Upside Down

Four

The next morning, I roll out of bed. Literally. I fall onto the floor face first and groan. Despite the rough start, I am determined to try to make the best of today.

It's a new life I am starting today. Logan really helped me figure out some tough things last night and I'm going to try my best to put things in the past and work through them rather than to let them fester and ruin what is left of my life.

I am going to reclaim my life as my own and stop letting others control my actions and thoughts. Today, I start living for me.

Upon standing up, I can see that Kara is not in her bed. It is made up nicely. She must do that every morning because she seems to be very good at it. The bed looks as if it has never been slept in.

I exit the room and make my way downstairs.

"Oh good! You're up!" Hillary laughs as Kara leaps from the table and clings on to my legs. "If she had it her way, you would have been up hours ago. But I told her to let you sleep."

"Where's my dad?" I ask, ignoring everything she just said.

"Oh, him and Logan went out shooting this morning. They should be back in a few hours." Hillary replies and digs in her purse for something.

That's weird. I didn't even know my father liked to shoot. I didn't even know that he had ever been in a gun range before, much less to hold and shoot a gun at something for the fun of it. That just doesn't seem like my father at all.

It seems like I just keep learning new things about my father...

"Sweetie, do me a favor please and take the kids to the grocery store. I need to run some errands and this would really help me out a ton." Hillary asks me, looking up from her purse.

"Why do I have to do it?" I ask simply. She's not my mother. My mother is dead.

"Because you are the oldest here and we can't go alone!" Kara beans as she grabs tighter onto my legs.

I sigh and look down at the little girl clinging onto my legs, holding them so tight that they begin to go numb. Kara has this way of making me melt to bits when she looks at me with those cute little puppy dog eyes of hers.

"Fine." I look back up at Hillary. "But you've got to give me money for it. There's no way I'm paying."

Hillary digs in her purse some more and pulls out a few bills. I grab it quickly from her hand and yell for everyone to come with. They bound down the stairs eagerly.

So much for not letting anyone else control me...

I wait for everyone by the front door as they slide their shoes and socks on in a hurry. "Be careful guys. And make sure you show Avery the way!" Hillary waves at us as we exit the house in a line. I hold the door open and wait for everyone before letting it slam shut. "Oh!" Hillary yells after us. "And please get Tilly a costume for Halloween while you are there. She's the only one without one yet! Thank you dear!" She waves and blows us kisses as we walk down the lawn.

She disgusts me.

We set off on foot to the store. That is an odd thing for me. I am used to taking the car to the store if we needed something. My father obviously took his car with him this morning but there is still a car in the driveway so I don't see why we can't take it.

"Do you guys always walk to the store?" I ask the group, trying to gather some information about the way they live their lives.

Summer nods adamantly. "Momma doesn't like to pay for gas too much. She says it's too much money."