A Place to Belong

Chapter One

One thing.

I just want one thing. I want-

This thought echos in my mind as my trance breaks from feeling light trickles of water fall on my face. I look up at the gray clouds rolling in, covering the used to be clear blue sky as I walk home alone.

"Okay, this isn't so bad. It's only sprinkling, it could be a lot worse," I tell myself. Then within a blink of an eye, all hell breaks loose; And I'm running against the cold harsh wind and rain to find shelter. By the time I'm in front of my porch, I'm soaking wet from top to bottom. This was a great day to wear a hood less Scarlett, so smart.

"Finally," I scoff under my breathe, "this day can't seriously get worse." I enter my house, go upstairs and change out of my wet clothes into some warm fuzzy pajama bottoms and a tank top. I jump on my bed and lay there for a second, tired from all the tedious work my classes decide to give everyone. "I should really get started," I think to myself. Suddenly, I hear shuffling downstairs. Then I hear a thud. No one's suppose to be home...

I start panicking and look around to see what I have to defend myself. I'm no longer tired, that's for sure. I can't die so young, I've barely even lived. Then I remembered where I stashed my baseball bat and pepper spray under my bed, just in case this situation ever happened.

I hang the pepper spray around my neck since I thought it'd be more comvenient and held my bat up in defense as I was ready to swing at anything. I kept my back towards the wall and looked behind me frequently because every time in the horror movies when the culprits not in front of them, they are always behind them. I'm not risking any jumpscare. I tiptoe downstairs, sure to not make a sound and constantly looking behind me.

Then my foot misplaces a step and *boom* I face-plant the floor and the bat fell out of my hand, making another thud. I still try to recover myself and grab my bat, staying alert and limping around the house with a bat in my hand. I thought I was smarter than this too, what has my life come down to?

"Scarlett Winters, what are you doing with that baseball bat and pepper spray? Planning to blind your mother and knock her out?" she tries her best to hold back laughter while she is standing behind me. Told you the culprits always behind the victims. I slowly turn around and spot my proud confident mom standing there, home early.

"I thought you were a burglar or a hobo who broke in and was looking for place to crash, you scared the he-"

"Ah ah ah, watch your language," she shakes her head at me.

"-ckkk out of me. Why can't I say the H-E-double hockey stick word again? I'm turning sixteen this year," trying to show that I am growing up. Even though I'm really five-years-old on the inside. I still jump up and down on the inside when I get sugar, or just food in general.

"Because it's like peeing; once you start, you can't stop."

That was always her explanation for many of my habits. Best part was that she always resembled it to peeing like it was a crime. If it's a crime, then I'm a criminal because no one can stop that habit; it's natural. If someone didn't go, then they have some problems and need to go see a doctor because they won't survive that long.

"Ok, I honestly do not need to hear that every time I ask why. Now want to explain to me why you're home and you can't use the analogy from before... It won't work," I set the bat again the wall and my pepper spray on the coffee table of my living room.

"Well I want to give you this," she handed me and white envelope with my name written in cursive with black ink. It's so formal and pretty. " I wanted to see your reaction when you opened it, I just have a feeling you got in," she squealed. I have never seen her so excited before.