Love within Ashes

Chapter 1: Welcome!

It was always dark, noisy yet silent, in the despised and haunted house of the Collins. "Poor of the children who lived there. How disgusting! Oh my God, I just can't believe it", some of the neighbors gossiped when they walked across the empty house. Edward Collins was a successful businessman but his present ghosts haunted him and the way of avoiding them and hiding from them was fleeing to another world, another universe which only him and his vehicle of transportation knew. Anna was his wife, was a nice woman(everybody said) though this was not the last impression she left, nobody knows what her thoughts were but, by the human logic sense, we all think that the thought of her husband carrying himself to death, selling her for money and loosing his sanity and his senses made the weak human being who destroyed, killed and took a mother of two children, a wife of a delirious man, and a purpose in life. After her suicide, no note was found, no funeral was made, no condolence was received but that abandon created a monster who's personality and identity was despicable and lower than dirt and repulsiveness, a father who by his actions should not be called by that honorific family title. From a beautiful, cheerful and content home, the Collins' house became a dark, sinister and filthy residence. Edward did everything for money, sold every furniture, sold his car, sold his wife and lost her, sells himself, and even has a part-time job as a thief. People who cared for him and his family tried to help him, he said he was fine and rejected their help. One day he came high to the house, he grabbed a knife and tried to harm his kids and his own life. Luckily, the neighbors, who were nosy, called the police and Edward got arrested and the kids were taken to their Uncle's care. Sadly, Uncle Robert lived in the worst part of town in Boston. There were drugs, gangs, bars, shops of any kind, hookers, and much more. Maybe for Edward, Uncle Bob's apartment could be heaven, but for Emma and her brother was hell.

Emma had lost and gained faith in her father, her memories of that loving, caring and amicable father were blurry at times but not easily vanished. She took great care of her younger brother and tried to be a good substitute mother. Though, Uncle Robert was peculiar and not common he shared the same passion of escaping this world just like his brother-in-law, Edward. Emma knew this, or always suspected, so she planned to live on her own, but the fear and care for her brother didn't let her go away. She wanted to go to college but she could not afford that, since her dad wasted all her college savings in drugs. She decided then to stay with her brother, move with Bob, find a job and try to get a scholarship then she will move out with her brother to another place. Emma was a beautiful young girl but tomboyish at the same time, and she would not take crap from anyone. She learned to be a fierce woman, brilliant student, head of the household, protector for her brother and she was only a young adult. She had amberish-brown color eyes, silk and tan skin, she had a slender body, though she was the type of girl that didn’t had the time to worry for her looks, she had accentuating curves and was "normal". Emma had a unusual and delicate beauty that came from her inner self. She was stubborn and dedicated yet a passion for life grew inside her everyday. A passion for being free, happy, loved, and a passion to conquer her life that it was going from high to bottom. Of course, she had her gentle side, she felt most of the time fear, rejection, insecurity, and lost in this maze we called world, she felt tiny and wanted to be free of anything. Her younger brother, Paul was only 15, he was a handsome young fellow. He always showed fake confidence and tried to be the father and head of the family(or of what was left), although he always knew Emma was the one in control and felt secure. Physically, he was 5'9, fit, tanned skin, he had black charming eyes, brown glowing curls and a enchanting smile. We could say he was like Casanova around girls. And then we have Uncle Bob, he was a kind-of-but-not-that fat, he is like 5’7, black-haired man, single, and lazy, and he had a job as a "Something" Manager, Emma always thought it was some auto shop or sales part place, but refused and avoided the real answer when everybody asked, he was home early and was dirty all the time.

And now they would enter this place, the most feared place in the whole town. The Collins were a middle class family aspiring to be at the top notch. "Think it, fake it, and make it before anyone else", their motto, better said, Anna's. Anna tried to fake royalty but if it wasn't for Collins job and good reputation(Of course this is back when Emma and Paul were kids) she wouldn't be able to sit down and drink tea at a snotty table. From a almost-rich kid, to a.... nobody-druggies kid, how will Emma react at her sudden and new way of life?