Living with the Millers

Chapter 1 - Meeting the Family

Chapter 1 - Meeting the Family

The long dirt road seemed to twist on forever in front of us, winding far past the horizon. The grass was unbelievably green with vibrant, colorful wildflowers popping up from the dirt. Everywhere I looked there was thriving wildlife, something that I wasn't used to in my old home of Gulkana, Alaska. Especially during this time of year. December had barley ended, and there was only a slight brisk to the air in Nashville, Tennessee.

With a sigh I leaned my head against the cold window, breathing out of my nose. The heat fogged up the glass, and I ran a finger through it just like I had as a child. I didn't want to be here, but I couldn't show it. I had to be strong for my sisters.

"How are you guys holding up?" I asked, glancing into the back of the van. Arielle and Zoe, the youngest, were leaned up against each other, fast asleep. Their blonde hair fell over their faces, fanning up and down every time they breathed through their open mouths. Cora, the thirteen year old brat, huffed at me and rolled her bright blue eyes. I wasn't surprised by the attitude, it happened quite a lot.

"How do you think we're holding up, Shi?" London sighed, shaking her head. Her blonde hair was pulled into a tight, neat bun just like it almost always was. It was comforting to me, in a way, that she, at least, was maintaining some sort of normality in this completely abnormal situation. She was fifteen, and handling this situation the best. I was a bit envious of her ability to hold herself together, if I'm being honest.

"Right," I sat forward, focusing on the road ahead of us. The end still wasn't visible. "Sorry."

Silence fell over us, with the exception of the occasional cough from the man driving the car. He had introduced himself as Jason, and that was all I knew about him. He had neat, short brown hair and dull green eyes. He was a complete stranger, and yet I had no choice but to let him drive us through the middle of nowhere. Supposedly I could trust him, but I wasn't sure yet.

We had been driving for about an hour now, and exhaustion was pulling at my brain. Ever since the funeral, I hadn't slept much. Every time I closed my eyes I would see the coffin lowering into the ground, and my nine year old sister, Arielle, clinging to my leg. My Gran's pale, slack face was burned into the back of my eyelids.

Gran had raised us, she had been my mom for as long as I could remember. Loosing her was tough, and I didn't know how long I would be able to hold it together. So far I had been okay, but now we were moving across the country, into a strangers home. I didn't know how I would deal with it.

My mom had been a no good druggie; I was dropped off with my Gran when I was two, supposedly in pretty bad shape. Gran had nursed me back to health. Every two years or so another sister would show up, and my mother would disappear again. Five years ago, when I was twelve, we got the call that my mom had OD'd. It really wasn't a surprise, to be honest. I'm not even sure I missed her; how can you miss something you never had?

In her will, my mom had left us to my Gran and Gramps. Gramps had passed away when I was nine of cancer, so it had just been Gran for a while, but she was getting up there, and her family had a history of heart disease. The cause of death had been a heart attack. At least, that's what they told me. All I knew was I had come home from school one day and found her sprawled out on the kitchen floor, a puddle of blood surrounding her body. She had been cooking, and when she fell over she fell on a knife...I could still hear my sisters screaming.

None of us had a father listed on our birth certificates, and I could only assume we all had different dads. My mom had been an only child, and since there was no way of knowing who our biological fathers were, there was no family left to ship us off to. The only option was to send us to my listed god mother, a woman named Savanna Miller.