Running for My Undead Life

Chapter 5: Painful Pasts

*Trigger Warning* This chapter includes sensitive subject material regarding teen pregnancy, domestic violence, and miscarriage.

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I pulled up to Lena's house at 6:30. I cut the engine and turned around in my seat to make sure the food was covered up from view in the backseat, not like she wouldn't smell it though as soon as she got in the jeep. I turned back around and let out a long exhale as my nerves were in full swing. With nothing else to delay the inevitable, I got out and walked up to the door. The house was beautiful of course, with both of her parents being doctors I imagine they have plenty of money to go around. I let out another breath of air as I rang the doorbell. A few seconds later the door opened to reveal an extremely handsome man. "Hello, you must be Artemis," he stuck out a hand for me to shake. "Yes, sir," I shook his hand, "it's nice to meet you Mr. Walters." "Come in, and call me Derek," he stepped aside to let me in. I walked through the doorway into the foyer. Family pictures lined the walls with lots of smiling faces. "Lena is still getting ready. Let me show you around some while we wait. We can get to know each other," Derek said as he walked past me. We stepped into a large, open space with some cozy looking furniture and a large T.V. "This is the living room, of course," he said with a slight smile. "It's pretty average. We mostly just use it for family nights." "Family nights, sir?" I asked with my eyebrows drawn together. "Yeah, we'll watch movies or play games. Nothing special," he pointed to a bookcase which held a ton of DVD's and board games. "Oh, right," I replied. The idea was completely foreign to me. I could never imagine my family sitting down to watch a movie or play a game together.

Derek beckoned me forward and we continued our tour into the kitchen. So far, the house was a perfect blend of modern and homey. The kitchen had bright, white cabinets, light grey walls, and black marble countertops. I noticed a woman standing at the stove and a little boy sitting behind her at the island as we walked in. "Artemis, this is my wife, Lily, and our son, Jake," Derek said. Lily glided over to me and swooped me up into a hug. My eyes widened in shock, but I hugged her back any way. "Sorry sweetie, I'm a hugger," she said with a laugh. I laughed with her, "I don't mind. It's nice to meet you Mrs. Walters," I pulled away and looked towards the little boy, "and you too, Jake," I offered him a smile. He blushed and turned his head but looked at me and waved as his mom gave him a look. I realized Lena was the spitting image of her mom. It was kind of hard not to stare in awe. "Those flowers are beautiful, Artemis," Lily said as she pointed to my hands, "Lena will love them." "Actually, these are for you, Mrs. Walters, and the rest of your family. They're a thank you gift for allowing me and Lena to go on a date. The chocolates are for her, though," I stuck the flowers out for her to take. "Oh," she said in surprise, "that's so kind. Thank you, Artemis. And please, call me Lily," she said before she smelled the flowers. "I'll go check on Lena. See if she's almost ready," Derek said as he walked off to a staircase that was on the opposite side of the living room as the kitchen.

I turned back to Lily, who was now sitting her flowers inside a vase full of water on the counter. She smiled and walked back to the stove to finish cooking. "Have a seat, Artemis. Lena always takes forever to get ready. You'll have to excuse her," she said with a light laugh. "I don't mind. I'm here early any way," I replied as I took a seat at the island next to Jake. "This homework is too hard, mom," Jake whined. I glanced over to see some simple math problems on a sheet of paper. "One second, honey. I need to finish dinner and then I will help," Lily said over her shoulder. "I can help, if you don't mind," I offered. "That would be lovely, Artemis. Thank you," she replied. "Which one are you stuck on?" I asked Jake. "Number 3, it's long division," he pointed to the sheet with his pencil. "It's hard," he added as he looked at me skeptically. I smiled in amusement, "Don't worry, math is my specialty," I dropped my voice a little bit lower and said, "if it's too hard, I have a calculator on my phone." I gave him a quick wink and grabbed another pencil sitting next to his paper. We worked through the problem quickly and moved onto the next one. By the fifth problem, he was working them out perfectly on his own. A few minutes later he held up the paper and proudly proclaimed, "I'm finished!" "Already?" Lily said as she turned around and looked at the sheet. "You better thank Artemis, Jake." "Thank her for what?" Derek said as he walked into the kitchen, "Lena is almost ready," he added as an afterthought. "She helped me with my math! It took like five minutes for me to do all this work!" Jake exclaimed excitedly. "Can we go play video games now?" He asked Derek pleadingly. "Sure kiddo, why don't you join us, Artemis?" He seemed like he wanted to talk, so I nodded my head and got up to follow him. Here we go, I thought. The moment I had been dreading since I arrived.