Chapter 1

10 years since that fateful night. 10 years since I was orphaned along with my sister. 10 years there has been a whole in my heart.

'Life is but a dream for the dead', and unfortunately I don't think my parents' dream will come true. Ten years have passed since their death, and the pain in my heart still lingers. Living in Santa Carla when you are seven doesn't involve worrying about it being the murder capital of the world; but since then, I can't help but be cautious of what could be out there.

A happy family we were, always going down to the beach when the weather was nice, running around playing tag in the warm sand with my sister, building sandcastles with mom, attempting to fish with dad. I truly miss those days, but now it all seems to fade away. One night, like once every week, our parents would go out to dinner alone as grownups. My sister Taylor and I would always wait up to say goodnight to them when they had returned. This night, however, they didn't come home when they usually would, but we didn't think anything of it. We waited and waited for them for what would seem like forever, but in reality was a mere two hours. Our eyes were heavy and we eventually succumbed to sleep.

Lying unnaturally still and in rather uncomfortable positions on my tiny bed, we jumped a foot hearing a phone ring early in the morning. Taylor ran to the kitchen, almost slipping onto the cold tile, trying to reach the phone. Shakily she answered, and after a few moments, her eyes grew wide. I tried asking who it was and what was going on, but she merely 'shushed' me away. The line went dead after Taylor said, "Okay, see you soon."

I didn't bombard her with questions like my instincts told me to, but sat on the ground, and quietly looked up to her. She sighed, tears springing up in her grey eyes. "Brooke, um… mom and dad aren't coming home." She whispered, hugging me close. We stayed that way until two officers came to our house. They started talking to Taylor and she asked me to go to my room. Wondering what was so secretive, I made my way out of sight, but very well heard the conversation. Our parents were found in an alley with their necks snapped apparently. That is all I wanted to hear, so ran up to my room and cried my eyes out. I would never again see my mom telling me bedtime stories, or my dad tickling me until my head hurt from laughing. They were gone forever.

Hours later I was on a plane with my sister, heading to Colorado. Our aunt decided to take us in, to raise us. So, shipping a seven and a twelve year old out of the murder capital of the world was supposed to be a new start, but the memories have haunted me from that day on. Taylor has always been there for me, and I can't imagine a world without her.

Now seventeen, and fresh out of high school, I'm ready to start my life, a life out of the boundaries of the mountains. Taylor has received news that we still own our childhood home out in Santa Carla, and for the life of me, I don't know how she talked me into going back with her, but she has. I hope this doesn't count as suicide.

~ll~

Our old beat up Chevy cruised along, filled with two tone mute singing girls. The drive was long and tiring, but eventually we could see waves crashing off in the distance. This place looked like it belonged on the back of a postcard; I don't remember it being this beautiful. The breeze made this sunny day gorgeous, and the sounds of joyous cries filled the air. Closing my eyes, I laid back, enjoying this pristine moment. That moment ended too soon, and we approached our old home.

Old and wooden, you could tell this place wasn't cared for in the time we've been gone. Inside, everything large was untouched; simply covered in sheets of plastic. Running upstairs, I rushed into my old room, noting the same tiny bed and the simple dresser. This is home. Quickly unpacking, I made my way outside, and enjoyed the air. It's much easier to breathe here. Taylor asked if we wanted to stop at a store and pick up some food for dinner, and I hastily agreed.

Walking to town, which was but a mile away, we stepped into a small convenient store. It was barely larger than a gas station, and we set out to get the necessities. Taylor got caught up talking to some cashier with a dark brown Mohawk. Figures, she's always checking out the guys. Laughing to myself, I made my way down the narrow aisles. Finding everything we needed was simple, and soon we had more than enough food to spare. Checking out, I had to practically drag my sister away from the cashier to head home.

"Brooke, we should have stayed a little longer." Taylor complained.

"And why is that?" I challenged, raising a brow her way.

"So I could talk to Collin more!" she giggled.

"You're such a girl, Taylor." I laughed. She laughed along after a moment as well.

"Hey, if you're calling me a girl, what are you?" she questioned, mock-punching my arm.

"Hmm, I don't know? A fail at a teenage girl, perhaps?"

"That's for sure." Taylor agreed. I stopped and looked at her. We quickly broke into laughter and made our way back to the house. Once there, she wouldn't stop gushing over that Collin guy. She said that he was in a gang called the 'Surf Nazis' and wanted her to meet him at the boardwalk later on that night. Blah blah blah… Well she is going, and there is no stopping my sister. Does she not remember what happened to our parents? I might as well check out this place with her, I don't ever remember going out at night here.

The sun was setting and Taylor made her way into the kitchen. Her hair was ratted, her skirt was tiny, and her makeup was over the top…she would definitely fit in. As for me, jeans, a tank top, and a jacket seemed perfect. On our way to the boardwalk Taylor was overly bubbly, and wouldn't stop giggling like a twelve year old. Joy to the world; at least I won't have to deal with it the whole night. Finding a parking spot in the back of the over-crowded lot, Tay was practically jumping around.

"Do you think he's here already?" she asked as we walked to the gate.

"I don't know, but please meet me at the truck at 11:00. I don't want you missing our first day back."

"Okay, I'll be back at 11:00. Have some confidence in your sister." She said, hugging me before running off. This is going to be a long night…

The whole feel of Santa Carla was pretty eerie. Everyone was a character, no joke. And no one was ever walking around alone; they always seemed to be in little groups. That made me stick out like a sore thumb. A couple of guys were running my way, comics in their hands. They were most definitely stolen, and there was a girl, probably my age chasing after them. Just as they were about to pass me, I stuck out my foot and they both tripped, landing on the hard ground. They were cursing, and the girl came up.

"If you want to steal from the shop again, you better think twice!" she yelled, yanking the comics away. They guys scrambled away and the girl turned to me. Her hair was brown with the underside bright red. I've never seen hair like hers, and I can't lie, it was pretty cool. All of her clothes were bright, and she looked like she came out of a comic book herself. "Hey, thanks for stopping them."

"No problem. I'm Brooke, by the way." I smiled. She offered her hand and I took it.

"Molly, but call me Mo." She grinned. Some name she has. "Hey, I've got to go. See you later." She said, taking off once again. Yep, some weird characters around here.

Continuing on my way, I heard the roar of motorcycles. Everyone else dodged out of the way, almost as if they were afraid. Four bikes pulled up, and parked against the railing of the walkway. They all had the punk rocker look, sporting long hair and joints in their hands; in fact it looked as if they owned the place. Guys looked away, and girls looked lustfully towards the four boys getting off their rides. They looked like they were going to combust into flames if they were looked at directly. As if on cue, they bikers looked their way, and the girls turned scarlet, batting their lashed but quickly looking away. I couldn't help but break out in laughter at the pathetic attempt of flirting. Simultaneously the girls and the bikers looked my way, utterly confused. I put my hands up in mock-surrender and walked the other way down the boardwalk before any questions could be asked.

I walked back to the truck, hoping it would make the time pass faster. Sitting impatiently I turned on the music. Now it was 11:27, with no sight of my sister. Well this is just great. I stepped out of the truck and decided to look around, and after ten minutes, I spotted her exiting a bar, absolutely plastered. Running over to her, I found myself being tripped. Everything was a blur, and soon I came very familiar to the cold wooden floor. I heard cursing behind me, and turning over I saw the two guys that had the stolen comics from earlier. But it wasn't just them, they were yelling at two of the bikers. The two guys quieted down and slumped away. One of the bikers offered me his hand, and I cautiously accepted. Once standing, I couldn't help but send them questioning looks. Looking at them, one had long curly hair and wouldn't stop smiling, and the other well his hair was a mess, but it worked for him. A mesh shirt, dirty white jeans, a leather jacket, and biker boots made up his attire. Seemed pretty typical around here for people to dress that way, but it looked different for him…it actually worked.

"Like what you see?" he scoffed, raising his eyebrows. Give me a break. Shaking it off, I got down to it.

"What do you want?"

"Well, you could just say thank you." The other boy said matter-of-factly.

"Thanks." I shrugged. "Now, what do you want?"

"Want to know what was so funny about earlier." He said nonchalantly.

"Why does it matter to you?" I questioned. They merely shrugged their shoulders.

"I'm Paul." He said, changing the subject.

"Brooke." I nodded.

"Marko!" the other one jumped up.

"Soooo, Brooke, wanna go for a ride?" Paul asked smoothly.

"Pass." I answered quickly. "Have other plans." I said pointing to my sister, who was still outside the crowded bar.

"Well, if you're gonna go to the bar, let us buy you a drink-" Marko suggested. I saw Paul send him a slight glare, and I shook my head.

"Nope. Bye guys." I said, walking, more like running my sister's way. The whole time I could feel the bikers' eyes on my back. Hurriedly, I made my way to my sister, practically dragging her off of Collin. She didn't say anything, but soon followed my lead through the crowd. The parking lot was almost empty, and I sped home, my sister passed out in the passenger seat. I left her there for the night; that is what she gets for totally leaving me. I dragged myself inside and opened a couple of windows in the living room. Plopping down on the couch, I heard a rather unnatural wind outside, but shrugged it off, and set off into oblivion.

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