Finding Freedom

Prologue

The smell of Max's cigarette wafted through the air as he sat puffing it, sprawled on the ugly rug in the living room. Liam sighs at his brothers habit, flopping into the second hand, worn armchair in the corner of the room. A burning smell came from the kitchen and Elijah's shouts of profanities can be heard. Leo's laughter echoed through the house, reaching my ears.

I sit on the stained green couch, phone in hand, staring at the picture of my family. My mothers arms wrapped around my sister and I, my dad's hand on her shoulder, all of us laughing at something that had been said. My brother, Malachi, wasn't there, he was out with his friends doing something or other. My sister Orla and I were twins however I was 1 minutes and 47 seconds older.

My sister and I were inseparable, always doing things together. Our after school activities, our lessons were the same, we even had the same group of friends.

Then she got ill. It came on so suddenly. We shared a room at the time and I can still hear her shallow breathing on that night. I can remember hearing it stop. I panicked and shouted for my parents. 4 minutes later, Orla was carted away in an ambulance, the EMT's trying to save her life.

They failed. She was pronounced dead-on-arrival. It was only a few weeks after her funeral that my parents started arguing. I remember sitting at the top of the stairs listening to them shout at each other. Then my mother puts on her shoes and slams the front door, walking out. 

All her things were gone the next day. Father never told me what it was they argued about, just how they were taking a break from each other. I wasn't stupid, I was 14, I knew what a divorce was.

Last I heard about her she had gotten remarried and had a baby boy with another on the way. My father had remarried too. Her name was Sharon and she was awful. Thinking about her sends shivers down my spine. It had been two years and that woman still scares me. She was he reason I left. The reason I ran away.

Malachi moved out when he was 18 and I haven't heard from him since. I didn't need him. I had new friends now who are better family to me than he ever was. People who would support me, and who were always gonna have my back.

"Earth to Neveah!" Leo shouts, clicking his fingers in front of my face. My eyes widen as I focus again on my surroundings. The boys are all looking curiously at me from where they were sat. Leo and Elijah had come in from the kitchen with questionable looking cookies and were sat on either side of me.

"Sorry, daydreaming" I apologise turning off my phone and putting it back in my pocket.
"We haven't seen you do that in a while you know..." Liam tells me getting up from his armchair crossing his arms. He walks over and leans on the edge of the sofa.

If there is one thing I hate it's pity. People feeling sorry for me because I have a dysfunctional family.
"It's fine, leave it" I tell them standing up trying to walk away.
"Veah, we are worried about you" Elijah says grabbing my wrist.
"It's called opening up, Orla wouldn't want you to be like this would she?" Max chimes in unhelpfully. 

"Yeah well it doesn't matter what fucking Orla wants does it?! She's dead! She's gone! It doesn't matter!" I shout, angry that he brought her up. It was evident that he realised he made a mistake.

"Veah, I'm sorry I shouldn't have-" he begins.
"-no you shouldn't have. She is not just something you can throw in my face when I do something wrong!" I tell him, cutting Max off. He looks as though he wants to tell me something but Liam throws him a look as though to say not to.
"I am going to go lay down" I say standing up. I walk off, ignoring the pitying stares from the boys.
I just needed time to let the thoughts in my head drown.

Yet again this is a spontaneous book however I am super excited to write it! I own all ideas and characters that are in this book.

Erin