A Home Among the Stars (EDITING NEW VERSION TO BE POSTED)

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I woke with a bright beam of sunlight shining on my face.

Normally this would have made me smile. I saw it as the sun greeting me, welcoming me into the new day.

Today I felt it was only mocking me.

Mocking my inability to save Brian. My inability to break the ropes fast enough. My inability to negotiate for Brian’s life.

As I thought about it, I became painfully aware of the pain in my wrist. It wasn’t nearly as bad as the ache in my heart. The pain of a million shattered pieces stabbing my mind. My guilty conscious was far worse than the physical pain of a twisted wrist.

I flipped around and covered my face with the blankets. It was my fault Brian was dead. I should have done something when I had the chance. I could have given Erik exactly what he wanted: power. I could have let him have control of my gang, which is his ultimate goal anyway.

But that would have meant the destruction of everything Derrel had worked so hard to create.

A carefree environment in which orphaned kids could live and work without the pressure of the foster care system. A gang that would be one big family. A family in which everyone could rely on one another.

If I had handed the control over to Erik, all of that would be gone, replaced by a system where the kids would be modern day slaves to an unforgiving master.

Would I have been able to forgive myself if I did that and gave up my friends, my family?

No, no I wouldn’t. Even if it meant keeping Brian alive.

So why do I still feel bad about letting him die?

There was a soft knock at my bedroom door. I didn’t move from the under the sheets. The door creaked open and I felt the bed sink as the person sat on it.

“Val? You’re gonna have to come out eventually,” Robyn’s voice came from the end of my bed. I didn’t reply, hoping she would go away. I had no such luck. Robyn sighed before grabbing the blankets and ripping them off my body. The light in the room blinded me for a second and I lifted my hand to block it out.

I was suddenly reminded of the day I met Brian.

I took another swig from the bottle. Time blurred from minutes into hours. It could have been days, but I couldn't tell, nor did I care. I had just been informed that my world, however tattered and shabby it was, was going to be torn to pieces and thrown into the trash. Everything was falling apart,

'No, don't think about that.' I scolded myself, taking another long swig. The alcoholic beverage burned my throat, but slowly I was forgetting.

I suppose that’s why so many people with problems become alcoholics. It helps you forget. And when you can't remember, you can be at peace.

My vision went a little fuzzy and suddenly the bottle was torn from my hand. I heard a crash on the ground, a sure sign that my whiskey was now a puddle on the wooden floor of the abandoned bar.

"Hey! You..... Made me drop... It" I said, stumbling. The person chuckled. I looked up and saw a pair of beautiful blue eyes with flecks of gold in them.

And then I slumped of the floor and the world went blank.

**********

The next morning, the bright light was blinding me and I lifted my arm to cover my eyes.

“Looks like someone’s awake,” an unfamiliar voice says from the foot of my bed.

“Go away,” I growl, not bothering to look up.