Brother and sister

His brother's bed was much more comfortable.

Coral considered the idea of finally listening to him and turning her mattress over every winter, but there was still a long way to go, and she probably wouldn't do it.

However, having her leg elevated all night and bandaged, a bandage that Coral's nurse had apparently put on maliciously, took away her rest.

Yesterday, after the initial anger, when a few hours had passed, her brother knocked on her bedroom door again, and after confirming what he suspected, he carried her to the doctor. Coral didn't resist much either, she could go perfectly well alone, but she wanted to be pampered.

“Thank goodness I didn't say anything to Dad or Mom.” She interrupted the silence, it was starting to get uncomfortable.

Imobach raised his glasses, he only put them on to read or see things close up, although Coral thought he also did it on some dates to look more attractive. He left the book on the table, looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"About what?" he replied. He knew exactly what she meant and it bothered him, but he wanted to hear it out loud, knowing full well that it would bother him even more.

“Oh... well, about the day before yesterday. The…” she thought about saying it out loud, “teasing”

She was serious and did not look at him when she spoke, just straight ahead, observing no specific point.

“Why?” his brother insisted. He crossed his arms.

“Don't make me say it, you already know.”

“No, I don't know.”

"Ggghh," Coral groaned. She took the opportunity to stretch out completely, now she seemed to melt into the sheets. She looked at the ceiling, she did so very little, she wondered if the mirror had been there for a long time, she hadn't seen him arrive, nor heard him install it, but she had only noticed it now. "You have a small crack there, in the right corner."

“Oh yeah. It takes time, I think I pressed the mirror down too hard when I put it in place.”

The silence returned, like the tide, you know it recedes but then it will come back, stronger. Coral began to move her free foot, she made little jumps on the bed, fell by gravity and jumped again, then the five little ones made waves, and then they separated as much as possible and came together again. Finally, she slipped her foot under the cloth. She spoke.

“Why are you like this?” she asked angrily.

“Why aren’t you talking?” he replied. He had returned to his reading, finished the last page of the chapter, and then turned to her.

“I'm leaving. I don't want people to imagine disgusting things” she would have gag if her head hadn't been so dull.

“You were the one who asked to stay here.”

“Of course! That's what we do, remember? We slept together for almost eight days when we saw Arac Attack . When they painted my room and the smell was unbearable. Also when they left you for the first time, I wasn't used to it, he was the one who used to go ahead. And when a babysitter bought us, without malice, Spiders 3D , another two days. Oh, ho, ho... Do you remember the headbutt?! What a bump.”

Imobach couldn't help but laugh, the laughter escaped him, then he caressed his sister's left forehead.

“I wasn't used to windstorms, it felt like the windows were going to burst.”

It was nice to remember those moments, or at least that's what Coral thought, until a grey cloud settled over her and she stopped smiling.

Her head hurt, and she didn't feel like going out for a run, although it didn't matter much, she couldn't do it either.

It was as if the grainy No Signal sound of an old television had taken over his body, she felt nothing but boredom. Discomfort.

She felt angry and sad, and weak and useless, and meaningless and small, and a hindrance and…

“It's just that…” she moaned sharply. “I don't understand. Why do I feel like this?” She began to cry. She hadn't done so since the day before, but now it seemed to come back with more force. “It's not that bad. You've all let it go. Why not me? Why can't I just move on?” Coral shook her hair even more, she still had it tied up. She was unable to lift her head, her gaze was lost somewhere between her legs and the bed.

» “No matter how hard I try… everything is still grey. I don't mean just now.” she looked at her brother with trembling eyes, something inside him was already breaking. “Since always. I've never felt well, and it seems that no one notices, you put on a good face and that's it, everything is going great. Time hasn't healed me shit!” she paused for a moment to take a deep breath, her brother looked at her attentively. “I think I momentarily forgot that I'm a fraud… a liar, complacent, greedy, self-interested and narcissistic. A fraud that bothers others, that's why they distance themselves.”

» “In moments of clarity, I tell myself that I will change, over and over again, I even promise it to God, or whatever is out there, but then I remember that I get no response, and so, why do I keep promising myself…?”

“I wish there was a lever that you could pull down and turn off all those feelings, right?”

“A fraud,” she repeated, almost intelligibly and in a high-pitched tone. “A fraud that if it doesn't give its all, if it doesn't give 200%, it's worthless.”

“It's not your fault,” her brother tried to calm her down. He hesitated to touch her, he might turn into the hedgehog from yesterday. But he did it anyway, he pulled her towards him and wrapped her in a hug.

"And what good is that to me?" Coral held on until she couldn't take it anymore. She tried to push him away, she tried to fight him off like a sumo wrestler, but she couldn't.

“It's not your fault, you hear” he shook her to wake her up.”It's not your fault.”

“Then why aren't mom and dad here?! Why don't they call me? Why don't they want us? Why doesn't anyone want me? I'm good, I'm kind, I try not to leave anyone behind, I help everyone, I've tried harder than anyone else in the club, I look after all the students and I get good grades... Why don't they call me?”

“They don't call me either, and I'm the handsome, tall brother with interesting hobbies.” he looked at her sideways, not knowing if his comment would have any effect.

It was a few seconds before he saw an answer. She lowered her arms and leaned against him. He couldn't see her face, but he knew that between the tears there was a fleeting smile.

“Monkey,” she said, and sniffled.

“Eh, eh… I thought we were past that stage.”

How can I forget it? Christmas three years ago was a fun time. The food flew, the jar of swear words exploded and silence reigned in the house until the international day of the fight against depression. The presents came later, somewhat wrinkled and almost second-hand.

“Juan and Isabel,” he continued speaking, “are not parents. Let me explain, they are biologically, but they have not seen us grow, they have not taken care of us…” He heard her exhale. He knew his sister's opinion, and he also knew that she was wrong, according to her they had been paid for a good home, a good education, physical security and health. They were independent people and should follow their careers, their dreams. “They have not given us love. They have hurt us, neglected us, but as soon as they give you a minimum of love you feel sorry for them, you idolize them again and you are ashamed to complain about them.”

Coral couldn't refute that last sentence and it hurt her, but it was true. So many times she had mumps, colds, conjunctivitis, even when Imobach caught chickenpox and then she, calls, only calls, and if necessary, and they were close, a quick visit.

“Besides,” he wanted to continue venting, “what kind of parents name their children Green Valley and like a colonial marine animal? Hippies. Don't try to love them if they don't.”

“But you seek affection from third parties. One week with one, and the next with another.”

“Yeah. I used to, but I'm learning.”

“You think they don't like us? We're a nuisance, like that piece of food that gets stuck between your teeth and your tongue knows where it is but your finger doesn't.”

“They had already made their priorities clear before I was born: blue helmets and sustainable engineering. They preferred ideals in their work to us. They had us around, just to be accompanied, I by you and you by me. We have turned out pretty well for them” A shiver ran down Imobach's spine. He imagined what he would be like in another universe and in other conditions... he wore a tracksuit, was cachectic and asked for a euro to watch any car or he wore a button-down shirt, he had the typical tattoos of a lion, a compass and a heart with the name of his grandparents and he attended the typical, disgusting programme, according to him, about dating and filth. He had acquaintances like that, but he was certainly satisfied with what he was today.

“I'm glad you're my brother.” Coral emphasized the phrase with a tender hug, she wanted to hide inside him and made room for herself.

“You have no choice.” he replied while resting his chin on the crown of the other's head.

“Don't screw it up!”

“I just make it better.”

“How you love to have the last word!”

“You think so?”

Coral just looked at him defiantly with a cute little smile, knowing perfectly well that if she kept talking he would answer her until the end. To which her brother took advantage to squeeze her against him.

“You're suffocating me!” Coral forced a cough. “You stink of macho!”

“Don't exaggerate.”

“If you allow me…”

Yû'usukes voice appeared before him. From the other side of the door frame, it seemed like he was asking for permission to lean forward and see.

“Go ahead.” Coral offered him.

“Hey, it's my room. I should say it myself.” e finally freed his sister from her corporeal prison.

“And you weren't going to let him in anyway?”

“Who knows.”

Wearing blue and brown checked pajamas and a quaint sleeping cap, which Coral never knew where he got it from, Yuusuke entered.

“Excuse me.”