared. She despised every day her father wouldn’t so much as look at him. Her rebellions only helped to spur his rage, which he chose to take out on neither child, but instead on plowing fields dawn, midday, and dusk.
“It doesn’t—doesn’t matter,” she reassured.
Isaac chuckled, looking down to his mud-splattered boots. “Yes,” he said, “it
And now they were out here, freezing off their rears and searching for a goat.
“I-Isaac!” She called over to him. He was pink in the nose, shuddering with only a fleece coat wrapped snug over his scrawny shoulders.
He looked back to her from the hilltop. “Stay there!” he grumbled, sore with anxiety. “I’m can’t see her from here—must’ve ran into the woods!”
She groaned for the seventh time that hour. No matter how guilty she was of the crime, …show more content…
Lydia looked away. He would treat her like an adult when she started acting like one. Screw that, she wanted respect without having to earn it from her own family.
Isaac shook his head. “That doesn’t matter. Look, I promised dad I wouldn’t let you out of my sight—”
“And you won’t.” She paused. “Just let—let—let me come with you, it’ll go faster and I’ll be right next—next—next to you the whole time.” She sucked in a deep breath, then continued, “We—we—we’re wasting time.”
He ran a hand down his freckled face. “Ugh, fine. But you tell me when you can’t go on, got it?” Snapping was a thing he did when he gave up, a sign of defiance against the idiot who dared prove him wrong, so when it was directed at her, Lydia couldn’t have been more ecstatic.
They circled their land’s perimeter; each knew it like the back of their hand. Back when she was small enough to carry, Isaac would set her up on his shoulders and take her everywhere with him. All along the fields, through the woods, and into town when he was made to run errands. Took her so often she could map the whole county out like it was just another toenail that needed clipping. He stopped when she reached ninety pounds at age …show more content…
“He hates me.” The words were so simple, spoken crisp as the winter air.
Looking at her brother, her foolish, nonsensical brother, Lydia truly didn’t need to ask who and why. Their father was a man of choice. He chose between his happiness and his job, his wife and his money, and between his children.
Isaac was never of his priority, was told to man up and take care of himself. He never had a childhood, someone to care for him. The only person to do that was long gone. Instead, his focus was turned to caring for his sister, following every command to a T, and keeping himself together with sellotape and safety pins.
It wasn’t like Lydia had never noticed nor cared. She despised every day her father wouldn’t so much as look at him. Her rebellions only helped to spur his rage, which he chose to take out on neither child, but instead on plowing fields dawn, midday, and dusk.
“It doesn’t—doesn’t matter,” she reassured.
Isaac chuckled, looking down to his mud-splattered boots. “Yes,” he said, “it