Remember Me

Chapter One

Jennifer Marleaw lazily dragged her feet across the carpeted floor as she made her way to her younger daughter's bedroom door. Not bothering to knock, she quietly entered her daughter's room and made her way to the girl's bed while carefully avoiding the toys that were scattered around it. She tapped lightly on the girl's shoulder a few times, causing her to stir, her body curling inwardly, before Kaetlyn finally stretched and showed her mother her face.

"Good morning, sweetheart."

"Morning, Mama," Kaetlyn groggily responded as she proceeded to perform a gaping mouthed yawn.

Jennifer smiled lovingly at Kaetlyn and said, "Are you ready for school today? I'm sure Mrs. Daisy would want to see your happy face, aren't you?"

Kaetlyn nodded as she wiped the sleep from her eyes and kicked the covers off of her. At that, Jennifer left her daughter to get ready for school, closing the door behind her, and went next to Danielle's room. She rapped on her daughter's door, waiting for a response. None came. She rapped on the door harder and got a muffled return of "I heard the knock already! Gosh!"

Puzzled as to why her daughter would give such an attitude, Jennifer knocked again (Danielle hissed in annoyance), "Are you okay, Danielle? You sound upset."

The door swung open and revealed Danielle, her face furious, as she muttered through tightly gritted teeth, "I'm not upset, and even if I was, you wouldn't care."

"I would care," Jennifer said in a motherly way. "Your father and I both care about you and Katielyn." ―  Danielle rolled her eyes ― "Now what are you wearing? Surely the school doesn't allow the girls to wear such revealing clothes."

"Mom, it's regular clothes. Besides, if the elementary school girls get to wear stuff shorter than this, than why can't the high school students?" Danielle asked defensively.

Jennifer continued to look disdainfully at her daughter's outfit as she told Danielle to change into something more school-appropriate. In a matter of seconds, Danielle flew off the handle and began screaming at Jennifer, who began screaming back.

" ― WHY WON'T YOU LET ME DRESS HOW I WANT TO DRESS ― "

" ― YOU'LL DO AS YOUR FATHER AND I SAY UNTIL YOU MOVE OUT ― "

The two ladies continued yelling at one another over the threshold into Danielle's room; unaware to the both of them, James made his way up the stairs and onto the landing. He rushed between them and quickly calmed down his wife while Danielle continued to rage at her mother. James then heard a shatter beside Jennifer that caused him to look at the object, an old vase with flowers printed onto it. He spun around, red-faced, and said in a dangerously low voice, "Have you lost your damn mind?"

Danielle immediately went silent as her dad looked at her through narrowed eyes, "HAVE YOU! Look at this. You tried to hit your mom with this. If I wanted to, I could press charges against you - my own daughter. And imagine how disappointing that's gonna be when you have to tell them what started the argument."

James and Danielle stared each other down before Danielle stomped into her room and snatched up her coat and walked back out. She went by her parents and proceeded downstairs, her footsteps audible as she brought them down with full force.

"Where do you think you're going, huh?"

Jennifer reached out to grab her husband's arm and hold him back, "James. She's not worth it." Her husband, however, yanked his hand free and bustled down the stairs, jaw locked and teeth clenched together. He went through the kitchen and, upon seeing Danielle looking out of the window in the sitting room, he closed and locked the door before making towards the last entrance into the sitting room. As he passed the stairs and went into the room, he saw Jennifer coming down the stairs before following him inside.