Writer's Notes:
Everyone in this story is 18 years old or older. Enjoy the story. If you're willing, please comment your likes and dislikes about the story. And vote!!!
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Jason was an only child early in life, until Mom and Dad decided to take in foster children. It wasn't a bad thing. They allowed several children into their home over a period of a year, but only one stayed for longer than a month and she was the first to be invited to live with us, and ultimately the last. It was good with the family for several years, not really complaining about the other. Jason was okay with the arrangement, until that day.
Mom, Dad and the state adoption agent got us together for a talk and they ended up asking Darcy if she had any problems being adopted and living with them. At the young age of seven, she said it was fine with her and she seemed happy about the idea, even though she had no other options on the table. A permanent family seems to be a good solution for her. Several weeks later, it became legal and now our family has grown by one. Jason was only eight years old when he inherited a sister.
The two siblings got along okay, as far as either of them was concerned. Now, they are older and over the last three or four years, things have changed between them. They became distant and it only got worse. They nearly stopped talking to each other, chatting only when they needed to.
Recently, they started verbal fights and the longer it went on, the worse it got, and neither of them would back down. It got to the point where Jason knew she hated him, but for the life of him, he didn't understand why. In his mind, he thought he was treating her fairly and he expected the same from her. He stood his ground and that seemed to piss her off even more. Jason wasn't going to let Darcy bowl him over cause if he did, it would only get worse for him. After all, he is the older of the two.
The hatred turned into more serious verbal fighting with insults and putdowns. He took it for a long time, trying to figure out what the hell he did so wrong that she would do this to him. He was stressing and getting more angry at her everyday. Then one day, Jason reached his limit and snapped.
He couldn't take it anymore. One more fight ensued and he had to get away from her as he threw some insults back in her direction. After she stormed out of the room, he told Mom and Dad he's going to the cabin for a while to get away from her. They agreed so he went to his room to pack and just as he was about to leave, Dad gives him some money to survive on.
He was happy for the first time in a long time. His stress level began to drop and he learned a better life does exist in spite of his sister. He hasn't even left the house, yet a smile returns to his face and he feels good again. Then he was off to the cabin without saying a word to his sister, but he does say bye to his parents.
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The day after Jason left, Darcy is wandering around the house, seemingly lost. All day long, she feels bad that her actions caused her brother to leave home and for whatever reason, she does not feel good about it.
When Mom and Dad get home after work, they both notice her mood, but wait until they finish dinner before talking to her. Darcy fixes dinner for the three of them, wishing her brother was still here, but she doesn't understand why she feels that way.
When dinner is finished and the kitchen is cleaned up, Mom takes Darcy to the family room to talk and Dad joins them minutes later.
"You seem to be confused, Honey. What are you confused about?" Mom asks.
"I feel bad that I caused my brother to leave home. But, I'm also glad he did. I never said anything about this, but Jason has been coming into my room every night to watch me, then leaves without saying a word. I hated him for doing that and I'm glad he left, but at the same time, something doesn't feel right," she explains. "I always thought if Jason was doing something wrong, he would admit it when confronted about it. He always has, but in this case, he hasn't and it has me wondering why."
"When did he come to your room?" Dad asks.
"About an hour after I went to bed. I didn't catch him every night, but enough to know he was there, watching me. I didn't let him know I was awake either."
"Did you actually see him in your room?" Mom asks.
"No. I didn't move, feigning sleep."
"How sure are you it was your brother?"
"Who else would it be?"
"Honey, I wish you had talked to us about this, but about an hour after you went to bed, either your Dad or myself checked up on you and your brother. It was something we did as parents, watching out for our children."
With her eyes getting wet, she says, "It was you all along?"
"I'm afraid so, Honey."
"And I've been blaming my brother all this time for nothing?"
"It seems to be that way, Honey."
She bursts into tears and cries uncontrollably for a long time as Mom and Dad console her. Now she feels worse than she ever has in her life. She goes to bed, late, as Mom and Dad monitor her for her well being. She cries half way through the night, knowing what she did to her brother.
The next day, all she does is pace around the house, trying to figure out how to correct her massive, incorrect assumption. She feels bad, really bad, and she is determined to make things right with her brother. Not happy with a scheming plan that Mom and Dad doesn't think will pass the stink test, she spends another day pacing the house trying to come up with a plan that they hope will work and it turns out to be the most obvious plan. The truth about what happened.