Keeping Home Part 2

After finishing my casserole, I excuse myself from the table to retire to my bedroom, so I can escape the chatter on my situation and think about it on my own. I lie down on my bed and stare at the ceiling for a while. This is too surreal. Why me? What makes me so special? I thought. I don’t deserve powers like these; I barely have enough responsibility to turn my homework in on time. Laughing a bit, I roll over to stare at my little goldfish friend, Bubbles.

“Oh, Bubbles. What do I do?” I say worriedly as if he could respond.

“Talking to your fish again, huh?” Joey had snuck into my room without my notice.

“Oh, shut up, you dipwad!” I exclaim playfully to Joey as I turn to look at him.

“You’re one to talk, dufus! I’m not talking to Bubbles.”

“Alright, alright, what do you want, Joey?” I sit up on the edge of my bed.

“Hiding away isn’t going to solve anything. Let’s talk.” With his consoling tone, Joey joins me on the bed, putting his hand on my shoulder.

“Will it even be manageable to go to human school and Protector school? I don’t want to stress myself out.”
He takes a sigh and looks at me, saying, “It’s going to be tough no matter what. Mom and Dad still need to test my prediction, but right now that doesn’t matter. You’re top priority. I’ll help you through the stress; I’m here for you always, Jase. I love you.”

“I love you too, Joey. Thanks for being there for me, but…” I pause solemnly for a moment, “…do you think I can handle a power like this? W-what if I just totally blow my chance at using it, and I-I’m condemned as a public threat?”

Joey takes a long pause, “I’m sure you’ll learn well on using your power. I just know you’ll do great things.”

He doesn’t know. Nobody does. He’s using it as consolation, so I keep my head up and prevent me from becoming too involved with my negative thoughts. His words hit me though. My brother loves me and wants the best for me; he’s trying his best to make me feel better and my Lord, it’s working. A smile spreads contently across my face as I lean into my brother’s shoulder for more comfort. He runs his hand along my arm for added consolation. I don’t see it, but I can sense a loving smile from him as well.

“Why don’t we go get some ice-cream for the last time before summer is over? School starts next week, so let’s not worry more than we have to, okay?” Joey calmly tells me.

“Alright, let’s go. It’ll do us some good to clear our minds. I mean, it is our birthday after all,” I reply as a smile scrawls across my face. His presence is both a blessing and a curse, but only because he looks better than me.
The two of us leave my room and descend the stairs to the living room with our parents. They’re still chattering about the situation on the loveseat and calling the nearest Protector school to enroll me. Joey tells them we’re going out and Mom stops talking to Dad for a moment to talk to us.

“That’s a great idea, sweetie. Taking him out is exactly what you two need. Go have fun,” she says, “and don’t bring too much attention to yourselves if you can help it.”

“We know, Mom. See you later. Love you!” I reply walking outside.

“Love you both!” I hear mom shout as the door closes behind us.

We begin walking toward town. It’s quite the warm day, but nothing we’re not used to. The ice-cream parlor isn’t too far from home, but it’s something of a journey to walk to. Neither of us can or want to drive, so we enjoy the strolls we take to arrive to our destination. When going anywhere together, we take that time to talk to each other and just enjoy each other’s company. I love my brother, and nothing can change that. Before I realize it, we arrive at the ice-cream shop. The glass door has a large smiling strawberry ice-cream cone on it. If it weren’t for small stylistic details in the design, it would almost be terrifying to look at. Joey pushes the door open and enters as I follow closely behind. As the glass door swings open, a bell rings above it, notifying the staff of a customer. A man behind the counter looks toward us with a warm and welcoming smile as we approach the glass display.

“What can I getchya boys?” the man asks. He’s an older man with a larger build and the jolly demeaner you get from countryfolk.
Joey steps up before I have a chance, “I’ll take two double scoops, one bubblegum and one double chocolate.” Mmm… double chocolate. My favorite.

“Comin’ right up!” The man dips his scoop into the bubblegum ice-cream, placing it in a sugary waffle cone before handing it over to Joey and scooping into the double chocolate bucket. When Joey grabs the cone to hand it to me, something catches the worker’s eye.

“Thank you!” Joey says joyfully.

“Wait a gosh darn secon’,” Joey freezes mid step, “Yer one a’ those space guys. Whate’er ya call ‘em.”

“I’m a Protector sir…” Joey is becoming worried, “Is that a problem?”

“Yer darn right it is! How can I feel safe in my own home when there’re space things runnin’ around? Yer all here to kill us or make us yer slaves!” The man has resorted to shouting much louder than what’s necessary. It causes a small stir among the other patrons; whether good or bad, I’m not sure.

“Please calm down sir; it won’t accomplish anything by yelling.” I can see Joey start to tear up some, and I feel it from seeing my brother in such a vulnerable state. I’m helpless, frozen, unable to assist in the situation. My brain goes into panic mode as I stand there watching my brother being verbally abused.

“Scum sucker, ugly freak, damn piece a’ alien shit!” The words hit hard, but I see Joey’s slowly morph into anger, slamming both ice-cream cones onto the counter.

“Here’s a tip for you! Maybe stop being a cunt to your loyal patrons!” Joey turns to leave, finishing his sentence in the sassiest tone possible, “…it’s not good for business,” as he drags me out of the shop.

We walk toward home, but Joey stops to sit on a bench outside the post office where he breaks down crying. I sit next to him and assure him that it’s going to be okay and that people tend to suck with no way to avoid it. While trying to calm my brother down, I think about all we’ve been through. He’s all I could ever ask for. When we were babies, Mom said she’d find us with our limbs intertwined in the crib and wouldn’t dare to separate us. I’ve always loved my brother, but that doesn’t mean I’ve always showed him the appreciation he deserves. I was quite the rambunctious child growing up, throwing temper tantrums and demanding I get everything I want. I’d also take his toys then hide them just to be cruel and pull his hair just to watch him cry. But even after going through the hell that is growing up with me, he still told me he loved me and drew me lovely pictures, even if I never returned the favor. He’d give me his ice-cream, or hug me if I was throwing an especially large fit. He’s also keen on making sure I was protected. Joey would stand up for me, as we got older, in a more dignified manner than my violent plans. At some point, I realized my brother is what the humans call “my guardian angel”, taking care of me like nobody else could. From that point on, I began to show my appreciation and affection to my brother. I couldn’t afford to lose him in this uncertain world with him not knowing whether I loved him. I let him know every second I can. In this moment, he needs me more than I need him.
Protectors generally coexist well with humans, and we don’t usually get overly upset when one disagrees with our existence since people generally keep it mostly to themselves. People like the man at the parlor really drive you into a negative state. No one deserves such abuse from anyone, especially strangers. We’re very aware that we’re not human, so it’s not necessary for others to point it out so rudely. Every now and then, we get the occasional curious passerby. Most Protectors I’ve heard of are all too happy to share our culture and backgrounds with inquisitive folk. If only everyone had an open mind like that.

“C’mon, Joey. Don’t let it get to you. That man is just jealous that he can’t be as great of a person as you,” I say comforting him. I can’t stand seeing him in this state.

Through the tears, he mumbles, “It bugs me more that h-he raised his v-voice to me. It was u-uncalled for!” I had forgotten about his anxiety. I can’t imagine how he must be feeling. He must be shattered inside.

“Come on, let’s go home,” I tell Joey, patting his shoulder, “I have something I think will make you feel so much better.”