Shadows in The Dark

Chapter 21

Jaden greeted me as I emerged from the kitchen with a coke in one hand and cheetoes in the other. “Hey what you doing here Jade?”

Jaden was still his charming self with his curly brown hair and blue eyes. I swear his eyes reminded me of the night sky with stars shining brightly scattered around the depths of his iris. When he looked up at me beaming his charming smile I couldn’t help seeing Maddie in him.  

“Helping Betsy with her homework,” he said. Betsy was sitting next to him blushing and tapping her pencil on the coffee table. “I figure I can help since I’ve already learned it.”

“You’re going to need a God if you’re going to help stupid on her homework.”

“Shut up.” She flipped me the bird, her favorite finger.

“Sorry maybe later,” I said as I started up the stairs, “Bye Jade have fun.”

“See ya.”

I walked into my room and a fancy green dress lay on my bed. I ran my slender fingers through the ruffles of the puffy dress. Silver sparkles were everywhere making the dress standout even more, in a good way. The straps were made of fake jewels that complimented the outfit gracefully.

With everything going on I totally forgot about Uncle Ben’s company party. The same party uncle was so excited about that he gave auntie loads of money to buy everyone a new outfit to wear. I lay beside the dress and took a sip of my coke. “A normal party huh.”

I’d never gone to a real party or at least one that was considered important. I was unworthy of going to something so eloquent or at least that’s what my other relatives said. I hope everything goes well. I wouldn’t even know how to act at these types of events. I stared blankly at the ceiling, drifting into a memory.

I was ten and very short for my age. It was night time as I stood in the darken hallway leading to the kitchen eavesdropping. My aunt on my dad’s side was sitting directly in front of her husband talking in hushed voices. Their facial expressions were tightened and bills were scattered on the wooden table. “We can’t keep living like this especially not for her,” uncle grumbled.

“Well want do you propose we do then lock her in a closet. We can’t just ignore her presence; she wakes up and eats along with our kids in the morning and goes to school like our kids,” aunts usually gently voice was strained and hollow. My brownish green eyes that brought me nothing but cold stares widened in shock as I finally  figured out they were talking about me.

I gripped my oversized ham-down gown that swapped the floor with fear. Uncle crumbled some bills in his hands in anger. “I don’t care what happens to that child she is not my own. I agreed to let her stay if it didn’t cause us trouble, but look at all this.” He slammed his fist on a stack of bills.  

“Dear you’ll wake the children,” aunt said weakly as she put her hands over his fist in an effort to suet him.

“If we don’t get rid of her the kids won’t have anyplace to sleep. Are you willing for that to happen to our kids for her?”

“We can make this work honey just give it sometime.” She squeezed his hand firmly. Uncle’s eyes flared and he shot up.

“I want her OUT and that is my final word on this,” he shout, visible veins in his head pulsated.

“Dear…” he grabbed her and shook her hard for a long time. She finally went limp and she fell to the floor and crawled her way to the corner of the room. He stormed out the house after that.