55 degrees.
It's 55 degrees outside, the coldest day in California so far, and I'm sitting on my balcony shirtless with a tub of ice cream in my lap. Not that I can really care. It's the least of my worries. When your life's as fucked up as mine, a little cold weather doesn't really bother you. I moved to California thirteen years ago with my older brother Emmett. Reason for the sudden relocation: Emmett hit on the wrong girl. We're here to avoid death threats. Isn't he smart? I glanced down at the rain slicked road. The sight of the road and gray sky brought back memories of my childhood...
We found a nice, dry spot up on the hill not too far from our house. My mother had our baby sister Alice in her lap while Emmett and I tried climbing the tree next to her. We tried to see if we could climb the large pine tree high enough so we'd touch the gray sky. Mother just laughed and shook her head. Rain would drizzle down lightly and we'd run around on the field until we spotted my father's black car gleaming on the road and we'd run over to see him...
My little reminiscing session was interrupted by the sound of my phone vibrating on the marble countertop in my kitchen. 'Who the fuck could be calling me at three in the morning??' I thought bitterly. I walked into the large living room of my condo to find my phone playing 'Beethoven's 9th Symphony' as it rang. At that moment, my Siberian Husky, Balthazar, trotted into the kitchen with his tongue lolling out from the side. I picked up the phone cautiously.
"Talk to me." I mumbled half sleepily as I ran my fingers through Balthazar's soft black fur.
"Edward. Get your brooding ass up." Alice's musical voice rang through the speaker loud and clear.
"It's three in the morning. You shouldn't be up."
"Well, I'm up."
I sighed and ran my fingers through my unkempt bronze hair. Alice was short and quite irritating. Who knew such a small person could annoy someone SO much?
"Alice, what is it?"
There was a pause. Nothing but an eerie silence.
Whatever she wanted to tell me was not good. At all. I frowned and cleared my throat.
"Alice."
"Hmm?"
"What's wrong?"
She cleared her throat and spoke very softly, a hint of sadness in her voice.
"Edward... It's Mom.. She's umm.. She's dying."
I dropped the phone and stood there, completely paralyzed. I never heard the phone clatter to the ground. Never heard Balthazar's frantic barks. I stood stone still.
"She's dying..."