Blue Skies: Sean & Kaycee | Short Stories

Buried Alive | Part 1

So like I said in the book description...it's been a while since I've written anything! I don't really know where this book is going to go, exactly what stories I will be writing, but here's the first chapter of a series I've been thinking about for a while. Not sure how long it'll be, but I'll try to update when I can while I've got the inspiration.

Also I suck at writing story descriptions, so it's not getting one. Sorry!

Please bear with me while I find my writer's tools again. 

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Kaycee wasn't sure how it happened. She was on her back, watching the leaves flutter between missing boards in the ramshackle roof. A pale blue sky was visible beyond the swaying branches; the melodic chirps of warblers flying overhead filled the silence of otherwise calm surroundings. The old treehouse had become her favorite hideaway, hidden in the dense woods away from watchful eyes at home.

She had stumbled across the structure a few months after they'd moved here; her parents' increasingly forlorn and distressed expressions had finally forced her out of the house. It was as if, for once, the world had granted her something of a boon: a quiet place to be alone.

Last summer she'd had to rebuild the ladder that had collapsed from rot and hammer in new boards so she wouldn't fall through the floor. Kaycee had to wrap her hands for weeks to deal with the bloody callouses. But she knew it was worth it. And she thought she deserved it.

She rolled onto her stomach and pushed herself up into a sitting position, looking around the small space. It had been her second home for two years now; she knew exactly how many holes were in each board of the weathered walls and in which corner all the moths liked to nest. And suddenly, not quite understanding why, she also knew this would be her last time here.

She was ready.

Back on solid ground, Kaycee looked up at the rickety treehouse and mouthed a silent goodbye. She expected to feel sad or anxious, but instead, a heavy sense of relief settled over her. She had needed this place, but not anymore.

She picked her way through the woods—carefully navigating around low branches and bunches of poison ivy—until she reached the edge of the backyard. She stared at the sprawling brick house for a moment before brushing the bristles off her worn jeans, taking a deep breath.

Her mom was sitting in the day room, still cradling a full mug of coffee even though it was almost lunchtime. Kaycee had hated this room on sight. It was too bright; too happy. The floor-to-ceiling windows welcomed in the warm sunlight and granted views of the sparkling water beyond the forest. But now she felt tears prickling at the corners of her eyes as she allowed herself to appreciate the beauty of this room; he would have loved it here.

"Did you see your father down by the lake?"

Laura glanced up from her book as Kaycee stepped into the room, immediately setting down her mug when she noticed her daughter's watery eyes.

"What's wrong?" she asked sharply, dog earing her novel and putting it aside.

Kaycee shook her head, blinking quickly to banish the unfamiliar tears. She hadn't cried in front of someone since that day; she wasn't going to let a pretty view tear down that particular barrier just yet.

"I think I'm okay," she said. And for the first time in a long time, she meant it.

She noticed a crease appear between her mother's eyebrows, perplexed at this sudden onset of emotion from her youngest daughter. Laura couldn't remember the last time she had seen Kaycee smile and although Kaycee wasn't smiling now, she almost wanted to weep at the expression on her face. Something had changed; something for the better.