I hadn’t expected the house to be so silent. Jacob did precisely what I asked of him and stayed away from me. We still ate breakfast and dinner together, but we didn’t talk. Other than that, I never saw him. I stayed in my room, reading or sketching. Sometimes I wanted to watch TV, but it was too risky to be in the living room. I didn’t want him getting any idea that we were good. We weren’t.
We stayed like that for a week until the silence was finally broken.
Jacob knocked on my door one evening. He opened the door, poking his head in. He looked scared to be near me. Maybe that was for the best. He had a box in his hand. He stood in the doorway, silent for a minute or so. Finally, he cleared his throat.
“A package came for you,” Jacob said. “It’s from your parents.”
