Destiny's Institute

Part One - Chapter One - The Official End of Only the Beginning

          I trudged down the stairs, the glint in my eye displaying exactly how I felt. It was six in the morning and I had heard some type of yelling coming from the basement, which didn't surprise me. It was most likely my parents, bickering like they typically did. Azlynn Cyllis is the name those people gave me, and I actually cringe every time I tell people my name and my older brother's name: Auden Cyllis. If there is anything in the world I hate, it's names that begin with the same vowel. Like, really? Who do you think you are, the Kardashian's? Anyway, I wandered over to the basement door, pressing my ear against it. I know it sounds weird, but I honestly love drama. Even if it's my own family's drama. "You just don't understand!" My mother yelled.

"Oh, yeah, Lyndsey, I don't understand. You don't understand anything about my life or your children's lives!" My father actually wasn't wrong about that. My mother doesn't care about our family the least bit. I could say, "Mom, I almost died getting trapped in a ditch today," and she would reply, "That sounds great, honey," while filing her nails.

"Fighting again?" A voice appeared behind me and I snapped my head around, genuinely surprised. My thoughts exclaimed, Busted! But when I turned around, I breathed a sigh of relief when Auden took my view. "Am I that scary?"

"When you sneak up on me, yes. Now, what do you want?" I pressed my ear against the door again and then shook my head when I heard, "You don't love me!"

"Oh, I just heard someone yell, 'You don't understand!' then figured that if I was awake, you were probably awake too," Auden replied, and he spoke the truth. He was a heavy sleeper, and I was not. So if he woke after hearing something like screaming or shouting, he would just have to assume I was awake too. Don't wish to be like me because my ADHD kicks in at about midnight, and after that, my thoughts are all jumbled, singing, One sheep, two sheep, cow, pig, goat, Old McDonald had a farm! "Oh, no," I suddenly muttered under my breath when I heard footsteps coming up the basement stairs. "What?!"

"Hide!" Auden and I dove behind the counter just in time because a few moments after we had actually made it, our mother swung open the basement door, yelled, "I'll show you how much I understand!" then slammed the door shut, stomping upstairs. Her stomps made the whole house echo and shake, like an earthquake was getting ready to take place. But her footsteps faded when she made it to her room, which was completely on the other side of us. I let out a sigh of relief, standing up. I scoffed when Auden stood up. "You're welcome," I said.

"Thank you...?" He should've said it in a relieved tone. But instead, it came out like he was asking a question. I rolled my eyes, straining my ears. I swear on my life that I heard crying, no, sobbing coming from somewhere in the house, but I just assumed it was my mother. She always cried like a dying female cat after one of her and my fathers' fights were over. Then again, this sounded like a dying male cat. "Do you hear what I hear?" Auden asked, now putting his ear against the door. "Is that...? No, it can't be. The only time he ever cried was when you broke your arm when you were three." Auden began to laugh. "You jumped off the couch like an idiot!"

"Shut up!" I demanded, pushing him off the door so I could have a turn to listen. He was still laughing when I pulled away from the door and opened it. When I did, his smile faded and he looked at me like I was an unstable psycho that just escaped from the local asylum. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to investigate!"

"What, are you a detective?" I shrugged. "Besides, you can't just walk to where you hear the grown man crying."

"Why not?"

"Talk about the danger zone." I rolled my eyes.

"Stop being dramatic!"

"I'm being dramatic? You're being dramatic!" Before we knew it, we were getting into this heated conversation based on if we thought each other was dramatic. It was just an insult that was returned by another insult. By the time we got in over our heads, we lost real track of reality. I didn't even know it, but a few minutes after we had begun fighting, my father came up the stairs, fury and hurt emotions apparent based on his tear stained cheeks, puffy eyes, and balled up fists. "That's enough!" I figured out that day that his yell was louder than my mother's stomping. "Clearly our fighting," he gestured to my mother without saying he was gesturing to my mother, "has affected you. You know what?" My father pulled his phone out of his pocket, typing something into Google Maps. "You did this," I whispered to my brother.

"I did this? No, you did this." Then, my father held up a picture on Google Images, quieting both of us immediately. Apparently he couldn't find a picture of what he wanted to show us on maps, as he later explained to us. The image showed a building, its whole structure shown in one single photo. Having said that, it wasn't very tall, but it was decently wide and seemed to be well-built. "This is Destiny's Institute," he explained. "This school is well known for its great reviews and intelligent students. It's also a place for getting away from troubles at home, or if you just want to try and focus on your studies without any distractions."

"Okay..." I said slowly, genuinely confused. "What's that got to do with us?"

"Yeah. I mean, it looks like a nice place, but we're perfectly fine here," Auden added.

"Exactly."
"But you guys aren't living in a good environment. You have your mother and I, constantly fighting. That's not good for your eyes to see or for your ears to hear."

"Okay, so? We're happy here. We're with you two, even if you guys aren't always with us. Mom could care less, but we have you."

"My point exactly, Azlynn," my father argued.

"You're not helping our case." Auden leaned against the counter, and I crossed my arms, both of us most likely wanting the same thing. "That's what I'm saying. You don't have a good environment to live in, nor thrive in, so basically when you grow up, your life isn't going to be sustainable because you didn't have two parents who loved you and supported you. You only have one."

"I'm fine with that," I pointed out, looking at Auden. "Are you fine with that, bro?"

"I'm fine with that," Auden nodded, meaning that both of us agreed. My father shook his head.

"Clearly you're not getting the point. Like I said before, this is Destiny's Institute. It's a prestigious academy made for possibly under-privileged and gifted kids to get an assured education. There is a very great and life-changing staff that can make you feel at home," my father snapped his fingers. I believe he was trying to make a point, "like that. It's only an hour away from here, and you can visit on weekends."

"Wait," I sat up straight, looking my father right in the eyes. "I'm sincerely praying you're not going to say what I think you're going to say."

"Pack your bags, you two. I'm shipping you off to Destiny's Institute."