Lovely Monsters

Home Sweet Home?

My name is Ebony Clarke. I just recently turned twenty. I thought my twenties were going to be a great new chapter of my life. It definitely has been a new chapter, but great is not the word I'd use at all. A month ago I received a phone call telling me my parents had not been seen by anyone in 72 hours. I returned to the town that I hated so passionately, because my teenage sister, Aria, was left all alone. I was asked if I was interested in caring for my sister. I had no choice, she's my sister. Of course I had to look after her.

I stared into my bloodshot hazel eyes through the mirror. It has been weeks since I have gotten a good night's rest. Ever since my parents disappeared I have had constant paranoia that something would happen to Aria or I. Quickly I put my long brown hair into a low bun before I went downstairs to make breakfast. I took a last look in the mirror and let out an exhausted sigh. "I can do this," I reassured myself.

  I have never been a good cook. I have a reputation in the kitchen and not a good one. My cooking skills have grown since I was last here, but they are still not adequate. The capacity of my skills at the moment extend to eggs and toast. While lost in my thoughts Aria had snuck into the kitchen and took a seat at the dark oak table that has not been cleaned in a while since we rarely eat together. Dust and old crumbs scatter the beautiful table.

"Hey Aria, would you mind cleaning off the table for me real quick?" I turn back from the stove to look at Aria entranced by her phone.

"Why can't you do it?" She briefly looked up from her phone to shoot me a glare.

Oh god I am not suited to be taking care of a teenager.

It has been a tough month for both of us, but Aria has taken it especially hard. I love my parents, but we had a sort of falling out about me leaving home. I couldn't stay in this town any longer. This town is like an emotional vampire; it drains all of the happiness, joy, and hope from people's souls. Well at least that's what I believe. Everyone else thinks I'm insane for thinking that of our "Wonderful, perfect, safe small town." It is like they are all brainwashed into believing this judgmental and awful town is special and perfect.

"Could you please just do it while I'm making breakfast," I say, trying to keep a hold of my temper.

"Well this doesn't sound like a me problem," she doesn't even avert her gaze from her phone.

I'd never condone strangling teenagers, but she just might be the exception. I now feel bad for all of the stuff I put my parents through. I don't know how they kept their sanity.

I plated the eggs and buttered toast and set one plate in front of Aria. I take my plate to the clean counter to eat.

"I'm not hungry. I'm going to school." With those words she grabbed her pink backpack from beside the door and walked out.

"Wait." I called out. "You have to eat something."

No answer, silence besides a slammed front door. I let out a deep sigh and stared out the window watching her run across the street and get in her friend's red car. The car sped away as if it were leaving a crime scene and turned out of sight. I really don't know if I can care for a teenager. She deserves to have a real adult taking care of her. Not me. I can barely take care of myself. How am I supposed to care for a teenager, a teenager who hates me at that.

A notification from my phone pulled me out of my thoughts. I pulled my phone out of my legging pocket to see a text message from my old best friend Layla. I just stared at the message for a moment. Nothing bad happened between us. We just kind of grew apart when I moved.

"Hey do you want to get coffee today just like old times?" The message brought an old nostalgia that I didn't know how much I had missed.

"Yeah. That sounds great, what time?"

"How about ten?" The phone once again dinged.

"Sounds great! See you then!"

I am in desperate need of a shower and outfit change. I have spent the last couple days glued to my parent's computer and files trying to find some kind of clue to what happened to them. To no avail though. Whatever has happened to them can not be good. I know deep down the most likely answer is they are dead, but I have to have some hope that they are okay. Well I know they are not okay wherever they are, but alive. I have to have some hope they are alive, because the alternative is too damn depressing. I try to keep the cynical thoughts that keep edging into my brain buried, but they always seem to find their way to the surface.

After a quick shower I picked out a tan patterned skirt with a black sweater. As I put on my black boots my eyes catch one of the files that litter my bedroom floor. I pull my boot on all the way and grab the file. I opened it and was almost brought to tears. All that was in the file were pictures of all of us together as a family. I flipped through the stapled pictures. With every passing smile I feel my eyes threatening to overflow with tears. That is until one picture especially catches my attention. I touch the photo and the faces in the photo trying to recall the memory. It is a picture of my parents and I in front of a huge sign that says "Rockwell Ridge." I don't remember this at all. My sister Aria is nowhere in sight unlike the other photos. I look up into space straining to remember. My heart starts to pound faster as each second I can't remember passes. How could I forget something like this? I look back down at the photo and see a man standing in the distance staring at us. From what I can see in the picture he has dark hair and pale skin, but that's all I can really discern. My phone alarm startles me. Causing me to slightly jump. I stuff the pictures back in the file and put it on my dresser before leaving the room.

I grabbed my iced coffee from the bar and thanked the barista. I turn back to Layla who already has her medium coffee in her hand.

"Do you want to walk around town and talk like we used to?" Layla gave me a slight smile.

"Yeah that sounds like fun," I returned the smile.

"Come on, you have to see Landon's restaurant!" She squealed.

Landon used to be a close friend of mine before I left. He also used to have a thing for me. Layla would always push me to date him, because he is a "good guy." I never did, because my feelings for him did not exceed friendship. I told her time and time again that I can't just force feelings. If they aren't there, they just aren't there.

As we strolled through the town that I hated so much, the familiar scenery captivated my eyes. Bringing me back to a time when things were so much simpler. A time when my parents were here and they were happy.

We had almost made it to Landon's restaurant, we were within eye shot of it. Landon and a man dressed in business attire stood outside the doors. The man was hands down one of the most attractive men I have ever seen in my life. He had black hair that fit perfectly to his fair skin tone. His eyes met mine and it was as if time had stopped. My stomach filled with butterflies as his eyes were trained on mine. What had felt like minutes were just seconds.