Chapter 3: A Faulty Line

This is when everything becomes bad for the relationship of everyone.

     Five years have gone and past; though, it doesn't seem like that.  In fact, it only seems like yesterday that Caine and I first met, not going on our fifth year of friendship.  More importantly, it doesn't seem that long since the birth of my twin sisters and we have one new member in our already large family, Lauren.  She has only been alive for five months.  A few months ago new neighbors have moved in behind us, at this time everyone welcomed new people to our neighborhood.  It is a few of four: the dad, Hector; the mom, Eliza; the oldest child, Gabriel, and the son, Antony.  Gabriel is about my age and my height, but we are nothing alike.  She likes to be mischievous and I don't like to get into trouble, I value my privilege to be with my parents and Caine on the weekends.  Gabriel and I do look much alike but even though we did, we did not agree with everyone.  We both have raven hair; mine is thicker than hers though. Our skin is fair but again, mine is darker more tanner. Our eye color is different: hers are almost a blue-gray and mine are gray-black. Our styles are totally different also, especially our style of clothes.  She wears tights clothes and I wear more of a looser style of clothes; she wears shirts that show most of what she does not have and I hide all that I have; she wears her straight hair down and I wear mine up all the time; our shoes are very different also, she wears converse and I wear  anything that's half-priced and has Velcro.  I can say the is didn't like Gabriel very much only because she tries to kill Caine's and my friendship.  Hector and my father become very close friends which forces us to be friends with his children.
     Hector and my father are on the front porch smoking cigarettes and talking while taking shots of tequila and mixing it with beer. Antony and Danika are in the front yard making swords out of bamboo sticks from Antony's friend's yard.  Gabriel and Cassy are inside of the house of the house, raiding Danika's and Cassy's closet. I am over at Caine's house, in his room, peacefully watching him play Everquest. He is teaching me how to successfully win a battle with just a weak inferno spell my mage knew. There was a knock on his bedroom door, startling the both of us. The door opens up and Gabriel comes walking in the room, wearing my brand now purple long sleeve shirt. It was cut from the collar to the middle of her torso, and the sleeve were cut off so now it was more of a tattered tank top.  I could feel every bit of my body tense up and it became warm on the inside, out.
     "What did you do to my shirt?" I burst out at her as quickly as I stand up.
     "It needed a touch up, it was too bland for my taste. You don't mind, do you?" She teases as she looks through me to Caine.
     "Actually, I do mind," I say with a deep growl in my high pitch voice.
     "Oh well, I guess it's mine now," she says with a twisted smile.
     "I gonna kill you!" I shout at her as I dart toward her with arms outstretched out at her, aiming for her throat.
     She screams and runs out of the room and out of the house; I quickly follow after her still aiming for her. As I got to the front door I get pulled back and fall down on my butt on the tile floor. I look up in anger, ready to lash out at whoever stopped me from killing Gabriel, it is Caine.  He stares back at me from overhead he is used to my attempts of killing Gabriel and he always stops me saying --
      "It's not worth it, Raven," he says to me, "you'll only get in trouble and making it easier for her to come over here and try to ruin our friendship."
     I begin to inhale deeply and letting it out, with every breath I begin to, slowly, become calm. He walks over to the door and close it then he turns to me, he holds out his arms with his torso more toward me, I grab his wrists and he grabs mine, and he pulls me up. In one motion he lets go of me and embraces me in his arms; I return the embrace.  As we hug I could feel tears welling up in my eyes and my heart shattering with every second, before I could even do anything tears begin to fall down my face and I begin to sob.  He tightens his grip around my waist and I do the same and the tears begin to get harder.
     The door opens and I see Ma, Caine's grandmother, walking into the door unaware of what she has walked into.  She stops in front of us, closes the door, and kneels down with her eyes fixated on me.  Caine lets go of me and turns to her with his hand on mine. 
     "Now what is with your tears, Raven?" She asks me with compassion in her voice.
     I slip my hand out of Caine's hand and shy away back into his room.
     "Emily stole her shirt and --"
     I close the door and climb up to the top bunk of the bunk bed.  I slither over to the pillows, burying my face into them. and sob loudly and hard thinking no one could hear.  After a couple of minutes, I feel a hand press on my back taking up all of my back.
     "I can't even begin to imagine how bad that angers you, Raven, but you cannot let that get to you." Ma says to me in a very calm manner.
     "That was a brand new shirt. I got it it from my great grandmother. An-and I never got to wear it." I tell her through my sobs, coughs, and the pillows.
     She begins to rub my back,
     "You know, it's not the shirt that means anything, but the memory of your great grandmother buying, and giving, it to you that makes it so special. The shirt may be cut and torn, but the memory is still perfectly intact inside of your heart."
     "But I never got to wear it," I whine to her in such pain.
     "You never go to wear it?" She asks in a sarcastic sock.
     I look to her with my head resting on the pillows on the right side. A tear rolls down my face as I replay the moment over and over again. That very moment that I received the shirt.  Ma talked and talked, she talked until she shouldn't do anything but repeat herself, and then she talked more.  When she finally walked out it was time for me to go back to my house.  So I got off the bed, hugged Caine, and headed home.

     Once I get home all hell has broken loose, but not because of what I did to Gabriel but because Danika has gone missing. Everyone is running about the house, screaming her name and running about frantically. My father notices me standing in shock from all the commotion.
     "Raven," he shouts over all the screaming, "Go see if Caine can go with you can walk around the neighborhood with you can try to find Danika."
     I nod and sprint out the door, only the Lord knows what could happen to her since the sun is about to seek down into its slumber for the night. I get to the front door and Darren is outside getting ready to start cooking on the grill.
     "Hello Raven," he says to me with a sweet smile, "what's with you're frantic running?"
     "Danika is missing," I reply to him breathless, "Is it okay if Caine comes with me to go look around the neighborhood?"
     "If you can find him you can take him," he replies knowing that Caine will come without any hesitation.
     I run inside the house and call out to Caine.
     "I'm in my room, Raven," he yells out to me from inside his room.
     "Caine I need your help," I shout back to him.
     "With?"
     "Danika is missing and I need to go looking for her --"
     "I'll be out in a minute."
     I never have to finish my sentences and that is a wonderful thing. I walk outside and wait for Caine to come out and as I wait I think of all the places that we can look.  The door opens and Caine comes walking out in his blue bublasaur t-shirt and jean shorts with a pair of black shoes.
     "So where should we look first?" He asks as he shuts the front door.
     "I was thinking of going down the street and cutting through the woods, that way we can cover more ground in less time."
    This is way my father always sends Caine and I on these expeditions, we always think of the quickest way to find what we are looking for.
    "Okay, but why does Mr. Connor always tells you to get me? I'm not trying to hurt your feelings or anything but since you have your sister.."
     "I guess it's because you and I get along real well and we don't mind searching and walking forever."
     "Yeah, I actually find it quite fun."
     "Yeah?" I ask him in surprised, "I do to."
     We start walking in silence but it doesn't last long.
     "You know, Danika is dumb for leaving like this, she's going to get into trouble more than likely."
     "Yeah, I guess it's because she knew that Dad would say 'no'."
     "Even so, she could've just waited until tomorrow. We always do."
     "I guess she's not that patient."
     We reach the end of the road and we begin to head the woods when we hear a not-so-distant conversation between two people.  These voices are all too familiar, but we were still unsure if it was Danika but we were suspicious.  We begin to walk into the woods like a two man-army in a movie, walking quietly, giving hand signals, and even whispering to each other.  When we got close enough to the two people we were sure that it was Danika and Antony that were talking in the woods. 
     "Go sneak around Antony and wait for my mark then we'll grab the both of them before they can even notice what hit them." I order Caine in a strategic tone.
     He nods and sneaks away.  I quietly begin to sneak into the bushes myself and sneak behind Danika's back.  When I saw Caine in the bushes behind Antony I gave the countdown.
      3... 2... 1...
     We both jump out from the bushes and grab the arms of our victims. 
     "What in the hell are you guys doing?" Antony shouts at us, struggling to get away from Caine.
     "Retrieving the strays," Caine replies in a serious tone.
     "You had to've stole that from a movie," I say in a smile.
     "Don't we both do that?" Caine asks half-serious.
     "Most of the time," I reply.
     We start pushing Antony and Danika out of the woods and toward the house. All the way home we heard nothing but cursing and shouting from Antony. Danika was quiet, she tends to when she knows what's to come.  She also knows we report everything to the parents, it's like a game to Caine and I.  When we reach the house Hector and my father were outside talking, but not once they saw us with the missing children.
     "When in the hell have you been boy?" Hector shouts at Antony as he power walks to us.
     "We found them both in the woods they were talking, we're not sure of what though," Caine tells Hector.
     We let go of the both of them and stand aside in complete accomplishment and pride.
     "As we were coming back Antony was cursing us," I tell Hector as he grabs Antony by the arm.
     "Cursing, you say," Hector glares at Antony.
     "Yep," Caine and I say in unison.
     "Thank you, Caine. Raven."
     "It's our pleasure." I say.
     Hector walks off with Antony dragging behind.  Dad comes walking up and we all know what's about to happen.
     "Caine how about you stay for dinner and the two of you go wash up for dinner.  Danika. Go find a stick."
     Wow, Dad is madder than I thought he would be. When he gives the choice of the switch you know it's going to hurt.  I actually feel bad for Danika but I know that punishment can always be avoided and it's your own fault if it comes.
     "Race you to the front porch," Caine challenges.
     "You're on," I say.
     We both dash to the porch leaving Danika to the clutches of father and that special stick.  I win the race, which doesn't seem to happen often, and we go in.  The aroma of mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and steak fill the crowded house. Gabriel and Cassy are sitting on the sofa watching tv. Mom and Eliza are in the kitchen fixing everyone a plate. As we walk in the living room all eyes are on us.
     "Did you find Danika?" Mom asks.
     "Yeah. And Antony, too." I say.
     "Where is he?" Eliza asks.
     "Hector took to your house, I guess." Caine replies.
     "Thank you." Elisa says for both herself and mother.
     We go get our hands washed in the bathroom and come back out.  Dad was inside now talking to Mom, whom was nodding to everything he was saying.  Caine grabs my hand and leads me to the computer room, where Gabriel couldn't stare at him and stare down at me.  We sit on the two computer chairs that weren't being used and just sat and talked.
     "I feel bad for Danika," I say.
     "Well, it was her fault for leaving without asking, especially for going into the woods just before dark."
     "Yeah, I know. I just feel like I did something more than just hurt her physically, I guess."
     "Raven, she won't learn unless she's taught. Dad always told me that after a spanking."
     "Time for dinner!" Mom shouts.
     Everyone was in the kitchen awaiting for their plate to be passed to them.  Caine and I just waited patiently for ours, only so we don't run into any problems with Gabriel. I already know that my time is only being delayed.  So after the kids were all sitting down eating, we get up to get our plates.  Mom tells us to go into her room, which never happens, but we do as we're told.  The TV was on and the movie "Aladdin" was on awaiting to be played.
     "Wow," Caine says in astonishment, "I guess we will be able to eat in peace."
     Mom comes walking in with two plates in her hands and Dad comes in with two lap tables.
     "Now this isn't going to happen much but I know what Gabriel did your shirt Raven and I know what's been going on. I want everyone to eat peacefully, including you two." Dad says as he's putting the lap tables in front of us and places the plates on top of them.
     Mom walks out of the room.
     "Talk to me after the movie and dinner again," Dad whispers.
     Mom comes walking in again with two cans of Sprite in her hands and places them on top of the tables also.  Wow we're really getting spoiled I think to myself.
     "Have a nice dinner," Dad says.
     With that, the movie begins to play and they leave us to it. 

     Weeks fly by like the leaves in the breeze, and then months, Danika begins to get into more and more trouble. Just last weeks she was on restriction for talking back to Mom, and the week before that she disappeared again. Caine began to come over less and less, so I went over to his house more and more.  Then eventually I found out what was going on, he and Gabriel were together.  She finally was able to get Caine to get with her and she now is able to destroy Caine's and my friendship. Gabriel started to steal clothes from Cassy and Cassy didn't take that, their friendship ended. Danika was forced to never see Antony again because of all the problems he's caused. So, I now don't have to see either of Hector's children, but now I can't even see my best friend, this is a bad situation.                    
                      

Author's Note

I hope you've enjoyed it.