Kat
"She's insufferable! Get rid of her!" My stepfather roared.
"I tried! But then her stupid father died!" She screamed back.
A perfectly toxic relationship.
Fat hot tears rolled down my cheeks as they talked badly about my father. He was a good man and didn't deserve to go out like that. None of them did. That trucker never should have been driving that tired and that drunk. Who cares if his wife left him, he killed three people. He destroyed my happy family. He destroyed my world. And now he's paying for it like all murders.
I held the last picture of my family that I had left and rolled under my bed to cry in peace.
The following morning wasn't the best. More screaming about how much of a nuisance I was, and now there were the twins running around without any clothes on. I rolled my eyes, ignoring the preteen boys, and focusing on the sweet baby boy in front of me. He didn't have many clothes on either, but at least he had a diaper on-a true gentleman in training.
"Here comes the airplane!" I said, making noises and faces at him until he ate the smushed carrots on the spoon.
"Your brother lives somewhere in Africa, doesn't he?" Aaron, My stepfather, asked.
"South America, dipshit," I muttered under my breath, rolling my eyes before feeding Luie another helping, wiping his face in the process.
"Yeah, Cuba or something." My mother thought.
I was about to speak up, but I thought better of it.
"Call your brother, tell him to take her." Aaron spit, glaring daggers at me.
"No, he won't take her. Just get her a ticket and drop her off." Mother seethed.
"Girl!" Aaron started as I let out a sigh. "Buy yourself a plane ticket to Cuba, Africa!" He barked as I nodded, cringing internally at his moronic brain. I picked up Luie, brought him to the bathroom to get him changed into something more comfortable, and placed him in his bouncer in my room, so I could get some work done.
I called my uncle Jack to see if he would have some room for me, and thankfully, he said yes. After that, I booked the flight, begrudgingly using the credit card he let me borrow.
I packed my bags for my flight tomorrow morning and put Luie in his crib before sneaking out through my window running to the river.
It was around 10 PM when Nolan and Sean came over, and I wrapped my arms around them, and they did the same. I let out a few tears before Sean quickly wiped them away with the pads of his thumbs.
"So, when do you leave?" Nolan asked.
"Tomorrow morning," I whispered as I laid down on the rock, placing my fingers into the murky water.
"I'm gonna miss you, Kitty." Sean frowned as he came over and sat on my rock.
"Hey, I have some good news." Nolan tried.
"Oh yeah?" I smiled. I've had a crush on Nolan for years.
"I just scored a date to the Spring formal." He beamed as my heart deflated.
"Oh, that's great... Who is it?" I asked, forcing a smile.
"This new girl. Gosh, she's gorgeous. Dark brown eyes... Hey, She kinda looks like you, Kat." He grinned. But not me. I thought bitterly.
"What's her name, dude?" Sean nudged him, placing a hand on my shoulder. He knew I had a crush, and I just got crushed.
"Catherine Hill." He glowed as I lost it.
"Catie!?" I screamed.
"Yeah, man, Catie is bad news. She bullied Kitty for years before you came to town." Sean tried as my face burned.
"She's changed!" He yelled at me.
"Doubt it!" I yelled back.
"Guys! It's midnight! Shut up!" Sean hissed as I looked around. How did it get so late already?
"Have fun with your new girlfriend. Let's hope she doesn't cheat on you like the rest of them." I said, getting up dusting off my jeans.
"Where are you going?" Nolan barked.
"Home. I have a flight in less than-" I checked my watch. "Three hours. Have a nice life." I hissed at him. "Call me sometimes." I glanced at Sean before jumping down from the rocks to the ground before taking off in a sprint.
I called for an Uber to take me to Logan International Airport, 2 hours away before I arrived back at the house and got ready for my flight. I changed into a long skirt and ruffle blouse that hung on my shoulders. I pushed my hair into a side braid and put on a bit of mascara before I kissed Luie goodbye and left the house.
Once I arrived at the airport, I dragged my suitcase over to the check-in, breezed through customs, and bought a Starbucks Blue Ribbon Vanilla Frappe before waiting an hour for my plane to arrive.
"Riding alone today?" The flight attendant asked as I nodded. "Ok, then sweetie, let ne know if you need anything." She smiled before winking and walking away.
That's sweet. I thought before I plugged in my earbuds, drifting in and out of sleep through the three hours, then the plane landed, and I had a 45-minute layover in Atlanta. The lady at the front desk helped me get to my terminal just before they were going to take off.
Once on the plane, another flight attendant came over to me, letting me know that she would get me anything I needed before leaving.
Another four and a half hours before this plane landed and then I had a 13, almost 14-hour overnight layover in Bogotá. I caught a cab to a nearby hotel and bought an inexpensive room for the night, plugging my phone in and setting an alarm for the morning before going to the bathroom to take a nice hot shower. After my shower, I dried my hair a little and put it in a tight braid so it can be wavy when I take it out.
I quickly fell into a dreamless sleep, and in no time, it was morning once again. I sighed before getting dressed and lugging myself outside, hailing a cab, and getting to the airport an hour before my flight was to leave. I went through customs again and walked until I found someplace I could find a cup of coffee and something for breakfast.
Once I finished, I walked down to my terminal just as they started calling first class and the disabled.
The lady told me that I could get on the plane first, and then a different flight attendant came over telling the same thing the other ones did. And just like the last times, I didn't ask for anything other than a piece of gum. I tried to pay for it, but she said she would take care of it. I smiled at her before putting my earbuds in and starting out the window. After a while, I pulled out my book and began reading. Thankfully, this was the last and shortest flight before I landed in ADZ airport, where my Uncle would be picking me up.
As soon as the flight was over, I thanked the flight attendants and pilots before walking off the plane, through customs one last time, and heading outside where the sky was bright, and the air was hot. I was trying getting used to the heat when a car pulled up, and a man got out with a sign. It had my name on it along with the drawings of my cousins. I smiled lightly before I walked up to the man.
"Hola, Señor," I waved as he did a double-take.
"Katalena?" He grinned brightly as I nodded, and he pulled me into a bear hug. My eyes widened. How could this kind man possibly be related to my mother? I thought before hugging him back. "Come! Come! Let's get you home and settled before the kids come home." He beamed before leading me to the cab, taking my bags, and getting in next to me.
It took a little while, but we finally made it over a river before the cab stopped and let us out.
Uncle Jack took my bags and loaded them into the back of a cart being pulled by a donkey. I glanced at it before looking back at my uncle. He laughed before explaining the Encanto to me as he drove the cart.
"We try to live a simple life here... But there is something you might notice here that doesn't happen anywhere else." He started as we entered the town.
"Ok, what is it?" I asked, looking around at the beautiful buildings.
"A few people here, well, a family here has, uh, gifts." He tried.
"What do you mean by 'uh, gifts'?" I asked.
"Uh, you'll see eventually." He said as I raised an eyebrow at him. "Look, there's la casa." He grinned. "How much Spanish do you know?"
"Honestly, not much. I took Spanish in school for a few years but then moved to French." I shrugged. "Do they know English?" I panicked.
"Yes, English is their first language, but they will speak Spanish every once in a while." He said as I let out a breath. We arrived at la Casa, and he helped me take my bags upstairs to my room.
"I'll let you get settled, and then you can come downstairs if you like, or you can sleep up here if you're tired, whatever you want." He smiled as I nodded, and he left. I glanced around my room. It wasn't much, but it was definitely bigger than my room back home. I walked over to my window, opening it, letting in the sunlight and a sweet, gentle breeze. I took in a deep breath before opening up my suitcase, taking things out, and putting them away in the dresser and the small closet. After I was done, I freshened up in the bathroom before heading downstairs, knowing if I slept now, I won't when night falls.
"All settled?" Uncle asked as I nodded, and he handed me something to eat before the rest of the family came home.
