The move was smooth without a problem, less so for me as my brother and father refused my help. Even if I have a undocumented, never before seen illness I can still help with carrying, I told them yet my father took one look at my legs and said no. My father is a renowned doctor specializing in cancer which he believed was the illness I had, than it switched to a parasite, now the newest diagnosis was a fungus but even that seems ridiculous. It ate the nerves in my legs in such a way I don't feel them, making it odd to walk paired with my non athletic build, any trip and a week in bed for me under my father's instructions. My brother Richard told me not to worry, he'd put his muscles to work packing everything left behind from the movers we payed. Me and Richard were like night and day, he had smooth carmel skin, toned muscles perfect for American football, tall and handsome. I looker like a boiled egg with hair on it, one squeeze and you'd see my yoke. Surprisingly it wasn't like this when we were younger, seems like a lifetime ago. I was fine when I was eight and my little brother was smaller then. I always defended us against the remarks of our mother's...nights of drinking. Our cousins being the main bullys made my brother suffer every chance they could. Despite being born in the same year, with me in January, my brother in October as Irish twins we knew our biological fathers differed. Still, Richard is my brother and I'm his, one of the things I'm grateful of my father doing, who adopted him as his own after our mother left.
I had stop reading my novel for a while which didn't go unnoticed, "you good? Is the seat bothering you we can stop?", asked Richard. I blinked before coming up with an excuse not wanting to share my thoughts on how far our family has made it, "thinking about the activities I could do at the new school, chess club doubt it, swimming? Might drown you never know. You think I could pass as the water boy?", Richard grunted in distain of my joke. "I think I'll just go home after school. Attend to the greenhouse dad got me at the new house". Richard stared out the widow for a awhile before my dad answered "physical activities are out of the question, I know there's a photographing club you could join. You can take pictures of the events in school including Richard's football team. Right Richard?".
Richard smiled and turned to me "I agree it's better for you to be in a social setting. It'll be good for your mental health and I won't have to worry about you being depressed in a greenhouse. There's the option of being the school mascot." I squinted my eyes towards him "I'll check out the photographing club, I won't promise anything. Besides my greenhouse is my happy place don't mess with it. You should be more concern with making it on the football team, our cousins will be on it." Richard grinned "I can't wait to be the captain and turn the tables on him." My father coughed "I want no more conflicts within the family, Richard play fair, your brother shouldn't have to worry about you. Louis worry about your health. Oh and remember not to leave the house without my notice and report on your health ok." I simply nooded and we continued to converse till we made it the destination.
The town was well made and modern oddly enough. It had the latest stores and didn't seem different then a city which made me question how this town manged it. The mansion our father inherented was further away and separated from the town. We pasted through the downtown area of the town were I saw glimpses of teenagers my age who no doubt will be part my school. On the way to our mansion I realized that there was only the forest between the town and us with no neighbors in sight. When we drove up to my new home at very end of the long road I saw a car leaving the gates. it's windows were tinited black and drove off without so much as stopping which father ignored. I quickly dissmised it from my mind once we entered the longer then needed driveway.
Laying my eyes upon the mansion I noticed the outside was old as a historical building but father told us the inside was modern or at least not unusable. Richard took my wheelchair out the back and opened the door to help me up and sit when a car rolled up to the house. A man, tall, got out. Facial features not of America perhaps European but not from a well known country, it felt uncanny. He looked tired and serious gazing towards me until he saw my dad, "Hm Marcus Brooks, a pleasure to see you in the flesh. So this is your boy, how remarkable to see him alive...is his health well?"
His blunt question took me off guard I felt somewhat offended hearing it from a stranger yet somehow I knew he meant no harm. My dad went to shake his hand and ushered Richard to take me inside. I couldn't hear what my father spoke of as I was wheeled off but a word made it's way to my ear as Richard wheeled me into the front door. "Sacrifice", a shudder made it's way down my spine and I got goosebumps when I felt it whispered in my ear. While Richard toured me through the mansion all I could think about was the singlural word as if it's why I'm here.
Finally we made it to the backyard where the appearance of the greenhouse could make it's grand debut. It was large and inside where the Amazonian plants I asked father throughout the years to get me on my birthdays or Christmass. Inside the environment was perfect, a tropical eco-system without any dangerous bugs or predators just green. Peaceful and calming it was until I saw grandfather in the middle of it.
He was standing still looking towards us however his eyes were on Richard. He walked towards us and asked Richard to follow him, leaving me in the greenhouse. I always found it curious how my grandfather payed close attention to Richard. Apparently their conversations always revolved around his growth as a player. Not sure why that mattered to him as long as he didn't talk to me in a disappointing tone I was fine with that lie Richard told me. While the rest were occupied I checked my plants to make sure they were alright after moving, trying not to think about the hassle of my new school tomorrow.
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