The Suburbs

one

Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change.

[Mary Shelley]

• • •

That morning embodied the picture of a perfect suburban household. Mum and Dad smiling as they made coffee and laid out cutlery, children finishing homework at the kitchen table as they ate toast with too much butter. Kody almost hated how quickly his family had transformed into the symbol of nuclear normalcy. It felt strange not having his Mother rush off for a meeting before they even woke up, not having his Father too busy on an important phone call to join them for breakfast, not bickering over the remote as they watched the news before school started, waiting to see how late they could be. They were now so incredibly...average.

His sister, Sophia, was a year younger than him. They shared the same perceptive amber eyes, smooth cocoa skin, and frizzy curls. As they left the house together and their parents stood on the doorstep telling them to have a good day, they exchanged a curious glance. "You're finding this just as fucked up as I am, right?"

Kody rolled his eyes and hitched his backup up on his shoulders. They waved to a neighbour walking their dog, and another on their morning run. Apparently, that's just what people did here. "I think it's nice. We're spending more time with Mum and Dad than we have in years."

"Exactly. It's weird." Sophia rose her brows, looking around as if trying to find a clue to solve the mystery of their new lives. "And why have you been so optimistic recently? Am I the only one who hasn't been charmed into submission by the aliens who have clearly brainwashed you all?"

Kody chuckled, "This town is...nice." He shrugged. "There's no pollution, everyone says hi to each other, I haven't seen a stabbing yet, and everyone smells good. I'm optimistic for a reason; I think we can all be happy here, Soph."

Sophia smiled slightly, "Clearly the brainwashing aliens gave you an especially good deal-"

"Oh, shut up." He laughed, slapping her playfully on the shoulder.

School was repetitive. He had three lessons, two free periods, a sandwich for lunch, and a girl named Megan flirting with him for the better half of his lunch break. His new friend, Christopher, invited him to a party that night. The host was someone named Alex; he didn't know if Alex was a boy or a girl, or whether they would even want Kody attending, but he agreed to 'think about it' and let Christopher know his decision later.

After school, Kody accompanied his sister to the pet shop where she bought a large cage and a big sack of rabbit food along with all the necessary supplies. Of course, she also purchased an ashy grey bunny with big velvety ears and shiny black eyes. When their parents told them they would be moving out of the city, Sophia promised not to complain about it under one condition; she could get a pet. Now that they finally had a garden, she was free to enjoy her dream animal.

When they got home, they set up the animal's new home, and named the rabbit Pistachio - for some reason. As the family cooed over the fluffy little addition to their family, Kody snuck upstairs to get changed.

He pulled on jeans and a pale green jumper before yanking a beanie over his wild curls. He sent Christopher a message telling him he would be coming to the party, and minutes later he received a reply with Alex's address, which happened to be just a couple of streets away from where Kody lived. So, he pulled on his black lace up boots, sprayed on some cologne and sneakily slid a bottle of vodka from the kitchen cabinet into his backpack.

"I'm going out." He told his family, who were still huddled around the new rabbit hut, despite the sky being a painting of sparkling stars, and the clock nearing towards ten PM.