Shattered (Book One of The Progressive Trilogy)

Chapter 5: When Demons Come Out to Play

*Edited by crimmsyn*

 As soon as I entered, the screeching of the alarm sounded and I quickly turned it off and reset it to stay. The first thing I did was plop my bookbag down onto the floor and shuffle through the papers Aunt Karen needed to sign. Once I had the decent-sized stack in my hand, I ambled to her office and set it down on her mahogany desk, directly in front of her computer so she'd see them right away.

As I turned to leave, a picture on the wall caught my eye. It was a photo of a younger Aunt Karen piggybacked on my mother, her arms wrapped around my mother's bony shoulders and legs hugged her tiny waist. My mom was more stunning than I remembered. Her vibrant auburn hair was in a tight French braid which trailed over her shoulder, illuminating her sparkling green eyes and striking smile.As I stared at a younger version of my mother, my heart began to ache and an all too familiar sorrow trickled in, causing my chest to tighten and my throat to clog.

Anguish burrowed deeper and brought demons along with it. They began to bang on my armor, desperate to bust through it. Before they overtook me, I retreated from the room and stuffed all thoughts of my mother into a vault, prompting the demons to withdraw and hide behind the dark shattered pieces of my mind.

Around five o'clock, I finished my required homework and packed my things away neatly. I then wandered over to the window seat and sank into the cushion, pulling my legs up to my chest.

The sun still shined brightly in the clear blue sky, highlighting the lush green trees surrounding my new home. Colorful wild flowers in multiple different shades sprinkled along the edges of the forest and peeked around trees farther in. The yard was thick with brilliant green grass with sporadic patches of tree roots popping through. I spotted a couple squirrels chasing each other up and down trees and birds flying in and out of sight, filling the humid air with song.

It was times like these when I knew something this beautiful should take my breath away. I almost wished to let my walls fall only for a second in order to embrace it and feel peace, but my demons would attack at the first sign of weakness. With that thought, my mind instantly squashed the idea..

Weakness gets you killed. Emotions are weakness, I remind myself.

The sky soon transformed into a kaleidoscope of vibrant oranges and pinks above the treeline. A sunset was a really great way for nature to show off. As I looked at the darkening sky, I realized it must be close to eight o'clock, and Aunt Karen had yet to arrive home.

I scooted off the seat and hurried over to my purse to snatch my phone. When I noticed I had two missed calls from her, the panic I had before halted; she must have tried to call to me tell me she would be running late. The sound of a vehicle twisted my head around and I descended the stairs. Aunt Karen walked in minutes later carrying her work things and a plastic to-go bag.

"Hey Em. Sorry I'm late. I called you a couple of times but you didn't answer. I got take-out from Francois' Café, I remembered you liked that Bourbon Street Shrimp from there. I got the Chicken Alfredo, It's my cheat day," she said with a wink She set the bag down on the counter and pulled out the two boxes. She then picked out two glasses and poured us sweet tea.

When I opened my container, my mouth watered at the scent. The café potatoes were golden and crisp, the vegetables were steamed and buttered, and, and the fried jumbo shrimp smothered in crawfish sauce could only be described as perfection. As I ate, I savored the flavor and gulped my tea within seconds.

"So, how was your first day?" Aunt Karen asked while shoving a forkful of pasta into her mouth. When she looked up and actually saw me, she appeared worrisome, but she quickly covered it with an encouraging smile.