Chain Link

Chapter 01

 The first link was created on a regular day in fall.

Alessa Saunders, previously known as Alessa Flores, was getting ready for the day ahead in her nice apartment located in downtown Austin.

There was no work for her today. Something that she appreciated. Although she didn't mind working as a receptionist for the well-known five star Felicity Hotel chain, it certainly wasn't her dream career. Today she could focus on things like her still budding free-lance career as a translator of books and short stories.

She also needed to bring her brother to school.

Currently they were sitting at the breakfast table. She was reading a newspaper while her brother was stirring around the soggy grains for the zillionth time.

Alessa's gaze fell onto the clock located across from the light brown tiny dining table. "We should probably leave if you want to be on time for school."

Nic sighed. "But what if I don't want to be on time or go to school at all."

Alessa's eyes scanned her brother. There were bags under his eyes and his skin was pale, almost making him look Caucasian rather than the Hispanic person that he really was. "I can call school to tell them you're sick for today, but then you're going to have to school tomorrow."

The spoon clattered into the bowl filled with a milky mess before a silence followed. "But there is no possibility that I can just skip school altogether."

"You need an education, Nic. I can't just let you skip school forever. I would offer to homeschool you, but I'm really not in the position to do that right now."

It saddened Alessa immensely that she couldn't homeschool Nic, but she needed money and home school would mean losing her job at the Felicity Hotel. She couldn't lose a job that gave her the money that gave them this amazing apartment and allowed Nic to go to a good school that would hopefully allow him to go to university that would also require Alessa to need tons of money.

Home school was not an option.

"I'm sorry for causing so much trouble," Nic said as his eyes turned down to the table.

Her hand reached over to her brother's. "You're not causing any trouble, okay. The only people causing trouble are the bullies and our parents. Don't think that you're causing it."

Nic squeezed her hand back and made a slight humming noise.

"Do you want me to talk to the teachers again?" She asked. "I can pester them some more if you want."

His head shook furiously. "Please don't. It only makes them angrier."

Alessa sighed. Perhaps she could use this free day to think about what to do with this situation. It was difficult being a guardian of a fourteen year old boy.

"Do you want me to tell them that you're sick?"

Nic bit his lip before he shook his head. "I guess that I'll just have to face them," he said as he went to his room to grab his room leaving behind his cereal bowl that was still very full.

Alessa frowned before she decided to quickly do the dishes. She hoped that a great idea would fall into her lap to help her brother, but she didn't really know what do.

There never had been any bullies in her life before. She never went to a school long enough to make enemies. That was also the reason that she barely even had friends. In fact, her first real friends were the ones that she met at Felicity Hotel. Not that she minded. She liked her own company more than anything in the world.