Another Lifetime

Chapter 10

DeAnna Kastell

"What you doing?" Frank asked me as he came into my art room after working over time.

"Commissioned piece for Mr Castello," I said and I was painting a portrait of our parents when they were younger, before they had any kids.

"Anniversary present?" He asked me and I put down my pencil.

"It's a business deal," I told him, "and I'm signing it with my old tag to annoy mom when she sees it," I added and my alarm when off, telling me I
had to get ready for school.

"That's my little sister," Frank said and kissed my forehead. "Now go get ready for school," he told me and opened the door to my super secret hideout.

"Oh, I'm going shopping with Jessie after school," I reminded him and he pulled out his wallet to give me my debit card. We agreed that it was better a off that he had the card for my trust fund most of the time in case I relapsed so I didn't have access to funds to get drugs.

"What are you buying?" He asked me as he followed me out.

"School dance in two days," I said and took my card from him. "Jessie wants to buy a new dress and I want to pick up some art supplies," I told him, "that and I'm tired of the way I dress," I added awkwardly as I opened up my closet.

"I get it," he said, "just keep it toned down from New York DeAnna because I think this town might have a coronary they met the old you," he told me and they might actually.

"Agreed," I said and pulled out a black skater skirt with a silver octopus on it from my closet, part of a New York DeAnna outfit. "I'm not the same girl I used to be but I haven't really changed as much as I thought I had," I told him and threw the skirt onto my bed.

"You were trying to start over, Dea, but you didn't a completely clean slate, you just needed a change of atmosphere," he said and I didn't say anything.

"I'll see you later," he told me and headed probably to his own bed to get some sleep before going back into work. He loved his job but he worked way too hard, and maybe he would chill out a little when he started working for the FBI cyber crimes Unit.

I got dressed and tucked my tank top into my skirt as I headed out the front door to walk to school. Except a car was parked out front next to Frank's, my car from New York. As far as I knew, it was in my storage unit back in New York.

There was an envelope taped to the wing mirror. Scrawled on the front was a message from Frank.

'Drive yourself to school - Frank'

I turned it over and there was another note on the back.

'I've cleared out the hides'

He was referring the fact I used to hide heroin in my car in case I fell apart and needed oblivion to fix the world for a while.

I tipped my keys out of the envelope and immediately rang Jessie to tell her I could pick her up.

"The lady Jezebel can't make the phone right now, this is Ronnie," her older sister answered and I laughed a little.

"Tell Jessie I can come pick her up for school, or throw her in Barry's cold bath to wake her up," I said and started up my car.

"I'll go throw her in the bath now, see you later Dee," Ronnie said then hung up on me. I turned on the radio and scanned the stations to find the one I listen to in just about everyone's car.

I found it and cranked it up before pulling away from the curb. I loved this car to an unreal level, and I'd been driving this car since I was fifteen after I managed to hack myself a hardship licence and Kings got hold of one for Griffin, also helps that he's a year older than us.