The Bringers of Chaos

Chapter 6 - A new home

Sam sat quietly in Katie's car, waiting patiently for the next place she would stay at before being forced away. Smooth jazz played over the speakers like they were in a fancy hotel.

Her best friend, Mariam, sat next to her, playing with the tiny braids she'd pulled out of her ponytail. She held Samantha's hand gently, careful not to hurt her. She looked afraid, like whatever the future held might hurt them.

"Hey." Samantha said, her mind failing her the second she needed it. She shifted in her seat to face her friend.

Mariam was startled at first but then stopped playing with her braids. She had pulled out a pair of fingerless gloves and wore them, needing the warmth now more than ever. She smiled at her. "Hi."

They both sat awkwardly for a moment.

"Sorry for-" They both spoke at the same time then stopped.

"You go first." Samantha urged Mariam.

"No, you."

Samantha sighed, defeated. "I-I'm sorry for yelling at you that night at the hotel. I know I hurt your feeling and-." Mariam hugged her to shut her up.

"It's okay, dork." She pulled back, smiling. "I know you've been going through a tough time. I'm just sorry for not being there when you needed me."

"Hey, that's not your fault. It's my life. You play no part in making it worse. You actually help make it a bit more manageable."

"Such a best friend I am... I can't even imagine how hard it must be for you."

"My family has always hated me. I've gotten used to it by now..."

"You shouldn't have to be!" Mariam yelled. "Look at my parents, my dad's deaf and my mom's blind, yet they still love me and take care of me."

"Yeah, well newsflash, my dad's an asshole. He doesn't care if it's my fault or not; he needs someone to blame, and that person is me."

Mariam looked disgusted. "I hope when he dies, he rots in hell for all of eternity."

"Yeah, me too."

The car was once again silent except for the smooth jazz playing quietly in the background.

Bored, she pulled out her butterfly knife with a very real blade and started playing with it. She did some tricks she'd learned when she was young but then stopped, opting to just flip and flick it instead. She had earned many scars from it, shown by the hundreds of 'paper cuts' littered all over her fingers.

Abruptly, the car stopped. They had reached Katie's house.

Samantha thought quietly to a few hours before when she'd spotted Amelia and Jessica eavesdropping on the staircase. She hadn't thought much of it but when she locked eyes with Amelia, she had a kind of crazed light in her eyes. It wasn't mischievous, no. More like she had discovered a new power or something life changing.

From experience, she didn't see it as a good thing.

Those same eyes had plagued her father in the last couple of days before she ran, making him more violent and unstable.

She had heard about the fight between Amelia and Richard. It had been bad, but Amelia didn't seem like the type of person who would go out of her way to start violence.

She shook her head as if to shake off the thought itself. She needed sleep and this place, for now, was the only place she could get it. Samantha heaved her bag onto her shoulder and followed Mariam and Katie into the house.

It was the same as before, quiet, peaceful and comforting. It was home to the most comfortable couches Sam had ever sat on, plus some amazing lemonade.

The smell of citrus burned through the air, evaporating from the oven.