If Red Means No, Invert The Color

Chapter 1

The inside of the home was always kept clean, his mother would vacuum and dust daily, his father would do the handy work and the cooking, and Kieran and his sister would always have their toys cleaned up to a "T". The main room of the house was the living room; just off of the main entrance, it sat in all of its glory. A large, flat-screen television had sat on a chestnut coloured stand, the drawers filled with VHS tapes and old family films. The couch stood across from the TV, it was a plush floral printed sofa, just big enough to fit the whole family for movie nights. Picture frames hung in numerous amounts on every wall, all dusted to perfection and all holding images of the perfect little family living a perfect little life. But all that changed when his father came back from Iraq.

His father had been stationed in Iraq when Kieran was 7 years old. He came back a year later a completely changed man. What was once a tall, lanky man with slicked back black hair and a stunning smile; was now a man Kieran did not recognize. His head was shaved nearly bald, grey hairs spiking up here and there. He was much larger now, his arms and whole body toned to the point of almost being scary to look at, seeing as his father's arms were now bigger than the small boys head. He looked tattered and worn, his father's once bright blue eyes, were now a dull shade of grey. His once captivating smile, was no longer existent.

When his father returned home that one year later, Kieran's whole life turned upside down. His father began drinking, nearly every night. He did not return to his job, he was previously an editor of their local newspaper, nor did he ever hardly leave the couch for three weeks. Soon, his father's entire demeanor turned unrecognisable. He would drink until he passed out on the couch, bottle lying empty next to him. Kieran would be woken every night by his father's howling and screaming from nightmares. He soon became violent, he would slap his mother if she would come home late from work, if she didn't have dinner ready by the time his father would get home from the bar, she would get hit. Hard. He began smoking as well, quite heavily. His mother had to pick up two extra jobs just to sustain their lives to appear normal. His father soon became violent with Kieran, and even his older sister, Katie. One time, he got too violent. And that's when he went to prison.

Now, kieran's house stood in shambles. The once vibrant and welcoming outside, was now falling apart at its hinges, the paint chipped and faded. The once always clean cut grass, now stood at least a foot high. His mother's flower pots, were long since abandoned. The inside was just as awful as the outside. Their television, their mother had to pawn two months ago to pay off the rent. All of their VHS tapes and DVD's were pawned as well. All picture frames were chipped, hung loosely from the walls, coated with dust and neglect. The bedroom once shared by Kieran and his sister, now occupied by no one. They lost their home last week, and now stayed in a two bedroom apartment just four blocks from where his old home sat, still pawning old belongings to pay off their fee's.

The time soon passed and it was time to head inside of the building before the hoard of students comes plummeting through. Kieran grabbed his bag and shoved his headphones over his mane of black hair, blasting music through his ears. He grabbed his keys, locked the car and headed towards the back entrance of the school. His head down, mind drowning in the blissful sounds provided by The Smith's, Kieran wasn't focused on the road he was walking across. He was not focused on the headlights turning his way. He didn't see the silver SUV headed directly towards him.

Thud.

He could practically taste the asphalt underneath him, his body thrusted to the ground by an unknown force. Pebbles and dirt resignated now in his skin as well as his mouth, He through his headphones aside and brushed his hair out of his face, he could feel a bump beginning to form, currently lying face down, he turned his body around to see what had struck him; A silver SUV that at this angle, was the size of Texas. His head felt fuzzy and it was spinning. His whole body ached, soon he found himself attempting to stand but falling to no avail. He couldn't walk at this moment, his legs were practically useless as was his sense of direction as well as his sense of awareness. He fell back to the concrete, his head landing on the ground with a loud *Thump*. All images became blurry, all voices muffled, and soon the whole world was swallowed by darkness, his eyes closing shut, his mind and body slipping into unconsciousness.