A Different Kind

Chapter 9

"Happy birthday to Sara, happy birthday to you!" We all sing to the little smiling blonde that had a paper gold crown on her head. I couldn't help but smile. She's growing up too fast.

"Her Sar, I got you something," James said, handing her a dark blue wrapped present. She opened it and turns out, it was a world map. "I've known that you've always wanted to travel so I thought this would be appropriate."

She smiled widely and hugged her older brother.

"Here," I muttered, handing her that present that I bought. "I hope you like it."

She opened the box and picked up what was inside. "It was our father's."

She looked at me and then at the necklace in front of her. It was a gold chain with gold charms of a pair of converses.

"He got it when he was my age," I smiled. She sniffed a little and looked up at me with a big goofy grin and glassy eyes.

***

"Can I talk to you?" A familiar voice asked behind me. I turned around to face Jackson.

"Hey, Jack. What is it?" I asked. What could he possibly want?

"You never told me that you were going out with Kyle," he muttered.

"I thought he would've told you," I said. "I mean, he is your best friend."

"Not anymore," he glared at his feet.

"What do you mean?" I furrowed my eyebrows together.

"Hey, babe," Kyle said, walking up behind Jackson. Jackson looked up and glared at his best friend, ex-best friend. I wonder what happened.

"Hey," I smiled. I'll ask him about it later.

"I forgot to ask," Kyle said. "How was the trip to South Carolina? How was the beach?"

"It was great," I smiled, throwing glances at Conner. I've been ignoring him ever since the trip. "But I did run into Marcus."

"Marcus?" Kyle asked confused. "I thought you took care of him a while ago."

Let me explain. I was around fourteen or fifteen at the time. I was in a foster home in South Carolina and I went out for a walk.

---

"Mrs.Maree, I'm going out for a walk," I yelled throughout the house.

"Okay, don't stay out too long," she yelled, possibly from the laundry room.

I grabbed my phone and headphones and walked out the door, locking it behind me.

I waited at the bus stop for about thirty minutes and got off at the beach. I saw an ice cream stand giving out free ice cream and I figured it couldn't hurt.

I walked up to the stand and got a waffle cone with one scoop of vanilla ice cream.

***

It was around 9:30pm and I started heading back to the foster home. No one was on the street as I passed a couple alleyways. I felt someone grab my left wrist and I looked up to see a girl who looked just like me.

"Hello, Charlotte," the girl grinned, "isn't it my twin sister."

I spent the next year and a half with her and Marcus. Marcus and her lived each other but he had suspicions that she was a cop and she "caught" her on the phone with the police so he killed her. I jacked him up pretty good after that, let's just say, he needed surgery. I've never seen him since.

"Well, I guess he's back," I muttered, wondering why he was back.

"Shit, this can't be happening," Kyle cursed under his breath. "That bastard of a brother is alive god damnit!"

"Kyle, calm down," I soothed. "You know I can take care of him. I've done it before."

He nodded and pulled me into a hug. I felt his feathery lips kiss the top of my head and his muscles relax a little.