The Doorway

Chapter 1: The Nightmares Begin (Skylar)

“Skylar stop being such a downer.”

Alex playfully nudged me in the shoulder.

I snubbed him slightly, more concerned with the rain that was falling on the car window than any little smug comments he had decided to make.

Even though he acted more than pleased to be leaving Queens the entire car ride, I know deep down he was the only person in the entire world who was more upset about the move than I was.

Three months ago our mom died of HIV. She had been fighting it for six years.

Worst part was one of her imprudent ex-boyfriends had given it to her, so you can picture how short that relationship was. It was completely meaningless, yet she died because of it.

 I mean, I can’t even remember the dude’s name, he was that insignificant, and I think that’s what pissed me off the most.

He could still be alive while she was rotting in a box.

I probably seemed like a total pessimist but I couldn’t think of any other way to feel but livid about the whole situation.

That sounds horrible, and really bitter, but I could tell Alex felt the exact same way, he was just better at hiding it than I was.

We were on our way upstate, to Black Rock, a small rural town in Buffalo where our biological father lived.

I was being forced to stay with him.

I was only 16, a minor; Alex on the other hand, was 18 but still insisted on coming with me, mainly because without mom to cover the rent we had lost our house and he couldn’t afford college dorms.

So without a car, a house, or any money he had to sacrifice a chance to go to Harvard on a scholarship a couple of states away.

On the bright side he now had all the time he wanted to make his little paintings and drawings.

That’s what he loved to do anyway, I didn’t understand way he had been so concerned with getting this masters and going to medical school.

I couldn’t call him doctor even if I wanted to.

Dr. Alexander Moore; ugh, I hated the sound of it.

Professional artist Alexander Moore; now that sounded kind of nice.

“We’re here.” Mr. Lee said unenthusiastically.

                Mrs. Lee, who was mom’s best friend’s, had made him drive us. Even if he hadn’t said it, it was excruciatingly obvious, I mean, Mr. Lee was nice but we were the worst neighbors ever, and he had hated living next door to us. We had been loud, wild, and we were always breaking things. Only person who could scare him enough that he’d get into a moving vehicle with us was his wife.

“Thanks for the ride!” Alex replied with a smirk.

“No problem, we will miss you.”

Lies, we had wasted his gas, and time, and he wasn’t going to miss us at all.

I pulled my hood over my head, grabbed my backpack, and stepped out of the Honda unto the dirt road.

The house in front of me was simple, white, and tall.

It wasn’t at all impressionable; in fact it was the house across from my dad’s that caught my attention.

It was over grown with weeds and plants, all of its windows were broken, and all of its paint was slowly peeling off.