The Ghost of You

A bump in the road woke Alyssa Moreno from where she sleeping in the passenger seat of the second generation Chevrolet Equinox her brother Eli was driving.

"Sorry Lyss." He said giving her an apologetic smile "The road's getting bumpy."

She mumbled sleepily and yawned stretching her arms above her hitting the ceiling of the car. "Are we there yet?" She asked blinking the sleep from her eyes.

"Almost." Eli responded then shouted a profanity as they hit another bump in the road.

"Shit!" Alyssa explained grabbing the sides of the seat as she was thrown up from the seat her seatbelt the only thing that saved her from hitting her head on the ceiling. "There's too many bumps in this road.'

"Thanks I already know and/or said that." Eli responded sarcastically.

"Maybe the bumpy road is a sign." Alyssa commented as she slumped down in her seat crossing her arms.

"A sign of what?" Eli asked her looking at her from the corner of his eye.

"A sign that we shouldn't be going to Beacon Hills." She said as if it should be obvious.

"Lyss don't start this again." Eli said with a frustrated and tired tone.

"Why not?" She asked sitting up. "I don't understand why of all the places in the world to go we have to go and live here." "Why couldn't we have just stayed in Grandma's house?"

"You know why." Eli said softly yet firmly. "Grandma died, I don't have a job, and Debra offered to let us stay with her."

"Yeah right." Alyssa said with a snort. "Debra is only letting us stay with her because of you if I was all by myself she would leave me out in the rain to fend for myself." "She hates me."

"Alyssa you know that's not true." Eli said looking at her.

"It is too!". Alyssa exclaimed but lowered her voice when Eli cringed as the windows wiggled slightly. "She doesn't want be around and she's never want me around."

"Alyssa...

"It's true Eli and you know it." Alyssa said picking her black nail polish. "Ever since we were kids she avoided me like the plague but she would always gush over you." "She wouldn't pick me up when I asked her, she would always go the other direction if I came around."

"That's only because Debra...he paused trying to find the right words to say. "Debra still dealing Alyssa."

"You know she blames me for mom's death." Alyssa mumbled looking out the window.

"That's not true." Eli said giving her a shocked look. "Alyssa you know that's not true."

"It is so." Alyssa said facing him. "Besides avoiding me her own niece she looks at me with such disdain like she wishes I wasn't even born." "Like she wishes I died instead of mom."

"Alyssa please don't say things like that." Eli said. "I know nothing has ever been easy and you're not Debra's biggest fan but she was nice enough to let us live with her could you at least try to act right around her."

"I'll act right if she acts right." Alyssa said slumping in her seat and crossing her arms again as they passed the welcome sign.
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Eli drove for about another thirty minutes Alyssa looked at all the passing scenery with a bored expression occasionally groaning at what she saw.

"Will you please stop that?" Eli said. "You're driving me crazy you sound like a zombie."

"We've only been in this town for half an hour and I already don't like it." Alyssa said.

"That's cause you're not giving it a chance Lyss." He said. "Just give it a chance you might like it might make some new friends."

"Vega was my friend." Alyssa said turning to face him. "She was the only person besides Grandma that got me, she understood me, and she didn't look at or treat me like I'm some kind of freak."

"You're not a freak Alyssa." Eli said giving her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. "You're just...

"Special?" "Different?" She said shrugging his hand off then looked out the window. "Being different sucks."
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"We're here!" Eli announced as he pulled into a driveway of a medium size house.

"Oh happy day." Alyssa said with false enthusiasm as the front door opened and a women with fiery red hair came out.

"Eli!" Debra said as she walked to the car as Eli turned the car off.

"Aunt Debra." He said happily as they embraced.

Alyssa sighed dramatically and got out totting her kit bag on her shoulder. "I swear you get more handsome each time I see you." Debra said cupping his face.

Alyssa cleared her throat loudly making Debra look in her direction. "Alyssa look how beautiful you've gotten!" Debra said pulling her into an unwanted hug. Alyssa didn't return it and pulled away.

"I'm so glad you're finally here." Debra said.

Alyssa mentally rolled her eyes knowing that Debra was only putting on a show because Eli was there.

"Thanks for letting us stay with you Debra." Eli said taking her hands. "That was really nice of you wasn't it Alyssa?" He asked looking at her.

She glanced at the ceiling wishing something would swoop down and take her away. "Yeah really benevolent of you." Alyssa said with as much as a sweet voice she could muster towards Debra.

"It's nothing at all." Debra said touching her cheek then frowned at her lip piercing. "Hmm those are a lot of piercings.

Alyssa was about to make a mean retort when Eli spoke up. "Aunt Debra mind showing us around the house?" "It's been a while since we've been here."

"Of course." She said removing her hand from Lyss's cheek. "Well come in and let's get you two settled in."

Alyssa watched as they entered the house glaring at Debra's back angry at the little fake show she was putting on for Eli. She heard the creaking of the nearby tree and the wiggling of the windows.

She inhaled/exhaled a couple of times till the noises stopped with a deep sigh she walked up the stairs and entered the house.