Prologue and Chapter One

  Prologue

My parents held hands in the front seat as we drove to the new place. Fallen Valley I think my mom had said. She never told me the real reason for the move, but I knew. I should know because it was about me. Dad turned around and gave me a warm smile. I gladly returned it. He was like the clothes on my back. I needed him; I wanted him. “Be there in two hours kiddo, you should take a nap or something.” I nodded and leaned my head back, my eyes closing on the orange and purple sunset before me. 

Chapter 1

The house was colonial styled. A wrap- around porch, a red bricked chimney and off-white panels. Weeping willows surrounded the beautiful house. The red door stood out radiantly against the home. I looked around. The houses on this street pretty much looked this house too, except the door colors were different. From dark black to bright yellow. Wilbebee Street. The home I would settle for the remainder of my school year. I was a senior finally and after school ended I wasn’t too sure if college was my choice of path, but my dad was so hell-bent on me going and I couldn’t bear to see the unhappy look on his face. The look I had never seen until that day where my life changed. The reason I was here....

I was too busy playing with the plastic red flag attached to a black mailbox when dad pressed a warm hand to my back. "Now that you've gotten in touch with the outside qualities maybe we can try the inside." I smiled as blood rushed to my cheeks. How long had I been playing with the mailbox? Inside the house was, dare I say, beautiful. The wooded floors were dark like chocolate. It ran through the whole first floor, even in the kitchen. After glancing at the living and dining rooms (both of which had fire places) I padded into the kitchen. The cabinets were cherry colored and topped with gray granite. The appliances were all new and of the latest kind. I anxiously ran up the cream colored carpeted steps and was soon in a hallway of doors. I opened the first one to my left and struck gold. My room had a bay window with a seat overlooking the small coy pond in our backyard. The closets were huge and a white ceiling fan hummed lowly when I flipped a switch. This wasn't so bad after all. Later after dinner, mom broke the news. "You start school tomorrow, so unpack your boxes and get an outfit." "School? So soon?" I forced the water I had been drinking down my throat, which suddenly closed up. 'It's November 1 and you need to get back if you want to get enough credits for graduation." "I just thought with my past 'situation' we would wait until after winter break." I looked up from the drop of water on my cup I had been studiously watching. Mom's eyes lit afire and her nostrils flared. She clenched her ring- clad fists. "Stop bringing that up! Just be grateful God didn’t want your dumbass yet, otherwise you would have been in the ground under my feet by now." I bit my lip, and bid silent tears and got up slowly, so slowly from the couch. "Good night dad." I didn’t run up the steps until I heard his deep rumble, which sounded like a 'good night'. Tomorrow- how I wished that wouldn’t come.