This is an older story written 6-7 years ago. It has two sequels and lots of chapters. If you like it let me know and I'll post more of it!

-

The service was quiet. Only a few close friends and family of Michelle Storm-Helms were there. Her only daughter, Ravyn, was trying her hardest to keep the tears from overtaking her. She brushed a strand of jet black hair from her face. Her mom had always loved her dye jobs. Today she had black with purple, her mom's favorite combination. Out of respect for her mother's family she wore a black waistcoat to cover her armful of tattoos. Ravyn stood up and walked to the door of the funeral home to get some fresh air. Her older half-brother, Shane, was already outside. He was thanking a few of their family members for coming. She waited until they had left for their car before walking up to him. He put an arm around her, silently letting her know everything would be okay.

"Can we start moving some of my stuff tonight?" Ravyn asked her brother. "I don't want to stay in the house alone."
"Sure, we'll fit what we can in our cars tonight. Then work on it more tomorrow," he assured her.

*****

As promised Shane helped Ravyn pack the most important things into their two cars. Since she didn't want to stay at their mother's house by herself she would move in with Shane. She locked the front door and gave the house a fleeting glance before getting into her car. She followed Shane as he lead them from their mother's house in Cameron to Shane's house in Southern Pines, North Carolina. His house wasn't huge, but it was exactly what Ravyn needed. A chance to get away. Being alone in their mom's house for another night would have driven her absolutely crazy.

They pulled into the driveway, parking in front of the two car garage. Shane sat in his car for a minute before stepping out. He ran his hand through his long brown ponytail and opened the trunk of the car. Ravyn wasn't taking the death of her mother well. And Shane could understand. Even though Michelle wasn't his biological mother she was the closest thing he had ever had to one. Shane's real mother left when he was only four. But his father soon re-married. Not long after that he had a half-sister.
Growing up they had little in common. They had their own friends and never really hung out with each other. There was a seven year age difference, so they were never even in schools at the same time. Shane grew up loving wrestling while Ravyn rode horses and took up photography. They hadn't even really been friends until the past few months. Their father had died almost six years ago leaving Ravyn to live with her mother, when she wasn't at school, while Shane pursued a professional wrestling career. He was only home once or twice a week, but they had been making the most of it. They tried to hang out whenever Shane was home. Ravyn had met a few of his friends, but most of them were wrestlers too so it was rare for them to have the same days off.
Ravyn had been going to boarding school and later college in New York. She lost touch with all but one of her middle school friends. Being away from North Carolina had changed her perspectives. She had never enjoyed the heat and now couldn't imagine a winter without snow storms. So much was different here. Leaving New York had been one of the hardest things she had ever done, until her mother died. Show she felt alone, back in a place she never really loved with a brother she barely even knew. Her life was really about to change. And she wasn't sure how to handle it.