A/N: For my Shelbie :)


I don't even know why I'm here. It was a stupid idea to come down and visit my relatives. I mean really, taking a "vacation" after Melanie cut and hung herself to death. Really? Are you fucking serious! Melanie is my baby sister, well more like my twin since she is exactly eleven months younger than me. She was troubled and no one saw it. I found out she was cutting just three months ago. I thought she quit after my lecture about how much she means to me and how wrong this was, but obviously I was the wrong one. Just seven days ago my sister hung herself in the depths of her walk in closet, no one found her until a day later, correction, I found her a day later. My parents decided that we, my mom, dad, four year old brother, and I, should take a trip down to Tempe, Arizona and stay with our relatives, the Brocks, and come back down to our roots.

My parents originally met and grew up in the Phoenix area of Arizona, and moved to Tennessee a few years before I was born for my father's job as an IKEA manager. My siblings and I are Tennessee born, and yes, we do have accents. I, Cassidee Trotter, am not only the eldest Trotter child, but I'm tall (I stand at 5'8"), my hair is a dirty blonde and falls just below my shoulders, my eyes fall on the border line between a light brown and hazel (it's weird, I know. But that's how I was born), I guess you could say that they change with the light and my mood, I guess.

The Brock's. Karen, Phillip, Byron, and Kennedy; my aunt, uncle, older cousin by three years, and my cousin exactly my age. Byron is twenty years old, so he really won't be around much especially since he doesn't live at home anymore; he shares an apartment with a bunch of friends. As for Kennedy, he's in a band, known around as The Maine, which I'm guessing is pretty good since they've been touring and stuff, which leads me to the fact that he won't be around much either. So I'm prepared to spend the next few weeks with Harrison, my little brother.

"Oh, Katie!" My aunt Karen embraced her sister, my mom, in a hug. "Hon, I'm so sorry. Who knew that Mel was so twisted?" she asked rhetorically.

"No one, no one cared to know." I mumbled, walking past them in the doorway and towards my cousin's den downstairs, Harrison gripping to my hand.

"Who ar-" some guy I didn't recognize started to ask me as I was coming at the end of the staircase.

"Hey, Cass." Kenny greeted me. "Guys, this is my cousin Cassidee." He introduced me, coming and walking over to bend down in front of Harrison, who tried to hide behind the arm that he was gripping. "Hi, Harrison." He waved to my brother, whose finger was now in his mouth. "I'm your cousin Kennedy. You probably don't remember me, because the last time I saw you, you didn't have any hair." He stretched out his arm to ruffle the blonde hair upon Harrison's head, causing my brother to smile widely.

"Hi." He squeaked out.

Kennedy put on a shocked face once he heard Harrison's first words to his ears, "He speaks!" he gasped.

"Great, now does she?" Some other guy with brown hair and looked like he was breathing through his mouth said as he pointed to me.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do." I snapped back. "Come on Harrison, let's go unpack, and then it's nap time." I told my brother, picking him up into my arms.

"Bye, bye, Kennedy." Harrison called behind him as we scaled back up the stairs not more than five minutes once we entered it. This is going to be a long vacation, I can tell.

"See ya later, Harrison." He said. "You too, Cass." He added for my benefit.

As I made my way back up to the main level of the house I heard Kennedy scold his friends, "Guys, leave her alone. She's been through a lot, so just chill, okay."

Thanks Kenny, I knew I could count on you.


Short because it's new.

Comment/Review please :)

Love you all - Dominique