Heart of Glass (A Pierce the Veil Fanfiction)

I

I ran through the field. My feet pounded hard against the ground as the tall grass enveloped my body from the waist down. The entity I was chasing was straight ahead. Ahead of me standing at a gazebo that seemed to be surrounded by a sort of glow. When I turned around there was a storm. I was running away from it as fast as I could and the sight of it was getting more and more distant until I could barely see it anymore. This was it. I turned around and ran even faster toward the gazebo and crashed into the arms of the man standing there. The tears came like gentle waterfalls falling from my eyes and I finally spoke.

"Dad!?" My smile grew wide as I looked into his brown eyes and he spoke back.

"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!"

"Wait, what? Dad I can't understand you!"

"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!"

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

And boom. Just like that, I was awake. I groaned at the thought of having to start junior year today and shoved my face into my pillow.

This happens all the time. My reoccurring dream. It's not really a nightmare because my dad's in it. The nightmare part is when I have to wake up and face the real world... without him. Nine years ago, when I was seven, I lost my dad to the waves. He was a sailor. Always out sailing with his crew and always traveling and bringing me back the most lovely souvenirs and trinkets that I loved. But one day the storm was just too much for his boat to handle and it sunk. The bodies were found and we held a funeral and had our closure but the wound still stings from time to time.

Most people would never get over this stuff. I move on so quick because I know that it's what he would want. It would make him happy. I still have him at heart.

I glanced over at the picture that stood on the nightstand and took it into my hands.

"I miss you, Daddy." I kissed it and put it back down. I caught a look at the clock and the green numbers read 5:20 a.m. I sighed realizing I should get up and sat up in my bed. I stretched my arms and did the little porn star moan that goes with your morning stretch and shuffled into my bathroom.

Looking into the mirror, I wasn't ugly. Sure, I'm not drop dead Vicotria's Secret model gorgeous but I'm no Ugly Betty either. But even she wasn't that ugly. I stared back at my reflection right into my green eyes. Both my parents had brown eyes but the green was recessive. Both me and my brother inherited that.

I turned the shower all the way up and stepped in. The hot water ran down my back and I washed up and washed my hair and stepped out. Wrapping myself in a towel, I grabbed my blowdryer just as my sister walked in.

"VALERIIIIIE!" That was me.

"YEAH, JAYNE!?" I called back. She walked in, looking an absolute mess. I could tell she had just woke up. Her shiny blonde locks were disheveled and her brown eyes were distressed.

"Damion is in the bathroom. Can I use yours?" I laughed and let her in. She turned on the shower and started getting ready for her first day of freshman year. I blowdried my hair and smiled deep in thought.

Me and my siblings were all close. I was the middle child, and 'Daddy's Little Girl' so I got the room with the bathroom when we bought this house (It wasn't the master bedroom but it was supposed to be a guest room?). My eyes are green with specks of blue in them. My hair was a dark brown, naturally, and that was all my mother's doing.

Damion has green eyes like me with his hair dyed black from the natural blonde of our father. His perfect smile could pull in any girl and his hair was always done in a bad boy style. His jawline was strong and he looked like the type to just go out, fuck shit up, and leave. But he was really quite the gentleman.

Jayne has our parents' light brown eyes and our father's blonde hair. She has freckles like our mother and braces to fix her slightly crooked teeth. She was cute as a child. But now that she's growing up and about to attend Clairemont High with me, I'll be keeping an eye on her. These San Diego boys aren't allowed anywhere near her. Me and my brother already agreed on it.

I cut the blowdryer off and shook out my hair a little. My sister stepped out the shower in a towel.

"Thanks, sis." Jayne thanked me and left my room.

I went to get dressed while the steam aired out the bathroom and found myself on my bed for ten minutes just pondering my outfit. I finally gave up and called for Damion as I just fell back onto my bed. My brother always knew what to wear.

He strode right into my room and saw my current situation. Without a word and without hesitation he sighed and walked toward my closet. I heard him shuffling around before handing me a pair of grey skinny jeans and a red blouse.

"Black makeup, red flats, silver accessories." He said it with a smirk on his face. I just forced a smile at him. "Worried about your first day?" he asked. He graduated high school last year. He was 18 now.

"A little." I replied. I unknowingly began picking at my nails. A bad habit I only did when my nerves got to me.

"Stop." He took my hands and pierced my eyes with his. "You'll be just fine. Just be yourself. Walk to school with Jaime. He'll help you do this." He smiled and ruffled my hair before leaving my room and closing the door to let me dress. I did so and did my makeup and brushed my hair before brushing my teeth and locking a silver locket around my neck. Inside it, a picture of me and my dad. I grabbed my keys and threw them in my bag before picking up my diamond nose ring and heading downstairs.

Downstairs I saw my brother leaving in his black Porsche, something he worked hard to get. He puts a lot of pride in his car. He waved me goodbye and I waved back assuming he was on his way to work, or a date, or something.

I turned around and walked into the kitchen. Debating on a banana or an apple from the fruit bowl, I grabbed the banana and began to peel it as I walked toward the fridge. With my hand on the door, I put the banana down and trudged over to where my mother was.

"Mom, this needs to stop. You can't keep doing this..." I whispered to her gently as I crouched down to her level. She was on the floor, crying. But this was normal now. I recognized this as the aftermath of last night.

"Go away, Valerie! Leave me the fuck alone!" These words she spat at me were cold and harsh but I couldn't let her stay here. Jayne was going to be down any minute.

"Mom, you and Jayne both hate seeing you like this. Come on, get up." I tried to help her up but she only jerked away from me and sobbed into herself even more. She reached out for the bottle and pulled it to her lips. Snatching it out of her hands, I pulled it to mine instead. The harsh and pungent liquid entered my system and I winced.

"HOW DOES IT FEEL MOM!? How does it feel to see me do this!?" I was shouting at her and she only curled up to cry harder. I was tired of this. She didn't need liquor. Hell, I needed that liquor more than her. But there she sat. Crying against the wall next to the fireplace. I sighed, grabbed all the bottles, and left.

I grabbed the banana and the apple for Jayne and intercepted her as she came down the stairs. Grabbing her wrist, we left the house and I locked the door behind us before handing her the apple.

"Valerie?" Her voice was small and shaken.

"Jayne, don't. We can talk about it later. Just eat the apple. Do you want to go to school with me and Jaime today?" I smiled at her and she nodded as a grin grew wide on her face.

So we sat on the doorstep to wait for Jaime to walk by and pick us up.

"I'll be just fine." I muttered under my breath just before I saw the new cherry red Nisan pull up to my house.