The Daughter Of

Chapter 28, Fireworks.

FIVE YEARS LATER.

"Aundray!" I yell, "Get your ass in here!"

"Ugh. What now?" Aundray groans as he rolls out of bed and walks into the small living room.

I watch as he sits on the sofa and props his feet onto the coffee table.

"This is the second time this week that the principal has called me. What in the world was going through your mind when you sold fireworks in the damn cafeteria not only once, but twice?" I exclaim, anger booming from voice.

I can't believe I'm only 21 and putting up with this shit constantly. I wait for his reply impatiently.

"Scar, it was only a small firework. I made sure it wouldn't do any damage." He rolls his eyes, Lucy chuckles in the background.

"Go to your room Lucy! I'm talking to your brother seriously and do not need to hear your snickers." Lucy gets up and leaves, her curls bouncing as she huffs and struts to her room. "How are you getting these fireworks?"

"I make them." He shrugs. "A sixteen year old has to make money somehow."

My anger boils inside of me. I've taught him better than this. Nia notices my patience wearing thin and steps in, sitting beside Aundray on the velvet sofa.

"Buddy, I know you're only sixteen, but you can't be drawing attention to yourself like this." She gently tells him. I watch as he stiffens, suddenly realizing why I'm so angry. "You know that we have to be smarter than other people, we have to be invisible... or they will find us."

I watch as he takes his feet of the coffee table and hangs his head, looking to the floor.

"I'm sorry" he whispers. "I never thought about-"

"That's exactly it! You don't think. I don't think you realize how dangerous it is bringing attention to us. On top of that, Nia and I work our asses off; holding three jobs between us just so you and Lucy can go to school, eat, and have a damn roof over your heads! The last thing we need is to be paying for damage done by fireworks you've made." I shout, the fury inside too strong to hold back. It's stupid mistakes like this that will get us caught.

"I'm sorry..." he mumbles, his head still hung low. "It won't happen again."

"Just go to your room." I sigh, the anger leaving me as I listen to his broken voice apologize.

Nia glares at me from the couch as he lifts his body from the couch and makes his way to his room, closing the door.

"What?" I snap.

"He's only sixteen Scarlett. He's still just a boy. I know we had to grow up fast, but we don't want that for him."

She grumbles as she leaves, entering Aundray's room to make sure he's okay.

I understand where she's coming from, I was a bit harsh. But he needs to understand what we're dealing with here, who we're dealing with.

It's been five years and I still have nightmares about them. A shiver runs down my spine at the thought of all they did to me and to my siblings and Nia. Of what they did to Gabe.

I still cry for the loss of him and I don't think that part of me will ever heal.

It's been five years of hiding in the state of California, USA. Nia and I decided we wanted to hide in the big city because we felt it was vital for the children to be able to have friends and see what children acted like around their age.

Aundray has a hard time fitting in, he's too far ahead of his time having gone through what he has so young. He's also a large boy for his age, tall with a lot of muscle tone; handsome. On hard days he likes to work out and listen to music.

Lucy has been doing okay though and seems to be fitting in quite well with the children her age.

I walk out onto the patio of our apartment and take a seat in one of the chairs. I take a deep breath, "I'm tired of hiding." I whisper to myself.

I look out at all of the people, rushing to be somewhere or be someone, who knows. It's interesting to look at all of them, curiously spiking my interest on what their lives are like. Are any of them hiding?

Soon I drift off to sleep, as the hot sun blares down on me.

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I apologize for the short chapter - but I just needed to set the scene.

Funny story, my older brother actually use to make fireworks and sell them in the cafeteria - he got in trouble once because one of his "clients" set one off. Ha!