He tilted her chin so she could face him, a gentle smile meeting her, “One thing at a time, dear Avie. We have to figure your mystery first. I only said my view has shifted; I am not ready to be the talk of the town.”
She smiled, letting out a small laugh in relief, all she could do in reply was watch his eyes glow in the dimly lit sitting area. The hand migrated to her cheek, a gesture of affection. Could he tell she was wanting to be the only one who knew him on this level?
And what then of Owen? Did Rhulle dislike him in any way because Avie was also friends with him? Was it fair to keep pushing both of them to meet if that were the case? The thought of Rhulle and Owen perplexed her in a way that wasn’t quite making sense.
Rhulle dropped his hand, and as if he read her mind, he continued, “In further regards, I do not think I will be able to view Owen as a friend, Avie.”
“I don’t know what’s going to happen. I thought if he could see you as I do, then he wouldn’t want to…” She grew irritated at the notion.
“What is it?”
“He wants to tell people about you. Sure, I don’t want people to keep… I mean they will… You know what I mean, but I don’t want you to either.”
Rhulle shuffled, a curious tilt of the head accompanied, “Might I ask something of you?”
“Sure, yes, ask away.”
“Death seems to be a difficult subject to you. As it is with many others naturally, yet I have not heard you even mention the term. Why would that be?”
Her jaw dropped, the question hitting from left field. She was aware of the limitations of her speech, the word caught in her throat of its own volition. Rhulle caught a glimpse of the story—the ballad of her parents she previously never mentioned. However, there was more to her history.
She laughed nervously, a tight smile stretching over her face. In a flash of a moment, the laughter stopped, tears filled her eyes while a hand came up to cover her own mouth.
No, she needed to. No more stopping.
“I had a sister too. She was seven years younger than me, she had the same hair, although a lot shorter. And her eyes, they were gorgeous, like ice water; piercing blue.”
Her hand came away to talk, Rhulle quickly held it within his own. “You do not have to talk about this if you wish.”
“I haven’t been able to before. It’s been five years since… I’ve never told anyone about it, but I feel comfortable talking with you.”
“Then by all means, continue at your own pace, I will listen to every word,” he said, tone soft and smile reassuring.
Avie took a deep breath, letting the air travel out with a shake.
“Her name was Aubree; she was born with a lot of problems. She couldn’t speak, couldn’t walk, she had very limited mobility overall. Mentally, the doctor said she was like that of a two-year-old, Aubree probably unable to progress further than that. Our parents thought that there wasn’t anything inside her at all, but I knew there was. I could see it in her eyes. When she looked at them, they were dull, when she looked at me, they were bright. You should have seen her smile… I loved her with all my heart.
“We didn’t have a lot of money in the first place, and it took a lot of it to pay for my sister and her needs. I dropped out of school to become her primary caregiver and I was working a few jobs to try and help every way I could, but my parents still fought a lot about the financial issues and their increasing debt. Aubree just turned fourteen, they never celebrated her birthdays, but that night… I woke up to a loud noise. I remember seeing my father in Aubree’s room, a gun in his hand. He smelled so strongly of beer and whisky… And the way he was standing, I couldn’t see her fully, but I knew he had shot her, I could see the blood. I think I was screaming, my mom was called, and she dragged me out of there, I heard three more gunshots while I was being pulled out of the house.”
“What happened afterward?”
“I ran. I left with the clothes on my back, and as soon as the next day I found a city far away from them, far away from memories of Aubree. I couldn’t take it. I couldn’t deal with the fact that they… That she was… dead.”
It had been the first time she acknowledged the reality, even the first time since Aubree that she dared to say the word.
Rhulle squeezed her hands, “Dear Avie, my deepest sympathies are with you and your sister at rest. Thank you for honouring me with her memory.”
Tears streamed down her cheeks, “Thank you for listening, I don’t know if that would have ever come out until you.”
“You have not told Owen?”
Feeling a little guilty, she knew there were times that she wanted to, but felt like he wouldn’t understand. His parents had loved him; he didn’t have any siblings... He didn’t take many situations seriously.
“No, I mean, he never asked either.”
Rhulle wiped the tears away, “You are very strong to carry this with you, but it has caused you too much pain. I am glad you have expressed it; you should tell your friend too.”
Avie nodded in agreeance, “I was also hoping we could all talk again sometime soon. At least if it goes better than last time, I want Owen to see what I do.”
“He trusts you with the circumstances. You have expressed this to him?”
“Yes, he’s at least willing to try to understand, but he also doesn’t know if there would be
