The Family

»chapter 1

Cruising down the road sped a red 1958 Chevrolet pickup truck going just barely above the speed limit. The once vibrant red paint was starting to peel off because of many years of sun exposure.

Windows down and the radio broadcasting the local station that was always played during drives, the driver and her teenaged son sat somewhat comfortably in their raggedy beige seats. They had been out that morning doing a weekend visit to Wal-Mart, since that was the only time of the week they felt like doing the tedious task of shopping. They didn't have a Wal-Mart in their town; only a crappy Ma-and-Pa store that only sold off-brand items and was run by an elderly couple with Alzheimer's.

As soon as they had gotten into the car, after loading up the back of the truck and buckling themselves in, they immediately turned on the radio. Finally they were able to reward themselves to two hours of their favorite station as they drove home.

The broadcaster was a middle aged man almost close to retirement. He had been doing talk-shows since he was a young man. When he reached his 40s he came up with a talk-show that became a hit in the small town of Moonlight Hollows.

"In a few hours," the broadcaster announced suddenly after a short series of messages, "we'll be interviewing model Samantha Turner about her newest project with--"

"Ugh," the driver, brown-eyed Laila Chase, extended her arm out and turned the radio off. "I can't stand to hear any talk about that darned skirt-flapper Samantha. The only reason she's famous is because her father is some well-known real estate agent in the next town over, and now they think they can win over Moonlight Hollows. Ha! I hate her so much. Don't you, Brian?"

Brian, Laila's son who was actually named Cole, sighed. There his mother went, calling him the wrong name again.

"Yes, Ma," he half-heartedly agreed, "she's a two-timing, backstabbing, two-faced bitch with no respect for anyone other than herself." And with that, the two snapped their fingers.

"That's my boy," Laila said, smiling and ruffling up the boy's black hair.

The two stayed in silence and in their own thoughts for a good ten minutes as they traveled through the trees and the hills.

Turning on the road alongside a grassy hill, they continued to travel down a highway home. Autumn trees plopped down alongside the highway and Mt. Claire sat so far down the road, that the sky seemed to be eating it whole, making the mountain appear to be floating in the sky. Laila slowly switched her sights to her left, taking in the air and the scenery blurring past. The sun peaked and hid behind the racing trees in quick seconds as it was setting. The sky blended gracefully from light blue to a golden pink and casted itself around the sun just above the mountains. Wind blew through Laila's dark, ombré hair and the coolness felt nice on her face. There wasn't any A/C in the vehicle and it had previously been getting unpleasantly warm inside.

Of course, after Cole removed his Minecraft hoodie, the wind made him cold again and he put it back on, meanwhile Laila enjoyed being without her red leather jacket and just in her blouse and skinny jeans.

Cole watched his mother as she turned from the captivating view to the road several times. He was her adopted son, but despite their foreign blood, they were extremely close and seemed related; with their dark hair, light-tan skin, and straight noses.

It was several days after her eighteenth birthday on a warm summer night when a bright eyed, Laila found him resting in a box, nearly a year old and outside of the big supermarket. (This was back before the owners, Mr. and Mrs. Gobbler decided to pack up and go settle in the big city because they hoped to make thousands more profits than what they made in small-town Moonlight Falls.) She was on her way inside one night, when some soft babbling caught her attention.