• I pulled away, startled, then realizing that I was still on the plane. The blinding sunlight blasted sun rays fiercely into my eyes, and what I thought was the side of the girls face turned out to be the window. The tightening grasp turned out to be my safety belt as the plane slowed to a stop, keeping me from flying into the back of the seat in front of me. The captain announced over the intercom that we were about to land in Forks, stating the time and the temperature. I picked up on “five AM” and “58 degrees Fahrenheit”.
    Translation: too early, too cold.
    Through the haze of dots, I saw Jamie hurriedly putting my DSi back into my bag. She bounced up and down in her seat, excited. I dropped my hand on top of her head like an anchor being thrown over board. The business man next to her glowered at us wearily, irritated.



    I pulled out of the terminal in the off-white Nissan SUV Michael paid to have leased for me so I can drive to my designated locations, as well as paying for my food, my insurance, and my bills. Just as long as I don’t go too far over the top and be responsible, of course.
    Michael’s family comes from a very wealthy background; in the 1890s, at the young age of seventeen, his great-grandfather from his father’s side of the family struck oil while mining. On his mothers side, during the Golden Age of Piracy at the age of twenty-one, his great-great-grandmother came across a buried treasure hoard along the shores of an uncharted island when her fiancés ship got caught in a storm and crashed into some rocks.
    Me? My family’s adventurous ancestral history consists of bar fights, rape, child abuse, robbery, schizophrenia, institutionalization, and DUI. And that’s just on my father’s side; allegedly, my mother’s side consists of prostitution, assault, attempted assault, child abuse and threats to public authority, gang affiliation, institutionalization, and DUI.
    Oh, yeah; they were totally meant for each other.
    That’s why I decided to leave Brooklyn; a decision, I’m sure, that every teenager would want to make when put in that situation. I dragged my sister along with me because, well, she’s taken it harder than I have in the 14 years I’ve lived with them. Once, when I took up the duty to take her to the psychologist, the psychologist said that her mental condition and stability is worse than my own. That’s where Michael comes in; even though there’s a seven year difference between us, he’s been my best friend for a long time. My parents hadn’t ever met him, so they don’t know where the hell am at, nor do they care.
    Well, they probably have met him. If they have, they were probably drunker than a group of college freshman at a frat party, with all the consumed alcohol combined.
    However, I’d still miss the subway rides to New York City to go see Broadway shows. I would miss beautiful Gabriella, a young Italian-American who was also my theatre teacher. She was the one who I confided in about my personal problems. The first time we talked, she had the air of trustable and dependable empathy. She and Michael are good friends, as well. They’re like my parents.
    Scratch that, they are my parents.



    As I got onto the highway, stereo playing "Sometime Around Midnight" by The Airborne Toxic Event from my iTouch, my mind wandered to my dream; how it felt so real. How I could smell the sweet breath of the singing girl, the cold yet gentle touch of her skin, the pouring rain.... Her voice... how did she know that song? I had written it sometime ago in Freshman year, but I never showed it to anybody. Strange... I shuddered. Now the AC was making me feel her cold touch on my arms, giving me goose bumps. In the back seat, Jaime was marveling at what was outside, jumping from the left seat to the right. "Ooh, what's that?" Slide. "What's that??" Slide. "Is that a man??" Slide. "Food!!" Clunk! I had stuck my arm back just as she was sliding over to see us pull into the parking lot of a restaurant called the Lodge. I clutched her face with my gloved hand.
    "Don't ever say I don't love you, Jay Jay."
    "I love you!!!!" she screamed into my mitten.



    Ah, baby sisters are so entertaining.