Chapter 1: Car Accidents

"Mommy, mommy!"

"What sweetie I'm going as fast as I can."

"I know, I know, but can you pleeeeease go faster?!"

"I'm trying! I'm trying-". It happened so fast. All I heard was a long horn that was coming from a tractor-trailer, and then everything went black.

I shot up from my bed. All i could see was blackness. I looked at the clock, it read 3:42 am. I could feel the cold sweat running down my face. My heart was going one hundred miles a minute and I couldn't catch my breath. That dream still haunts me to this day. I was nine years old when it happened. It was all my fault too. It was a cold day in Connecticut, snowy as usual in the winter. We had a snow day at my school, so it was closed. I wanted to go to my best friend's house that day to play in the snow. Her name was Sarah. She lived a few miles away but still went to my elementary school. Because she lived far away we always had to take the highway to get to her house. My mom decided to drive me because my dad was at work. My brother, Carter, was in the car too. He was six years old. When I told my mom to go faster, she looked at me and laughed at my enthusiasm. I was in the back seat. She wasn't watching the road and swerved into the other lane and there was a tractor-trailer coming it honked but my mom couldn't get out the way fast enough. She was hit head on and died in an instant, while my brother and I survived. I hated this nightmare. I had it almost every night. The only time I had a restful night of sleep was rare. After rolling around for quite a while, sleep overtook me.

The next morning woke to a blazing sun and a massive, throbbing headache. The smell of eggs and bacon emanated out of the kitchen throughout the whole house. I got up and went to take a shower. I put it on cold because I was still sweating from that nightmare. It felt good against my warm skin. I got dressed in a pair of dark skinny jeans, a pair of black converse, and a pinstriped button up shirt, where the sleeves were rolled up to my elbows. I put my long straight strawberry blonde hair that went to my waist into a pony tale, letting my side bangs fall as they may. It was the same color as my mothers. My skin was very honey toned just like hers aswell. I put on some natural looking makeup, I have bright green eyes, the color of the most healthy grass in the summer, I also got them from my mother. All my life I've been told i looked like her but could never see the resemblance. I could only dream to be as beautiful as her. I brushed my teeth, and put some very soft pink lip-gloss on. If I do say so my self I looked pretty, but not pretty like the other girls in my school. I had straight white teeth and never needed braces. I went down stairs to greet my dad.

Ever since the accident he could never look at me the same. My grandmother told me it was because when he looked at my face he saw her. I can't help but feel shame and guilt for what I've done to him. I took away his first and only love. the one person who accepted him for who he was. Loved him for every flaw he had. The made the other feel alive, like there was a purpose to life. They made each other strong as if any obstacle each of them faced crumble right before their eyes. I wouldnt have been surprised if he resented me for the rest if his life. But he didn't. He took the responsibility of me and my brother head on. He rasied us the best he could.

"Good morning dad,"

"Good morning, Charlie." My full name was Charlotte, but everyone called me Charlie. My mom came up with the nickname.

"Breakfast smells delicious," I complimented.

He smiled. "Sit and eat."

"Where's Carter?" I asked.

He laughed and rolled his eyes. "He's still sleeping."

"Those teenagers," I said. Carter was fifteen, and we were three years apart, so I was eighteen and a senior in high school. Carter was still just a freshman.

"I have some news," my dad went on, "that I'd like to discuss over breakfast. I would also like your brother to be here, because its very important, so when you're done eating, could you wake him up please?" Ugh! I forgot its only Thursday. One more day until the weekend.

"Yeah, of course I will." I said

My dad and I had small talk as i ate. When i was finished I went upstairs to wake my brother.

I knocked on his door and he didn't answer so he was probably still asleep. I walked in and called his name a few times. He still didn't wake up so I had to shake him to get him up.

"Carter, you have to get u,p its Thursday, come on"

"Mmmmmmm," he grunted

"Carter get up right now or I'm going to pull this mattress right out from under you!" I said in a stern voice

"Mmmmmmmm," he still grunted.

"Fine then, have it your way," I said and pulled the mattress and he fell right off it. Even though I was a girl, I was still pretty strong from playing volleyball on the school team, as you can see, I was on varsity.

"Hey no fair!" he said

"I told I would."

" Okay, okay I'm up I'm up," he said.

"Good. Now get dressed because breakfast is ready and dad has important news to tell us," I said as I was walking out of him room.

"Fine," he said just before I closed his door. After about twenty minutes Cart came downstairs, and got his plate ready to eat.

"Okay," my dad started," I have gotten promoted!'

" Oh congrats, dad!" I said

"Yeah but, the thing is, if I take this promotion we have to move."

" What!" cater said

" Dad we can't pick up and leave, its March, I mean I graduate in a few months."

"I know, honey, that's why we are going to move during the summer, probably at the end of June."

"Oh, okay."

"Dad, we can't go. I have friends here and a girlfriend. I don't want to go, I won't go!" Carter shouted and t=stood up from the table.

"Carter I know you have friends here, your sister does too, but this job means so much to me. And in La Push was where your mother grew up. Also some of your family lives there, including your grandmother and grandfather and aunts and uncles and even some cousins."

"But dad-"

"No Carter stop it. Dad's job is important. Plus you'll make new friends and so will I. I will miss Katie but I'll have to push through it plus there is such a thing called a phone," I stated. Katie Wilson was my best friend.

"Your sister is right. This decision is final. I'm sorry Carter, but this job is so much better pay, its more than triple of what I'm being payed now."

"Fine, whatever. I'm going to school." Carter asked.

"Yeah, you two run along, but Carter your sister is driving," dad said. I didn't have a great car, it was a Nissan ultima, nothing special.

"But I have my permit, all I need is a licensed driver to be in the passenger seat."

"I know, but I prefer that your sister would drive today."

"Fine," Carter grunted, disappointed.