Love within Ashes

Chapter 2: One and a half

“Here we are! Home sweet home!” said Bob, while parking near a filthy junk place with dirty and colorful, but not cheerful graffiti, they where everywhere. It was not "that" disgusting as I pictured it but it was new and I had to get used to it.

"Cool!" Paul whispered as he looked from his car window.

"What's cool about this? Shut up and go get your stuff," I ordered my delighted lil brother, "Kids this days," I chuckled while Paul stuck his tongue out to me.

"Ok, Emma and Paul, let's get inside and grab something to eat, I'm fucki-freaking starving! Sorry, Emma , I'm not used to have you guys here, and I know Anna didn't liked to hear me swearing. And you two are the same," chuckled Bob, as I bite my lip to contain my fury.

"No. I am nothing like her. Not a coward nor a fake doll. And I would never be like her," I snarled containing the tone of my voice, after all he was my freaking uncle.

"Eh, ok. Well... ok ... umm... let's go inside," Bob reacted to my cruel honesty.

While he opened the metallic door and walked upstairs, my heart broke at his disappointment, I mean, my mom was his sister and her suicide was not expected. We were on New York City, having some family time since we lived near Carroll Gardens and Mom wanted to go shopping (it was like a tradition), when all of sudden Dad-I mean, Edward, wanted to go home, I was only 16 and wanted to stay there, so Mom drove us to some of the family's friends living in NYC and me and Paul stayed there. When we got home, Mom was already in the morgue. I think because I cried my soul out, the first four months, I now have the superpower to contain the tears flowing from my eyes. In school, Paul and I were teased all the time, we were the kids of a druggie and had a coward mom who killed herself. So Edward transferred us to a public school and there I felt like I wasn't the only one with freaking problems. You know what? I think that was the only good thing that Edward did to us, there I made two friends, we were close. I graduated from high school six months before graduation and got to a college in New York, I majored History, and minored Arts. Suddenly I got a call, and I couldn't study there anymore. Edward had used all the savings of my college funds. I begged for a job, but I was too late to apply to that program. I had my scholarships but something didn't add up when I had to drop out of college. Besides I didn't like the fact of leaving my brother with Edward too much time and decided to move back, then Edward went madness and tried to kill us and himself. That day we ran to my room and Paul called the police, Edward was yelling from the other side of the door. We closed our eyes and I covered Paul's ears with my hands, Paul couldn't hear that, he was too young, too young to hear Edward shouting nonsense and threatening us, and himself. While I was rocking Paul, I remembered that Mom used to sing Paul "What a wonderful World" when he had nightmares, so I started to mumble the lyrics and Paul started humming it. Suddenly, I heard a thud, crashes, screams and silence. We stood up, and somebody knocked the door, we jumped of fright and then we heard the voice of a police officer asking for our status. Then, here we are. I don't know what I'm going to do about college, but as long as I am with my brother I know we are going to be ok.

"Should we unpack now?" asked Paul with a box on his hands, and by the look of his face it was heavy.

"Yeah," I sighed.

"No. First I need to tell you guys something. It's important. So have a sit, please, guys," told us Bob while we sat on the couch near him , and then he continued,

"So, you guys know that I don't possess a lot of money, and so, I called Mom."

I was really skeptical about all this, something is not adding up, Geez.

"And? Is she ok?" I asked trying to get him speaking.

"Yeah, yeah, you know, a bit shocked by Edward's behavior but still she's ok. So, the thing is... she asked me if she could be with you guys for a bit. She thinks she's gonna die soon. It's your decision, if you guys don't like this place you can live for a couple of months with her in Florida," he said that like he thought of Disney would make us want to be there in no time. I snorted while Paul scoffed.

"Could we stick here for a couple of months more to see what it is living here? I mean, you should told us that before, so we could go straightly to Florida and not here. Right now, we are tired and just give us 3 months and we'll be out to Grandma's," I said while I pointed out the fact that he was a dumbass that could have made us save time and money, but no, he decided to tell us this good news at the very last moment, after we drove from NY to Boston!

"Oh, it's ok. I told you it's your decision. I'll call Grandma and tell her about your choice."

"No! I mean, Bob, just 3 months, ok 2 months, ok... ok... 1 and a half month."

"Deal! One and a half, no more," Bob warned with a smirk on his face, that lil mother-trucker wanted to have his lazy lifestyle again.

I knew he wanted to stick with his bachelor's apartment, and doing what he does, solo, so I gave him a look of defeat mixed with coldness and he changed the subject.

Three weeks later....

Wow, time goes fast, yesterday we were here and now we got 3 weeks left to go to Florida, not that I didn't wanted to go, but I kinda liked the cold and rustic streets in here.

I stayed home all the time and I was bored seeing TV and reading, so I decided to go shopping. I had to walk, so I dressed very casual ( I'm not a girly girl so I decided to stick with my jeans, boyish shirt and sneakers) I brushed my hair and tried to make a donut bun with a pencil, it was comfortable and loose, not like ballerinas bun who were really tight. I got out with the house keys, pepper spray and a knife. Paul was sleeping in his room, I know he sneaked out last night so he was exhausted (that kid, geez, he's younger than me and already has more fun than I do). I had a handbag so if something happens I would be able to grab the knife and pepper spray easily. I walked and walked but no mall to be seen. I saw a grocery market and decided to buy at least something there, I mean, something is something. I said hello to the cashier and started to go shopping hunting. I took a magazine, and Icee, some chocolates, juice, and cereal. I paid the cashier and went through the door. Then I saw some group of big-dressed-in-black-leather guys, I immediately grabbed my knife and pepper spray, and walked to the opposite side from where they were, avoiding them.

They stood there, chatting and laughing loudly, they were like waiting for someone. But they had some air of danger and I didn't wanted to be near them. Yes, I was judging, I was in my right to judge. Right? But then a question stroked me, while I was almost running away from them.

“Did you liked when all the snotty classmates judged you because of your family’s troubles? Did you felt that it was right to be excluded like someone sick and repulsive? Did you thought it was fair to be looked and avoided like something low and unworthy? NO!” I thought.

No, no, no, I was being the executer of what I hated from the human being. I will not be one of those scornful kids who judged me and avoided me in the school hallways. Immediately, I turned my way and decided to walk through the group of men that looked like they were a bunch of lions waiting for a victim. I made that act for humanity, for a difference in this world, and also because Bob’s apartment was that way. When I was near them, I hold my breath and gained the courage I haven’t felt in years. They were smoking and always saying the “F” word, always! I wasn’t used to the profane language, but Bob and Paul said it quite often so it wasn’t that big cultural shock. Now I was right next to them and they saw me, but none of them said a word, one whistled but the others were just scoffing and grinning, I could feel it.

“They just feel happy to see one person not judging them, that’s all," I tried to convince myself.

When I had the courage to look back at them, they had mocking faces and were smiling with confidence and some gangster type of air. Maybe they were wannabes, I don’t know. In just a couple of seconds their faces totally changed, from scornful to fear and submission. When I turned to see the reason to their submission, the pencil that it was holding my hair fell to the floor and my hair and the wind caressed my face, I looked to the horizon trying to see something, not caring for the pencil (I was too intrigued, I wanted to know the motive of their obedience).

Right in front of me, I saw a tall bald man walking towards me (or so I thought). He possessed masculinity, authority, power, mystery. I immobilized after seeing that strong figure walking towards me. He had sunglasses so I couldn’t see his eyes. But his mere presence had hypnotized me. He wore a leather brown jacket, that accentuated his wide shoulders, and showed off some tribal tattoos around his neck, everything else was black and also fuzzy. I saw everything in slow motion, my heart raced and I opened my mouth in awe. He walked by my side and my eyes followed him. He smirked a bit, but was going directly to the group of men. They welcomed him and I was like a stupid idiot watching everything from where I was, standing frozen. That man turned around to face me from the distance, he took his sunglasses off and frigidly stared at me like he wanted me to get lost. The intense in his eyes were so vigorous that I turned around giving him my back and continued my way.