The Can-soup Infection

Chapter 1 (Hazel)

  Three years at college, zero jobs, and the cherry on top, I was back at my childhood home or house you could call it. It never really felt like home. When I left for college, I had the mindset I'd never have to return. They say you end up where your supposed to be but I'm not sure. I think they were mistaken. Karman Wild, My mom, didn't want me to come back. My step dad had to talk her into it. She had always thought I was dumb to love science, she didn't want me to go to college for something as dumb as science. In a way she was right, I'm neck deep in loans, my scholarship help out a lot but not enough. 

My sister, Ashley, has changed in the last few years. I think shes mad at me about not calling her. I know I should have called. The things we learn along the way, right? She really has grown into a beautiful young women. Her auburn hair, like our fathers, hung in gentle waves down her back, shes filled out more in places that make her seem older, and shes like the sweetest girl except when you piss her off. Shes the kind of girl you don't want to mess with. Ash knows like five martial arts that I'm aware of. She learns a new one every time shes bored.

I pay my taxi driver and turn towards the house. The old Victorian style house with three floors. I'm surprised it's still standing, some days, when it's really windy you can hear the house screaming. It's the same as I remember the same old porch swing, same brown door, same stairway leading up to my old room in the attic, and the same peeling paint. I sigh as I walk up to the house.

"lets just get this over with, Haz"

I walk onto the porch and knock. once. twice before a bored looking Ashley opens it.

"You could have just unlocked it and walked in." she says as she pushes it open for me to go past her. "its not like you haven't lived here before."

I walk past her and look around the house. It looks the same. I watch Ashley walk into the kitchen and sit back at the counter. I study her face. She got our mom's button up nose and her lips are plump. Her most striking feature is her eyes. When she was born the doctors told us she had heterochromia eyes, which basically means her eyes are two different colors. We used to joke that when God was making her he couldn't decide if he wanted her to have our dads sea-green eyes or our moms grey eyes. He gave her both since I didn't have either.

"You still have the same room," Ashley inturpts my thoughts, "mom never wanted to make the trek up there to clean it out."

I shake my head, "uh thanks."

"oh if your hungry, you can eat anything in the fridge, but spoiler alert the milks spoiled." she looked up and smirked at me.

I chuckle "I'll pick up some food tomorrow when DJ comes over"

She rolls her eyes and goes back to eating her lunch as I look in the fridge for something to eat. "why didn't karman pick up food before she left?"

"she did. she got enough for two days and left the car," She continues to scroll through her phone, "I think she forgot I don't have a license yet. She left her card two so feel free to use that to." 

I look at Ash shocked, "she left a week ago. have you been eating take out?" she nods. I grab a water bottle and head upstairs.

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I stick my key in the hole and jiggle it around until I hear a click. I slowly open my door, dust rushes at my face. I cough until the dust settles, once I can finally open my eyes I look around my room. Besides the dust every thing was where I left it. Making a mental note to dust everything I walk around my room. The couch I bought in tenth grade sits in the middle of the room, its red/brown color complimenting the woody feel of my room. A dark rug DJ and Me made for a project in eighth sat under it. I take in the rest of the room, the long dark oak book case against the far wall next to the door that leads outside, and my L shaped desk against the corner of the room opposite of the inside door. I walk over and look at the photos of DJ and me from all of our dances, photos of us from when we became best friends when we were seven playing in the sand box, and one from when we were nine and ten in our school play 'The Princess and The Frog'. A picture of Ash and Me with our dad before he passed away.

There's rows of old library books I 'lost' until we bought them then 'found' them the next day. There was chemistry and biology books, along with some psychology textbooks. I grab my suitcase and roll it into my bedroom off of the main room. Throwing my bag onto the mattress of my bed, I go down stairs to find cleaning supplies. Ash is still sitting in the kitchen, I grab the dust and mop, I clean. 

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