Signing Love (#Wattys 2018)

Chapter 8

Nathan POV

I sighed as I thought about how distant Sami was being these days. Anger was inside me at how they were treating her. I was concerned for her; of course, I'm her brother. She's the only one in this family that has been bullied so much in the span of a couple years.

Seeing her like that broke my heart. She stopped talking to me, or Noah. She stopped coming downstairs for dinner with Noah and I. The only time she would come downstairs for dinner is at midnight, when everyone else is asleep. I've seen her like this before, in pain. In so much pain, that she couldn't bare it. She had to deal with it for two years. Now, for another year. It's ridiculous how many people hate her.

I thought back to the day I punched Cole in the face because he started all of this. I have no idea how he knows even a little bit of my sister's personal life, but I know for a fact that that is very scary. Scary for her, and me.

What would Mom and Dad think? They don't know about any of this. I've told them that everything was fine in these two weeks. I didn't want them to know that Sami's going through this, again. I don't want to move again, although I wouldn't mind even if I did. Mom would be very concerned, and scared, considering the last time she was bullied, she tried to commit suicide. But I saved her from dying.

That is a good thing, but at the same time, I don't know if that is a matter to be proud of either. And this time as well, she is getting bullied. Would she try to commit suicide?

No. That wouldn't happen. Sami cares about our family too much to leave this world. She wouldn't even get the thought of committing suicide... right?

I looked down at Noah, who was pulling my shirt.

"What happened, little buddy?" I asked him, taking him into my arms.

"What happened to Sami?" He asked, his somewhat high pitched voice came out of his mouth.

"What do you mean?" I didn't want to tell him exactly what happened. He's too young for that.

"She hasn't been herself. Usually when she sees me, she would have a smile on her face, but now, when she sees me or you, she wouldn't care. When I want to talk to her, she just gives me a note saying that she doesn't want to talk to me. She doesn't even help us cook or eat dinner with us anymore." His eyes showed fear and sadness. I know how much he loves his sister, and I had to calm him down several times when he was feeling down that he didn't see his big sister.

"No, it's not that, Noah. It's just that she has a lot of stress that she has been going through, and she has a lot of homework. That's all." I made up. He shouldn't know what has been happening to her.

"Oh." Was all he said. I had a feeling that he knew that I was lying to him, although I couldn't really read his face.

We walked home silently, without a smile on either of our faces, thinking about Sami. How distant she is scares me. Everything that she doesn't tell me scares me. What has she been through? What has been happening when I wasn't around?

I opened the front door, to see that it was already unlocked. That means that Sami's at home. She must be in her room, though.

I placed Noah on the ground, and walked up the stairs to her room. I knocked on the door twice, to see if she was inside, although she didn't respond. Was she in the bathroom? Maybe.

I knocked on the door again before I gave her a warning that I was coming in. I still didn't hear a response. Maybe she is in the bathroom. I unlocked the door to her room with a key that I found yesterday. I placed the key into the doorknob, and twisted the key. On the other side of the door, I heard a click, which meant that the door is now unlocked.