~ The Revamp ~
The end of the woods grew near. Strangely, I heard an unusual noise coming from the direction of my house. I immediately recognized the shrill wail of several police car sirens. Something was very wrong. My pace quickened into a sprint, and I dashed the rest of the way home. Vader easily trotted on my side; his paws thudded the dirt path.
After what seemed like hours, I reached my single story house. The driveway and nearby street were congested with a squadron of police cars. Their lights flashed in all directions, causing spots to appear in my vision. However, I was so panicked at this point, I barely noticed.
I stepped into the yard. "Mom?! Dad?!"
As soon as my mouth opened, two strong arms grabbed me from behind. I craned my neck to see who had restrained me. The figure was a very tall policeman.
I struggled against his grip. "What's going on? Why are you here?!"
"I'm sorry to break the news, but your father has been charged with first-degree murder," said the officer with a deep, rumbling voice.
I shrieked, "That's not true! My dad would never do that!"
The front door flew open. My father stepped outside; his wrists were bound with a set of handcuffs. Two policemen were escorting him to their car.
"Dad!!" Tears welled in my eyes and rolled down my cheeks.
He turned his head to me. His eyes were always so gentle, but not anymore. All I could see in them was deep sorrow and something else... Innocence.
Dad exclaimed, "You need to know the truth. I was framed. Stay strong, Ede—" The car door slammed on him before he could finish the sentence.
Framed? What monster would frame my dad?! I thought frantically.
I managed to squirm free from the officer's grip while he was caught off-guard. I flung myself against the side of the police car and placed my hands on the window. Tears streamed down my face, and I could barely see.
Dad mouthed, "It's going to be okay."
The officer ripped me away from my father and dragged me toward my home. I refused to be separated. I thrashed and screeched in every attempt to get away, but it was all in vain. I could not escape.
I unwilling entered my home. Mom was sitting in the living room. Her eyes were wet and puffy, and her gaze was transfixed on the wall. She must've felt the same way as me: bewildered and terrified. With robotic movements, I approached her.
My mind snapped awake as she embraced me in a hug. I sobbed into her shoulder. All else faded into a blur. It was just us and our weeping.
After what felt like an eternity, I stuttered hoarsely, "H-How did this happen?.."
"Go sleep, Eden. We'll sort this out in the morning." There were traces of anger and frustration in her voice.
I nodded in reply and stood up. I trudged down the hallway and into my room. Without bothering to undress, I flopped onto my bed.
Many thoughts raced through my head. How could they take my dad away? Who would dare frame him? Why me??..
As my mind ran wild, another cry forced its way up my throat. I threw my face into a pillow and groaned like a dying animal. Eventually, I calmed down and drifted into a dreamless sleep.
It was nearly 7 o'clock in the morning when I woke up. My brain throbbed with every heartbeat. My pillow was damp with the tears from last night. I stretched my limbs and forced my stiff body to stand. My arms and shoulders were quite sore.
I made my way to the bathroom. When I was inside, I stripped naked and turned on the shower. The warm water splashed onto my face and ran down my body. For the moment, I was at peace, but it did not last forever. The events from the night prior appeared in my mind. A lump formed in my throat, and tears blurred my sight. I choked down a sob.
My father was gone.
All my life, he was my role model. He was there for me at every cheerleading tournament, every birthday party, and every moment I relied on him. When I was younger, he tucked me into bed every night and tended to my sickness. My dad was the light of my life. This world had taken him from me. This world had left me stumbling in the dark!..
After my shower, I dried off and dressed into some casual clothes. As I left my room, I peered into my parents' bedroom. Dad's side of the bed was empty. Mom was fast asleep, and tissues littered the floor.
I turned away and crept to the living room. When I turned on the TV, the first station to come on was a local broadcasting channel. Something was very peculiar about it. The reporter stood in front of...my house. I threw the remote to the floor in disgust and yanked the window blinds open.
A van equipped with a satellite dish sat on the side of the street. Anger bubbled inside me. Why couldn't they mind their own business? Why couldn't everyone just go away?!
I wished to curl up into a ball and sleep until everything returned to normal. It never would, which meant I would be at rest for an eternity.
~ One Week Later ~
The past days were broiling hot. Being outside was miserable. The sun dried up everything in town, and rain had become a distant memory. It was quite unusual for there to be a heatwave this early in the summer; the lack of precipitation was just as puzzling.
Despite the hellish temperatures, I couldn't spend my time at home. As time crept on, Mom had a complete change of character. She almost never left her room. When she wasn't tucked away in isolation, she screamed at me every chance she got. Every ounce of her anger constantly poured over me like a bitter poison. I could not escape her. She invaded my privacy, my every moment.
My only escape was with Zach. I virtually lived at his house now. Every day, we spent time under the shade of the trees. We rode our bikes along dark, forgotten trails and absorbed the beauty of the scenery. It was the only way to avoid the heat—and my troubles. When I was with him, I seemed to forget the tragedy of my life.
He understood what I was going through. His stepdad was a bully. No, he was a dictator. Despite our pain, we at least had problems to relate to.
One day, we were together in the deep woods. The two of us were inside a fort that we built when we were kids. We continued to talk casually throughout the day until Zach brought up a touchy subject.
"What're you going to do without your dad?"
"I dunno. There's no way I'd be able to survive under the care of my mother," I answered.
Zach sighed. "I'm sorry, Eden." He looked down, as if thinking of what to say. "It must be hard to admit that your dad's a murderer."
I froze up. His words were like a slap to the face. Why would he even dare think that?
"He was framed!" I said with my voice rapidly raising.
He exclaimed, "Jeez! I didn't mean that in a bad way!"
I said, "Take it back! My father is innocent!"
"For all you know, he could've been lying to you. You can't trust someone with blood on their hands—" started Zach.
I cut him off, "You're the liar!!" I clenched my hands into fists. "I'm telling the truth, and if you won't listen to me, I'll just leave!"
To avoid losing my temper completely, I whipped around and stormed out of the fort. Zach scampered after me.
"Eden, wait!" He called out. I ignored him and mounted myself on my bike. I put my feet on the pedals and began to drive away.
He jumped in front of me and grabbed the handlebars, stopping me in my tracks. My scowling eyes were fixed on him.
"It wasn't supposed to sound that way! Please, hear me out!" pleaded Zach.
"I thought you were my friend, but you're just as brainwashed as anyone else," I growled. I wrenched my bike from his hands and left him.
As I headed back towards home, tears sprang to my eyes. I felt horrible for what I had done. Perhaps my friendship was ruined forever. However, it was a reasonable price to pay.
I had been betrayed. Zach was all I had left, and he turned out to be a backstabber. I thought he understood me, but I was wrong. We always trusted one another, and he wouldn't believe me in my time of dire need. Not my family nor friends could not be relied on anymore. There was no one left. It was only me versus this wicked world.
Soon, my house came into view. When I was near to the door, I noticed someone standing on the porch. I parked my bike in the driveway, and the stranger turned around.
She was a girl in my grade level at school. Her name was Kenzie Oleson. A notepad and pencil were clenched in her hands. At the sight of me, she smiled and walked nearer.
Kenzie stood uncomfortably close. "Hey, Eden, can I ask you a few things?"
I didn't even look at her. "Kenzie, I'm not in the mood to talk."
She seemed eager. "Please, it's for a summer project. It'll only take a second."
"Fine. What is it?" I answered.
"Well, um... I have to do a report on a local event, and I immediately thought of you."
I raised an eyebrow as Kenzie continued, "Can you tell me more about your dad? Were you aware of his scheme?"
I tried to shoo her away. "You know, I'm not really comfortable answering that."
"I really need to get this project done," she exclaimed.
"Please, leave me. You won't find any answers here," I responded while trying to walk away.
Kenzie chased after me. "C'mon, Eden—"
I cut her off. "Did I stutter? The answer is no."
She placed her hand on my shoulder. I whipped around and smacked it away, causing her notepad to clatter onto the driveway.
"Leave me alone!!" I snapped.
In my moment of anguish, I swerved around and dashed into my house. I slammed the front door shut to make my point clear. For many minutes, I stood there breathing hard, trying to keep my emotions from overflowing.
Slowly, I leaned against the wall and slumped down to the floor. My throat burned, and my head ached. I buried my face in my arms and sobbed with immense force. No matter hard I tried, no tears came.
My eyes shot open as a hard surface smacked into my body. I gasped and crawled backwards. Then, I realized it was the front door that bumped me. I must have fallen asleep on the floor earlier.
How long was I out? I thought. I turned my head to the nearest window. The sun loomed at the edge of the horizon, engulfing the world in a realm of darkness.
I snapped out of the trance as Mom entered through the door. There were several bags of groceries in her arms. She looked down upon me with a look of confusion.
"Eden, what are you doing down there?" she questioned.
"I-I don't know."
She exclaimed, "Then get up and help me with these groceries!" There was a rather harsh sound to her voice.
We sorted out the goods and placed them in the fridge. As I worked, I eyed something tucked under Mom's arm. It appeared to be several crumpled papers. The sheet on top had words written in a bold, red font. However, I was too far away to interpret what they said.
I gathered my courage. "Mom, what are the papers for? Are they from work?"
She shook her head. "No, it's something different."
"Then what are they for?"
She grumbled. "Nothing you need to worry about."
While her attention was focused elsewhere, I stepped forward and quickly snatched them from Mother. I managed to read the bold letters before she grabbed them back.
"You better keep your hands to yourself, young lady!" she scolded.
Normally, I would have heeded to her threat, but something had me even more terrified. The papers.
"Eviction notice??" I stammered.
There was a long period of silence. At last, Mom let out a low sigh. "Yes... If we can't post the bail for your father, we won't be able to live here anymore."
I asked with an anxious tone, "We won't have a home?"
My mother crumpled up the paper in her hands. "Eden, go to bed. Everything is going to be okay."
All the anger I struggled to contain was suddenly released as if it were a cable under tension.
"NOTHING ABOUT THIS IS OKAY!!"
Mom appeared dumbstruck. This was the first actual time I had raised my voice at her. She tried to come back at me.
"Eden, go to your—!"
"Ever since Dad's been gone, everything has been going downhill! You haven't done a single thing to help fix it! I always looked up to you, but not anymore!!"
Mom stared at me, horrified at my actions. However, there was more to come. I wasn't finished with her yet.
"How can you call yourself my mother?! You've cut me off! I don't even know you anymore!!"
She drew her arm back and struck me violently. The sting of her hand burned on my cheek. At the moment, I was so furious, the pain was nothing more than a distant sensation. My mixture of intense emotions drowned out everything else.
Mother slowly lowered her hand to her side. "I'm going to tell you one last time. Go. To. Your. Room." Her words were icy and filled with bitterness.
I stared at her for several seconds longer before I turned around and left. For good measure, I slammed the door closed and threw my fists against the wall.
"How could you let this happen to me?!" I screamed.
Distressed thoughts raced through my head. This is nothing but a nightmare! I have nothing! I am nothing! My family cannot provide me with anything anymore!! . . . Something must be done...