Despite the Pain

Chapter 1

Albion Bryson had been missing from school for a month, and all anyone has heard about him were ridiculous rumors roaming around the halls. His mother finally snapped and killed him. He'd finally snapped and tried to kill her. He'd killed himself. Why it was always about death I'll never know. Why his brother never bothered to straighten any of them out was just as much of a mystery. The two of them disappeared the same day, but his brother came back after a week or so. Albion was still missing.

I looked over at his empty seat in the center of the classroom, wondering if any of those rumors were true. Or maybe if the truth was worse. Anyone living in this town knew Albion's lifestyle at home. It wasn't exactly a secret when he and his brother walked around with visible bruises and continuous limps. His mother's reputation wasn't exactly the best. Everyone knew she was strict and cruel, even to people who, fortunately, hadn't had the opportunity to meet her. Judgements and imaginations were put to work, not that they were wrong, but whispering and pointing whenever Ryan or Albion passed by was just unnecessary.

Half the Dawson brood was waiting for me in the schoolyard to start our walk home, a smile on their faces. Callum loped up behind me and tapped the opposite shoulder he approached, even though I hadn't fallen for that stupid joke since the first time he tried it on me.

We were neighbors, our mothers friends for as long as any of us could remember, our fathers lost in the same car accident four years ago. It was the one thing that finally drove the two of us to something more than acquaintances. My friendship with Callum was begrudgingly at best, born from our common loss, our need to keep our families emotionally stable, and our mutual love of the forest.

Our walk home was nearly 30 minutes long. My mom doesn't have the time to pick me up and since their mother takes care of two other kids at home, they walk with me. My mom works at the hospital in the city, leaves right before 5 in the morning and returns late at night. The whole day would be lonely and boring if it weren't for Callum and Zeke. They've become like the brothers I never had, the only company that can make me forget about the way I'm ignored by my own mother. She had made the decision in spending all her time in the hospital to get her mind off my father's death. Not that I complain about her working nor coping with the grief on her own way, but I do want to spend time with her and my younger sister; with the only family I have left.

I break out of my reverie as I walk right into Callum's back. The impact breaking me away from my thoughts and back into reality. I stumble a little and when I compose myself I bring my gaze up to his head. His shoulders are shaking with mirth as he turns to face me with his eyebrows raised. He's going to bother and tease me about this sooner or later; knowing him, it will be later.

"Six?" Callum raised his eyebrows. Callum had decided that we needed a special place, somewhere where no one could find us and annoy us, when he said that he was actually referring to his siblings. He decided in a clearing five miles into the woods. Somewhere that was private enough for us, and for the probability that a serial killer will come out of nowhere and murder us to be very high. I hadn't failed at mentioning that to him, but he shook it off with a laugh.

"Yeah," I nodded, and he smiled at me before turning to follow his brothers to their house further up the lane. I climbed the creaking porch steps to my house, pushing the door open and shedding my shoes and coat and noisily dropping my books on the table.

"Dawn," Mom called from her seat across the room by the low fire burning in the hearth. "To your room please, and try to keep the noise down. I'm with a patient." I scooped my stack of books from the table, shifting to see whoever this patient was, the pole that marked the division between our kitchen and living room obscuring them from view.

Albion Bryson looked up at me from the couch, dropping his eyes the moment they met mine. His father turned to look at me as I slipped across the room toward my bedroom; I hadn't noticed him before, sitting with his back to me. He offered a tight smile and a quick nod, both of which I returned before ducking into the bedroom and closing the door behind me.