SEVEN

"Effie?" Athena banged my door, and her voice muffled behind it. "Time to get up. You are going to be late."

I pulled the covers over my head, hiding under them, then called back. "I don't want to."

I could sense my sister's shock by my free voice, then banged the door again. "Effie, what is wrong?" I didn't answer, but my silence won't let my sister leave. "Aphrodite Catherine Reid, you open this damn door!"

I let her hit my door several times, ignoring her calling my full name. Then I heard another door close outside my room. "What is wrong? Why are you so loud?"

"Something is wrong with Effie," my sister replied to Ares.

"She is probably not feeling well. Let the girl take a break from school, you ghoul."

"That is not it. I heard her voice."

"You what?!" the loud bangs on my door grew louder and faster, and I knew it was coming from Ares. "Effie, open the door!" His voice panicked.

I inwardly rolled my eyes and grunted.

My older siblings know I don't respond to them in the morning so loudly and only knock on my door once or twice to remind me to get up. On weekends they let me wake up whatever time I want since Athena sometimes works overtime at the Senior living community, and I don't know what Ares does on the weekend, so I don't bother to be worried since he's a man.

"Effie, come on, baby girl." Another hard knock from Ares. "Open the door, or I will break it down."

He wouldn't dare.

I blinked my eyes wide open when I jumped out of bed and yanked the door wide open, seeing Athena's worried face and Ares' hand raised to knock again. "Don't call me baby girl and leave me alone I don't want to go to school" I raised my voice loud and slammed my door shut into their faces locking it in the process as the hard knocks continued.

I grunt as I jump back on the bed with the covers enveloping my whole body. Shutting my eyes and covering my ears, I wanted them to go away and leave me alone. Hearing Ares calling me baby girl made me think of Logan.

I groaned as I put myself to sleep in anger.

The noises down the hall went quiet, and I knew that Athena and Ares had left for work. They didn't pressure me to come out and explain why I'm skipping school because of one particular circumstance with someone.

I stayed in my bed for a while, just letting my mind roam around my room, looking for a way to kill time before my sister and brother came back home. They are probably worried about what is wrong with me. Hearing my voice through the door loud enough for them to understand had them very anxious that Ares would break down my door for some answers.

Yesterday, I got to my empty home. My brother and sister stayed overnight for work, and I stayed by myself. I cook dinner, clean the dishes, take a nice shower to get rid of the smell, and put on clean pajamas with stars. Afterward, I did my homework and went to bed after a sleepless night, thinking about what Logan had said about me.

I couldn't sleep and had to put on music to rock me to my slumber, but all I could think was the words Logan said. Morning rise at four, and I heard the front door open, indicating Ares was back from whatever place he had been, his shoes dragged to his room and shut his door. Then after two hours, Athena came home and started making breakfast. I could hear the pots and pan clinging as she began the morning with the fresh smell of bacon.

I didn't want to be stuck in my room the whole day feeling miserable and decided to head to the backyard. The back of the house is my sanctuary for me to be in a peaceful mine.

I hooked up my earphones, listened to music, put my phone in the pocket of my pajamas, and started watering the plants my mom had worked so hard to grow. When she and my dad moved into this house, she decided to have a garden full of vegetables and flowers having her greenhouse in the back. It took years to build with the help of my dad, but it made my mom relax while she did gardening in her free time. Mom sometimes told me how to grow my plant with simple directions - light and water.

It's been a long time since I visited mom's garden. When I came here, I felt she was with me—working hard day and night at the senior center. When she and Dad passed away, Athena took over her job, caring for the elders. It was not her career choice because she wanted to be a teacher like our dad, but she didn't attend college and earned her degree. Instead, she is stuck with old people wiping their asses simultaneously and raising her young siblings. 

As I watered the plants, I heard chirping from the garden. Turning off the hose, I followed the frantic chirps until it led me to some Zinnia flowers. I looked over and saw a helpless baby bird. Unsure what type of bird it was because it hadn't grown any feathers and was still very young, it seems that it has fallen from its nest.

Next to the Zinnias was a large tree only behind my house. I looked up and saw a nest resting on a tree trunk. Confused about what to do and worried that this fallen one will die once the mother bird returns and feeds the others. I rushed inside to grab a small towel and carefully picked up the helpless baby bird. I didn't know what the next thing to do was; I got no choice but to climb the tree. I went to the shed, took out the ladder, and placed it next to the tree. Walking up the ladder, I looked over my shoulder and saw how high I was. I felt my heart frantic as I took a deep breath continuing up the tree. I frowned once I noticed that the nest was on the other tree trunk on the neighbor's side.

Damn it.

No going back, and already up here. With the baby birds safe around the towel inside my shirt, I pulled him out as I reached the nest. I outstretch my arm to put him back, but I was still an inch far. Lift one leg to get closer, reaching more toward the bird's nest. My foot resting on the ladder started to become unstable, and sweat was already perspiring over my head. I had to revert to removing my long sleeves, throwing them to the ground below me, and leaving on my spaghetti strap top as I went back in position.

Just a little more. I was thinking to myself that this would be one brave move I was making. One hand was holding the ladder, one leg up like a ballerina, and supporting myself from falling. I was close to returning the baby bird to his nest.

"Hey, what do you think you are doing?"

I squealed in surprise at a man's voice; I began to stumble forward instead of backward, with the baby bird held against my chest. Closing my eyes, I fell to be expected to land in my mother's garden but instead, I felt myself in soft and firm arms.