Although all the other homes were still in a deep slumber, the residence of the Conrad-Asher household were coming to life. Rain roared against the roof as I made my way into the house, my house. The sound of rain pounding against the world was replaced with laughter.
It felt odd, stepping back into the world I'd once known so well. Things weren't the same anymore, it felt as if I was entering as a stranger. Life went on without me; my treatment at Reeves was nothing more than a slight pause in the past, merely a speed bump.
Standing in the front foyer, I couldn't help but sigh. "Home. You're finally home," I reminded myself. Maneuvering my way through the home, I finally made it to the kitchen, which was located at the rear of the cabin. Hovering inside the doorway, I immediately caught sight of my old brothers River and Blake.
River was nestled at the bar with his back to me, while Blake was sitting atop the granite countertop, a large bowl of fruit-loops in both of their hands. River's dark hair clung to his head in a messy heap, untouched from yesterday.
Dark rings circled Blake's deep blue eyes, traces of stubble scattered across his chin. Running a hand through his blonde hair, Blake sighed impatiently. "When will she be here?"
"Soon," a familiar voice replied. My heart leapt immediately. Tess. My stepsister on my dad's side, Tess Henry joined the family at the age of five; her father had died two years prior to our parents' wedding, so she was still torn up about it. At first she didn't like me, she despised me actually.
"I don't like you," She'd mentioned one day while we were playing in our treehouse. "My mommy and your daddy aren't going to get married. Mommy doesn't like you either." All of her claims turned out to be false; her mother adored me and practically never left me alone once they moved into our house on the lake. That was the reason Tess didn't like me at first: because her mother did.
I rarely spoke to my siblings once I was admitted at Reeves. Dr. Pearson persisted to get me to call them, or even text, but I never could. It always hurt too much.
"They miss you Cahlan," She had said.
"I miss them too."
"Well why won't you speak to them then?"
"It hurts us all, Dr. Pearson." I didn't want to pester them, or even remind them of my absence. They couldn't move on if I constantly checked in. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?
"Ava Reese Conrad! Hand me the candy now!"
Pulling me from the trance, my stepfather's voice thundered through from the kitchen. Moving slightly farther into the doorway, I crossed my arms over my chest, just listening. Ben began to chase my little sister down, the tap tap tap of her tiny feet echoing off the floor.
"No!" She squealed, her steps growing louder. Closer.
"Quite a handful you've got there!" Almost instantly, my chest began to ache. Dad.
Like everyone else, I hadn't seen my father very much once I departed. The last time he'd managed to visit, he drove to the small mountainous town of Victoriana. Victoriana was a beautiful place, full of small boutiques and fine dining restaurants, but it got boring. There's only so much yuo can do when you're only permitted to leave the center once a week.
Eventually you began to grow tired of the weekly group outings. I'd rather have spent my time secluded in my room; I didn't have any friends at Reeves, I refused to grow close to anyone.
"I'm only going to leave anyway," I'd mentioned to Dr. Pearson when she visited me one afternoon. "Saves me from having to say goodbye."
During the early months at Reeves, I couldn't remember seeing anyone. Perhaps I'd been so sedated that it felt like nothing more than a dream. My father and Gisele visited me once, only to be stuck speaking to a comatose patient the entire time. I'd been in too deep a coma to even know they were there.
"He stayed with you for hours," Dr. Pearson was telling me. "Just holding your hand, unlike everyone else. The others would sit around quietly, but not him. While the others would sit there and stare at all the beeping machines, he spoke to you. He talked about sports, art, the family," She smiled and pushed her dark hair over her shoulder. "Pretty much anything that happened, he told you."
Dad was one of the few who didn't act any differently through all of this. Pushing aside all of his sadness, he sat at my beside just... waiting. Waiting for the day when I reopened my eyes and saw the world again. Too bad it took four months, and he wasn't even around to see it.
A nudge against my leg drew me from my hazy state, and I couldn't help but smile. Ava's piercing blue eyes grew wide, a smile speading across her petite face. Golden curls cascaded down her back, a thick mass resembling our mother's. Her sunkissed hands flew to her face as she began to jump up and down excitedly.
"Cahlan! Cahlan!"
An eerie silence welcomed me as I took a final, shaky step into the kitchen. Dark, wet curls obscured my face as I stood there staring at the beige tiled floors, avoiding everyone's eyes.
"Welcome home honey." I could hear the happiness surfacing in his voice before I ever met his dark eyes. Reaching for me, my father smiled, removing himself from the blurring crowd of faces.
His greying hair was disheveled from sleep, untouched like those of my brothers'. Dark rings circled his drooping eyes, which were gleaming in the kitchen light. "Took you long enough," He whispered as he pulled me into a hug.
Clinging to my father, I could feel a sob rising in my throat. Tears stung my eyes as I pulled away, my forced smile trembling.
"We've missed you so much," He cried, wiping the tears from his eyes. "It's been so lo--"
"Too long," I interrupted, "Far too long."
"Cahlan you're not playing with it right... Cahlan stop, you're not doing it right!"
Holding the wooden sail boat high above my head, I couldn't help but laugh. Spenser crossed his tiny arms across his chest, his bottom lip trembling with a pout. "Give it back."
"No." Turning on my heels, I raced away; Spenser trailed close behind, his eight-year-old stamina kicking in. "I'm faster than you!"
Sprinting from the dock, the lakehouse was finally coming into view, so close yet so far away. Pushing myself as fast as my seven-year-old body would take me, I squealed excitedly as Spenser's firm grasp enclosed my wrist, yanking me backward. Falling backwards into him, he let out a scream as we tumbled to the ground. "Cahlan!" He laughed.
Sitting atop his lap, I laughed uncontrollably. "I would have won, Spenser!"
"No you wouldn't have," He replied, scrunching up his nose.
"What?" I asked, climbing from his lap to sit on the grass.
"Your nose is too big," He commented, brows furrowing. "And your ears too."
"No they aren't!" Eyes growing wide, I stabbed my finger into his chest. "Stop being mean. We're going to be beeeeest friends one day," I drawled.
Spenser ran a hand through his light curls and laughed--
That was awfully loud for a dream, I thought. Blinking rapidly, I found myself sprawled out on the couch, covered in thick blankets. Stretching, my back arched as I stifled a yawn. There it was again: the laughter. A loud, rumbling laughter coming from the kitchen. Who was that?
"When did I manage to fall asleep?" I asked myself as I pulled myself from the couch. I was fumbling down the narrow hallway, only a few feet from the door, when it happened.
One minute, I'm shuffling down the hallway, still drowsy from sleep, when I slammed into something hard. It felt as if my body had collided with a solid wall covered in fabric. Recoiling, I staggered back, gasping, when two hands reached out. It was all a huge blur... I lost my footing and ran into a small table, whenever the hands encircled my waist. "Who the--"
Eyes traveling up the stranger, I took in his messy appearance. I couldn't conceal the shocked gasp that escaped my lips. A pair of hazel eyes stared at me, concern flashing across them. His dark brows furrowed, frown lines revealing themselves on his sunkissed forehead. Oh how I wanted to use my thumb and press away the wrinkles.
My breath caught, heart beat speeding. His grip around my waist tightened, arm muscles tensing. Why was he here to begin with?
"What are you doing here?" His voice was barely above a whisper.
"S-S-Spenser..."