Secrets

Chapter One

The tears fell endlessly. It was such a depressing place around. There were empty roads, dark clouds, striking wind, and timid raindrops. Yet, for some reason, this all made Aubrey calm. Does that even make sense? These are the exact thoughts that ran through Aubrey Lander’s mind as she walked, one foot after the other. She wasn't sure what was more depressing, walking down an empty road at 1am in the pouring rain, or sitting in her room listening to the screaming and yelling that pierced her ears. She enjoyed the quiet that engulfed her as she walked. Her feet were beginning to soak with the water around her. But as she wrapped her sweater around her to help with the wind her eyes began to dry, and the tears began to stop. This was her pure serenity. “They probably won’t even notice I’m gone,” She thought to herself. Some people were just too closed in their own little selfish world to notice what was going on around them. Even if that meant they’re 18 year old daughter running off in the middle of the night.

The funny thing was, things weren't always this way. She didn't always climb out her window at all hours of the night. She didn't cry all the time. She didn't feel the need to escape. Years ago, she loved spending time with her family. It was always her parents and her little sister. They were such a close knit little family. Her and her sister did everything together. And her parent had this look of love in their eyes that wasn’t replaceable. You could sense such a family atmosphere wherever they went. She loved having the feeling of trust. She could talk to her family about anything. She remembers days in middle school where she would come home crying. Those little adolescent problems where your friend refused to invite you to their birthday party. Such typical times. Her mother would hug her as she cried and always assured her that everything would be ok. Her father would promise that the party wouldn’t be any good anyways, so she wouldn’t be missing out. Then they would break out in silly songs that made her laugh and giggle until she forgot all about those girls at school. Even when she would come home all stressed out over boys and homework, her parents never failed to sit her down and talk it over. They were such a well-known family, and Delhi was such a small little town. For some reason along the line, things changed. Everyone became so distant. She was no longer first in her parent’s lives. They never talked. She didn’t feel an open relationship. It was like her and Shayla were all alone, and they were living with strangers. It’s like her parents had changed somewhere along the lines, and Aubrey wasn’t quite sure how to stop it.

Aubrey’s mother was successful at her job, but was always too busy. She was a teacher at the high school that Aubrey attended. She woke up every morning prepared to teach hundreds of students the art of arranging numbers and figuring out equations. Unfortunately for Aubrey, she didn’t receive her mother’s gift in mathematics. Regardless, Aubrey and her sister Shayla, who was a sophomore, spent every day in the same building as their mother. You’d think that would mean she’d see a lot of each other. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case.  For some reason, her mother cared more about her students than her own daughters. That was something that cut to Aubrey’s core. She didn’t understand what had changed so much that summer before her freshman year. When Aubrey was going through her breakup with her first boyfriend, she needed her mother. Back then when the little immature relationships were a huge deal and the whole world felt like it was coming to an end. His name was Brayden. He was an inch shorter than Aubrey, had sandy blonde hair and loved to skateboard. He sat beside Aubrey in class and they bonded over fractions. It was meant to be in Aubrey’s mind. But summer had approached, and they lost touch as they were splitting off into different high schools. He called her up and broke up with her over the phone. Aubrey spent days crying. All she wanted was her mom to hug her and tell her it would be ok. But she was too busy. Her mother decided it would be best to take on more responsibilities. She was getting ready to teach more classes, and more students. She decided to babysit the neighbor kids, and help out at the church. There wasn’t time for anything else. Aubrey was convinced it was because of the passing of her mother’s sister. Aunt Marlene and her mom were best friends. So close in age, and so close to each other. Her aunt had died of breast cancer two days before Aubrey graduated from middle school. Aubrey could never forget the day of her aunt’s funeral. Her mother’s face looked almost white. Her long blonde hair was a mess. And her eyes were a bright red, obviously from crying. There was a look in her eyes that Aubrey couldn’t understand. Her eyes were dark and filled with hurt. It was a look she had never wished to see. Her aunt’s death had taken a toll on her mother, and things had never quite been the same.