I Fell in Love with Hope - Lancali

Her skin has lost color. It’s a thin gray, like parchment turning to ash.
That’s why I hold her this way. She’s sick, and I’m not so blind
anymore that I choose to ignore it. I worry during her coughing fits.
During tiresome bouts that lull her to sleep for days on end.
“Can we read tonight?” I ask, dragging my thumb over Hikari’s lower
lip, admiring the fullness.
She smirks, mirroring my motions. “The lonely stretcher at six?”
Comfort works through me with her voice, for it’s always been satin
and coquettish, but it has never been mine till now.
“Mhm,” I hum. I drag my touch over her arms, the slope of her
bandages ending at her wrists. The animal in the pit hasn’t dared to
bite since that bloody night. When any other shadows try creeping
into her head, they catch sight of me standing guard, and with spite
in their mouths, they slip back into the dark.
Neo’s door opens then. Sony throws herself upright. Hikari and Neo
beam, expecting C to stride in, leaving a trail with his shoes, bag,
and coat.
But it isn’t C.
“Dad?” Neo breathes.
With the posture of a soldier, a man walks in, adjusting his coat. His
hair is cropped and neat, his face chiseled and wide. When he
closes the door behind him, silence falls over the room.
I grasp Hikari’s hand, a reflex, pulling her closer to me.
“Hello,” Neo’s dad says, pleasantly surprised by the number of
people in the room. “You must be Neo’s friends.”
He wasn’t supposed to be here today. His presence is a shake in the
bush, a snapping stick, our ears perked like deer amongst a wolf.