~ Lily ~
Mom thinks I don’t notice things.
But I do.
Adults act like kids live in some cartoon world where nothing serious happens.
That’s not true.
We just hear things differently.
And sometimes we pretend not to hear them at all.
This morning I woke up before everyone else.
Which never happens.
Usually, Uncle Cole wakes up first because he makes coffee that smells like burnt dirt.
But today the house was quiet.
Really quiet.
I climbed out of bed and walked down the hallway.
Mom’s bedroom door was open.
She wasn’t inside.
The couch in the living room had a blanket lump on it.
Uncle Cole.
Still asleep.
His arm hung off the side like he had fallen asleep mid-thought.
I walked closer.
His eyebrow had a bandage.
The one I put there.
It looked slightly crooked now.
I cli
