SAND

Chapter 1: Depths Of Hell

The squeaking of loose hinges on a swing set, back and forth back and forth. On the breeze I could smell a swift of my grandmothers perfume mixed in with sugar cookies. She always liked to bake, especially for Inazuma and I. I turned around on my heel, the edges of my vision blurry as I squinted my eyes, looking everywhere for her puffy grey hair, her smiling face and those distinct old timer glasses that balanced on the end of her nose.

But instead of finding the comforting sight I found something that completely contradicted the word comforting. Emotionless sea foam green eyes that bore into my own hazel eyes, that blood red hair that hung in front of his face loosely, a mangled hand out stretched as if he wanted something from me.

And he did.

Back and forth back and forth. I could feel my heart pumping faster and faster, it was a wonder why it hadn't already burst out of my chest. Still no matter how much the fear of seeing him before me engulfed my right mind I wasn't able to move, my feet where stapled to the green grass beneath me. But it wasn't green anymore, it was wilted and dead. The swing set wasn't something any child wanted to play on, it was rusted and wore down. I remembered my grandmother's death, remembered it couldn't have been her there but it can certainly be him. As per usual he tricked me, again.

This horrific scene before me was the last time I saw him, those ten years back when he fell from that tree and had broken his hand. He had asked for it back; I hadn't given it to him.

He didn't speak, I didn't move. But I knew what he wanted; and he wanted it now.

Then I woke up.

"Henko! Darling, sleeping in so late isn't healthy." I sighed, sitting up as I ruffled my auburn curls so they bounced against my shoulders. I looked over to my bedroom door where my mother stood leaning against the frame, her chocolate brown eyes soft in worry. I shouldn't be so sour with her, really; it wasn't her fault these nightmares where regular occurrences, it wasn't her fault I have been losing sleep and just recently have I been starting to sleep a lot more than usual because of that factor.

No, it's my dad's fault if anything. If it wasn't for his sudden burst of mid life crisis we wouldn't have to move back to that hell hole, I wouldn't have to worry about confronting my worst fears.. or fear per say. I wouldn't have to worry about keeping Inazuma -my kid brother- out of trouble. That town is nothing but trouble, so said my grandma and my grandma is always right.. or was.

If it wasn't her, I wouldn't be alive right now. If it wasn't for me.. she'd still be alive right now. "I know.. I know mom."

"No Henko, I don't think you do." She began. She came over to me, her high heels clapping against my polished wood floor as she sat at the edge of my bed. She extended a perfectly manicured hand, stroking my head soothingly. "I'm worried for you honey, are you sure you're okay with this move?"

I wanted to say no, I wanted to tell her I'm scared to go back. I wanted to spill my guts and scream out that this is the wrong choice, tell her the truth about everything; tell her how exactly grandma had died. But I didn't, I just nodded my head throwing my duvet off my body and letting the cold air of my bedroom hit me giving me instant goosebumps.

"Yeah mom, I'm just really stressed lately." It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the full truth. I'm no longer capable of telling the truth, I promised grandma I wouldn't say a word to mom or dad or Inazuma so I won't; ever. She gave me a wary look but just nodded her head curtly, standing up. With her heels she towered over me, I was after all five foot nothing. Inazuma always teased me telling me it's because of all the coffee I drink. Sometimes I really did love my kid brother, despite the fights we always get in I have this overwhelming need to protect him even though he's already fourteen and doesn't really need protecting, that's why moving again is seriously causing me to be high strung.

"Well we have an hour before we leave, breakfast is ready." I nodded my head, shaking it in the process and trying to rid of the pounding headache I had. My mom kissed me on the forehead, giving me one last worried look as she left closing my door behind her. Standing up I crossed my room pulling my hair into a loose bun on top of my head. I looked at myself in my large mirror leaning against the wall seeing me, but not seeing me at the same time. It was the last thing left in my room other than my bed in which surely the movers would remove while I ate breakfast.

Inazuma must have came in and taken the other smaller boxes i'd packed and left in the corner of my room while I was asleep earlier this morning. I was kind of pissed about that, those boxes where like a silent protest to my parents.

I DON'T WANT TO GO.

Of course they didn't catch on, I didn't expect them to. I grabbed a sweater I'd left on the floor after coming home from my last day of school yesterday and shrugged it on. What's the point in dressing up when I was only going to be driving all day anyway, right? I sighed once more, letting all my disappointment roll off me in waves. I wouldn't really miss my school, in fact I should be ecstatic I'm moving seeming I have no friends here and I had so many back in the tiny village of Mei. But I'm not, because I know the truth about that tight knit village like my grandma and unlike my immediate family. I was so naive then, now not so much. Now I wonder how I never truly noticed, I was after all a rather observant child.

I reached into the sweater pocket pulling out a tiny bracelet that surprisingly still fit my wrist. It was made of lace and there was a small emblem, a wisp of sand that was attached by a small golden ring hanging off the black lace. My eyes emptied of all emotion as I stared down at the object, the object I had stolen. Hopefully he'd moved, maybe even died somehow. It's a morbid thought I know, but it's better than actually confronting him after knowing what i'd done to him all those years ago.

I turned on my heel walking down the stairs, maybe once I got down stairs my dad would've changed his mind, maybe he would apologize for his mistake and make the movers put everything back. But of course that was just wishful thinking, and when I entered into the kitchen my dad was already half way out the backdoor letting out our family cat, Pluto outside. No she was not named after the silly dog off that American TV show, or the dwarf planet; no she was named after Pluto the god of the underworld, or Hades, or simply the devil. Because that's exactly what she is.

She may come off as cute, she's tiny with shocking blue eyes and cream colored fur. But she's evil, I swear she's plotting my death and will one day eventually follow through with it. She's already tried giving me heart attacks by jumping out at me at the most random of times. Inazuma says I'm a lot like her, Inazuma says a lot of things. I sat down at the kitchen table, scarfing down an oatmeal cookie and ignoring Inazuma's death glares every time I grabbed another cookie before he could grab one.

"Pig." He snarled, I hardly gave him a side glance as I stood up the movers coming in and shooing an angry Inazuma away as they folded it up and carried it out leaving me with the basket of cookies in which I happily took out to the front porch. I sat there, relishing in the sun as it bore down on my back and munching on cookies. After about five minutes of thinking and pigging out I had finished a basket full of ten oatmeal cookies and completely wore out my brain mentally and emotionally. I felt like crying to be honest, watching the movers pack up every last bit of our gorgeous Victorian house into a dusty moving truck. My dad ushered a still fuming Inazuma into the car, packing away Pluto in her cage as my mother fluttered around making sure everything was in check and the shady movers weren't jacking anything.

Inazuma, the only family member I haven't truly spoken of yet. He just turned fourteen two months back making him three years younger than me. He takes after my mother, with light brown hair that can seem blond if he stands in the sun long enough (Which he doesn't because he wastes his life away playing video games with his friends in the basement.) He has the same dark chocolate brown eyes, and ignorant attitude but I still love him so much despite his big mouth. I take after my grandmother, which probably explains why we where so close. I have the same hazel eyes that can be seemingly gold in the sun, the same curly auburn hair and height, and I'm more curvy like her; Inazuma and Mom are stick thin. My dad, which is technically my step dad is Inazuma's real father though. I never met my real father; my mom always tells me he was merely a one night stand.

Doesn't matter to me, it doesn't bug me much and at the moment I had bigger things to deal with. I huffed as my mother waved me down over by the car, and I watched with sad eyes as my dad locked up the house for the last time. The FOR SALE sign that was stuck into the ground three weeks back sat there beckoning someone to buy the house were most my favored memories lay, and will forever remain.

Dramatic I know, but I'm a very dramatic person. When I pulled myself into the car beside Inazuma it was tense, and I knew this was going to be a quiet ride.

"Ready gang?" My dad exclaimed a little too chipper as he started the car, I winced at the word 'gang'. A little too coincidental, I thought sourly.

Here we go, into the depths of hell once more. Hopefully this time we'll all come out alive.