Let It Be Known (IN THE PROCESS)

Chapter 1

       "Daniel let's go" I said through a fake smile. I was getting angry and he knew it.
       "But I don't wanna leave yet" he said sounding sad from the top of a tree. I tried to sound reasonable.
       "Danny, mom said that we have to be home before 6:00."
       I checked my phone and it was already 5:40. I knew that we still had 20 minutes left, but like always I knew it was gonna take a while to get my little brother to leave the park. He's basically a monkey. He'd climb trees all day if I'd let him.
       To be honest, ruining his fun was never my intention. I loved seeing how happy he was when he was out in nature. I always smiled at the way his eyes would light up when I took him to the park. The only reason we had to get home before 6:00 was because of our mother; if you could even call her that.
       Daniel and I's mom was a very strange woman. She would do nothing but drink all day, everyday. For some reason, she always wanted us to be home schooled and home by 6:00. As far as I know, there is no reason in particular.
       "Daniel, what do I have to do to get you go come with me?" I asked impatiently. He saw the way I was tapping my foot and a smirk appeared on his face.
       "I want chocolate ice cream and 20 bucks." He jumped down from the tree and crossed his arms.
       I rolled my eyes and agreed to his terms. It was 5:45. We had 15 minutes left and the house was just down the street.
       "Can we go now?" I asked rather annoyed.
       "Only if we get my ice cream before going home."
       "Fine."
       My brother was only 7, but he was quite the negotiator. One time he made a deal with my dad where he would get to stay up until 12am on school nights, if he was to behave in public. My brother would do that on purpose; misbehave in public. It gave him leverage. The sad thing was that it worked. Only on my dad though, but that was when he was still around.
       honestly, there was no doubt that my dad left my brother and I to the moon and back. Unfortunately he died of unknown causes. Doctors say that it was probably some type of poisoning. When my dad passed, my brother and I were heartbroken. My mother however was not fazed at all. It's like she didn't care, or if she did was hiding it. She just shrugged it off in front of my brother and I. My brother was only five when it happened, and I was 15.
       After my dad died, his estate went to my mother to take care of my little brother and I. My father was a rich man. He owned seven hotels, 4 car washes, a laundromat, two local malls, 4 movie theaters, and an amusement park. Sure enough, we lived in a mansion and had a shitload of money.
       Even though I had a small family we lived extremely comfortable. My room alone was the size of a large apartment or condo even. My brother's room was right across from mine, but his was just a little bit smaller. Even though he had his own room, most nights he slept in mine anyway. He puts up this tough act, but I know how much losing our dad killed him. Since then, I've basically been taking care of him and acting all parental and stuff. He's actually a good kid. He just doesn't believe that. I've just been trying my best to make sure that he's safe and happy.
       My brother poked me and I snapped back to reality.
       "Hey what was that for!" I screamed. He looked calm as ever and replied with little to no emotion.
       "You were doing that thing again"
       Sadly, I knew exactly what he was talking about. For the last 2 years, I would just zone out for a few moments. Sometimes for even minutes at a time. Just staring into space and giving it my complete attention. It usually only happens when I'm thinking about something that causes me to think hard about my life and what's happening around me. It happened a lot after my dad died.
       I brushed off all my thoughts and turned to face Danny with a smile. He gave me a weak smile before I took off running. I didn't hear footsteps behind me so I looked back to see my brother confused as ever with his head tilted to the side. I laughed silently under my breath and screamed, "Last one to the ice cream stand is a rotten egg!"
       A smile spread across Danny's face, and he began to speed up.