Chapter 1

The Plane Ride to Hell

Rae looked out the window and was almost blinded by the sun, which was exactly at eye level. She had been on this plane for two hours now and still had a few more to go. Going to California from New Jersey took awhile. But she wasn't fully sure if she even wanted to get off the plane, even if her butt did hurt like hell from the seat.

Why should I want to get off? She thought to herself as the morbidly large man next to her belched. Ok, well that is one reason. But other than that. To go live with my dad? The last time I saw him was Thanksgiving a year ago. Why should I have to go live with him and the woman he left mom for? Plus, apparently she has a son.

Raelyn Campi had many conversations such as that with herself. Sometimes she spoke to herself more than other people. Well, at least lately that's the way it was. Lately she didn't like to be around people. She didn't like to talk unless it was absolutely necessary. She didn't want to live with a dad she never saw, the woman who had stolen him away from her, and the boy who got to see him more than she did.

The only reason she was going was because there was nowhere else. Rae's mother had died just a month before. She had gotten leukemia and had been fighting it for a while when she just gave up. But don't feel bad. Rae hated sympathy. It annoyed her so much she could feel it tingle in the marrow or her bones.

Before her mother's death Raelyn had been your average High School student. Well, except for the fact her dirty blonde hair was streaked with neon orange. She was a very loud, outgoing, friendly girl without a care in the world. And she liked it that way. She got average grades, had average friends, and had an all around average life.

But after the death everything had stopped. Her grades became way less than average, she stopped talking to her friends, and now she was leaving for California. Rae didn't want any of this to happen, but a 17 year old is pretty powerless against a force such as death.

Rae fell asleep. The sun glistened on her golden skin. When she opened her bright, green eyes the sun had lowered enough so it didn't hurt any more. A woman came around with a rolling tray of food. But when Rae saw the man next to her start shoveling freeze-dried potatoes into his mouth, she had to shake her head no. Pretty soon after that, the plane started to descend.

Rae stood by the baggage claim waiting for either her father or her bags. Whichever came first. The bags did, and it took her about 15 minutes of chasing them around the metal turnstile to get all of the bags and trunks off.

Then she stood there for another 15 minutes looking around like a lost child. Finally, a security guard came and asked her if she needed any help. Shaking her head, she practically ran out of the glass doors to the parking lot trying to get away from him.

A few minutes later a small, white car pulled up and a scary woman stepped out. Her hair was bleached blonde and looked like a bird was nesting in it. The bright pink, spandex clam diggers she wore accented her extremely large ass in every wrong way possible. And the floral patterned shirt had one to many buttons unbuttoned. None-the-less, she came and wrapped her arms around Rae.

The woman smelled of margaritas and Rae thought she would suffocate in her fake breasts.

"OHHHHHHHH!" squealed the woman, "You must be RAELYN. I'm Tammy, but you can call me mom," she let go and Rae winced at the last comment. Tammy noticed. She put her manicured hand over her mouth, "Oh, I am so sorry. You poor thing." Tammy reached in to give her another hug that Rae tried to dodge but was unsuccessful. When she was finally released from the claws of Lucifer she started to back away as unnoticeably as possible. But Tammy grabbed her shoulders.

"Well aren't you the pretty thing," she said examining Rae, "Oh, yes you are," I feel like a dog Rae thought, "If you weren't going to become Jack's stepsister I think you too would be a perfect match. Although, you are a little short, but a good pair of heels would fix that…"

Rae narrowed her eyes, "I only wear flip-flops."

"Hmmmmm," Tammy didn't acknowledge the comment,"...oh yes! You must meet my son Jack," she pulled a lean, tall boy from behind her. Rae would have thought he was cute, with his surfer haircut and tan skin, had he not been the spawn of Tammy.

"Jack Kelly," he stated putting a hand out to her. Rae saw in his eyes that he didn't like her as much as she could tell she would hate him. But she shook with him anyway.

Next her dad walked up to her. Both of them suddenly found the sidewalk very interesting.

"So how are you, Rae," he mumbled.

"Fine," she mumbled back.

"You know…umm…I'm sorry I didn't call. I've been busy," he stumbled over the lie.

She raised her head and looked him right in the eyes, "Can we get in the car?"

Sam Kelly nodded to his daughter. They picked the bags up (except for Tammy whose nails were drying) and put them into the trunk. They sped along the highway. Rae stared at the setting. Well this is going to be just great she thought. They arrived at a little beach house on a block of cute beach houses. At least it's a nice place. Jack, her dad, and Rae hauled everything to a medium sized room towards the back of the house. Soon, she was lying in bed, but she didn't sleep. Rae just stared out the open window as the breeze brushed her face.