Descend into Darkness (BOOK 1)

| 01 | Uninvited

"Kel, for the fifth time, clean out the basement!" Dad shouted. "If you don't do it now, something will move in!" Nope, not today, I thought to myself. My thumb cranked up the volume on my silver iPod dock system, blasting "Your Guardian Angel" by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus:

   "...never let you fall (let you fall) I'll stand up with you forever..."

   Humming along to the lyrics, I pushed myself away, and the office chair glided towards a desk littered with papers. Distracted, my gaze fell upon a photograph of a man sitting on a bench with a little girl on his lap. 

   His youthful eyes sparkled like green-grey orbs, and his smile seemed to radiate warmth like a summer dream. A wide, toothy grin stretched across the girl's face, full of happiness.

   Sitting on her father's lap, with her mother beside him, the girl shared their embrace. The woman leaned towards her partner, lifting their daughter's hand to wave at the camera. They all had long, dark brown hair. The girl's nose was straight and slightly pointed, resembling her father's features. 

   She was the embodiment of their love, a perfect blend of the two of them.

   However, the current arrangement had me staying with her every other week due to a mutual agreement between my now-separated parents. It was the only photograph taken during a time of peace in our household.

   A hand slapped my shoulder. Startled, I jumped and spun around to face a towering figure of a man in his forties standing over me. Guilt reddened my face as I watched his moving lips. I pulled out my headphones, "...if you don't, I'm keeping this week's allowance."

   "D-Dad," I grabbed his arm. "Anything but that!"

   He huffed, "I told you to do it two weeks ago. I'll give you a twenty–"

   "Fifty, and you've got a deal." I held my hand out to confirm our agreement. His eyes were stern.

   "Fine, but you have to do it today." He shook my hand.

   "It's good doing business with you."

   "Why are you grinning?"

   "You never said what time I had to do it by, so I'm going back to work." I spun myself to face the screen.

   "Today, please," his voice trailed away.

   As hours passed, I leaned back in my chair, pleased with the work I had accomplished. A sudden jolt of pain struck my back and neck, prompting a groan as I tenderly massaged the sore areas. To alleviate the tension, I stretched my arms towards the ceiling, feeling my joints pop satisfyingly while exhaling in relief.

   Sunlight continued to pour through the open window as a gentle breeze stirred the leaves of the tree adjacent to the house. The sky was bathed in a delicate orange hue, contrasting against the clouds. It was an incredibly beautiful day—too enchanting to be wasted indoors, I mused.

   Closing my laptop, I changed into black leggings and an oversized shirt to hide my lithe figure. As I made my way down the stairs, I swept my hair up into a high ponytail. Out of the corner of my eye, I could feel someone's gaze following me from the living room. 

   Sorry dad, I won't be cleaning any basement right now, I thought as I made my way to the kitchen.

   "Hey kiddo, how's your mom doing?" he inquired.

   "Same old, same old," I shrugged nonchalantly.

   "She's still going out, spending money, and bringing home her latest boyfriend—can't keep track of them anymore..." I opened the fridge and grabbed a jug of water.