Adeline walked to the waters edge. She looked at the ducks gliding across the surface. They were creating ripples that mirrored their movements. There was a beep coming from inside her jacket pocket that broke her from her thoughts. Her step-mum was out of character for allowing her to go for a walk , however she still had to check up to see where she was and when she would be coming home. Adeline, whose family called her Della, sighed. However not before remembering, that she should be feeling lucky for even being allowed to walk to the park that had a pond 10 minutes from her home. Her parents didn’t exactly have a relaxed set of house rules. She needed to compose herself before walking back home, she couldn’t allow her step-brother and sister to read the emotions that had drawn themselves all over her face. This had been the only reason that she was provided permission to go for this minor release of freedom. Her parents would rather argue with both siblings as to why she was out on a walk, than explain the emotions that had cemented themselves onto Della’s face.
She began the walk back to the house, taking her time. Della knew she shouldn’t push her parents too far, but at the same time why not? After what they had just laid on her, swearing her to secrecy. She wouldn’t be allowed to tell anyone, not even her siblings. God forbid they actually hear something upsetting for once. Della was the youngest out of a very messy and complicated family of five. She had an older brother and sister that her family didn’t have much to do with. Then there was her older step brother and sister, Michael and Sarah, who lived with her. Her father had married a woman, Carrie, years after her mother had died. Della had her troubles with Carrie in the past, but she had just begun to build a relationship with her. They now had a tradition of cooking stir-fry’s, making pizzas or whatever else on Saturdays with her, when her step siblings were away with their dad. Della pushed this line of thought out of her mind and turned the music that was playing through her headphones, all the way up. No need to think of such things right now. She needed to focus. Level her emotions, stay calm and set her face into a blank expression.
She was ready for the onslaught of questions from her step-siblings. What they didn’t expect was how casually their younger sister shrugged her shoulders and pushed past them to her room. Michael and Sarah dropped it, they had enough experience with their younger sister, keeping secrets from them. The entire time since Della had come to live with them was a long string of Michael and Sarah getting left out of conversations, and getting told it’s Della’s family and to leave be. Della’s family was filled with problems and secrets, they had met her older siblings and that was enough for them both to know to leave be.
Della opened the door to her room and when she turned, Michael and Sarah had already moved away. They had lost interest in making multiple attempts to try and find things out from Della a long time ago. Unfortunately Della always had to keep secrets, she supposed that’s why her parents told her this time. She sat down on her bed, and picked up the picture that she had dropped on the floor before she had left. It was a dark wood that framed the photograph inside. The people in the photo were smiling from ear to ear, completely oblivious to how short lived this would be. The photograph was taken only a couple of months ago, while they had been at dinner one night. Her step-siblings and herself smiling with her parents. This would be the last photo of her family still together, her parents had decided to divorce. Her father and herself would move out as soon as they found a new place. Her new family – normal family – that woke up and ate breakfast together. The new siblings that she could have stupid arguments with, always about whose turn it was to play on their play station. Her new mother, that taught her to cook. Carrie had taken Della in when her mother had died, she had taken care of her.
Della put the picture down, set her face into the blank expression. It wasn’t like saying good-bye was new to her..
Flickering Dedications. 