I am not the typical redheaded and freckled Texas girl. My name is Alexis Kennedy Joe. My father left me and my family when I was five. My twin sisters Emma and Lily were only 18 months old. It was in the dead heat of winter and my mother didn’t have a job. Meaning she couldn’t pay the heat bills, so to keep ourselves from freezing to death in the Appalachian Mountains, we moved to Texas. When I was five I probably didn’t recognize why father was leaving and why we were moving so far away. I would soon figure this out
I always pondered on what my father looked like. Did he also have red hair? Does he have bright green eyes like me? Did I get my height from him? All these questions I will probably never know the answer to. My mother, Lisa Joe, was only ever married once, to my dad. My sisters have a different father then me. Now you might want more information about me. I am 15 and turning 16 in November. Right now it is only May 3rd 2017. My hair is a fiery red, my eyes as green as skies are blue. I am very, very tall, about 5’6” yet not too tall to be considered a giant.
My story starts off about two years ago on my 14 birthday I was bored. “Mom I’m bored.” I complained. “Well clean your pigsty of a room or cleanout the attic, your choice.” She inferred with a shrug. I let out a huff and stormed off to the attic. The first thing that caught my eye was an old box of newspapers from when my mother was about my age, 1993. It was odd seeing what happened so long ago; floods, murders, robberies, and much more. It slightly scared me.
I could say the most interesting one was one about a girl, my age Brooke Heats who went missing for over twelve years and was never found. The article simply stated: “Still missing 13 years Brooke Ann Heats, Kidnapped…..Murdered……or…just another runaway?” This one clipping was different it was when my mom was in her twenty's. I was stumped no more information, nothing else. I just assumed she was never found.
“Mom, Come here!”
“What?” she so politely answered.
“Just come here!” She ran up two flights of stairs and so carefully didn’t wake the twins from their endless slumber.
“What is your problem?”
“I just wanted to ask you about this” I lifted the paper towards her. She gasped; I paid no attention to it.
“Where in the world did you get this!?!” she screeched, almost in tears, so much for trying not to wake the twins. I pointed to the box, not knowing exactly what to expect. She simply just collapsed on the floor crying. I gave her a funny look and slowly backed away.
It seemed like she was in the attic for a couple hours. Meaning I had to make dinner, help with homework, do the dishes, and the laundry. I hated all those things. When she finally came downstairs her face was red from crying and her hair was wild. I gave her leftover bowl of spaghetti and got ready for bed. I was going over what had happened that day when I was brushing my teeth.
I slid into bed after I helped Lily and Emma. I tossed and turned all night and when I finally got to sleep I dreamt of what had happened to the girl, and why mom had kept the clipping. At around 10a.m. the next morning I had a panic attack when I realized that I missed that bus and school had already started.
I quickly grabbed some pants and an old flannel with my worn out Converse and brushed my hair as I ran to my barn to get my bike. You see my mom had left for work; she works at the shopping mall. Lily and Emma got on the bus. They all figured I was already at school.
I pedaled so fast. What was Janice thinking, she is my best friend. I would’ve told her if I was sick or some family matters came up. Janice and I have known each other for about nine years. When I first moved to Texas I started kindergarten and joined girl scouts. Janice Kingsley was my first friend. Yes I know it is still sort of lame to still be in girl scouts at fourteen but we love it too much. This year the girl scouts were planning a mystery vacation and what not.
