Welcome... kinda home on At Home

Monica Spellman

January 15, 2022 3:43 AM

Welcome... kinda home by Monica Spellman

Monica shifted her weight from foot to foot. It would be fine. Okay, the decision had been a little impulsive. A little more the Oz side of her than the Henry one, though it was still her older twin’s reaction she worried about more. She and Oz got on at their absolute best and absolute worst when they were being the most like each other. They could be full on, leaping enthusiasm, feeding off each other’s energy, or both over-reacting and going with their guts instead of their head. It was two sides of the same coin. And he had reasons to be annoyed. Maybe this decision wasn’t really rational. Being in a better neighbourhood… That was good for both the boys, but part of it had been based off the old urge to get them into a better school. That hardly mattered any more, but she’d still jumped at the chance, purely on instinct.

Well, maybe not purely. It was a better house too. More space. And the rental market moved so fast, that really there hadn’t been time to owl back and forth. She should have found time to write before the end of term though. She had meant to.

Henry would be fine with it. He was always calm and rational, and he had no particular ties to their old neighbourhood. Plus, with the better area came a better library, and that was more or less all it took to keep him happy. Oz though… Oz had still had some ties. He’d still hung out with people from his old school when he came home for the holidays.

The twins disembarked, and she ran forward, scooping them both into a hug at the same time, one arm each.

“You grew again,” she remarked, a mixture of emotions at the fact they were happy, healthy and thriving. That should be an undeniably good thing, but she couldn’t help but wonder whether it was because they’d been taken away from her. And she missed so much.

“I have some news. A surprise.” She switched between the two, not sure whether ‘news’ made it sound too serious, or ‘surprise’ made it sound like fun and ice cream. “We’re taking a different bus back. We’ve moved. I’m sorry, I was going to write. But time got away from me.”

13 Monica Spellman Welcome... kinda home 0 Monica Spellman 1 5

Oz Spellman

January 15, 2022 3:44 AM

I love it by Oz Spellman

Oz stepped inside, marvelling at the new apartment. He had been a bundle of energy for the whole bus ride back. His mother’s assurances that they could go back to visit anyone he wanted had rolled off him like water. He was free. They were two whole bus rides away from his old life. He had been a convenient punching bag and source of funds whilst they’d lived there, but he wasn’t worth hunting down. He’d done it. He’d done the thing he never thought possible and had actually gotten out.

He dumped his bag, dashing around to stick his nose into every room of the new apartment. Into both bedrooms. His and Henry’s twin beds were in the master bedroom, but there was a little box room too, so mom could finally have her own. She wouldn’t have to sleep on the couch or steal naps in their beds when they were up or out. He grinned.

He sat down on his bed, even though he was a bundle of energy, waiting for Henry to follow him in, so he could have a moment alone with him. When Henry came in, Oz’s face broke, not just in the happy grin he’d had on since mom told them about the move, but one that was so much more—one that showed not just the depth of his happiness but the depth of his relief.

“No more Archer,” he whispered. “I never have to see him again.” For a moment, he regretted revealing to Henry last summer what had been going on. If he’d just held his nerve, he would never have had to know. But then there wouldn’t be anyone to share the full extent of his joy and his relief with now. And it all didn’t matter. It was gone, in the past, and he’d got away from the worst influences in his life, and Mom had never had to find out that he was gradually slipping up and into all the things she’d always tried to keep him away from. “I might for real make something out of my life other than a whole heap of trouble.” It felt risky to admit it, but being swept off to Sonora hadn’t been the saving grace he’d needed. It had gone a long way, but the stupid decisions he’d made before leaving had always threatened to drag him back down. He had to almost stifle a giggle. He felt so free.

“And you and me… No more secrets, never again, yeah?” he checked. It had been hard admitting to Henry what had been going on. Part of him wished he hadn’t had to, but more because he’d wished none of it was ever happening in the first place. Keeping something that big from him had been so destructive. He wanted, for once in his stupid life, to learn from his mistakes, and not do it again.

13 Oz Spellman I love it 1514 0 5

Henry Spellman

January 17, 2022 2:12 PM

Home . . .? by Henry Spellman

Henry had lingered a little, taking his time in a way that Oz didn't as they took in the new place. Mom got a new house. He hated the thought immediately because, even though he knew mom wasn't moving away and leaving them behind, this wasn't his home, it was mom's. This wasn't where the Netflix Police Wizard Dude had shown up to take them to school, this wasn't where he and Oz had spent time trying to guess the neighbor's WiFi password, this wasn't anything like he'd experienced before. It was actually a lot more like the places he'd stolen from, although he tried not to steal form people who weren't blatantly, excessively, gluttonously rich.

He also lingered to check in with his mom. As Oz bounded around the apartment, already marking it as his (shared) territory by dumping stuff on the floor, Henry cocked his head at his mother, who looked much more nervous than he thought she should. Which is when it struck him that she looked nervous to him because she should've been relaxed. Here in this great big world where she'd finally managed to make it, where she had her own room and where she'd taken the time to pick a place with room for all three of them, where having Oz and Henry off at school meant having enough to get by, she was doing alright. That was what mattered.

"You're okay," he breathed as he hugged her again, melting some as he made a statement, an observation, a question, and a reassurance all at once. He smiled at her, a soft, small expression, as he pulled away. "We're okay," he promised. "I love it."

And then he went after Oz, glancing in his mom's room as he passed it before finally arriving into what was now his room apparently. His and Oz'. When his brother smiled at him, he smiled back; he'd forgotten how much he missed sharing a room with his twin.

"I always knew you would," Henry promised, happy his brother was happy. The world felt dangerously close to equilibrium finally and the distinct urge to run away from it, the certainty that it couldn't be trusted, was making Henry queazy as it fought with the urge to settle in and accept "No more secrets," he added. It was the sort of exchange that, even though he and his brother were sat on separate beds, felt a lot like they were hugging.

"So, can I tell you a secret then?" he said, throwing his pillow across the room so it plopped against Oz' chest. "Your fly's been down since we landed."

22 Henry Spellman Home . . .? 1513 0 5

Oz Spellman

January 18, 2022 2:17 AM

...is where we can be us by Oz Spellman

“Know-it-all,” Oz responded, with a roll of his eyes, when Henry said he knew he’d always make it. It was easier than saying ‘thank you.’ Like the compliments Lorena had tried to give him at the ball, it crept up the back of his neck, making him feel hot. Henry might have always thought that but if he did, it was because he had been grossly misinformed about how badly Oz had been screwing up, or because he was wildly optimistic. The latter didn’t sound like Henry, but he was capable of having horrific blindspots where family was concerned.

No more secrets. It made his heart happy. He and Henry… Okay, they probably weren’t going to camp out under the covers of each other’s beds again, not unless the heating got shut off. They were both a bit old for that to not be weird. But a feeling that was kind of like the feelings that came from that was brewing in Oz’s chest. They were gonna be twins again, inside as well as out. He sorta wanted to hug him.

He perked up as Henry even offered a secret. It consisted of a pillow to his chest, and a remark which—he almost looked down. But he had spent enough time of the naughty side of the playground to develop a strong immunity to being made to check his zipper. His head only dipped slightly, both because it had been a while, and because he wasn’t used to those attacks coming from Henry.

“Screw you, man,” he said, but he was laughing and smiling as he said it, in a way that suggested Henry was welcome to be that way as often as he liked. For good measure, Oz lobbed the pillow back at Henry (using the moment of distraction to check his zipper, which was totally fine, thank you very much, sneaky little rat traitor).

13 Oz Spellman ...is where we can be us 1514 0 5