Rayna and her Sunshine

Life is Unfair

Rayna hated funerals, just like most anyone would. She already had to bury her parents at a young age, leaving her and her three siblings under the care of her grandparents, Anne and Edgar Kreese. Rayna's dad died at work during a freak accident, he was a forklift driver at a warehouse, he loved his job, unfortunately, some heavy product fell on him that tragic day.

As for her mother, alcohol was her nemesis, fighting that demon each day was a struggle; she was a functioning alcoholic, she made sure she worked so she could provide for her kids. Leaving Rayna to all but raise her siblings, that was until she was diagnosed with cancer. Little ten-year-old Rayna fought her cancer for four years, leukemia, it was aggressive and once the light at the end of the tunnel could be seen, it would return.

"This can't be happening," Rayna cried into her Grandpa Edgar's chest as he held her close, she had just finished a round of chemo, "She can't be gone," Rayna sobbed. Her mom had gotten into a head-on collision, killing her and Rayna's youngest brother, Johnathen.

From that day on, her grandparents did their very best to raise the four kids. Rayna looked after her siblings as best she could when she was sick. Her great uncle John would visit often before her parents passing and even after, until one day he just stopped showing up.

Rayna moved from Portland to Encino after her grandpa had died, she didn't want to stay where so many unsettling events took place. On Edgar's deathbed, he made Rayna promise that she would seek out his older brother, her great uncle, and make sure he was ok. So that's what she did. She paid off the debts her grandpa and siblings had with the estate she sold off and moved, her younger siblings didn't speak much to her, they were brats, spoiled, mouthy. Must be the Kreese blood.

Walking up the stairs of a very run-down looking apartment complex, she tried hard not to judge that this is where her great uncle had been living. She sat her large suitcase holding all her life next to the door and knocked.

"Read the sign, I don't want solicitors," the man bellowed as he opened the door, stopping the instant his eyes landed on Rayna's small frame, "Ray? Is that you?"

The young woman nodded, "Hi, Uncle John," she said with as much confidence as she could. John wrapped his arms so tight around her, she clutched him, a hiccup of emotions coming out of her, tears flowing down her face. It had been so long since they had seen each other. Granted, she was just coming off her cancer treatments the last time he saw her, she had no hair, she was small and frail. Rayna is 29 now, a woman, a broken woman, but she still yet stood.

"Christ, come in, come in," John ushered her in, grabbing her suitcase.

She sat on the sofa, a small, dank apartment, it was nothing to be proud of, but at least he had a roof over his head.

"Jesus, kid, it's been too long," John smiled, handing her a glass of water, "What brings you this way?"

Rayna sighed, gathering her thoughts, "Well, Uncle John, I figured since you stopped calling and writing, after Mama and Pops died and even after your brother passed I figured I should see if my only other form of family was still out here," she sipped the water, trying not to react at the strange taste.

John's lips pressed into a hard line as he leaned back, "How are the others?"

Rayna's large blue eyes flecked with gold flicked up, "You mean my brothers and sister? Tommy, Drew and Amy are still shits as always."

"Not much has changed huh," he managed to chuckle, albeit struggling to find the right words, "Your hair, it's cute. Last time I saw you, you didn't have much left."

Well, he wasn't wrong, chemo had taken her hair. Rayna kept it somewhat short on the sides and the back, the top was wavy, she had several ear piercings in each ear, a singular nose stud in her left nostril. She found her confidence at a young age, being teased for having cancer hardened her.