Branches Book

BRANCHES

Francois took Leo everywhere with him. To school, to the grocery store, Leo even sat on the rim of the bath while Francois would clean himself at night, all the while having a private conversation. They would walk around the park together, sit in the corner at recess and every night Francois would fall asleep with Leo safely tucked into his chest. Francois didn’t have many friends. He was on the smaller side and with his pale skin, light blonde hair and bright blue eyes, he posed no threat to the bullies that tormented his school. For the most part they left him alone. Their mothers had warned them to “leave him be” after his brother passed. One of his friends was a little girl named Valerie. Valerie had dark hair that she wore in braids every day. Her cheeks always seemed to be flushed as if she had just run over to tell you something very important. She was soft spoken and often hid herself from being called on in class. Valerie would sit at recess with Francois and listen to his soft mumbles as he spoke to Leo. She would laugh silently, too shy to ever ask Francois if Leo could really speak. Instead she would draw in chalk on the pavement next to them, silently wondering what Francois and Leo were talking about and hoping that one day she would be included. Every day as they were called in for recess, Francois would tell Valerie how much he loved her drawings. Valerie would blush and silently thank him. That was their friendship. They didn’t need words, they bonded in the silence they both found so comforting. Valerie would often go to Francois’ house after school to see if he would accompany her while she drew next to the river. Francois would sit with Leo, sometimes he would bring a book and read to them while dangling his feet over the edge of the river. Valerie would hum softly to herself while drawing next to them, listening to the story attentively. Sometimes Francois would get so lost in the story that he would stop reading aloud and begin to ravenously flip through the pages. Valerie would laugh, she knew Francois had read the story a hundred times before and would most likely read it a hundred more times, but somehow the story would always entrance him. One day while sitting next to the river, Francois heard a crash in his house. Panicked, he rushed inside. That was the first time Valerie heard the voices. She could only make out a faint murmur. She had trouble figuring out where these voices were coming from until an idea popped into her head. Francois had left Leo. Valerie began to move closer to Leo, afraid that if she touched him, the voices would stop. She was almost lying on top of him when she heard the crackling of feet on gravel. Francois was standing behind her. At first, Valerie was afraid Francois was angry, but he merely cocked his head to the side and smiled at her. Francois lifted Leo up to Valerie’s face, and placed his mouth directly next to her ear. Valerie could make out the

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