8 years ago

"Mom," her small voice had called out.

"Where are you? Mom!" she had yelled.

Running down the stairs as fast as her tiny legs could take her; she searched the house high and low, not finding anything left of her mother's.

The only things left behind were her and her Dad.

3rd POV:

The summer before junior year had brought change on the Raj family, Kallista Raj and her single father, Anik Raj, had to face once again the face of the women who left them both.

Jess Raj had returned from the unknown to get a legal divorce, having left without telling either one of them she was going to go 8 years ago.

Once the ink on the papers was dry, she didn't stay a second longer.

And so Kallista's world had crashed down around her not once but twice.

Kalli POV:

"Hey Dad, I'm going out!" I yelled on my way out the door, not bothering to wait for a reply, I slammed the door shut.

I shivered as I made my way to my beat up car; the air was frigid around me, turning my fingers into icicles.

I sat in the driver's seat for a minute, just wondering if the sky was going to come crashing down on me, as if I already didn't have enough bad luck.

I started the ignition and blasted the heat, making my way to the only bar in town that didn't card and didn't care as long as you didn't scare easy; the Whyte Wyrm, a south side gang's bar, my mother's gang to be precise.

Parking my car in the lot already filled to the max with bikes, new and old alike, I headed i nside eager to be free of the chill that fall had brought with it.

Adjusting my eyes to the dim lighting and bustling sound, I slipped into a bar seat

I called out the familiar bartender, "Hey Topaz".

She gave me a quick smile, while finishing up an order on the other end of the bar.

"Hey Raj, jack and coke, heavy on the coke?" she asked.

"Yeah, thanks Toni," I smiled in response.

"I know your dad's not a fan of the serpents, myself not included, so what are you doing here tonight?" she asked curiously, leaning against the bar, the light catching her uniquely pink and brown hair.

"You guys are the only place in town that doesn't card or call my dad, so here I am, against my better judgement because I sure as hell needed a drink," I said feigning nonchalance, taking a sip of my drink, letting the bubbles fizz out on my tongue before I swallowed.

"We heard what happened at home Kalli," Toni said, "the serpents... we talked to her, made sure she knew never to come back after what she did"

"Thank you" I whispered, suddenly grateful for my pseudo-family; who had taken care of me when my dad had gone off the rails the first time my mom left.

"Okay," was all she said in reply, understand the weight behind my words.

Before I could respond she added "you, me and Isa knew each other since diapers, if Isa wasn't a northsider, whose parents are assholes who believed Alice Cooper's shit about the southside, I'd be around all the time, but either way we got your back."

I nodded knowing the loyalty of her promise, of any promise made by a serpent.

I sent my dad a text saying I would crash at Toni's; he didn't know she was regularly locked out by her uncle and couch surfed with the serpents, but it would give me one less thing to worry about in the morning.

I tossed back my drink and told Toni to hit me with something stronger, wanting to drink away the pain that was clawing its way to the front of my chest.

My drunkness plus lack of glasses at the moment was Toni's current entertainment as I whispered to Toni in a voice that would not be considered a whisper, "Who is this handsome gentleman?"

Toni's eyes following my finger to a liquor bottle at the end of the bar; laughing so hard she had to put down the drink she was making.

"That was priceless, but now i'm 100% sure that you are smashed, I'll call sweet Pea to take you to his. I'm crashing there after I finish my shift," she said still laughing.

"Nooooo, I don't wanna flower boy, I want another drink," I demanded sounding 10 years less than my current age.

"Well sweetheart, sorry to disappoint you, but I'm no flower" a deep voice said from behind me.

I turned and even in my drunk haze, my heart stopped, he was definitely a foot taller than me, and his eyes were a molten brown that held hints of laughter.

"Goddamn," I said, the numerous drinks I had consumed liberating me of my filter.

He laughed, his whole face lighting up, a dimple showing itself in his left cheek.

I reached out and pressed my finger against it, in the background I noticed Toni laughing, pointedly staring at sweet pea, as he curiously, looked at me for explanation for why I had my finger on his cheek.

"You have a dimple," I said happily as I turned back around to my drink, "She's a happy drunk, it makes her ridiculous," Toni said as if explaining my behavior to Sweet Pea.

"C'mon, time to go" Sweet pea said

"Nope nope nope," I said frowning, "I need to forget."

Sighing he scooped me up bridal style, "I don't know what you need to forget or why sweetheart, but I know that Toni wants me to take you to my place to sleep off the alcohol."

"Whatever" I said sullenly.