Chapter Three
Amber
Our house is cold and falling apart. Currently, its empty. Which adds to the coldness of it. I flick on the lights and doge the cardboard boxes and I go to set my pack down and go get Katie, my little sister. I shouldn’t have stopped to put it down, I’m already late, but too late now. I stop when I see a note on my door.
Amber,
Got home early and went to pick up Katie.
I figured you needed a break.
I love you. :)
Love,
Mom.
I sigh and shake my head. I am a little happy though. I do need a break. Not from my daily chore of picking up my sister and guiding her home but from life in general. However, this would have to do. I grab a bottle of water from our-for once-fully stocked fridge along with an apple and take it back to my room. There I push boxes out of my way and sit on my bed, starting my homework. The cardboard boxes where filled with out things, still unpacked after moving. No one had time so we just left them there until we needed something. Then it was hours of searching to find it. It was how we worked. No one had time to unpack. Katie was too small, I was busy with school and homework and our mother worked, it was the only way we got money. She did her best but sometimes it wasn’t enough. I would starve for a few days so my family could eat. It was my fault we lived like this. If I didn’t get into so many fights, we wouldn’t have to move. That is why I’m with The Crowd. To keep out of trouble. So far so good, it’s been almost six months of this place and I have yet to intercept a call home about a fight.
After a while, I check the time. My mom should be back by now. My sister should be talking to me about her day while we all help cook. They’re not though.
That’s when the knock sounds at our front door.
Confused, I go answer it. It swings open to show two people dressed head to toe in police gear. My heart drops, seeing their car out by our lawn.
“Hello. You must be Amber Knight. Is your dad home?” A tall male with black hair asks. I shake my head, the dread in my gut too much to be able to talk.
“What happened?” I ask eventually, my voice small and weak.
“Well…Mrs.Knight.” the man starts out. His partner, a blonde almost as tall as him, cuts in.
“You’re mother and sister where in a car crash.” She says. “They…Neither one made it.”
My heart breaks and crashes in my chest. I can’t believe it. I know my face shows nothing. “Oh…well…thank you for informing me.” I say numbly. They’re about to respond when I shut the wooden door. I twist the lock and sit behind the couch, trying to process what was happening. Theres knocking on the door but I don’t register it in my brain. Eventually the police leave. And eventually, I break down crying. Sobbing. I’m all alone now.
I stand and wipe away the final tear that’s falling. I grab my jacket off the hook and walk out of the house, needing fresh air. I make my way to the park where Katie and I would swing. I bite my lip and start jogging, thinking about the pounding of my feet on pavement and nothing else. I reach where I was heading-the playground. Our favorite place here as a family. I gave a broken smile at the memories laid in the rather small lot as my chocolate brown eyes scanned over it until I saw who stood by the tree.
James.
James with a gun.
A gun to his head.
My heart drops and starts pounding in its newfound location, wherever that may be. I charge, screaming “Stop!” at the top of my lungs. Thankfully I’ve had a lot of practice sprinting and I was able to tackle him before the shot fired. It did fire though.
The hammer hit the gun, setting off the inner mechanics to fire the shot with a loud boom. Right into my thigh. I cry out in a odd cry of pain, sitting up and grabbing where the bullet entered, warm blood seeping though my fingers.
“What the @#!*% is your-Oh my god.” I hear James’ deep rumble of a voice behind me. I don’t turn to look at him, tears of pain forming in my eyes.
“Are you gonna help?” I growl through clenched teeth. “Or just stand there like an idiot.”
