By Chance

ch 10

Raven's P.O.V.

When we leave the restaurant after the mini natural disaster, I feel better. I still can't believe two brothers could end up so different just because they lived with different parents.

"Why do you want to do?" I ask. "Well, I'm pretty sure they haven't got the guy and he excaped, and I know that I'm not taking you to the warehouse again. Is there anything else in your sister's journal that you found interesting?" Gabriel asks. I shrug. "I need to go check. Can we got back to my house so I can grab it?" I ask. "Yeah, sure." He says.

When we reach my house. I sprint up the stairs and try not to make any noise. I told Gabriel to wait in the car. I open my door slowly praying that it won't creek. "Just what do you think your doing missy?" I hear slurred words behind me.

Uh oh.

I slowly turn around. My red eyed ,swollen cheek, drunk, and angry mom stands behind. I'm in trouble.

"Hi mom." I say shakily raising my hand and waiving. "Don't you think you can get away with..." She stumbles into the wall next to my door and walks toward me. I back away. I really don't want her near me. "Don't you have any respect for me? Huh? Don't you care about me?" She yells. "I do but you don't care about you mom! I mean look at you! You need to stop drinking!" I yell back trying to destract her. "I don't need to do anything young lady!" She yells. She smacks me so hard I have to catch my self with the doorway. I glare at her.

I run in to my room grab the journal and slip past her. She to drunk for the ajility required to catch me. I slam the door and lean into it she won't come after me. It'll require to much effort to come down the stairs and get me.

Breathing heavily I get into Gabriel's car. I lean my head against the seat. I look over to him. He's looks shocked. "What is it that bad?" I say and smile then immediately stop because it makes my cheek hurt. "What happened?" He asks worried. He reaches for my cheek. The light touch makes me flinch. He freezes. "There's already a bruise." He says. Something darkens in his eyes. "Did she do this to you?" He asks. "It doesn't matter." I say shaking my head.

I look in the mini flip down mirror. There's a deep dark bruise on my cheek and a cut on my lip. How did that happen. I touchy lip gently. I pull back and look at my finger. Crimson covers it. I quickly wipe it on my jeans.

I look down and try to flip through the journal but my hands are shaking to much. Gabriel slowly peels in from my hands. "Hey, look at me." He says softly. I look up. "It does matter." He says. I shake my head. No it doesn't, it hasn't for the past year. No one's payed attention. My dad moved away a week after my sister went missing as if that was all that was keeping him here. My mom acts like she never loved me. I'm alone. I always have been and always will be. "Your not alone." He says like he can read my mind. "Yeah well that's coming from a person who's know me for three days. Your probably ready to leave me by now and your only here because you want to find my sister. I didn't mean to drag you into this, it's all my fault. That's what my mom says. It's my fault that my sisters gone, it's my fault that my dad left, I'm not good enough. That's all anyone thinks. They might not say it but I can tell by the way they look at me." I can't stop talking. "It's...it's...its.." I can't continue, hot tears run down my face. He hugs me. I don't move I stay curled into my ball but I press my head into his shirt, thankful for the warmth. "It's not your fault. None of it is. And I'm not going to leave you." He says into my hair. "Promise?" I say shakily. "I promise." He says.