The Ties That Bind

II: Questions

A/N This chapter is dedicated to my twin cousins who let me borrow their computer to write on and for giving me that extra push to continue writing this chapter! Enjoy!

II: Questions

The rest of the day passes by quickly. I move about to my classes, trying to memorize the layout of the building and my schedule as soon as possible so I won't have to rely on Olivia, especially given the fact that she doesn't seem too thrilled to be doing it in the first place. She is constantly going on and on about the social hierarchy of the school that she abides by as if it's the law. And to her, it might as well be. I try to listen to her the best I can, but I can't control my thoughts being drawn back to the strange group of boys I met and how adamantly Olivia warned me off of them. There is also the unnerving feeling that I have met or seen Richard somewhere before though for the life of me I can't place where.

"Grace," Olivia pauses long enough to shoot me an annoyed look as we walk into the front entry hall of our house. "Grace!"

"Hmm?" I say looking up at her.

"Have you even been listening to me?"

I shrug. "I've had a lot on my mind. New school and all."

"Well, we can't have you zoning out now. I was in the middle of telling you about your teachers."

"What about them?"                               

She turns on me as we entered the living room. "I was trying to educate you on which teachers to watch out for and which ones will let you get away with practically anything. As a new student and more specifically my sister, it's my obligation to teach you the ins and outs of our high school!"

I roll my eyes, picking up an apple from the fresh bowl of fruit on the kitchen counter. "thanks for the help and all but I would just rather figure things out for myself. I kinda want to get the whole experience; make my own stupid mistakes or amazing success stories. You know, whichever comes first."

Olivia only looks at me as if I just told her the stupidest thing she has ever heard. "Fine. If you don't want my help then that's fine with me. You can do whatever you want!"

"Thanks for your permission," I mutter sarcastically making my way up the stairs and to my room.

I pull open the door and made my way around the few boxes I have and sit down at my desk. I haven't had much time to unpack the few things that I brought with me from my other home. Some of my clothes, books, and binders I need for school, my pillows, and one picture. I turn around in my chair and reach into the box directly behind me and sift through the top until I find what I'm been looking for. A small golden frame with a picture of my family 15 years ago. I was been two at the time and in the picture, I am curled up in front of my two parents clad in a soft summer yellow dress. Both my parents are lovingly seated behind me wearing giant sincere smiles across their faces.

I can't help but feel a pang of longing for the old times when my family had actually been a family. Of course, though, I know the world isn't perfect and families don't always stay together like they originally planned.

Pulling a strip of bubble wrap off the back of the picture, I place it on the top corner of my desk at an angle that allowed me to view the picture from most areas in my room. Truthfully, it is one of my favorite pictures of my family pre-divorce. Times had been so much simpler then. But I suppose that I know better than anyone how quickly a life can change.

I am sitting on the edge of a dock. I'm not sure how it is that I got here but something inside me tells me that the water so close beneath my dangling feet is that of a lake, not an ocean. I look around trying to get my bearings on anything familiar; I remember my father taking me camping near a lake before but it is too dark outside to really be able to see anything recognizable. The air feels cool against the exposed skin of my arms. I know that I should wait for my father to come find me but I don't know how long that could take, so instead I push myself up by my hands into a crouching position before I slowly raise myself all the way up. My small child brain is ringing with a warning of danger, telling me to follow the most basic of survival teaching and remain put but my curiosity gets the best of me. I begin to walk along the edge of the wooden pier, admiring the soft glisten of the moonlight against the dark lake water. But something doesn't feel right.