Free Chasing Shadows by Rebbeca Stoddard Page B

mature; I touched it, telling it to grow but to stay small. It flourished for a moment and then died away. My anger killed it. Tears of sadness and frustration rolled down my cheeks. Just as I was about to get up, I heard giggles from the two girls and turned to see Langdon hanging all over them. By the time Alexandier finally showed up, he had cookies, chips, granola bars, and water. I jumped into the jeep, and he followed suit. Never asking any questions, he drove off.
    We sat in silence for most of the car ride. The music played softly, and I let myself cry. I knew I shouldn’t be crying, but I couldn’t help it. Since my freshman year in high school, I’d had to deal with bullying from everyone around me. Alexandier tried to be the buffer for most of it, but that only lasted for a year. He graduated, and I was left to my own devices. Then, the summer before my sophomore year, Langdon and I started dating. As the star athlete of the school, I was surprised he wanted anything to do with me, the socially awkward teenager who was weird and different. We dated for almost a year. I fell for him, and he said he loved me too. But that was all a lie. Langdon wanted to prove to everyone that I would fall in love with him, and then he would take my virginity. And he did. After that, he stayed for a few more weeks and then left me. He even told the whole school that I was a slut and that I was crazy, and everyone believed it. The bullying got worse, yet I couldn’t get over him. Every school break we left for the cabin, I would forget him, then school would start again, and I would remember him. It was a horrible cycle that never seemed to end. My brother knew the story, the cycle, and understood why I was crying. The treacherous heart in my chest was breaking all over again.
    My tears stopped after another hour, and my body was tired. We pulled off the freeway at a small burger joint, ate burgers and fries, and took off on the road again. The wind from the drive kept us cool the whole way home, and as we reached the city limits, I began to relax again. Salem’s buildings came into view as we re-entered the freeway. I felt the call of nature. It pleaded to be free from the dangerous air. Various energies called to my soul, threatening to rip it out of my being. Forces around me seemed to weigh on me, but it was a strange, calming effect, almost like a heavy blanket at night keeping me warm when I needed it most, but it was still exhausting. All I wanted was to be at home, in my bed, cuddling with my kitten. Closing my eyes, I prayed that we would get there soon.
    When I opened my eyes, we were passing through the side streets of Aurora. Our private driveway was covered in dust, and we held our breath as it swirled around us. An old colonial house stood out among the trees. I sighed. We were finally home. My parents had inherited the house from my grandparents. It was basically a mansion, and had been in our family for generations. Tall columns held up the roof of the front porch, windows were shadowed by dark shutters, the front door was black, and an old creaky porch swing sat faithfully by bright pink and purple flowers. Everything about the place was beautiful. Of course, my parents had added a few modern details, inside and out—a playground on the right side of the house, a fountain in the center of a roundabout. In the backyard, there was a pool with a hot tub and other various accessories. I climbed out of the jeep and wandered into the house.
    The smell of takeout drifted from the kitchen. My parents had beaten us home. Helios ran toward me as laughter filtered from the living room. I walked toward the sounds, only to see my parents, Melly, and Mickey watching America’s Funniest Home Videos on the large flat screen TV above the brick fireplace. Melly sat by her dollhouse in the corner, Mickey was cuddled up to my mom and playing with a T. Rex toy, and my dad was eating chow mien out of a takeout box. Alexandier whooped