Secrets: The Blood and the Chains (Editing in Progress)

Chapter 1 done

-Edited-

"Come on sweetie. It's time to go to your new home in the States," my foster mum shouts from the other room. I groan as I open me eyes and attempt to wake up. 

"Why America?" I ask groggily as she comes into the room with a laundry basket full of my clothes, my morning voice gravelly and barely understandable through my pillow.

"Because you have a family there. Let's go," she informs me, folding clothes and packing them into my luggage. I sit up and rub my eyes. Should I get up, or just go back to sleep? 

Sleep; no contest.

I flop back down with a stretch and a sigh. I hear myself start to snore a little as I drift off back to sleep until . . .

"Siva!" The voice barely breaks through the haze of sleep before the covers are yanked away, leaving my half dressed body at the mercy of the cold morning air. I groan when I realize its Darwin, my older brother. Sadly, my new family didn't want him too. So I have to leave him. This is going to be the hardest day of my life.

"I'm not going," I grumble, shivering as I yank my blanket back. It's dead winter, way too cold to not have a duvet or something thick and warm.

"Come on Siva," he says, pulling me up by my shoulders. I go limp in his arms. I'm wide awake now, but I really don't want to go, especially if Darwin's not coming. 

Darwin glares at me and walks out with a frustrated groan. I smirk triumphantly, curling up again. His faint footsteps are the only warning I get before the blankets are snatched away again and replaced by an icy wave of water. I gasp and nearly throw myself off the bed, goosebumps leap up on my skin as the freezing cold makes itself known.

"Okay, I'm up!" I growl, defeated. Darwin grins and tosses me a towel, leaving before I can extract my revenge. Teeth chattering, I roll out of bed and slowly dry myself. No need to shower this morning at least. 

The only outfit that remains unpacked sits atop my dresser, and I quickly strip off my wet pants and get dressed. Black skinny jeans, a black t-shirt with my favorite energy drink's logo on it in red, my scrappy-looking gray hoodie--with red stitches and many patches--and black vans.

I trot down the hall towards the bathroom, halting abruptly when I hear Darwin shouting. 

"He's only thirteen and you expect him to go alone!" he yells. 

"Yes, he is smart and it's not like it's dangerous," My foster mum retorts calmly. I step around the corner, wringing my hands and staring down at the floor.

"Siva...," Darwin says when he realizes I heard them.

"I guess this means you're not coming with?" I ask him, quickly glancing up to meet his eyes. He gives me a sad, helpless look. I guess not. I knew he wasn't being adopted but I thought he was flying with me to make sure I got there safely.

I turn and start back down the hallway. Darwin's hand on my shoulder stops me, but I can't bear to look at him. I might start crying again considering I'm leaving in about ten minutes, never to return.

I brush off his hand and make a break for it, heading directly to the bathroom. Locking the door behind me I sit in front of and prepare myself to do everything in my power to keep the door shut.

My heart pounds as tears practically bursts from my eyes and my breathes come out in short, panicked houghs.

I was expecting to be saying bye to him in another twelve hours and suddenly I have to say it in ten minutes?

I feel someone knock on the door against my back. I try to quiet my breathing as my foster mum speaks.

"Siva, honey, we need to go now if were gonna be on time. Please come out," she says calmly.

"No! If I can go, why can't Darwin?" I sob dramatically. I hear shuffling before Darwin's voice comes through.

"Siva, please let me in before I let myself in."

My mind races as I think of various alternatives to letting him in the room but all I can think of involves not really seeing him and its really just counterproductive.

While thinking I hear a key unlocking the door and I sigh. I hate that key. It always foils my plans of escape when I have things I don't want to do. There are many days where school is just not an option so this is what I do. I lock myself in the bathroom until Darwin gets me out. But not today!

As he pushes the door open I try with all my might to hold it shut but my younger and quite... petite body stucture is simply pushed aside so I give up and plant my ass right on the ground.

Darwin sits on my right against the wall and for a second we just silently stare at the sink in front of us.

"Siva, honey, he can't come because you are being awarded to this new family," says Sasha, the foster mother. "These people are apparently relatives that have been in the States for a few generations now. They are happy to take you but they only have room for one of you. So they picked you because you're younger."

I put my head down on my knees and continue crying softly.

"I'm so sorry," Darwin says eventually. But I keep quiet, only sniffling. Sasha is heard walking away from the door then. "Listen, I have something for you."

Wiping the tears from my face I reply as I look up at him. "What is it?"

He gets up and heads for his room so I quickly get up and follow. In his dresser he opens a drawer and digs around a little until he pulls out a small velvet bag. He drops it into my hand and I open the bag, revealing a silver chain and locket.

"Dad gave it to me just before he died," he murmurs. 

"What's in it?"

"Its a picture of us, mum and dad. You know, when life was regular," he mutters. I grab it and open it to see the four of us, me as a baby and Darwin at two or three, smiling with our parents. Darwin has his mouth open in an excited scream as he sits on dad's shoulders, mum smiling at him with me in her arms. 

"Thanks," I manage to choke out. Darwin hugs me tight.

"Siva, breakfast is ready!" I hear my foster mum yell. So we're not leaving yet? That must have been a ploy to get me out of the bathroom.

"You better go eat," Darwin says as he pulls away. I nod, slipping the chain over my head before walking out. 

I sit at the table and my foster mum puts a plate of bacon and eggs down in front of me. I eat slowly but eventually I have to finish. Which sadly means I'm ready to go.

"You ready?" Foster Mum asks as she grabs the keys to her car. I grab my back pack off the ground and nod once. We walk out the front door and get in the car. 

I grab me iPod from my back pack and put my ear buds in and start listening to some A Day to Remember, my favorite band. 

We get to the airport in around twenty minutes. My foster mum parks the car and we walk inside to a row of desks with computers and scales. I decide to check out the sign with all the different flights and step away from Foster Mum while she checks me in and takes care of my luggage.

A few minutes later she comes up handing me my ticket and gives me a small hug. I think she says something but I'm not quite sure since I can't hear a thing over my music. She pulls out my buds.

"Listen, when you get there, your family will be waiting for you at the gate. Just find them and you'll be fine," she explains and gives me another hug. I don't hug her back though, I mean how dare she separate Darwin and I? I give her a cold glare as she walks away. 

"If looks could kill," the woman behind the desk murmurs.

"If only," I mumble before walking down the hall to look for the scanner things.