By the time I find my way home, I'm sopping wet. Mother ushers me inside. I pretend not to notice the purple bike outside. Mandy didn't bother to make sure her sister got home safely. When Mom asks me why Mandy's so mad, I tell her the whole story. She leads me to the table and gets me some Potatoes and Chili. Usually it's my favorite meal but I don't feel like eating now. Mother sits down and clasps her fingers together. I keep my eyes away from my father. He's also at the table. "Mandy dear, come get some dinner!" Mother calls. The spiral stairs shake as she comes downstairs. She gets a plate, grabs some food, and goes right back upstairs. I blink, feeling terrible. Was it because of me? "Mandy?" Mother says, looking concerned. When she doesn't answer she looks back to me, Oscar, and Father. "I wanted to talk about... this situation." She says, pausing when she says it. Thunder roars outside, drowning out the noise of pouring rain. Father roars too. "WHAT?" Mother looks sternly at him. "I was wondering if we could move out to Oakville." She smiles at me and Oscar. "It's a town nearby. If we found an apartment-" "NO." Father says, slamming a hand down on the table. "We talked about this." He glares at her, and I have that weird feeling again about how they're hiding something from me. "But I could stop homeschooling them. Do you know how hard it is for them to be isolated here?" Mother snaps. "Do you care?" Father's face is as red as a tomato. He gets up from the table and grabs his plate. He brings it over to the small kitchen and starts cleaning it. "We're not leaving." Is all he says. Thunder booms. Oscar's lip trembles and he ducks his head. I take his hand from under the table and squeeze it. Mother stands up. "You don't understand." Father turns around with a murderous look on his face. "WE. TALKED. ABOUT. THIS." He starts walking towards the door. He gets an umbrella and opens the door. "Where are you going?" Mother asks, her eyes wide with fear. He doesn't answer and shuts the door behind him. Oscar starts wailing. Mother looks down, her eyes not squeezed shut. "I knew it." She whispers under her breath. Before I can ask what she means by that, she says, "Get packing." Oscar sniffs and rubs his eyes. "What do you mean?" He asks. Mother walks towards her bedroom. "We're leaving." She says. "What!?" I cry. I can hear Mandy getting out her suitcase upstairs. I growl to myself. "Get your Father and tell him we're leaving." Mother orders. "He's probably sulking on the porch." I open the door and look out into the stormy night. He's nowhere to be seen.
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