The Fifth

It was the worst decision and best decision I ever made. Leaving that place was a dream of mine, obviously, since it was a hell hole. But I remember what convinced me to leave, and how it turned out. The results led to something amazing, though I don't want to admit it.

This is how it started, this is the day that changed my life. And I didn't even know it.

"I can't believe you did that!" Mom yells from the kitchen. I hear something crash and roll my eyes.

"It was an accident." I say for the millionth time.

"No!" She screams, walking out the kitchen holding a rag in her hands. Her blue apron wraps around her body, ending at the knees. Her red curly hair seems to almost flare with anger. At least her eyes do. "It was not an accident! You delibritely let that dog go! I know you did! You hated that dog, we all know that much. You had every reason to let that dog loose, not caring that it was your brother's birthday present!"

"I did not do it on purpose!" I scream, throwing my hands up in the air. "Why can't you believe that? I tripped over the damned rope and got it wrapped around my shoe. The only way I could get the rope off was if I took it off that stupid pole that was going to come out of the ground someday anyway! And once again, the dog got away too fast for me to catch him. It's not a made up story, mom. And instead of yelling at me for something I didn't mean to do, why aren't you helping dad and Jacob go find it?!"

Mom stands there for a long time, staring at me and I stare at her as well. We don't say anything. Eventually I bring my hands up to my hips and wait for her to say something. When she just sighs I throw my hands up in the air and look at her. "Well?" I say.

"This is the last straw Alice. The last straw." She says, throwing the rag to a place somewhere in the kitchen I couldn't see. "I told you. One more thing gone wrong and we're sending you to girl's boot camp. We're fed up with it Alice -"

"But mom!"

"- And you're leaving tomorrow with your aunt -"

"Mom!"

"- And we're not changing our minds!" She finishes, ripping off her apron and chucking it at me. It doesn't reach me, instead it lands at my feet, barely touching my toes.

Mom walks into the kitchen just as tears spring to my eyes, threatening to roll down. "Better get packing!" Mom calls.

I want to scream at her, tell her she's horrible and mean and so misunderstanding. I want to scream at her. At dad, at Jacob. At everyone that ever even looked at me in my life. And especially at that stupid dog.

I won't be able to face Jacob when he comes back. He was already crying when he left the house to look for the dog. He's only eight. That dog was for his seventh birthday.

We live on  farm, and surrounding us is nothing but miles and miles and miles of trees. We all knew that if that dog gets lost we're never going to find him, no matter how hard we look.

It was a dumb decision getting that dog, and that's why I never respected it. Because it deserved better. My brother deserved better.

We deserved better.

But now it's too late. Tomorrow my aunt will drive all the way out here to take me to boot camp, and there I will be trained. Hard.

I won't. I won't let them.

But what choice do I have?

I run out of the house, instead of my room to pack. I don't see dad or Jacob anywhere so I keep running until I get to our lake. Our small lake behind our house where's there's no corn feild. I lean over it and let my tears drip into it. I let them float away, watching them blend in with the rest of the water, never to be seen again.

I wish I could never be seen again. Just blend in with everyone. Never be hated or loved. Happy or sad. I'll just...be. Just be what I am. And never get punishments for what I do. Accident or not.

Tomorrow I'm going to be ripped away from my family. Tomorrow I'll be ripped apart from my life here on the farm in the middle of nowhere.

And I don't know if I should be happy or not.

"Well, well, well." Someone says behind me. I don't recognize the voice, nor do I hear foot steps walking toward me, so I turn to it.

In front of me is a ghost. Nearly see-through and looking extremely...pale, despite how opaque it is. Its eyes are droopy, and not just the eyes themselves but the skin around it, along with the skin on its bare arms and lower legs. Its appearence is very cliche. Ragged clothes, dirty skin, oily hair. 

Like I don't see this everyday.

Yep, I can raise the dead. I'm not sure if there's a certain name for it. In some of the books I've read they said it was a necro...negro...neecro...whatever. Point is, I can see ghosts.

I wipe away my fallen tears and stand up to face the ghost. Surprisingly, he looks around my age, seventeen or eighteen.

I wonder how he died.

"What's your name?" I ask, ignoring the fact that my mom might be watching me out the kitchen window, talking to nothing. At least, that's how it is to her eyes.

"Miles." The ghost tilts his head up in a greeting. "You?"

"Alice." I say. I would reach out my hand in a request to shake his but...I'm not positive it wouldn't go right through him.

"Nice name. Why you cryin'?" He asks, shifting his weight.

I never found privacy really important when it came to talking to ghosts. I never really kept secrets from them when they came along, which wasn't often since I live on a farm in the middle of a woods and there's no people here to die. Plus, it's nice to talk to someone who can't slap me in the face for talking about myself too much. I say, "My mom is forcing me to go to girl's boot camp."

"Ah," Miles nods. "So, you've got no choice?" I shake my head. "Listen, chick, you always have a second choice."

"How do I have -"

"Always." He insists. "Now, for instance, run away."

"R-run away?" I echo. "But...we're in the middle of nowhere! Where can I run away to?"

Miles looks around, "I'll guide you through it. Easy. I know where there's a highway literally a couple of miles away. Once you reach that just find your way to a city."

"It's not that easy." I shake my head. There's no way I would do this. How would I survive for however many days it takes me to get to "said-city"? It could take weeks on foot, and there's no way I'm stealing my family's car. As much as they deserved to get something stolen from them, like my freedom was from me, I wouldn't do it.

"Oh, come on. Live a little. Do you want to go to boot camp?" Miles asks, putting his hands on his hips. "That's where the naughty girls go."

As if I weren't naughty. "How will I get food? How will I make it? There's no way I'll make to a city in less then a week without wheels."

"Then get some, smarty pop!" He says, slapping himself in the head, mocking me. "Ever heard of this?" He asks, sticking out his fist, making a thumbs-up sign. "It's what you do when you wanna get a ride."

"You make me sick." I say. "As if I would hitch a ride with some stranger."

"Ah, I can hear the consideration in your voice." Miles says.

Why does he want me to go so bad anyway? I hardly know this ghost. "It might not even work. What's my second choice then?"

"Walk." He says, plain a simple, as if it were easy without food. "Or rob a guy of his car. You look like the kick-a*s kind of girl, you could do it. All you gotta do is -"

"No! Do you know how crazy you sound?!" I burst, throwing my hands up in the air.

"No, but you certainly do." He says. It takes me a minute to realize what he meant, then I realize I could see our corn feilds through Miles's rib cage and I remembered he was a ghost, and my mom could possibly be watching.

I sigh, exhausted from today and loathing tomorrow. I just can't get a damned break. At least my years a home school are over.

"Come on, chick, it ain't that hard." He says, circling around me. I frown at him when he gets back in front of me. "You could make it. There are truck stops every once and a while. Get some cash or get some theivery skills, that's the best I've got for ya."

I consider it. Well, I really hope I don't have to steal a car, but if it comes down to it, what else do I do? I can't walk that far. I've lived on this farm long enough to know there's no city close by, so if I make it to the highway I won't be making it to a city anytime soon.

And what about food? Water? Money to buy food and water? I can steal money from my parents, no problem, though we don't have much. We usually trade stuff for crops and other stuff we need. We don't really buy to often. But they've gotta have cash around somewhere.

And if I run away I'd have to find it tonight.

"Aha, I see the gears working." Miles says. "Whaddya got going on in there, chick?"

"I gotta get some cash, and wheels. Cash is covered, as long as my parents got some. Wheels could be, if I could either take my parent's or hitch a ride. Now it's just a matter of how close a city is." I say, not looking at Miles but far off into the woods where my dad and brother went to look for the dog.

I wish I could get away from here before they come back.

"Don't your parents have a map?" Miles asks.

I look up at him and smile at his brilliance. I wag a finger at him and start pacing. "Good, good. I might be able to leave tonight, as long as you help me get to the highway."

"Sure thing. Got nothing better to do. Oooh I found myself a good one." He says.

I frown at him and stop pacing, looking at the house. "I can get the map and the money. Once I do I'll come outside. I don't know how long it will take so just bare with me. But when I do, you'll be around here somewhere? So you can help me get to the highway?"

Miles nods. I spin around and look at the house, as if it were the last time I'd see it.

"Alright. Tonight we'll leave." I say.

And after making that decision, I go back to my house, prepared to "theif it up", and then I realize whats really happening here and start thinking what the hell am I doing?

Was it worth this? Is it worth leaving my family over something like this?

But it doesn't matter, because tomorrow I'll be miles away from my family no matter what. It's either run away or go to hard-labor boot camp.

And in the end, when my mom left the house to call for dad and Jacob, I got the map and the money. And in about an hour I'd be on the road with Miles, searching for my new home.

I just hope I survive.

Author's Note

I tried have a character that has a relationship with their family that isn't exactly a healthy one, much less a happy one. Tell me what you think, please.

Reviews

[Damac]

interesting and creepy, the start really draws you in with the drama between ALice and her Mom and the sudden appearance of the ghost keeps your attention. Good Attention to detail also.

[Jacques]

i love your descriptions of the mother with the blue apron and the curly red hair
I want to scream at her, tell her she's horrible and mean and so misunderstanding. I want to scream at her. At dad, at Jacob. At everyone that ever even looked at me in my life. And especially at that stupid dog. - was a very well descriptive and emotionally character - driven sentence and i really like this one - I let them float away, watching them blend in with the rest of the water, never to be seen again.

I've got to say Alice is my favourite of the immortals her character , her background and her being an immortal but having mortal difficulties and her power . I like how she found it ridiculous getting a hitchiker more than what she's doing with Miles . This is by far the best chapter and i seriously can't wait to see where it goes from here on . I did noticed some little wording mistakes . GOOD JOB .