'In general the more dysfunctional the family the more inappropriate their response to disclosure. – Never expect a sane response from an insane system.' – Renee Fredrickson.
No family is perfect, no single person is greater or less than they are meant to be. Everyone is destined to be the best that they can be regardless of where they come from or the things they do. Everyone simply just does the best they can. Or so we're taught to think…
For example, my Father, Ryan paid his way to the top of his Lawyer's firm. Sleeps with his secretary almost every other day, regardless of the fact that she is engaged. Best he can be though right?
My sister, Madison or Maddy for short was a ear older than my brother and I. She was kind of a snot, she was sort of a princess and I think knowing we were moving to L.A. really only amplified her insanity for thinking she is the queen of the world. I don't hate her but I wouldn't exactly be too fond of being stuck alone with her for long periods of time.
My brother? Jaxson, he's my twin. Well we're fraternal twins even though we are pretty close, hung out with all the same people, did the same things, always together. We where pretty much best friends. He and I both had to be taken out of school about a year ago due to the fact that neither of us liked being there. Always skipping classes, or just not showing up to school in general. High school was a shitty place for both of us.
Which in part explains why we're moving to L.A. from Washington. Our step-mother Lillian was a Nurse or well Jax and I think she tells herself she's a nurse. She's not any better than our father; he cheats away from the house probably because our mom is just such pleasant company to be around.
Lillian however has no boundaries for her infidelity and she never seemed to care if we found out of our father found out. She was a cruel vindictive woman; we were moving to basically feed her joys and needs. Wren had to make his practice a private one likely going to be working out of the house, meaning mom would have to sneak around else where to avoid a divorce she'd get nothing from.
She had already been transferred to the general hospital near by the house we where going to be moving into which I had to admit knowing they took it off the bank, based on a virtual tour was some what un nerving to me. You would think you'd want to know everything there is to know about the place first. Not my family… nope.
"Yo, Lex we're here and you have to see this place. No word of a lie, it's like straight out of a movie." I heard Jax whisper to me, suppose I should.
"Alexis, Jaxson, Madison, we're here wait in the main hall for your father and I please. We have to make the last few arrangements with the movers and the realtor." Lillian told us as I nodded before hopping out of the car.
"This place is kind of retro looking, we couldn't have gone for something more classy?" I heard Maddy question from behind me as I turned to look at her.
She would be matching; her long brown hair up in some messed up braided bow thing, not without her light blue flower hair band of course. She wore a knee length dress, mint colored bottom with a white lacey top, mint heels and an assortment of blue and mint colored accessories.
She would look like she walked out of a designer clothing store; she was going to fit right in here. "Lex, look at this place." Jax enthused as I turned back around to look at the three-story house standing before me.
The house was kind of spooky looking; it was a red-bricked house with white bricks surrounding the windows. Many of which seemed to be stained glass windows. The whole exterior of the house seemed so enchanting, large trees, perfectly trimmed bushes and grass. Both incredibly green in color mind you. All plants and flowers where extremely well maintained. Obviously this cook wanted to get this place sold quickly.
Once inside the house I noticed the entire place was like stepping backwards in time. The wood was all kinds of different types, things where hand carved, the lamps hanging from the ceiling almost matched the windows on the exterior of the house. Like I said, enchanting almost yet even walking into the house I couldn't shake this incredibly horrible feeling being here.
"All right, our things should be here within the next three hours. Why not go look around the town near by go make some friends? I have to head to the hospital and fill out the last of the paper work." Lillian said to us, well not really to us more like at us. She knew better than to think any one of us gave a shit what she was saying.
"Yea, I was going to go shopping." Maddy said before turning around and basically storming out of the house heading towards her car, with Lillian almost at her heels.
"Well I have no intentions of making friends here, who knows how long this place is going to keep her appetite filled." Jax commented.
"No kidding, witch probably already made plans to leave this place." I smirked.
"All right you two, enough. She's trying at least… why not go explore the house, we already figured out the bedroom situation. Alexis you're rooms the Turquoise room, Jaxson you get the olive colored room."
"Yay." He said flatly causing me to laugh. "You can paint it, smart ass." My dad said rolling his eyes, "I was going to order some KFC later if you two are interested."
See, as much as I hated the Step-Monster, I loved my dad regardless of the crappy things he did at least he tried. He knew our family had problems and he always tried so hard to make things work makes them better. Jax and I left school and he made sure we got home schooled, he kept telling us things like how 'High School is just a blimp on our life's radar.' And soon enough it'd be over and we'd be out doing bigger and better things.
"Go on, what're you all sitting around here waiting for?" He asked us before I felt Jax nudged me before the two of us walked away. I could hear a knocking noise coming from the basement which caused me to look over at Jax for a confirmation that I wasn't hearing things.
"You're not crazy." He reassured me as he pushed his long brown hair out of his face only for it to fall back into place.
"Think it's a squirrel or a possum?" I asked him.
He chuckled, "There's no way in hell that was either of those things, however we should go check it out." He said excitedly opening the door walking down the stairs me directly behind him.
"Something tells me this house is filled with like crawl spaces and like hidden doors. There's no way it's just a simple 1920's home." He started to tell me.
"How do you know it's from the 1920's?" I stopped him on the stairs grabbing his shoulder.
He started to chuckle, "Well one, the weird realtor said so and secondly; look at this place." He sighed before turning around to continue down the steps.
There was a light turned on in the room around the corner, "That's not at all creepy." I said to him as he moved towards the room, when he stopped looking into the room. He waved me over as I walked towards where he was standing to see there was a girl sitting on the floor in the room.
"Um—Hey there, what's your name?" I asked the girl as she spun around, he brown hair wiping around her shoulder. The girl looked like she had Down syndrome, however it didn't take away from the fact that she was a pretty girl.
"Adelaide, but my friends call me Addy." She told us quickly. "Well, Hi… I'm Jaxson and this is my twin Alexis." My brother told her.
"You don't look the same." She told us.
"We're fraternal twins, so are you from around here?" I asked her.
"Of course I am, I live next door. I just came to see my friends, are you friendly?" She asked us.
Jax looked over at me pushing some of his hair behind his ear, he needed a haircut but something told me he liked this grunge—stoner look he had going on. "I think we're pretty friendly. What do you say Alexis?"
"Well, I was going to ask if you wanted to come up stairs with us. Our dad's getting some food soon if you're hungry." I shrugged, sure it was weird that she was here, but she must have known the people who lived here before or she had an avid imagination. Either way she wasn't hurting anyone by being here.
"Really?" She asked as I nodded, "Yea sure why not?" Jax questioned.
"Come on, pretty girl like you shouldn't be sitting on the floor. It's a dirty place." Jax said to her putting his hand out for her as she began to giggle taking his hand so he could help her up. "Let's get upstairs." I smiled.
"Here it is." Dad said as he brought in the KFC, "Adelaide, does your mom know you're here? Should you call her to let her know you're going to be eating with us?" He asked her.
When we told our dad where we had found her, and some of the things she said in the basement he didn't seem to worry or concerned. He was actually very kind to her, which was refreshing. I could only imagine how the Step-Monster was going to react when Dad tells her that he had told Adelaide that she could come anytime she wants, as long as she tells someone she's here.
"She knows…" She told him.
"Alright, so help yourself sweetheart." He told her as he placed a cup and plate in front of her as she had taken a seat next to Jax.
She couldn't keep her eyes off him, which was really sweet. "Thank you for letting me stay, the last people always made me leave they weren't nice at all." She commented.
"Well you can come by anytime you want, just knock on the door and let us know that you're here, wouldn't want to scare anyone."
"No, I will knock first." She smiled, "Can I sleep over sometimes?" She asked.
"I'll make the attic my room dad, just make the room next to Lex's room a guest room for when Addy want's to stay over." Jax suggested. "Yea, dad that's not a half bad idea. It'd be better than her taking the floor or a couch." I told him.
"All right, just wait till we're finished moving in ok?" He questioned Adelaide.
"Ok – ok." She sighed as we heard the door open, with loud giggling sounding like Hyena's cackles.
"Whose that?" Adelaide asked us. "That would be the Evil Step- Monster and her minion." I commented as Jax started to laugh nearly choking on his food.
Adelaide started to laugh, "That's funny."
"What's this." I heard Lillian's voice question as she entered the room, looking up to see her and Maddy standing in the doorway.
"It's KFC, you know chicken?" Jax joked, fully aware the 'this' she was referring to was Addy not the food.
"I meant—" My father cut her off, "This is my house. I invited her to join us for dinner, there won't be a discussion about it." He said motioning for them to sit down with us. Which they did with a lot of anger and hesitation.
"So Addy how long have you been living next door?" My father asked her. "Forever." She commented, "My friends live here." She said again looking over at Jax and I.
"I'm glad Jax and Lex made friends with you, their good kids." My dad told her. "How do you have blonde hair when everyone else has brown?" She asked me.
"I bleached my hair, which I do a lot… I enjoy looking different." I told her.
"I like it, it's pretty." She smiled at me. "So is yours." I smiled back to her.
"Oh please." Maddy rolled her eyes, "Give it a rest, what is she going to join you two in your home schooling fun? Mom had talked to a maid earlier who will be teaching you as well as cleaning. So fun, she looks like a creature from the bog too."
"Lillian is not our mom!" I shouted over the table at Maddy. "She is now! Where do you see our mom Alex? Where? She left she didn't want us or dad!"
"Both of you shut up!" I heard Jax yell, "Maddy apologize to Addy, you don't get to call her that, you don't."
"No." She snapped.
"All of you go to your rooms; feel free to unpack your things. Addy could you please come back tomorrow? These guys need to reflect on their choices. It was a pleasure meeting you, and please bring your mother over next time."
Addy nodded as Jax leaned over giving her a hug causing her face to grow a bright pink color. "See you tomorrow Addy." He said to her as she gave me a hug too before leaving out the back door.
"Rooms now." Our dad said before we all began to climb up the steps.
"You have a real problem Maddy, god knows you're going to fit right in with all the superficial shits at the high school." Jax said to her, his voice seething with hate.
"Oh don't try to act all humble, we both know the kind of girls you go for." She snapped opening a door with all her things inside waiting to be set up.
"Being nice to Addy has nothing to do with who I go for Madison and you know it." He told her making his way towards the attic after Maddy shut her door. "Movers… seriously, just left my stuff in the hallway couldn't just go up ten steps and put my stuff upstairs." I heard Jax say as I walked towards him, "I'll help you carry it all upstairs." I told him picking up a few smaller boxes.
"What the f*ck is that?" I heard Jax say once I had reached the top of the steps placing some boxes down. Hanging up on the wall before us I looked at this rubber onsie. Complete with hands, feet and mask, some sort of twisted sex suit.
"Your new PJ's." I laughed pushing his arm, "Funny." He rolled his eyes.
"What do I do with it?" He asked me. Letting out a sigh I shrugged, "Put it in a box in the basement?" I suggested looking over at him, "Yea sure, here lets get the rest of this stuff up here." He suggested as I nodded helping him take the rest of the stuff up stairs.
After making my bed, and putting all my posters and pictures all over my walls. I sat on my bed looking over at all the boxes sprawled around on the floor before laying back down on the bed staring at the ceiling. I wish for once things could go back to the way they where. Before Lillian and her greedy hands came along, before she changed Maddy, before Dad became lost in his work. Before we came here, this house made me feel physically uncomfortable. I wasn't looking forward to starting school tomorrow. Home school.
"Yo, you up?" I heard Jax asked as he walked into my room.
"Yea what's up?" I said saying down on my bed.
"This place still doesn't feel like home, can't sleep and the basement creeped me out to much… so that leather sex suit is still in my room." He told me, sitting down on my bed looking over at me.
"Yea I get the 'not like home' feeling. Place makes me feel so uneasy… can't explain in, and you can leave the thing in here… in a box of course I'll bring it down in the morning." I chuckled.
"I'm not a baby, I can handle it in my room." He rolled his eyes, sticking out my tongue I moved so he could lay on the bed next to me.
"Lex, do you ever think things will get back to normal?" He asked as he lay down next to me, putting his hands behind his head.
"What is this normal you speak of?" I questioned as he chuckled.
"I meant us all getting along again, not including Lillian of course." He asked.
"Maybe, Maddy drifted from you and me so much since she started dating, and becoming popular. She'll come back, I know she will." I told him as he nodded.
"I just miss when we were growing up, we where the three amigos, three musketeers. Always together never apart, now its just the twins." He sighed. "I miss the old Maddy, I miss mom."
"Me too, I wish mom and dad could fix their problems too… I cannot stand Lillian, I mean at least we know being out here she will rarely be home, maybe she'll get lost in someone else's pants become their problem." I told him causing him to laugh, "You should dye your hair again, like bleach it again and put something in it." He suggested sitting up and getting ready to leave my room.
"Like what?" I asked him.
"Pink, was pretty cool when you had light pink last time, and we both know it'll piss off Lillian." He grinned, "I'll go to the store tomorrow, maybe take Addy with me." I smiled.
"She's a pretty interesting girl, she's really friendly." He leaned against the door frame.
"She is, I still can't believe Maddy at the table with her sitting there." I sighed.
"Hey, don't fret I'm sure Addy is used to it she'll be ok. I'm going to get some sleep, see you in the AM for food?" He asked as I nodded.
He walked out of my room shutting the door behind him; this was going to be one hell of a trip living here. At least I had my twin here with me I don't think I'd survive without him it'd destroy me. Shutting my eyes as I lay there waiting to fall asleep opening my eyes after only a few moments to notice the light in my room was now off. When it was on only seconds before, I was reading into it… Laying there I let myself fall asleep preparing for a long day ahead of me tomorrow.