The New House

Chapter 1 - Death's end

I see the preacher's lips move but I don't hear any words come out, all is silent."Why? why did my father have to be taken?" I look at my mother in tears and my little brother tugging her dress asking "is daddy going to wake up?" Me so desperately wanting to tell him no, he won't and your stupid for asking a question like that, ill let it pass. Everyone showed up in black that day, except aunt Lauren, she wore a red dress with a red rose hat. She blamed my mother for my fathers death. Aunt Lauren never really like my mother, she tolerated her when my father was alive.

At the end of the funeral I rushed into the car anxious to leave. My mother gets in and puts johnny in his car seat. I dont know why he still has one, being 8 years old and all. We pull up to the house and I see all our stuff being put into a trunk, I look at my mom hoping she'll explain but she just gets out of the car and helps them load things. I get out and little johnny looks at my hoping i get him out of his car seat but I continue walking up the drive way to my mom. I grab her shoulder and say " Mom whats going on here? Why are these men packing our stuff into that truck?". My mom looks at me and says " We are moving, the bank is taking the house because they say your father owes money or something, so i gathered the rainy day money we had in the house and hired some movers and bought a small house". I look at her like she was nuts, "I'm not going any where, my friends are here and my school". I lied about the friends thing, i wasn't very approachable and my mom new that thats why she walked away. Little johnny starting crying and my mom rushed to the car to comfort him. I go inside the house and grab a few things and see a picture of me, my dad, and my mom holding johnny. I was about 10 when that picture was taken, I held it close to my heart thinking of the last words encounter I had with my dad.

I go back to the car and sit in the front seat. Mom signs the movers to follow us as she gets into the car. We're driving up this curvy hill, as i look out the window I see moutains and the more the car goes up the hill the more snow I see. We pull up to this town and the sign is in a different language, i think its french, Bienvenue chez moi. As we pull up into our new driveway I pray this house isnt ours. I look at my mother and say " Please tell me this is a joke", she looks at me and says "home sweet home". She gets out the car and lets johnny out of his car seat. As i get out of the car seeing the trucks pull up behind us I notice that we only we 3 other houses on our street and 2 of them are vacant. My mom walks into the house with little johnny in her arms and opens a box that mover lays down. She holds a frame to the wall and says to me "What do you think?" I look at it and say "Maybe we should try it on our old wall it might make me feel more at home". My mom gave me a look that can only mean, theres no hope for you. I walk onto the patio rubbing my arms thinking about if my mom intentionally meant to hurt me, maybe she blames me for my fathers death. Maybe, Maybe i thought to much into it.

As my mom unpacks things, I go wandering off the patio thinking whats in that pale white forest. All the snow in the way I can hardly see straight into the forest. Its weird because its right behind my house. Ugh... did i just call this place my house? My little brother is begging my mom for hot chocolate when she hears a knock upon the door. She looks through the peep hole and says to us " Oh its just the sheriff". She opens the door and smiles "hello officer, how may i help you?" "Ma'am i'm here to help you, I've heard you just moved in and im here to welcome you into our town. Its not big but its mostly quiet around here, except on halloween" He says. I couldn't help but ask "What happens on halloween?""Well just a bunch of teens getting into trouble is all... I want you to stay away from those type of kids now, ya hear me?"The cop replies then my mom says " Oh she will" and invites him in. My mom sits on the couch and so does the sheriff. " Sweetie why don't you go unpack the dishes" "Why me?" i asked. "Because i'm talking with the sheriff about  what schools you can go to next year". I stomped away from the living room, frustrated with my mom. I go onto the patio with my journal, just so we're clear its a journal not a diary. I recite this poem i've wrote.

"Trouble, trouble i am not just wild and rational and young, Fear, fear i have not but awareness of the possibilites that can happen to me, Love, love i have not but what opportunities do i give for love?"

Then i hear someone clapping moving closer towards me. I close my journal and run towards the house but the screen doors locked. I turn around slowly and theres someone standing there in front of the patio.