Dedication to SPK147 for giving me my first ever dedication :D ironic that im dedicating because she dedicated. lol
hope you enjoy!
Three thousand, eight hundred and seventy-nine miles; as in three thousand, eight hundred and seventy-nine miles away from the town I grew up in, away from my permanently drunk father.
But it could be worse. I was moving into my mother’s house, I hadn't seen her in a while. I'd be able to visit my brother…well his grave anyways. I'd be away from my father while he’s in a drunken rage. I'd get a fresh start where people don’t know me as Jace’s baby sister, the dead boy’s sister. A fresh start with good friends and better choices is what I need…or at least I'm trying to convince myself the good girl routine is the right choice. No more fighting or drinking or dating. I'm going to be a good girl and be friends with the right kind of people.
I'm a smart student, I'm good at school so once I started acting out people started to look into it. I got arrested a few times and the last time when the police officer dropped by to speak to my father let’s just say they say more than they expected. I don’t think anyone expected me to be getting abused by her father. No, everyone had written me off as the girl acting out after the death of her brother, her best friend. The officer took me to the station and called my mom instead. Once my mom found out and my father got charged, she flipped and flew all the way here to get me. She packed my stuff and moved me to her house. Her husband Jack was fine with me moving in apparently and the whole flight she yapped on and on about her new step children. I had a step-sister who’s seventeen, my age, Monica and a step-brother who’s six years old, Timmy and his twin sister, Mona. Mom yapped on and on about how Monica was so excited to meet me.
The first thing I realised when I saw the house was that they did well for themselves. They weren’t rolling in cash or anything but it is a decent sized and roomy house, its red brick with white pillars.
My room happened to be the attic. Apparently a three bedroom house isn’t enough room for six people so mom and Jack renovated the attic into a pretty cool set up. I even had a balcony which was odd but sweet…even sweeter was the hot tub but mom said that was a secret to the other three. The balcony faces the back and you have to step out the window to get to it so there is no door. The devious part of my brain noticed that the trees beside the balcony would be easy to climb down and up in order to sneak out. If you don’t include the attic, it’s a two story house so I'm not up too high. But the bed in the corner beside the window to my balcony was a double and had silk sheets. I had a couch, a flat screen TV with a surround sound, an X-box and PlayStation with a bunch of games. I had a large dresser and a floor length mirror and a laptop sat on my bed. The kids where still at school but should be home any minute and mom had to go back to work so I'm alone for now.
I went down stairs and grabbed something to drink. I was sitting on the counter when I heard the front door open and two screaming kids and the click of heels on the tiles as they walked into the kitchen.
All three stop when they see me, the younger two’s eyes popping wide, “who are you?” Timmy asks smiling hugely.
“Where’s mom?” Monica asks,
“I'm Erin Silva, you’re step-sister.” I give a small wave, feeling uncomfortable and looking up at Monica, “should I know your mom?”
She rolls her eyes, “she’s our mom too,” her eyes flick to the two little kids, “she’s raised them since they were a year old.” Their mother died of cancer. She wasn’t supposed to have children but she got pregnant and couldn’t just kill her own child. She died a month after she gave birth to the twins. Five years; it’s been over five years since I saw my mom. I didn’t go to her wedding and I had to stay with my dad while Jace’s body was sent here and buried. Mom didn’t even have a funeral per my wishes. Jace was my best friend, my twin. The way he died, I couldn’t bare for there to be a funeral. It would be too much.
“Right.” I say.
“So why weren’t you at the wedding?” she asks, her eyes curious. I hear the door open again and the click of heels.
I snort, “I was twelve and still wondering why my mommy left me in the first place. Not to mention my father wouldn’t let us.”
She looks confused, “us?”
Mom’s standing in the doorway looking pale as she clears her throat. “Yes, Nic, I had a son.”
“Where is he?” Monica asks, looking confused again.
Mom avoids my gaze and my fists clench. Not in anger but in order to keep myself together. I clear my throat, “his’s-uh-he’s dead.” I manage to get out and she gasps but doesn’t say a word.
Excusing myself I disappeared to my attic. I had to pull down the stairs but I didn’t mind, I thought it is cute. School tomorrow, that should be interesting. I'm not looking forward to it. Staying out of trouble hasn’t been easy for me. I'm not saying I'm some badass chick, I'm far from it. I've lost my temper a few times and started a fight but normally when I fight it was to defend someone…say my brother. I got arrested for shoplifting once but other than that it’s all because of fighting. I use to box, boxing was one thing my dad and I like to do together before Jace died and he completely fell apart. He hit the booze, hit me and lost his job and everything else broke down with him including me. The day before our sixteenth birthday, he’d been beaten to a pulp and left for dead. By the time anyone found him his brain had swelled too much and he was bleeding internally and they couldn’t do anything. His brain was fried, he was a vegetable and living on life support. We waited three months before the doctors said he was never coming back to us.
After a quiet dinner and a shower I crawled into bed and slept but it wasn’t peaceful sleep. It never was. I always dream about my brother. About why I couldn’t have helped him or why he had to leave me or watching him get beat while I was helpless and frozen. Sometimes I dream that I save him and when I wake up it’s like a sick joke has been played on me. I dream that the people who killed him came after me for being his sister. They called him wrong, sick and they beat him for it. They are the ones who are sick. If I ever see them again I would go crazy.
I woke up around five thirty and when I went down to the kitchen in running gear I was up just in time to see mom and Jack still in PJ’s. I walk in and they both stare at me, wide eyed. “What are you doing awake, Erin? Are you homesick? Did you have a bad dream?” mom asks in fake concern.
I smile tightly, “I'm going for a run. I couldn’t sleep.”
“Did you need anything, Erin?” Jack asks looking worriedly at me.
“No, but thank you. I'll see you at dinner.” I call over my shoulder as I make my way out the door. I took off down the sidewalk at a jog. What was school going to be like? What were the students going to be like? I'm not too concerned about making friends really. I didn’t need friends; no one can replace Jace or our best friend Shawn. He’d been close to both of us and he moved away after Jace passed away. I wasn’t looking for replacements. I just want to go to school, fall under the radar and get my credits and graduate and be done with this place. I graduate in a few months and I turn eighteen in a few weeks. Once that’s all over its time I move out and move on with my life. Like college so I can fall under the radar there too and then work so I can work hard, make lots of money but not work too late and adopt a son or daughter because I doubt I'll ever fall in love or get knocked up because that would entail actually dating or something of the sort. I just want to hide and be alone.
That’s what I was thinking when I run into something hard.
Looking up into a gorgeous pair of green eyes I look behind the man. Chasing him were two armed police officers but they hadn't seen him yet. “Hide,” I hiss and push him in the thick bushes as I sprawl on the pavement as the two officers turn the corner to see me with wide eyes and looking around for the guy I hid in the bushes. Damn I'm stupid. I shouldn’t have gotten involved with him. I should have let him run. Faking a groan I stood up slowly and rubbed my butt dramatically. “I think the guy you were chasing went that way.” I point down the winding street that has dense forest beside it, hoping to fool them into searching the trees for the strange man. “He completely bulldozed me. He looked to be in a hurry.”
The one officer nods and the other give me a tight smile, “thank you, miss. You should be getting home. It’s not safe out right now. A pretty girl like you could get hurt.”
I smile tightly, “I'll be alright. I was just heading home now.” the two officers took off, breathing heavily and running fast for too overweight cops. Once they turned a corner I turned to the bushes, “they’re gone, you should disappear before they come back.” I don’t wait for him to acknowledge me; I just turn and start jogging back to my house. I felt his eyes on me but he didn’t say anything as he jogged beside me. Butterflies attacked my stomach. Did he have to be so damn sexy? All that tall, dark hair, smoldering eyes, strong build and the dangerous air around him, my word he could melt the panties off a nun.
When we neared my house he tapped my elbow, sending warmth radiating through my body, telling me to stop with a simple touch. Was that odd or just me being silly? “You didn’t have to do that,” he shuffles on his feet as he mumbles.
I shrug, “whatever,”
“Stay off the streets, it’s not safe.” he grumbles.
I snort and roll my eyes, “I jog every morning. I'm not about to stop now.”
His eyes narrow and mine copy his challengingly. “I'm not messing around.” He growls.
“I'm a big girl.” I start walking off but stop and turn to face him. HA! I totally caught him checking out my ass. “Whatever the coppers were chasing you about I hope it was worth it. I hope you don’t get arrested. Been there a few times, not fun.” his eyes widen but I'm off before he can say anything. Who was the stranger? What did he do to have the police chasing after him? Typical bad boy behavior but damn was he hot—God, I'm so screwed for this no dating rule.