"I don't want to." Darcy said, frowning. "What am I supposed to say? Really, will anything I say change what she heard?" The orange-haired girl didn't like this feeling, not one bit. It was the one feeling she didn't feel often; guilt. Ugh, stupid gnawing emotion.
"Tell her you love her and that you're sorry." Aaron said, not falling for her excuses. "Hug her, reassure her you care. Honestly, Darcy, you're smart. You should be able to figure it out. Now go."
Darcy sighed, getting up from the couch and heading for her "daughter's" room. The door was wide open, but....no sign of Jae. "Jaella?" the orange-haired girl called out, stepping into the brightly-colored room. She noticed a note on the bed, "Bee bak later; went to park." She sighed, shaking her head before calling for her brother.
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Jaella was "hidden" in the park at the heart of Durem, her head ducked under the pastel ducky quilt she hid under. The girl sniffled, her face hidden in her arms. She tried to be good, really she did! She didn't mean to make things hard of Mom....was she the reason Mom hadn't been feeling well? The girl's shoulders shook silently as she buried her further in her arms. She didn't mean to be stupid and slow....she tried really hard to learn!
Maybe she was that stupid. A lot of the other kids did seem to be smarter than her. Maybe Mom had a point. It seemed no matter how hard she tried, Jaella couldn't match most of her expectations. She always seemed to mess things up. Maybe if she stayed away from home for a few hours or so, Mom could have a break and get better? She hoped so.
She'd apologize when she got home. She'd apologize for being so stupid. She'd apologize for stressing Mom. She'd apologize for anything else she did wrong. She'd work harder on her reading and writing. She'd try not to be so loud. She'd even stop bringing pets home, and she'd do all the chores and...and... She wasn't sure what else she'd do, but she'd do her best to be better like the other kids. She just wanted Mom to be happy.
