Having cried myself to sleep beside the kitchen floor, I began to feel the sting on my fists begin to burn as I had broken a few bones from my hand. Ignoring and bearing the pain, Reya eventually found me and tended to me as she held me in place on her chest.
Comforting me as she had realized I was going through something else, her attitude with me suddenly changed.
~
Days passed as I was given a hefty sentence to do community service until my graduation first assaulting a security guard and another fellow student. Being a high schooler, I no longer cared about what happened to me as I simply drifted through the hearing as my sister closed the case with a, Thank You. "
After the hearing was over, Reya believed I should change schools to help with my behavior. As a result, we up and moved across the states from New York to Wisconsin.
Arriving at a small, quiet little town, I moved in with Reya as she had been transferred because of me to work as a local lawyer for a small courtroom here in Challendale Villa. A sleepy little town out in the middle of nowhere.
Closing the door to the car, Reya walked around and opened my door as she took me to our new home. Looking at the driveway and seeing the roof covered in snow, the bright blue skies and paths of clouds rolling through gave off a homey feeling in that this was as comfort as advertised on TV.
Being the only house at the base of a vast forest, we had no neighbors to bother us as we were isolated from the rest of the town.
"Come on… let's get you set up inside. "
Walking into the house, I smelled a strong scent of paint and new furniture hit my nose the moment I took a step inside. Heading up to my new room, I Reya told me she would get started on making dinner while I unpacked our things from the car.
~
Looking around the room, I saw boxes of stuff I had in my apartment. Sitting down on the bed, I looked through the boxes and began setting them up my new room.
After a while, I walked downstairs as I left the house for some fresh air.
"Be back by seven! Azel! " Waving my hand, I continued walking as the freezing cold wind blew down the mountain.
Walking for half an hour, I reached a convenience store at the edge of town and bought a pack of crystal mint, gum. My favorite.
While I waited for the cute cashier to process my twenty, a group of guys in masks walked in while holding a sidearm.
"Get the money from the register! Now! "
Standing still as I ignored them and waited for my change, the guy upfront pointed the gun to my head. Turning my haze, I looked at him straight in his eyes and spoke.
"You better have what it takes to pull that trigger… "
Shaken, he tried to smack me with the gun and as he swung, I stood up straight and slammed him onto the ground.
"Shot him-"
Grabbing him, I punched and threw him out the window. Breaking the glass, I knocked two out of the three guys out as I threw the last one over onto a railing. Limping away towards the door, I walked over to him and grabbed him but the collar spoke.
"You sad, useless pricks should have picked a day I wasn't shopping here… " Lifting my hand, I punched him straight in the stomach and knocked him out.
Standing up, I walked back to the register and took the pack of gum while leaving the change. Walking over the broken glass, I apologized as I told her while I opened the pack of gum and plugging in my music as the local police arrived.
~
Walking through the door, Reya had already set out the dishes for us to eat dinner at the table. As I sat down, not ten minutes passed until the local Sheriff arrived and took me away as a suspect. Reya then tried to fight them but failed as she was not strong enough to keep them from me.
"It's alright, sis… please stop. This is no way to introduce yourself to the sheriff's department. " Smacking the back of my head, I was taken to their cruiser.
"Shut it, kid! "
~
As I sat in an interrogation room, I waited until two Sheriffs' joined the room. Dropping a stack of photos of me fighting the three dumb robbers from the security cameras, I spoke clearly.
"What do you want to know? " Turning their gaze to one another and then to me, I sat in silence.
"You got quite a mouth, kid… or should I say, Azel. " Treating me with hostility as I was sure they were upset with how I left the three stupid robbers, I continued to sit in silence.
"Listen kid… you beat two kids half to death and broke one kids leg… that could get you some serious time-" Cutting him off as the other Sheriff was irritated by my actions, I remained silent.
"Ugh… sorry… I'm just, really bored at how slow you two are. Confess! We have you on camera-"
"I did it. " Keeping my composure as the man slammed his hands onto he metal table.
"Incredible… you have no sense of fear, do ya kid? "
"There is nothing I can say that will help at this point… Arrest me. " Lifting my hands above the table, I waited until they spoke.
"Now, now, kid… Don't be eager to be out out to dry just yet… We simply want to ask you some questions. " Seeing as this man was more understanding, I nodded.
~
Walking out from the interrogation room, I heard Reya at the reception desk as she spoke on my behalf.
"I'm… Sorry, Ms. Debroe. You have to wait until they are done questioning your boy. "
"Certainly?! As long as I'm there with him! " Hearing her choke on her words as she was falling apart, I walked out from around the corner as she met my gaze and hugged me intently as she relieved a breath. "Oh! Your okay! Your okay… "
"Seems we just found your weakness kid. "
Looking down with the same gaze I held the last few days, I knew no matter what I said, Reya was going to give me an earful later on.
~
"So you were only there… to buy, a pack of gum? " As she repeated my words, I sat in the across as sge drove us home. "Why leave the scene? "
"I didn't want to cause you any trouble… Sorry. " As I looked down the window while we passed residential homes, Reya spoke.
"Oh. Thanks, A. Even if you did beat the living hell out of those kids. I'm proud of you for standing up to them. "
Not wanting to mention the gun was real, I kept that detail to myself as not to worry her. Regardless, when we got home, she made me do work aprjnd the house as a form of light punishment.
~
As the sun went down and it got colder, I woke up in my room and headed downstairs to get a drink of water.
Afterwards, I walked into the empty living room and rested myself onto the cool wall. Falling asleep, I woke up later that night to find warmth beside and all around me. Opening my eyes as they adjusted to the dark, Reya had fallen asleep beside me as she wrapped us both in a fur blanket. Scoffing as she found it difficult to sleep in this big, empty house, too.
Regardless of what she said or how she acted, she was only ahead of me by two years. I could still remember the days she would hold my hand back in Elementary school as we crossed the street early in the mornings. Resting my head over the wall, I closed my eyes as I had grown taller than her as she shrugged off the cold.
Closing my eyes, I fell asleep knowing I was fortunate to have her in my life since our parents passed away two years ago. Ever since then, it's just been the two of us against the world.
~
Morning soon came and as I stretched my arms, Reya was still half asleep as she woke to say her usual greetings.
"H… mmm. Morning… " Smiling and bursting out with a slight chuckle, her bed head was insane. "What? "
Shaking my head, she then softly shrugged dmy shoulder and asked me what was funny. Not having laughed in awhile, it certainly coughs her off guard.
"It's nothing… Just… Thanks. For being here for me. I appreciate it, sis. " Her cheeks blushed as I stood up and made breakfast as I was usually the one who made food while she preferred to order takeout.
After I finished up, we sat down at the table and ate breakfast. All the while, Reya urged me not to get into amu more trouble as she was heading to the Sheriff's office to properly introduce herself as an attorney.
Seeing her off, I quickly stopped her and fixed her ribbon on her light brown hair. Nodding, she smiled and gave a hard pressed look as she headed off for work. Closing the door after she left, I washed up our plates and began getting ready for school.
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