The Dark of You by S.M. Shade
Chapter One
A world of red.
It’s what makes me smile every morning when I wake up. My red canopy and red sheets. Red curtains and rug. It’s my favorite color ever. My smile grows even bigger when I remember what today is. My birthday. I get to have waffles and choccy milk for breakfast, then go to the zoo!
Just me and Mama are going because Daddy has to work, and Louie has school. But tonight, Daddy and Louie will sing Happy Birthday to me. I’ll blow out candles, eat cake, and get lots of presents.
Scrambling out of bed, I pull off my pajamas and throw them on the bed. Mama laid my favorite red dress on my chair last night, and I put it on. If I hurry, I might see Daddy before he goes to work. My bare feet slap against the wooden stairs but Mama doesn’t shout for me to slow down like she usually does. I only fell down the stairs once, but that was when I was four and I’m not a baby anymore.
“Daddy?” I call, racing for the kitchen. If he hasn’t left for work, he’ll be at the table with his yucky coffee, reading the newspaper. Sometimes, he reads the Garfield comic to me, but I have to help with some of the words so I can learn to read.
Daddy isn’t in the kitchen. Neither is Mama or Louie. It doesn’t smell like coffee or bacon either. Maybe it’s super early and I’m not supposed to be awake yet. Mama and Daddy’s bedroom is at the end of the hall. If it’s too early to get up, I’ll crawl into bed with them.
The house is too quiet when everyone is asleep. I like it better when the TV is on and everything is noisy. Before I can get down the hall, the door to my parents’ bedroom opens, and I stop when I see Joey step out.
What’s he doing here? Why’s he covered in paint?
Joey’s not a grown up yet but he can drive. He babysits me and Louie sometimes.
He shuts the door behind him and looks at me. For a minute, he looks weird. Like he can’t talk or something. Then he smiles like he does when I beat him at Go Fish and walks toward me.
“Are you here because it’s my birthday?” I ask. “Are you going to the zoo with us?”
Joey squats down in front of me. “Happy birthday, Darcy. Do you want me to go with you?”
“Yes!” I cry, doing a little dance. Joey’s lots of fun. I might marry him when I get old enough. “We can feed the giraffes!”
He laughs and nods at me. “That sounds like fun.”
“I’m going to tell Mama you’re going too.” One step toward the bedroom is all I get before he grabs my arm.
“You can’t go in there right now. Your mom isn’t here, but she put your presents and birthday surprises in there. You wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise and disappoint her, would you?”
“No, I won’t go in. Where is she? Is Louie with her?”
“She had to drop Louie off at school and pick up one of your presents so I’m babysitting until she gets back. Do you want to watch some cartoons?”
Paint is splashed across his shirt and there are spots of it on his face too but I don’t think he knows. “You have paint all over you.”
Standing back up, he looks down at his clothes. “I sure do. I was helping your mom with some of the decorations and I got pretty messy.”
“It kind of smells.” He chuckles as I take a few steps back from him.
With one hand, he reaches behind him, grabs the back of his shirt, and pulls it off. He uses it to wipe at his face.
“Mama was supposed to make me waffles and choccy milk.”
Joey grins down at me. “She won’t be gone long. How about some cereal and chocolate milk? Then you can watch cartoons until she gets back.”
“Okay.”
I follow him back to the kitchen and watch as he washes the paint off of his hands, then pours me a bowl of cereal and a cup of milk. He carries them to the living room and sits them on the coffee table while I run to the TV. Bugs Bunny is on. It’s my favorite. I love when Daffy’s bill spins all the way around.
“Darcy,” Joey says, and I look up at him through a mouthful of cereal. “If I go home for just a minute to change my clothes, will you promise to stay right there? And not open your parents’ bedroom door?”
“Sure, I promise.”
With his shirt in his hand, he pauses in the doorway. “Remember, don’t go in the bedroom. Your mom will be very disappointed and it’ll ruin your birthday.”
“I won’t go in there. Cross my heart.”
He smiles at me. “You’re a good girl.”
It’s a little weird that he goes out through the back kitchen door, but my attention is drawn to Daffy. By the time I’ve eaten my cereal and finished my milk, my cartoon is over, but Joey hasn’t come back. Neither has Mama.
It sure is taking a long time. I don’t like being alone. Trying to be brave, I grab my stuffed rabbit, Nibbles, from my room and return to the couch. The only thing on TV is a loud game show and those show poppers Mama watches where people argue and kiss. Boring. Rain starts to tap on the windows while I find my coloring book and crayons. With Nibbles beside me and the game show playing, I color two pages. One for Mama and one for Daddy.
Hopping off the couch with the book in hand, I pause when I remember they aren’t here. Joey never came back. How long am I supposed to stay alone? Mama wouldn’t want me to be alone. I’m always supposed to have an adult around. Or at least Louie, even though he’s only in fourth grade.
I’m not sure what to do. I’m not allowed to go outside alone, ever. Someone could steal me. Stranger Danger. Mama always tells me that. The thought of the white telephone on the wall draws me into the kitchen. Who could I call? I don’t know what numbers to push. The only one I know is nine-one-one if I need help. That’s only if you’re hurt or need a policeman, right? I’m not hurt. I just want my mama.
Tears start running down my face. It’s my birthday. Where is everybody? Have they forgotten about me? I return to the living room and lie on the couch, holding Nibbles close until I fall asleep.
My tummy growls when I wake up. The news that Mama usually watches while I eat lunch plays on the TV. She must be home! Racing into the kitchen, I find it empty. I run to check every room in the house except for Mama and Daddy’s room.
I’m still alone. And hungry. That means I need help. Maybe the police can find Mama and tell her she forgot about me and to make me some waffles.
The phone’s too high for me to reach. The kitchen chair makes an awful squeaky noise when I scoot it over where I can stand on it to reach the buttons. “Nine, one, one,” I mumble to myself, pressing them.
A lady’s voice answers. She’s loud. It scares me, and I pull the phone away from my ear for a minute. Is she mad at me for calling? Am I going to be in trouble? “Hello,” she says again. “What is your emergency?”
What’s an emergency?
“Hello? Is anyone there?”
My voice comes out really small. “I’m hungry.”
It’s quiet for a moment before the lady says. “You’re hungry?”
“Uh-huh. Mama didn’t make me waffles. And Joey left and now no one’s here.”
“What’s your name?”
Hearing someone’s voice on the phone makes me feel better. Like I’m not by myself. Curling the cord around my fingers, I play with it as I talk. “I’m Darcy.”
“How old are you, Darcy?”
“Five. Today’s my birthday. But everybody left and I think they forgot about me.”
The lady’s nice and asks me easy questions like my address. Daddy taught me that. I’m glad I can answer her questions. She tells me that a policeman is coming to help me find my mama and to stay on the phone with her.
A pack of different colored balloons sits on the table, and when I see them, it makes me think of a TV show I watched. They had a surprise party. Everybody hid, then jumped out and yelled surprise, happy birthday! That must be what’s going on! That’s why I’m not supposed to go into the bedroom. They weren’t ready yet. But it’s been a long time. I bet everybody’s hiding in there, waiting on me.
“They might be having a party in the bedroom!” I tell the lady on the phone and then drop it, scrambling to get off the chair.
Giggling, I run down the hall. Joey said not to go in and disappoint Mama, but they must be tired of waiting by now.
The sound of the front door opening makes me pause for just a second when a man’s voice calls out that he’s a policeman. I don’t need a policeman now. Excitement makes me giggle when I grab the door handle, throw open the door and run inside.
A world of red.
I hate red.