𝐀 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐈𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐝◇P.Lahote◇

•°1°•

•Chapter One•
Plastic beads of memory

The tendrils of hair flowed in the cold wind as she stared into the fog. With her arms folded over her chest and eyes held at a singular point in front of her, many could have mistaken her for a statue.

This was not how life should have been for Rowan Abernathy. It was such a terrible occurrence in her life that brought the young girl to this desolate place. It was not her choice. She would have never come here by choice.

Her lifeless eyes raked the abandoned trees in front of her, watching as wisps of the cloud-like substance curled around the base of the pines.
It was nothing like her home.

Rowan fought against the cold air as she stood behind what would be her new home. She loathed this new place but knew what was best.
After all, she was on the run.

This Abernathy girl, that stood rigid and lifeless, had a tragic and dreadful past. It was not something anyone would rejoice in. Rather, it brought her immense pain.

"Row! Get over here. We need to set up our rooms!" Her older brother Jayden called from the front of the house where he had just finished taking the last box out of the moving van.

With an even larger frown than the one currently of her face Rowan begrudgingly unfolded her arms and trudged through the house towards the boxes.
There she saw the brunette of a boy she called a sibling dusting off his jeans. He was as sad as she was, but he apparently found different ways of dealing with grief.

Jayden gave his sister a disappointed look.
"Dad wouldn't want us to be like this ya know?" He grimaced, brown eyes meeting stormy ones.
Rowan's scowl only deepened at his words.
"You don't need to remind me, brother. At least I didn't disappear for two weeks," She knew she had crossed a line. What happened wasn't his fault. Rowan knew that deep down, but she couldn't hold back her resentment for Jay.

Jayden Abernathy had lost all respect in his younger sisters eyes and he knew it. Nothing would be the same between them.
Fire filled his soul as he met his sister's eyes, "You don't need to remind me, Row,"

"You don't get to call me that anymore. We aren't tied together in anything other than blood." The sixteen-year-old seethed whilst turning away. Nothing could bring back what she had lost. Everything Rowan said to Jayden after the accident chipped away at him. All he wanted to do was help her but her own pain was making it harder. Before she could begin her ascent an unduly warm hand was placed on her shoulder. The teen slowly turned to see Jayden with an irritated look covering his features.
"I know this is hard for you, but you don't need to make everyone else feel crappy just because of it. Just...cheer up a bit for when we have school in a few days," he sighed. Nothing would ever be the same with his younger sister.
Rowan's gaze softened slightly.

"Fine." Jayden was relieved at hearing that one word. The one word that could mean she was on her way to not hating him as much.
Then she once again began walking up the stairs.
"Oh and Rowan? You don't feel like making dinner tonight, right?" She shook her head, "that's what I thought. We could go down to this diner later. Maybe." She didn't respond to her brother. Didn't have enough restraint left to.

•°•

The brunette didn't even have enough will to get one of the larger bedrooms and instead chose one that looked out to the tranquil forest, a thick tree of her own residing just outside the window.

Rowan used to have a decent life. She was mostly content with her life in Australia before all hell broke loose.
She wasn't even seventeen yet and had already lost some of the most important people in her life. Now she was running away from whatever life she had left. Why had Jayden taken her away from her only family? She needed those people. She was in mourning.