Heaven or Hell

The Day My Personal Hell Began

The earliest memory I have is from my fifth birthday. My mother went into labor just as we finished breakfast that morning. Brogan, my oldest brother, stayed home with me and the other lackeys. At the time it was just six of us. There was Brogan(15), Jamie, Luke, Grant(10), and finally Jordan and me. Jordan and I are twins, unfortunately. When Ma came home two weeks later, we had 5 more additions. Those additions were Graham, Marcus, Julian, Conner, and Rylan. In case you were wondering, yes, they are quintuplets. My father left when I was seven. He never said why. One morning, I came downstairs, and he was taking his stuff to his car. He said bye to all of us and that was that. My mother struggled to pay bills and take care of us after that. I'm 61 years old now and understand that we weren't the only ones with messed up families, but back then I blamed him for everything that happened to us. Especially when things took a turn for the worst.

Friday, May 5, 2015, 6:00 A.M

Lexi and Jordan's 9th Birthday

I get up and turn my alarm off and stretch a bit. School ends in a couple of weeks and I can't wait! Ma's been saving up for camp for me since I was six. This is the year I'll finally get to go! I go get dressed and head downstairs. I start smelling cake before I even get to the middle landing. I make it to the bottom and head to the table. Ma's setting the table with the birthday dishes. They're cool ones, made to look like each planet. I sit down and look at my Ma, looking forward to the rest of the day. I go to get the knife ready so I can cut my slice out when I hear thundering on the stairs. One by one my brothers head out. Brogan in the front, heading over to my father's old seat, the triplets going straight for the one bench seat, Jordan, of course, sits next to me, and the Frightful Fives go to the last few seats on the other side of the table. Ma lights the candles, and Jordan and I lean in. We've practiced doing things at the same time 'cause it seems to creep people out a little. We make our wishes and blow out the candles at the same time. All of my brothers know not to sing the birthday song at this point. Jordan and I tend to beat up anyone who does. Me and Jordan both get brand spankin' new bikes from Ma, we get books from Brogan and Grant, Jamie and Luke give us the newest iPhones, the Frightful Fives give us pictures they drew, I give Jordan new action figures, and he got me the new earrings I wanted. I eat my slice of cake and go to get ready for school. It's only a couple of blocks away, so we're allowed to walk there and back. My best friend Alli is waiting for me when I get there. She hands me a small, flat, rectangular package.

" Open it," she says with a tiny smile.

I open it and gasp. She got me tickets for the heavy metal concert that's in town this weekend. I count the tickets. There are thirteen of them. Enough for me, my brothers, my Ma, and a friend, to all be able to go. I look at her and see that there are tears in her eyes.

" How did you get these?" I ask her, in shock.

She starts crying. "My dad got them. We're moving next week, so he got these so I could do one last big thing with you before we leave."

I start to reply, but class starts. Turns out that since school will be ending soon, we have to start the k-prep practice now. When we finally get out for lunch, I immediately go to try to find her. The principal sees me and tells me that she already left for home. I eat my lunch quietly and go back to class. The math teacher hands out our worksheets, and I start working on mine. I'm about halfway done when I hear whispering from the front of the room. I look up to Brogan talking to my teacher. They talk quietly for a minute and then Ms. Maggie and Brogan look at me sadly.

"Lexi, get your stuff, and let's go," Brogan says. He doesn't meet my eyes as he says it.

I look at him for a moment, then gather up all my stuff. I follow him out to his pickup.

" Where's Ma?" I ask worriedly. Brogan's never picked me up before, which makes me think something's wrong with Ma.

Brogan looks down at his lap, then looks back up and starts the car. When he looks back up, I see that he's crying. I'm really confused. Brogan never cries, like ever. He's the toughest person I know. I ask him again.

" Where's Ma? Where is she? Why are you crying?" I'm trying not to cry at this point. It's obvious that something has happened and I'm getting kinda scared.

"Lexi, Ma's gone. She dropped off Graham, Marcus, Julian, Conner, and Rylan. But on her way back, another car hit her and she went off into a ditch. She's gone, sis." He says, still crying. I hear what he said, but pass out before I can hear anything else. I wake up the next morning as Brogan puts me in the van.

Next morning, 9 A.M.

We get to some building and Brogan carries me inside. Brogan walks into a very big room and sits me on his lap, and all of my brothers sit around us. I look around and realize that we're in a courthouse. There aren't many people here, but those who are, are looking at us with pity.

" Brogan Walker" a voice calls out. I jump and then realize it was the judge. Brogan sets me down in between Jamie and Luke. He walks up to the podium.

"Please state your Name, Address, Date of Birth, and what you're hoping to accomplish by being here today." Judge Crookes commands.

" My name is Brogan Walker, I live at 385 Rosewood Circle, Louisville, Ky. My mother died yesterday, and my father left a few years ago. I am wanting to gain custody of my siblings. I don't want to lose any of them to the system."

" How many siblings do you have?" Judge Crookes asks, looking over at us.

" Ten, your Honor," Brogan replies.

Everyone in the room gasps. Around here, having more than five siblings that share both parents is rare, so to have ten siblings- well that is quite frankly unheard of.

Judge Crookes speaks to the people next to him for a few minutes.

"Alright, you may get custody of your siblings, if and when the Child Safety Search is done, your home is judged safe enough, and your job is deemed suitable for the number of dependents you'll have. You will get a four-month trying period. If after that time is up, your siblings are still alive, happy and well, then you may sign the Full Custody Agreement. Any Questions?" The judge asked him.

"No, your Honor. Thank you." Brogan stated, then he walked back to us.

We all went out to the van.

Brogan managed to get full custody of us four months later. Because of everything that happened, I ended up missing the concert. Unfortunately, because of this, I never saw Ali again.