Chapter 1
"This'll be good for us, Silv." My older brother said from the driver's seat of his small truck. With a roll of my eyes I let out a huff,
"I just don't understand why we had to leave so soon… especially after mom and dad…"
"I know, I know everything seems confusing right now but I promise you this is for the best."
"Oh yeah, moving me three states away from my hometown two weeks after the funeral was definitely the best call for us..." I huffed out rolling my eyes as I put my earphones back in to listen to my music.
"Silvia…" I heard my brother call as he reached over to pull my earphones out.
"What Shane?" I choked out fighting the urge to cry again.
"You are my baby sister and I love you. This is hard for me too. They were my mom and dad as well, and to have the responsibility of being your big brother and now being your legal guardian thrust on me as well as having to deal with all the bills and debt is very difficult. And I know California is your home, its mine as well but moving here… It will be a fresh start, and It'll give me a better opportunity to protect and provide for you."
Holding back my tears as Shane finishes his statement, I nod agreeing with him a little confused on why he would have to protect me but just too tired to ask. Letting go of some of my frustration I grab his hand and hold it as we drive.Losing our parents was a tragic thing for both of us. Shane is all I have, and I am all Shane has. I need to be strong for the both of us and show that I'm not some cry baby. I hate crying and I hate showing that deep down I'm just a weak girl that's scared, and broken from losing her parents.
"Ok… but ShadowShade, Colorado just sounds creepy… like couldn't you have at least found somewhere where it's warm and doesn't snow in the winter??"
Shane busted out laughing, shaking his head as he pulled into a driveway.
"This is the best place for us Silvia, let's just hope things get better…" His voice seemed to trail off, almost as if he was aware of something I wasn't.
"Shane, you alright?" I asked, sitting up noticing the distanced look in his eyes.
"Huh? Oh yeah I'm ok. Welcome to our new home!" Shane exclaimed, getting out of the truck.
"Home sweet home,'' I whispered to myself as I grudgingly grabbed my backpack and got out.
"At least it feels amazing to finally stretch my legs." I groaned, leaning down and touching my toes.
"Haha, well hurry up I need some help bringing these boxes in and they aren't going to unload themselves."
With a sigh I go over to the back of the truck and grab a box. There isn't much since we packed light, but there are a few boxes of mom's things that Shane made sure we brought such as what looked like some herbs and a lot of books which I have never seen before. She had kept them locked up in the spare room and forbade me to never go in there. Being curious I looked over the boxes to see if maybe I could grab one of moms' and check it out. But of course my brother had already grabbed those boxes. For now they would still remain a mystery. With a sigh I grabbed the box marked Silvia and headed towards the front door thinking how light my box seemed and how sad it must seem that everything I owned was inside. Shane had told me to pack light so the only things I brought with me are a few articles of clothing, a couple books, and a picture of my parents, Shane and I when we were younger. It seemed like a lifetime ago.
Shane who has always been able to make friends faster than I do already has a few friends that live in town. They volunteered to help us move and much to my excitement had already moved in a couch, table and beds. I couldn't wait to get a look at my room, thankful that I wasn't going to have to sleep on the floor. And knowing Shane's friend's wife decorated my room to make me feel at home really made me want to check it out. Almost as if Shane could read my mind shouted from behind me, "Your room is the second one on the left, my room is right across from it. I made sure to let you have the room with a bathroom attached to it," Shane said with a wink.
"Thank you!" I squealed out rushing to my room now making sure not to drop my box.
The house wasn't big, not like the house we just moved from. The outside was painted in a dark navy blue color with white trim, the door was painted black, inside the house was painted a simple white. It looked nice and clean. It was one of those houses that looked bigger on the inside. Once walking in the front door you were already in a rather large living room with a black leather couch, dark wooden coffee table and tv cabinet with a tv to finish it off. To the left was the kitchen. It was a rather small kitchen with a tiny island but I could already imagine the cooking that would be going on in there. Mainly by me as Shane wasn't fond of cooking, though I will say he can make some mean tacos! The kitchen had a nice big window over the sink that overlooked the front yard. Upon further walking into the kitchen I noticed it had an adjoining dining room. The dining room was already set up with a small table and three chairs. Going back through the kitchen and continuing through to the back of the living room I came to the hallway. There I came to three doors. Two doors on the right and one door on the left. I noticed the first door on the right led to an all white bathroom with a shower, a few more feet you reached next door that took you to my brother's room. Inside his room was a full size bed, with a window above it, and dark burgundy bed sheets. A small dark wooden nightstand that matched a dresser and to top it off the room had dark blue colored walls.
Going back through the hallway I made my way to the room Shane said was mine. Struggling to open the door with the box in my arms and super excited to see what my room looks like, I slowly pushed open the door to find a pretty dark purple colored painted room with dark blue sheets on a full sized bed, a matching dresser, night stand and a desk with a purple chair right under my window. On the desk sat a bunch of wildflowers in a small simple glass vase. Definitely a woman's touch. But everything was just as if I had picked everything out myself. I loved it, my brother must have told them what I liked...This was now home.
It seems weird to think of this place as home. It's so different from what I have always known. For starters our house in California was what I would consider pretty large. With bedrooms to spare. We had neighbors, sort of. You knew they were there but the distance was far too great to even notice each other. So most of the time you didn't even notice. But here there appears to be no neighbors at all. Which I didn't mind, I always liked the open space. This place seems to have a homey feel, a comfort of home I thought I would never feel again. Maybe it was knowing I wasn't alone or the familiar call of the outdoors. This new place had woods backed up to it. Just like home. The sweet smell of evergreen trees and a sense of exploring this new place just filled me with excitement. And the fact that I could see these woods right from my bedroom window made me long for the adventures to come.
"Hey Silv, how do you like it so far?" my brother asked, coming into the room with a smile.
"Well, honestly I actually really like it. You picked a good one!" I smiled looking around my room, watching my brother head to my bathroom. I had been so excited to see the woods out my window that I had completely forgotten I had my own bathroom! Following him inside I noticed the purple color scheme carried from my bedroom into the bathroom. Shane suddenly opened the bathroom window and peered out then quickly closed it again.Then he went to peer in my closet, not quite sure what he was hoping to find. I jumped on my bed with a laugh.
"Um, don't worry I haven't been scared of the boogeyman since I was like eight...ya know... nine years ago!"
"Haha yeah I know I'm just looking." my brother said with a look I couldn't quite make out. I watch his deep blue eyes that seem to always change colors to whatever he wears as he scans the outside area of my room as if expecting someone to jump from the shadows.
"Shane? You ok?" I asked slowly, sitting up wondering if there was something I should know.
"Yeah, sorry just stressed that's all and just tired," he said with a smile running his hand through his long uncombed brown hair that now reached his ears.
"Oh ok... well, um uh do you know when I start school?" I asked, hoping to change the subject and eliminate the weird tension that seemed to have just entered the room. But secretly hoping I wouldn't have to start for at least another week.
"Yes. You will be starting tomorrow at ShadowShade High. Which reminds me I gotta get you fed and you gotta rest up. It's already late, does pizza sound good?"
"Ugh tomorrow? Seriously?" Not even attempting to hide my disappointment and disgust. "And It's not even ten!" I added.
"Yes, tomorrow... So is that a yes to pizza?"
"Yeah pizza is good, ya know its my fav. But ten? I'm seventeen, I don't need to go to bed at ten." I huffed and tossed a pillow at him hoping to at least lighten my brother's mood.
"Ok I'll go order the pizza, you unpack. And fine, since I'm the cool fun brother you can stay up." He laughed as he picked the pillow back up, tossed it at me and left my room closing the door.
After my brother left I just flopped back down onto my bed and with a heavy sigh hugged my pillow….
"Why did you guys leave?" I whispered, finally letting the tears I've been holding back escape.
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After giving myself a good 10 minutes to cry, I washed my face and started to unpack. 15 minutes later the pizza finally arrived.
"Pizza's here!"
"Coming!" I yelled as I quickly shoved the rest of my clothes in the dresser.
"I got one with everything, I hope you don't mind…"
"Nope I don't mind, I'm starving." I laughed and grabbed a piece.
"Good. Now Silv," Shane's face all of a sudden went serious, "you see anything strange at school, any weird people that you think are watching you or any weird vibes don't hesitate to call me, ok? I'm working with Jake, my friend that helped get this house for us, he'll understand if I have to leave, ok?"
" Uh, yeah sure ok….You're acting like this school is filled with criminals or something. It's just high school with normal kids. I'll be fine." I laughed finishing up my first slice of pizza. Shane has always been protective of me but this just seemed a bit much.
"I know. I just want you to be safe, and make good decisions."
"Shane, is this about mom and dad? Are you worried something is going to happen to me?"
"I don't want my baby sister to get hurt or be in any danger. I can't have anything happen to you. We are all we have."
I sighed as I fought the urge to cry again, this is about them. About how our parents left in a hurry in the dead of night and never came back. How we got a visit from a police officer early in the morning telling us our parents were gone and never coming back. The events of that day seared into my mind as if it were yesterday… even though it was almost two months ago.
The fear Shane had in his eyes when he learned our parents were dead is something I'll never forget, it was a look you have when you watching a scary movie and a jump scare happens, this wasn't a look of pain at least not in that moment. It was a look of utter fear, and ever since then Shane has never left my side. I've asked him about that look, why he looked more scared than upset. He'd just dismiss it and say it was nothing, that it was just how he looks when he's hurt, grieving. Though I took his word for it his reasoning never sat right with me.
"Shane, you won't lose me, I promise. I'm here to stay." I smiled with a mouth full of pizza.
"Gross. I don't ever want to see your chewed up food again," gagged Shane
"Then stop worrying. Everything's going to be ok."
"Fine. Fine. Ok. Hey, I was thinking in the next few days we can go shopping, maybe get a second couch. More house supplies... stuff like that…"
"Yeah!" I said interrupting Shane. "That will be fun! An extra couch would be nice especially if we have people over…"
"Exactly, what I was thinking."
"We are gonna have to get warmer jackets as well, who knows how
cold it's gonna get."
"Yeah you're right we only have jackets for the California winter…"
"Yeah, and you know me, I hate the cold." I complained as I fake shivered.
"Oh cut it out!" laughed Shane as he threw a balled up napkin at me.
"Hey!" I exclaimed, tossing the napkin off of me.
"That's pay back for throwing a pillow at me earlier."
"Pfft! I'll get you back, maybe not today but I will." I smiled , cleaning up my place at the table.
"Oh ok Mr. Tough Guy. I'm shaking in my boots," joked Shane as he also cleaned his spot at the table. " Well I'm gonna go shower and head to bed, I've been driving all day and I'm exhausted."
" Ok, I'll probably organize my room a bit more then head to bed also, Goodnight Shane."
" Night Silv."