The Fire in Your Hands

Maryanna's POV

It was a long night. A bad one. I couldn't sleep, and neither could Jayelle, obviously. She played her violin all night. She was beautiful on a violin, she soothed the whole house when she played. Mom always said she was taught how to play by an angel, she said the same with Andy when he sang. It seemed she could play any instrument, like a world class musician, that you put in her hands. She can do anything, she's like superman.
I wondered how Mom was. I contemplated my household religion. I wondered if Mom was in Heaven yet, then I wondered if there was a Heaven at all. If there was a God at all, if Jesus was just a magician. I wondered why God took Mom. In all honesty, she was more of a grandmother to us. She was a mother to Jayelle. But Jayelle has always been more or less our mother. This hit her worse than anyone. I've never seen her like this.
Last night we all slept in bed with Andy. But none of us took the spot on his right side. That was Jayelle's spot. But she never came to bed.
Ruby flirted with him all night. It took all I had not to take her back into my room and beat the life out of her. We all knew Andy was beyond attractive, but come on. He's Jayelle's. He's our brother. He was a steady boyfriend to her before I was even born, for Christ's sake. And the audacity to do that when my mother didn't wake up that morning. When he was trying to care for mourning, crying girls. He didn't seem to be completely there last night. He was sad, he was mourning too. He loved mom as his own. And it killed him to see Jayelle that upset. Sara cursed God last night for destroying our family. But Andy shushed her and said everything happens for a reason, we just were ignorant to that reason right now.

Notes