Winter Swan

Silje took the bus home.

Her house with cobalt blue walls was empty when she entered. Silje passed the large fireplace and the kitchen table with candles to look around the house. All the rooms, including the bathrooms, were very small in her home, but the kitchen was of a generous size.

Thankfully, no one was home. Her adoptive mother Olga must've gone out shopping and her brother Valter and adoptive father Frank were both absent as well. Silje was glad. She wanted to be alone, and she needed some time to calm herself down.

To wash her hair that was now sticky with milk, she decided to take a shower. She must've still been in shock because her hands shook lightly.

Silje looked down at her hand that held the pencil knife at school.

Shaking her head, she washed her hair thoroughly twice with shampoo. When her hair was finally clean, she felt much better.

Yes, it was over. She just needed to forget about what happened today. All she had to do was cross today off on the calendar and that would be the end of it.

She felt relieved by her decision.

By the time she came out of the bathroom with a towel around her body, Silje heard the front door open. Thinking it was her adoptive mother Olga, she raised her voice to ask, "Who is it?"

"Who do you think? Obviously it's just me."

A red-cheeked boy appeared looking annoyed. It was her brother Valter. He glanced at his sister briefly before sitting down on the living room sofa. He crossed his legs and called out to her.

"Sis! Bread."

"Oh, you want some bread, Valter?"

Silje grinned and asked her brother who nodded and pouted childishly.

"Sis, I want bread and milk."

Valter could be nasty, but he still acted like an adorable little brother most of the time. When he acted rudely, Silje made sure to teach him a lesson, but in truth, Silje felt huge affection towards her only brother. Valter was the youngest of the family and was spoiled by everyone at home.

Silje went to the kitchen and brought her brother the requested snacks. Valter grabbed the cup of milk and the bread from her and started to chow down.

Silje smiled at him and they watched TV together on the sofa until Frank came home. Valter giggled as he watched a cartoon and Silje asked her lovely chubby-cheeked brother, "Is it good? Eat as much as you want."

Sitting on the sofa with him, it reminded her of the old days. When they were young, Silje and Valter got along very well. Things changed only after she started school. Silje became a target for the bullies, and Valter felt embarrassed by his sister. It saddened her to think of how it used to be between them, but there was nothing she could do at this point.

Silje patted her brother's head and asked quietly, "Did you finish school early today?"

"Yup, you?"

Silje looked at him for a second before answering.

"Uhm, yes. School ended early for me today too, so I came home."

"Sounds like a lie to me."

Valter narrowed his eyes and studied his sister before asking, "Tell me the truth. Are you home because you got in trouble again at school? Am I right?"

"I said no! Just eat your bread."

When Silje replied seriously, Valter paused before asking, "Then could you get me a cookie and a cup of orange juice, Sis?"

"Fine. Just this once."

When Silje came out with a cookie and orange juice, the front door opened, and Olga walked in. She was wearing a scarf on her head.

Olga saw Silje and asked in confusion, "Why are you home at this time of the day? Did the school finish early, Silje?"

"Yes. Lessons ended early today."

"Really? Oh, Valter, why are you home so early too?"

Thankfully, Olga's attention turned to Valter. Silje sighed secretly and went to her room to dry her hair.

Her room was cobalt blue, like all the walls in the house. When it was being painted, Silje wanted a warmer color, but Olga didn't allow it. Her adoptive mother was adamant that Silje's room needed to be blue, just like Valter's.

Some people might laugh, but Silje secretly dreamt of decorating her room pink someday when she became independent. She wanted white lace curtains and flower vases to make her room look romantic.

Of course, that was not possible at this point. In her room were a white chair, a table, and cold blue wallpaper. Her room was dry and neat, just as her adoptive mother liked it.

In the kitchen, Olga was preparing dinner and chatting with Valter. Silje could her them faintly from her room.

"Valter, was your sister already home when you got here?"

"Yes. She was coming out of the shower."

"It's strange. She never comes home this early, right?"

"Maybe she got into more trouble at school. She is such a troublemaker. I'm worried that the kids will find out that she is my sister. That would be so embarrassing."

"So she really jumped off a building? Is she really being bullied at school?"

"I don't know. Whatever. It's her that's the problem. She is overreacting. I'm so sick of it."

"Yes, I agree. Your sister is imagining things. I don't know when she will grow up."

Listening to their conversation, Silje wanted to run out and scream. She wanted to tell them that she wasn't imagining things or overreacting. Even today, she came home with her hair wet with milk, didn't she?

But she knew better than to make a scene. It wasn't going to help at all. So Silje finished drying her hair and got ready for dinner. She learned a long time ago that it was best to accept reality as quickly as possible.

Besides, it was time for her adoptive father Frank to come home.

She heard the car pull in and the front door opened.

"Welcome home, honey."

Olga greeted her husband cheerfully.

Beer-bellied Frank dropped his bag and looked around the house. He patted Valter's head and glanced at Silje who was awkwardly standing nearby.

Frank asked his wife, "Did something happen today? Why are kids home so early?"

"Their classes ended early apparently."

Olga then turned to look at Silje.

All Silje could think about was what to say if they asked her more questions about why she came home early. Thankfully, all Frank did was give Silje an unhappy look.