Editing The Sky

Chapter 10

PICTURE OF DARIUS ON THE SIDE FOR ALL YA'LL!!!!!

                When River got home that night she still couldn’t believe that Darius Zane was hers. She was dating Darius Zane. Darius Zane liked her. Of all the girls in the school Darius like her.

She was so unbelievably happy she didn’t realize her mom was standing in front of her for a good minute or to.

“Welcome back,” Her mom said as she crossed her arms.

“Hi Momma,” River said with a cheery smile, she kissed her on the cheek and hummed to the music that only she could hear.

Her mom couldn’t have been more stunned had her daughter’s father walked in the door.

“Boo, is everything all right?” River grinned wildly and her mother for just a moment found herself in her daughter’s face, the way she was before she was raped. Her daughter had that carefree; no one can ruin my mood.

“Everything is so different,” That was River; always answer a question without answering it.

“Different how, Sweetie?” River realized maybe too late that she was acting differently. Okay there was no maybe about it, she was acting different. And her mother noticed. She was screwed to ways to Tuesday.

“Sorry Momma,” River said as she started for the stairs. “I’m just in a good mood.”

“Wait!” River froze, it was that tone. The tone that said no matter what the words were that River better listen or she was doomed. “That explains nothing, River McKaren.” River slowly turned around.

“I’m just happy Mom,” River curled a piece of her hair around her figure. “Can’t I just be happy?”

“No,” River tired not to smile but lost it and burst out laughing.

“So you’re saying I’m not allowed to be happy?”

“That is not what I meant River,” Her mom fought back a grin and succeeded. “And you know.”

“I don’t know nothing’,” Then River bolted and ran upstairs to her room.

“River!!!” Her mom shouted after her. River quickly put on her backpack down and put the homework she needed to do into her work back and left her room.

Her mother was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. Her face was flushed, a sure sign she was anger. “And where do you think you’re going, missy?”

River held her bag up, “Work?”

Her mother’s face screwed up before nodding and moving out of River’s way. River cautiously walked around her much like you would walk around what you hope is a sleeping wolf. Pure Predator that is what River saw in her mother’s deep blue eyes.

River had just opened the door when her mother spoke. “If you want to be let back in this house when you get home, you’re going to tell me what happened.” River knew she was bluffing but the way she said it had River running.

With a quick, “Promise.” Over her shoulder River was back on her bike heading to work.

It didn’t take her long to get to work and get set up for the day. She put all her work on the front desk of the Public Library and mumbled a song as she organized everything on the desk till she could actually work.

Ten minutes into her Algebra homework an old couple came up to the counter. River had her hood down and looked at the obviously in love couple.

“How can I help you?” River said with a bright smile. The woman smiled back at her and her brown eyes twinkled.

“Where are the Encyclopedias?” The man asked in a gentle tone.

“Well it depends on what you’re looking for,” River stated. “As to which encyclopedia you need.”

“Neurobiology,” The woman said.

“Hold on just a second,” River slipped out of her chair and went to the back to find the big encyclopedia. She brought it back to the front and carefully put it on the counter so it wouldn’t stir too much dust. “It’s a little old but it’s the best one we have. I can’t let you take it out the library but you can read it here.”

“Thank you very much.” The woman took the book and they went back to their table.

Hours later River had finished her homework and was reading one of her favorite books, when the door slowly creaked open.

River didn’t think anything of it, she really needed to call Clay, the handyman, to come in and fix it.

“Hello, sweet.” That voice had River’s hands slipping and the book crashing to the floor.