Page 5 of Raw

I loved animals, but in the wild, you had to kill them to survive.

The only animal I didn’t have a tail of was a fox. Ever since I was little, I had this strange connection to those pretty creatures, and I always told Papa not to shoot them whenever he saw one.

He kept his promise and never had he killed a fox since I was old enough to tell him not to.

Fennec promised me he wouldn’t kill them either, and as the best brother in the world would do, he also kept his promise.

I stared at the ceiling for a few minutes, thinking about the conversation Mama and I would have at the diner about me wanting to leave.

Maybe I should’ve planned it out.

Made sure I said the right things so it would be easier for her to accept my decision, but I decided to let it all come over me without thinking too much about it.

*

When we walked into Brian’s diner across the street from our house, I didn’t expect girls from my high school to sit at a booth, staring and giggling as I stood there behind Mama, waiting for Dianna to show us to a free booth.

I tore my eyes off them, knowing they were either making fun of my clothes, or me as a person.

They had nothing better to do than talk rudely about other girls who didn’t fit their aesthetic.

Pink should be the color associated with hell, not red.

“We have this new chicken soup on the menu. You will love it, Vespyr,” Dianna said cheerfully, and I gave her a small smile before we followed her to get to our booth.

“Such a weirdo,” I heard one of the girls mutter as we passed their table. “You can’t even tell her brother’s her Irish twin. Fennec is way better looking than her,” another one commented, and before I stopped to stare them down and show them just how rude their words were, Mama grabbed my wrist and pulled me with her, giving me a look that meant not to give them any attention.

She heard everything, and although she was the one giving birth to this town’sIrish twins, she was the last one to care.

As we sat down, she caressed the back of my head, then handed me one of the menus Dianna gave her.

“Chicken soup in summer?” I asked, pushing those girls out of my mind and changing the subject.

“I know, it’s not a summery dish, but it’s delicious,” Dianna said, holding her notepad and pen ready to write.

“I’ll have the salmon burger, please,” I said, deciding on something I knew I would devour in seconds.

“Fries with that?”

“Yes, please.”

“I’ll have the chicken soup then. Put some spice in it, will you?” Mama asked.

“Perfect. I’ll be right back with your drinks.”

Although she hadn’t asked what we’d like, she knew we would both have a coke.

Mama reached across the table to pull my hand in hers, squeezing it gently and smiling at me the way mothers so often did.

“I’m proud of you, Vespyr. You know that, right?”

I nodded, smiling back at her but quickly letting the corners of my mouth fall again.

“When I was your age, Papa and I had already spent one whole year together. We met in high school, and just like you, Papa was his own person.”

I knew that.

As similar as we looked, we were the exact opposite character-wise.

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