In The Shadows

Chapter Four

As soon as I reached the bottom of the stairs, I hit a wall of the sweetest aroma wafting out of the doorway of the kitchen. I heard Debbie's authoritative voice from inside and moments later Lauren came skipping out. She laughed when she saw me, scooping her brown hair into a ponytail.

    "You okay now?" She teased, winking one of her brown eyes at me and I groaned internally. Of course Irine told everyone  about what I had seen and how I had reacted to it, she couldn't keep a secret to save her life.

Lauren snickered, "Or do you need a tissue?" She was a skinny little thing and about five years younger than me, but at least ten times a day I wanted to punch her in the face. Let's just say, she brought out my immature and unpleasant side.

    I raised an eyebrow, blushing slightly but quickly recovering, "You have no idea. No freaking clue, so I suggest you be a good little brat and go do as Debbie said."

    She frowned and I shooed her with my hands. "Run along now."

    Scowling, she stomped down the hall and out the back door. I just rolled my eyes and followed the sugary smells into the kitchen.

    "Did I hear it was somebody's birthday today?" I asked, grinning.

"Amber! You're here!" Kaylie squealed, her hazel eyes lit up and she jumped off the chair she was standing on to squeeze me in a hug. She gripped my hand and lead me over to her chair where she was mixing up the icing. "Look! We're making me a birthday cake!"

    "Wow!" I smiled more and looked up at Debbie. I knew how hard it was to scrounge up enough ingredients to make the day special. "What can I do to help?"

    Debbie handed me a huge empty bucket. "You can go fill this up. Thanks, darlin'."

    "No problem." I kissed her cheek and turned to leave but stopped when her hand shot out to touch my arm.

    "Honey, Irine told me what happened today." Am I surprised? No, most definitely not. "I think it's best if you don't go to town for a little while. You need a break."
    I nodded, unwanted tears brimming on the edge of my eyes.

    "I'm here if you need me, even if you just want a hug, okay?" She whispered and I slowly nodded my head again. "Take as long as you need with that water. We can wait."

    "Thank you," I whispered hoarsely and walked as fast as I could out that door before I broke like glass shattering on a concrete floor.

    I ran into the woods, crashing through the leaves down to the small creek that tumbled and somersaulted over the smooth, gray rocks at the base of the hill. I stood on the bank and watched the water jump and swerve and dodge and wished I could be that strong. But instead, here I was, sinking into the soft mud beneath me and falling into the dark pit of fear with weak tears sliding down my cheeks and dripping from my chin, contaminating the fresh and resilient creek with their saltiness. There was no denying that what I had seen was scary in every perspective. The thought of being ripped away like a bandaid from everything I knew was horrifying. But I couldn't be like this. This world was a spider's web and I could either get wrapped up in it, stuck and twisted in my own fear, or I could fly. I needed to stand up confidently and face it with a heart of stone and brick.

    Leaves rustled to my left and my head whipped over to find a squirrel scurry up a tree. The slight sound had my heart pounding chaotically, practically bumping from my ribcage back into my spine. I shook my head at my jumpiness and closed my eyes.

    Breathe. In. Out. In. Out.

    I allowed one more tear to slip out before I wiped my eyes, bending down to splash some water in my face.

    Starting from when I was younger and Debbie took me in, every single night she would smooth back my red hair with her soft hands and whisper, "You are beautiful. You are kind. You are strong."

    Now, as I looked at my reflection in the clear water, I whispered to myself, "You are beautiful. You are kind. You are strong."

A small smile perked up the edges of my lips and although I was still scared, I knew whatever happened would happen with a purpose behind it so the only thing I could do was stand in front of it, ready for whatever challenges it brought.

I dunked the edge of the bucket into the water until it was heavy enough before I started lugging it back towards the house. Sam emerged out of the woods from behind the house, his strong arms carrying chopped firewood to stack against the back.

"Hey, Amber!" He called out, waving slightly with the two fingers peeking out from underneath the wood.

"Hey!" I smiled, Sam was like the protective older brother of The Misfits, as well as Irine's boyfriend. He was my age with a strong jaw, cropped hair, and skin the color of dark coffee.

"I made it," I shouted into the house, panting. The water splashed over the edges of the bucket as I climbed up the steps onto the porch and into the kitchen.

"With what water?" Irine laughed at the bucket that was only half filled with water. Her, Thomas, and James had come back from a fruit trip. Small bowls filled with wild raspberries and blackberries were lined up on the counter.

Debbie turned around from helping Kaylie and snapped, "James! Keep your paws of that fruit! It's for supper and if I catch you eating any more, your supper will be up in your room!" The chubby fifteen year old shot his hand out of the bowl faster than a crack of lightning.

"Sorry," he muttered, doing his best to avoid eye contact by keeping his blue eyes shielded behind his long dirty blonde hair.

"Why don't you kids run along outside? Supper will be ready soon, we're having an early one tonight. Kaylie do you want to go, too?"

Kaylie put her hands on her hips. "No, I'm seven now and I want to do big things like help."

"Yes, ma'am," Debbie chuckled before turning to us and shooing us out of the kitchen.

In total, there were seven of us Misfits, all rescued by Debbie from horrible conditions like the twisting knife of pain in neglect or the ghost of starvation hovering over frail shoulders. She took us in and raised us as her own as our own little mismatched family unbeknownst to the rest of the world.

The boys took off to who knows where but Irine and I went to go plop down on the soft grass. We took turns twisting and knotting flowers to make a flower crown for Kaylie, chatting about anything, nothing, and everything in between.

When we were finally called into the house, savory smells hit me from all angles, making my stomach growl in an impatient eagerness. I nestled the little flower crown in Kaylie's blonde hair and took my spot next to her. Everyone else took their places and we dug in. This was what life was, being surrounded by my family, a band of misfits. Being surrounded with rosy cheeks and toothy smiles, the unpredictable melody of the never-ending, boisterous laughter encircling all of us like a warm blanket.

In that moment, I didn't worry about anything. If the inevitable came, then so be it. But I would learn to fly free from the world's sticky spider web, and I would fight.

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thank you so much for reading!! please vote if you liked it, and let me know what you thought below in the comments! I love hearing what you guys think!

for everybody out there reading this: You are beautiful. You are kind. You are strong.

-Scarlett Wilson