The Silent One ✔

Chapter Thirteen

"Good morning Caroline" my grandmother greets me as I walk through the kitchen after school on a Wednesday.

"Good morning grandma" I smile as opening the refrigerator.

"Where's your sister Laura?" She asks from the kitchen table.

My aunt Laura, God I haven't seen her probably since my mum's funeral. My brother Jason is staying with her according to Grandpa. I'd give anything to see them both.

"Out," I say simply.

"Tell her to do her chores when she comes back" Grandma orders.

"Will do" I nod as taking the bowl filled with spaghetti from the fridge.

My grandmother is at stage five now.

She rarely calls me by my name anymore, she usually just calls me Caroline, my mother's name.

Grandpa and I have realized that there's no point in correcting her anymore. It's easier just to go with what she's saying. Otherwise, she can get aggressive towards Grandpa and I.

Her behavior is always worse when the sun goes down. I've been researching and it turns out that it's called sundowning. It's a syndrome in Alzheimer's patients that is characterized by a regular change of behavior such as confusion, agitation and anxiety.

"You came home late last night," my grandpa starts as entering the kitchen. "You have a curfew" he informs.

I glare at the man. Last night was a Tuesday, where I decided to eat dinner at Wallies diner by myself. It's not as sad as it sounds, I assure you. I just ate a mini pizza while looking out at the parking lot, sketching out the trees.

"Since when?" I raise a brow.

"Since you started coming home late" he folds his arms.

"What!" I widen my eyes. "That's ridiculous and you know it" I argue with him.

"You want to be a normal teenager well normal teenagers have curfews"

"Okay, then what's my curfew?" I place my hands on my hips, humouring the man.

"Ten o'clock" he announced.

Is he for real? Back home that's the time I used to leave the house.

"That's ridiculous" I repeat with folded arms.

"No, it's fair," he tells me "I don't like you being out all night"

Firstly, I'm never out all night. He's exaggerating. This is beyond unnecessary.

"Why? don't you trust me?" I narrow my eyes at him.

"I don't like being up all night worrying about you!" He raises his voice.

Bullshit. He doesn't trust me, that's what all this is about. He's not worried about my wellbeing, he's worried that I'll end up back in prison. I'm not that person anymore, he has nothing to worry about.

"You mean worrying whether or not I'm breaking the law, right?" I clench my jaw.

"No, whether or not you're laying dead in a gutter somewhere!" He yells causing my grandmother to begin to weep.

"Back home I made my own rules!" I scream.

"And that's how you ended up in juvenile detention at fifteen years old!" He snaps.

I shake my head violently before placing the bowl of pasta on the kitchen table, beside grandma before storming out of the room. I slam the door behind me as making it to the front of the house.

I can't believe he said that to me.

I walk through the front porch before making it to the sidewalk. It's four thirty pm.

Suddenly my cell begins buzzing.

I press my cell phone against my ear. It's time to upgrade. Apple has released a shit load of new iPhone's since I've been locked up. I still have the iPhone 5, but I guess many still do.

"Eva" Blake greets loudly "how do you feel about coming with us to the tracks on Friday?"

I take a deep breath, struggling to control my emotions.

No fears. No tears.

"The tracks?" I scratch the back of my neck in confusion.

"Yeah you know, street racing" he explains "I never do it, but it's what they do for fun so..."

Apart of me is scared to go. Street racing is very much illegal. Now that I'm eighteen they could throw me in actual prison for getting into any thing remotely illegal. Getting a slap on the wrist is no longer an option for me.

I nod hesitantly, "yeah, I'm in"

"Great" he says "we talk over the details tomorrow at school"

"I can't wait" I force as smile before ending the call. "Fuck" I run my fingers through my hair.

I sigh as walking to the dinee around the corner. I don't want to go back to my grandparents just yet. I kinda want to hang out at the diner till ten thirty - purposely passed the 'curfew'.

So the next six hours will most likely involve playing candy crush. Maybe I'll finally pass level 76. I've been stuck on it since 2014. In my defence, I was locked up from June 2014 to January 2017.

***

I get back at ten thirty to find my grandpa standing by the front door.

"Evangeline!" He calls, but I just ignore him and continue walking to my bedroom.