A New Life: Sequel to Because of a Death

Chapter 10

Abbeys POV:

It took us two and a half hours to reach Kyle Lane. By then, my feet were so sore and I'm sure I have blisters on all of my toes. I guess my boots aren't the best walking shoes.

My house, well old house, was at the end of the lane, around a slight bend. This was the posh part of Vancouver, overlooking the country side which is why Kyle must be close-ish by.

You'd see home owners driving around in their Lamborghinis or Porsches quite often. If no one had moved, then my neighbor's to the left would be Mr. and Mrs. Smith, a peculiar older couple who were quite wealthy, and loved to spend their money. They often had crazy ideas and spent lots trying to make them reality. On my right was twenty year old Luke. His parents died in a horrible accident with their private jet and he ended up inheriting everything since he was an only child. Let's just say he really stuck to the YOLO motto.

My breathe continued to hitch in my throat with every step. What if my dad was out? What if I saw him? Or what if someone new was living inside? What if the house had burned down? What if we got kidnapped by the mafia before I even saw my house again and they killed us?

I guess Jake could sense my nervousness, probably from they way I kept changing my walking pace as we passed by each house, because he stopped, spun me around, grabbed my hands, and told me, "If you don't want to do this, then we can take another way. It's alright, we can turn around. Just tell me what you want."

I shook my head. I was scarred spitless. If I did see my dad, then I'd probably freak out, or run away. I'm not sure I could say anything to the man who went from successful and kind to heartbroken, jobless, and addicted to Crack. It's because of him and my mom that I ended up in all of these foster homes. I guess I did have Hanna, but thats because of Marissa.

"No, keep going." I told Jake and he nodded solemnly, as wild and crazy as he could be sometimes, he sure knew how to change his personality to make you feel good and special. He was truly one of a kind. He rubbed his thumb over my hand, and held it as we walked. I calmed down a little at his gesture, not feeling anything more than friendly thoughts. I guess I would call him my best friend, and this just seemed... Natural? It wasn't awkward, it wasn't out of liking, it was just out of kindness- something that I truly appreciated.

We approached the bend. By now I was trying not to hyperventilate. Most people would laugh at this or would assume I'm overreacting. But what if you had a perfect life? Big house, money, nice family? And then one day that changes. A little girl watches as her fairy tale story gets taken over by the evil villains our world sees as heartbreaks, drugs, and anger. She's taken away from her perfect world. Her superhero is no longer the dad she once looked up to. Now he's the villain in the jail. She's tossed into her own imprisonment, taken captive from her home she once loved. And now she's going back to that home. The story hasn't been corrected, it's not perfect again, and she doesn't know what will happen when she sees that house. And who's inside.

Now do you understand?

Jake was still holding my hand and I think my sweat was probably making him regret touching me.

Awkward.

My feet wandered down the familiar sidewalk until it came into view.

"You gonna be okay?" He asked. I had stopped completely. I wasn't even able to take my eyes off of it.

It had changed. Not greatly, but it was different. The brown stucco was a different shade and the marble pillars supporting the grand entrance seemed shinier. Someone had replaced the trim around the windows so it was white. I have to say, it looked sharp against the new brown. The staircase was about thirty steps high, raising you up to the huge entrance door. Lining the steps were bright flowers, making me think a woman's touch had been added here.

The front yard was a hundred meters wide, the house covering nearly all that space ten meters back. The shingles were different, too. Instead of being a plain brown, there was different shades of grey, tan, and beige to contrast the new stucco. The gleaming windows were spotless, and they peaked up to proclaim the high vaulted ceilings. The house had four 'quarters.' The two front ones took up half of the yard space. They angled in to meet at the centre of the yard where the third quarter was. The last quarter was attached behind, jutting out thirty meters to the left. To the right of that was a deck over looking the pool and patio. There was also an adjoining walk out basement that led to the pool and sun tanning area.

"This is where you lived?"

"Yeah, crazy, hey?"

Jake nodded. My eyes were still fixed on the house. All the memories here. We would have family time every night after my dad came home from work. Marie, our cook, would make is a snack and we would lounge in the theatre room or on the deck. My dad taught me how to swim and game. My mom would teasingly critique us, always wanting me to excel at everything. When I was younger, we would play hide and seek. The house was perfect for that. Sometimes it would take my parents hours to find me, and they were constantly searching.

I'm mad at my mother the most, but when life was good, she was a great parent. She taught me mannerisms and how to be a lady. But she was very... Silly and could be quite laid back. We'd have girls nights out often and she'd take me to fancy restraints whenever something good happened to me, or we'd go for a spa day. She always the wanted the best for me and told me how much she loved me, cared for me, and that I had such a bright future. I genuinely believed her, but now I just wonder if it's lies. Where is she now to love and care for me? To help me figure out which college to go to and career path to take? Tell me, where did she go?

"Is someone in the yard?" Jake asked. Sure enough, when I looked, there was a figure cutting a the hedge that lined the walk way.

"Carl."

"Who?" He asked confused.

"Carl!" I dropped his hand and took off running. Carl was still here!

"Carl!" I called as I sprinted towards the yard.

The hedge clippers dropped and he spun around, "Abbey?" He looked at me confused.

"Carl!"

"Oh my goodness, what in the world are you doing back here?" He stepped towards me and wrapped me in a hug, still smelling like earth and Old Spice.

"It's a long story." I told him sheepishly.

"Well you better come in, Missy. You're dads away, but I need to catch up with you.

I smiled. He had aged quite a bit, probably around 60 now. He was the caretaker when I was growing up, and he was one of the workers we kept. He and my dad were quite close and Carl grew on me, too. He was my advisor when my parents weren't doing so well together. He genuinely cared for me, and he still does even after all these years. He was the wisest person I knew and I loved talking to him. He got me into the country life, he would tell me about growing up on the farm, which is why he loved working outdoors.

And here he was, still working for us!

Jake came up beside me, looking uncomfortable and confused.

"Came with a friend, Missy?" Carl asked.

"Carl, Jake. Jake, Carl." I was practically bouncing up and down, he was still here!

"Well then you have a lot of explaining," he said winking. Better come in and fill me in."

I took a deep breath, and for the first time in nearly ten years, stepped into my house.

But I still didn't feel like I was home.