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"Did you double check the locks?" That was my uncle, always double checking. I guess he just wanted to keep us safe. I don't know why all these years he didn't think I was a threat.
"Of course I did. Triple checked." I announce proudly, but a thousand thoughts swirl in my head. They hit the walls and bounce back so quickly I really do feel like my head will explode. Maybe this is what humans feel like when they have headaches.
My uncle grins and nods his head slowly like he knows what I'm about to say. I don't want to sadden him, but we both know what needs to happen. I grew up, confined in these walls. Seeing the sun only when the windows aloud its' light to come in or when I went in the yard to play for a short time. For my family, or what was left of them, this didn't heighten their spirits. For me, it made my day, or more like my night, to see the sun go down.
"You don't have to leave." My uncle's statement almost sounds like he's trying not to beg. His eyes are glossy with unshed tears as he looks beyond where I'm standing. "You're 17 Raven."
"Age is insignificant when you have never left the confines of your' home Uncle Gaven. This will be my last night staying here. Will you be okay without me?" I ask the question quietly, in case he says no. What would I do if he did? I think I would leave anyway, but I would never tell him that.
"...We will be okay. What is it that you plan on doing when you leave? The world is a scary place as you can imagine." His voice was starting to rise and now I felt anger beginning to boil inside me. I had talked about leaving, this wasn't a surprise on my uncle. The last night I have here he asks what I'm planning to do. I was often told I had quite a temper, but what else can you expect from someone like me? I don't know what to even call myself.
"I need to know what I am. I will leave when the sun rises." With that the pounding began. The locks groaned under the pressure of what tried to get into the old brick home. I walked swiftly through the hall that led out of the parlor. No lights were ever on except the dim lamp in our den. I saw the light glow into the hallway, entering through the door way.
Walking from the stone floor onto a softer carpet, I ran my eyes quickly over the huddled people. The adults held their children close, the older kids sat stone faced. They must be waiting for it to be over. A few younger additions to our family silently sobbed into their guardians chests. Every night these entities would bang on our walls, trying to reach us.
I would like to say hey never could, but as I mentioned before this was what was left of my family. They would never leave their home and I got a few angry glances for planning to. I was the only one who could leave, besides my uncle. We are different.
When I was young my uncle told me of how different we really were. I'm half of whatever those things are that try to get into our house. Uncle Gaven is too and it goes way farther back then him. Without a pattern people were chosen across the world, by something more evil then I could picture, to carry half of the heartlessness the thing held. They would have the curse of their growing family, never being able to leave their home.
That's why tonight, like any other night, my relatives were terrified for their lives. But I could leave if I wanted because of my broken soul. When I say we carry half of his heartlessness, I mean he stole half our soul.
This is passed on to a child of the cursed. Only one of the children, the first child, will have this weight on their shoulders. I'm never going to bring a child into a world, knowing they'll go through what I have.
My little cousins timid voice broke me away from my thoughts. "You're going to leave?" I couldn't tell if her tears were of fear or sadness of me going.
"Yes Violet. I will be back some time soon. Okay?" I felt tears come and go from my vision, seeing how broken her expression was. I leaned down to give her an assuring hug.
"I hope so." She whispered and then clipped a necklace around my neck.
"What is this?" I asked while I smiled and examined the tight knit braid, created by her tiny fingers.
"It's a necklace that will protect you." Her smile lit up the space around her. I stifled a giggle at how adorable she looked.
"Oh? Why is that?"
"Because I told it to and I told t that if it didn't I wouldn't make it another necklace to be friends with." The things she said made me feel like she had everything figured out, whether it made sense or not.
"Thank you Violet. I love you." I meant every word I said with sincerity.
"Anything for you favorite cousin." She whispered the last part and with a wink, she turned to go back to her mother.
I felt my uncle's presence behind me and I spun around to greet him once again. He nodded and walked past me to the rest of the family. With that I went into our battered hallway once again. Getting to the stairs and climbing them slowly, I got the to and went into one of the many bunk rooms that held the children.
I pulled my small backpack out from over my bottom bunkbed and set it next to me on the bed. I had everything I needed in there and I opened the front pocket to see if the wad of cash my uncle gave me was stil there. It sat snuggly between two t-shirts and I felt for the debit card that was in my pocket.
At least my uncle supported me leaving. He was always there for me. Ever since I could remember he was the one that watched over me. My parents had died when I was young. We've always locked up the entrances to our house, but one night my mom had been left outside. Both my parents had had half a soul, they could leave and go where they pleased, but if they were inside the fence that surrounded our yard during dark there was a slim chance they'd survive. After the sun set, no one could enter through the gate. No matter who it was.
Uncle Gaven told me of how they heard the scream outside, it was my mother's voice and my father rushed outside. Leaving the safe place where everyone was, to save my mother. When he got there he witnessed the demons tearing at her body. She howled in pain and soon they were after my father. They both died that night. Months after I was born.
Pushing the feeling or mourning away, I lied down to sleep for a few hours before I would leave. Today was Sunday, the day when a family friend would come and drop off necessities for the survival of us never leaving. I had plenty of things I would need and still earlier my uncle pushed for me to bring more. I denied the offer, they needed things more then I did and I had already been given so much.
Feeling myself sink into the bed I wonder where I would go first. The only lead I had was the Linkin party being held tomorrow night. At that party there would be a two people like me. I hoped that they would have some information to give me another destination. Place after place I would find someone with an explanation of what we really are.
The Linkins where a family of a variety of people, none of which harbered the curse. Still, rumors floated around that certain friends of the family were the cursed ones.
I'd need to be careful about figuring out who was who. Another of my skillful family members had made a few calls, giving me an alias to use at the party. Aunt Sherry was always very resourceful.
My hand slid into my bags side pocket and I pulled out an index card. Skimming the words in the dark, I could see perfectly fine. Having half a soul had a few perks.
My name would be Scarlett Herding, but I would stay 17. The idea of pretending to be someone I'm not excited me. I've never even left the yard and now I'll be a different person. Life can change quickly. Another part that is so exciting to me is the idea shopping. I've been told all about it when my uncle explained the debit card to me, but it isn't like I didn't know about it. I don't live under a rock and we do have television.
Tomorrow I will spend the day getting nice clothes for the party, I need to be very presentable to blend in the with the Linkin's kind of crowd. While pictures of dresses and shoes fluttered through my mind I drifted to sleep.
"Why do you keep running?" The voice was deep and short of breath. He must have been running to chase me.
"Why do you keep coming after me?" I asked. I was lying on the ground on my side, staring at the man before me. He lay the same way I did, looking at me with a look I havn't seen before. Suspicion trickled through his eyes.
I wasn't in control of my body and still I spoke and moved. It was dark and the grass I lay on was cold and warm at the same time. It tickled my back and felt like it was nearly frozen, but the grass between us was warm and I could feel the heat pulling me forward.
"Scarlett, you know I can't explain everything yet." He frowned when he said this, but when I nodded his expression some what brightened. I slid forward with more grace then I knew I possessed and brought my lips inches from his.
"Thank you for not letting me get away." My whisper was soft and I stared at his wet lips as he slid his tongue over them.
"You don't need to thank me..." He trailed off but didn't move.
"I do." With that I met his lips with mine and he readily welcomed me. Warmth spread through my body in waves when his arm wrapped around me and his fingers rubbed into my lower back.
My phone woke me up with a quiet vibrating and I silenced the alarm. I normally don't dream, and for me as a person that was definitely a weird dream. Shaking it off I tried to focus on what was lying ahead of me in the next 24 hours.
There was no banging on the walls anymore. Slipping out of bed I changed into jeans and a t-shirt. I didn't want to draw attention to myself. I put my cell in my pocket and made a mental note to pick up a candy bar today. I had promised my under weeks before that when I did decide to leave, I would buy a candy bar every Saturday with my debit card. This way my uncle would know I was okay if he looked at what had been purchased under the card.
I was told the card would always be readily supplied with money to suit my needs. I would pick a candybar up after the party to show I was fine on my first day. For someone with no experience in the ouside world, this was a big jump for me.
My backpack was slung around my shoulder and I slipped quietly down the stairs. Slipping my sneakers on I undid all the locks on the door. Sticking a note that I had made days before on the handle, I left. The sun had rose, just barely in the sky. The light scaring away the monsters outside. I walked confidently across the path that led out of our lawn and off of our property. Fresh air blew around in my hair and it felt good to breath it all in.
It was intoxicating to be outside and I couldn't get enough of it. A few cars drove by and hopped over the fence. My feet hit the ground and I stood still for a few seconds. I was half expecting something eventful to happen, but nothing ever did. My feet padded silently over the smooth sidewalk and I made my way to a black car pulled up on the curb.
This car was all mine and digging for the key in the bag I pulled it out triumphantly. I unlocked the driver side door and sat in the seat. Buckling up and turning the engine on I realised something that left me feeling like an idiot. I had no idea how to drive.