'Dysfunctional: not operating normally or properly'
That was one way to describe Clara Campbells family. Dysfunctional; not operating properly. That was just what happened when your older siblings leave you.
Or that's what Clara had always believed...
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| Clara Campbell |
For once in while, I was opening the front door to my apartment, only to receive silence. It was real surprise, but I had been wishing for everything to go away so that I could have my own peace and quiet. I had lived without all of them for so long, that I had grown used to the quiet.
But quiet never lasts long enough. I had turned my back so I could close the door, as quietly as possible, so that the normal people that would be sleeping at this hour could be left alone, like I would like to of been doing. I would have appreciated them much more if they didn't always have to slam the door, like mother and father always did.
"Hey" a voice startled me, making me flinch. I hadn't heard a voice scarcely similar to the voice I was hearing as of right now. I said nothing, rather wanting to move past the figure, that had their eyes burning into the back of my head, as I tried to walk past the kitchen, avoiding the grumble in my stomach.
"You know you can't avoid us forever?" a second voice piped in, making me stop dead in my tracks. "I have forgotten about you for years, so avoiding is no different" I paused, before trying to take another step.
Why couldn't Greyson and Auston leave me alone? They had for so long; they all had, but this week had turned into something else. Something more than just all arriving at my apartment because my mother had left me here, to settle a divorce.
"Come on, Clara. Talk to me, at least" the pleading sound to Greyson's voice made me think of my decision for an extra second longer, before I just walked away. I saw a glimpse of blonde hair, but I ducked into my room before anyone could stop me or worse, say anything more than what was necessary.
I opened my bedroom door, closing it the same way I had when I had the front door, not noticing the other three people sitting in the window and roof that I had been sitting on peacefully, a few days before, not knowing that any of this was going to happen.
"Hello?" someone poked their head in the window, scaring the fucking shit out of me. "For fucks sake" I muttered, unpacking my bag, shoving the stuff into the dresser. "Ahh, Clara. Nice to finally see you after so long"
I knew that voice, from a fucking mile away. Mackenzie, my older sister, who had always been my mother's favorite; whenever she was around or called, my mother was in the best of moods, and it would stay like that for a couple of days.
But once she disappeared, everything became worse. My mother was not afraid to hit anyone, in particular me, who did something against her. None of the older ones knew about it, as she usually took her anger out on me and Caleb, with the occasional beating of Colton and Elias.
It always happened, while our father stood in the corner, allowing her to slap us across the cheek or anywhere she could reach, all because she couldn't control her anger. We were always threatened by our father, that if we told anyone, in particular the eldest three, we would be nowhere to be found.
