𝙲 𝙷 𝙴 𝚁 𝚁 𝚈

15

11:20

SATURDAY

SANTA CARLA

SHE PUNCHED IT RIGHT IN THE FACE!

Saturday mornings were never such bliss when it came to living in Manhattan, unlike this creaky, old, orange house; it's ironic for something as undesirable as this shack of a home to radiate comfort, though despite only being here for a single night, it has made me feel more unnerved than I ever have before. The sun is peaking through every nook and cranny of the thin windows, coated with dust, giving me plenty of opportunity to admire it dancing in the rays of light. There wasn't much noise and I find myself kicking my legs over the bench chair that resides on the porch. I don't have a shift at the store today, which is why when Lucy offered for me to tag along on some errands, I agreed half-heartedly. And to my dismay, I hear the heavy thuds of the youngest child hailing down on the wooden steps and out the front door.

Lucy comes waltzing out dressed in a long blue skirt that reaches her ankles, a white cotton cardigan, and sunglasses. She smiles at me as she removes the keys from her bag and digs them into the car door, "Strap up."

Sam wastes no time buckling himself into the front seat; I shrug it off and slip into the one behind him. The engine rumbles to life as I clip in my belt and a light tune of Buddy holly plays from the radio. It's nice. The golden veil of the sunny day and the cheerful melody works well together and I find my eyes fluttering to a close. Not only because I almost feel calm, but because I somehow feel as if I haven't slept. I run my slim fingers through my damp curls before throwing my head back into the top of my seat, the smell of my recent shower slithering its way up into my nose. It's almost painful trying to trick my brain into remembering anything; I just know that it began with David and the rest of the boys. It's almost as if it were a feeble dream, the kind where when you open your eyes, you can not figure out wether you actually slept or just had your eyes closed for the entire night.

Lucy pulls the vehicle out of the drive and my body jolts forwards when she breaks to turn around. When she presses on the gas once again, I adjust myself to get comfortable and she begins the journey down the crumbling road.

"Mom, I really am sorry about last night." Sam begins to speak from the seat in front of me.

"I know you are, Honey." Lucy says with a smile towards her youngest son, "Let's just go easy on the comics for now, okay."

"Okay, mom."

The car turns right and Lucy changes the gear before picking up speed. The windows are open and the smell of caramelised onions blow through with the wind; I push my hair out of my face and take a deep breath in. We must be getting closer to the boardwalk. I begin to wonder if Lucy needs to go into town, though I shrug the idea off when she turns the wheel left and drives in the direction of an acute wooden house. It is far more modern than the Emerson's, it's walls are stained a similar colour to the tree's in New York and when the car stops, an uneasy feeling settles in the pit of my belly.Lucy unbuckles her belt and pulls at a paper bag in the glove box.

"What's the wine for, Mom?" Sam perks up once again, eying her up as she opens the door.

"It's my apology to Max for running out on him last night." She speaks a little clearer as she stables her feet on the ground outside, "Which, young man, you should be doing!"

Sam grumbles to himself and leans forward in his seat to mess around with the radio. My eyes are narrowed down and focused on Lucy's brisk moves. She reaches over to the other side of the gate and attempts to un-do it.

"Oh hi, Thorn!" I hear her coo.

I remove my focus from her and onto the caramel coloured German Shepard on the wooden walk way. For a moment I get distracted by the tune of Gypsy my Fleetwood Mac pouring from the car radio, though not enough to dismiss the snarl that Thorn throws towards the woman presenting an apology gift.

I jump up from my seat and I am quick to unclip my belt. When I throw open the door, my ears are greeted with the sound of her cries for help and I kick off in her direction.

"Sam!"

"Mom!"

I hear the car door clicking open as I fly passed the bonnet. The sound of Lucy's cries seem to tick me off and I grit my teeth; she throws herself back over the gate but seems to have difficulty with getting away from the bite that Thorn has on her skirt. His teeth are baring and a deep growl rumbles from the back of his throat. Sam curves around me and wraps his hands around her upper arms in an attempt to get her away from his jaw and faster than I can think, I throw my fist down and Thorn finally releases. We all fall backwards as he tries to break through the gate and the wood begins to split and splinter.

I look down and acknowledge the fear in Lucy's eyes; I shrink down and help her to stand. The skirt that danced around her ankles gracefully this morning is now torn to shreds, though she doesn't seem to fussed when she studies both of our faces with concern, "Are you both alright?"

"Are we alright?" Sam raises his voice, his eyes furrowed down at her as she is crazy, "Are you alright!"

Her breathing is uneven and she steadies herself on the side of the vehicle before climbing back inside.

"How can you be concerned about us right now, Mom." He continues to yell, though I know that it is evidently just out of worry for his mother, "I mean, come on! Sarah just punched a dog in the face! She punched it right in the face!"

I try to dismiss his episode for a moment and I question Lucy, "Are you alright?"

She spins in my direction and sends me a smile, "Oh, I'm okay. Just a little startled. That was a crazy thing that you did back there."

I nod and lean backwards before pinning myself back down with the seat belt. As the car turns back around, I'm quick to notice that the German Shepard is no longer guarding the gate. It's as if he has just vanished. My brows knit together and I keep my gaze fixed on the small of Max's property, my thumb nail digging into the flakey bits of skin peeling around my fingers.

A thick and estranged silence floats between the three of us as we pull out of the drive way. I turn towards the back of the car and gaze out of the window as the house shrinks smaller and smaller into the distance, and the uneasy feeling that had bubbled deep in my stomach begins to disappear.