CHAPTER 1

"Come eat!" I hear my father shout from downstairs.

It's a late Saturday evening in Montana and I'm having to unpack from the long travel from Alabama. I recently had to move in with my dad, stepmother, stepbrother, and stepsister because of my mother's sudden passing.

We were on our way back home one night from her friend's party. My mom and I had a small bit to drink however she insisted on driving since we were only a few miles from home...

"Hey mom, could you turn it up?!" "Sure!", she replies with the biggest smile on her face. We're both singing along with Bobby McFerrin as loud as we could as if he could hear us through the radio. "Don't worry, be happy!" we shout together. She laughs uncontrollably and I can't help myself but laugh with her. Everything feels so carefree; there's no worries and just being happy. The road's narrow with steep cliffs on each side. However, with the tall trees and pitch darkness, you can barely see it at all. I roll down the window and stick my head out to feel the wind rush to my face, blinding me. I enjoy the feel of speed being pushed at me. As the cold air hits me I watch the trees fly by me in a blur and just barely see the moon's light seep through the trees. The forest is so beautiful. I sit back in my seat but keep my hand out to feel the wind. "Shoot." my mom whispers to herself. I look at her in confusion and she bends down to reach for something she apparently dropped. She comes back up with her phone in one hand and a smile on her face, "Got it." I turn my attention back towards the road but notice just off in the distance a dark figure standing in the middle of the road. "Mom." I say to her in warning. She looks in front of her and sees the figure as well. The closer we got I notice it was a deer in our wake; when she tries to weave around the object her sight showed more than was there and we begin to fall off the road. My body grows completely numb out of shock as it takes me a moment for my mind to register what's happening before me. I hear my mom screaming at the top of her lungs, so ear screeching it starts to give me a headache. We sink further down in the depths of the forest with only the headlights showing the way. Nothing but tress and stumps were in our paths yet it didn't feel like we were slowing down any. "Mom!" I call to her hoping that she would look at me. Her hands cover her eyes so she won't have to see the tragic event that's happening. I go to reach for her hoping to comfort her and myself but right when I'm just about to touch her I jolt forward then everything goes black...

"Angelique come down!" I come back to the present and sigh from my memory. I miss her, I say to myself. I stop unpacking from my trip and head downstairs.

Once I reach the bottom I see everyone at the dinner table, even our German Shepherd, Rockie; sitting on the floor next to my dad begging for food as always.

"There she is!" my step mom says in hype. Her name's Jessica but usually we just call her Jess. She's a 5'6'' average sized, middle aged women with a beautiful complexion and has fire like hair that reaches the middle of her back. Ironically, she has a close appearance of Jessica Rabbit.

"Finally" my stepbrother scuffs under his breathe. He's Dexion or Dex for short. He's two years older than me with a height of 6'2''. He has dark brown hair that could pass for black and dark brown eyes. He has a smooth complexion which makes him look young with a slim body to go with it.

"Hush." Jess says to Dex with a hard face then turns her attention back to me.

"How's packing coming along?" she asks with a sweet smile on her face. I find it humoring how she can go from one expression to the other so quickly.

"Should be done by tonight." I tell her with the same smile on my face.

"Wonderful!" she responds with a light clap. "Come sit, there's a spot for you right next to Sophie."

Sophie greets me with a grin as I sit next to her. She's a beautiful girl with an artsy face and pixie like hair. I've always envied girls who could pull that look off and she does it well. She has dark brown eyes like Dex but has blonde hair. Sophie was always my favorite from the new side of the family, just her aura made it that way.

"So did you catch anything?" Jess asks my dad. It's hunting season here and my dad is a huge fan of it. He's still in his hunting uniform so he must of just gotten back from the trip. He's a 6'1'' buff looking man with brown hair and blue eyes. He also has the mountain man beard which he seems to be pretty proud of.

"No, I've been seeing a lot of rabbits and possums but no deer. Those pesky little shits have been escaping me too!" my dad used to be the go to guy if you wanted to hunt; however the older he got the more his kills would escape.

"Well maybe you just need to rest. They'll come around soon I'm sure."

"I don't have time to rest. A quarter of the season is already over and I haven't caught a single thing."

"Honey, you have time." he looks at Jess with sadness but I can tell he's trying to give himself hope. "How 'bout we change subjects?" she asks in desperation. When no one said a word she continued, "Well, why not tomorrow, Sophie, Angelique, and I go shopping?"

"Yay! I'm so in." Sophie says happily with a little clap but I let out a small groan of disapproval.

"Oh come on Angel, we could show you around town, you could meet some new faces, or maybe even meet a boy." Jess gives me a little wink after the word boy which makes me blush.

"Ughhhh!" my dad groans.

"What's wrong gramps? Your daughter has to grow up sometime you know." Jess says in a teasing mood.

"Boys are trouble and the last thing I need is for my little girl to have her heart broken."

"I'll watch over her." Jessica says with a matter of fact.

I grab some pasta and start chowing away. I focus on the taste of the tangy sauce with each bite I take and zone everything else out. I can hear the muffled sounds of Dex and my dad talking but I can't make out any words. I start to think about tomorrow and how different things may look around her. Last time I've been here it was for my thirteenth birthday. He wanted to take me on a hunting trip for a week, surprise surprise. I did have a lot of fun though, basically that traditional father daughter time together.

"I'll take everyone's plate." Jess says. I didn't even realize I cleaned my plate. I hand it to her then finish off my drink. After feeling the refreshing liquid move down my throat I head off to the kitchen to go help Jessica with the dishes. She's already drying off a plate when I enter through the door so I head to the sink and pick up a dirty plate. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I thought I'd help." I tell her.

"No no no no no." She says as she's taking the plate from my hand.

"Why not?" I ask her as she's now pushing me out of the kitchen.

"Because you had a long day today and you need to take it easy."

"Okay." knowing her, she won't give in easy so I don't fight her.

I walk out then head for the stairs and to my room. Once I get there I continue to finish unpacking with the little I have left. The thought of my mother creeps back into my mind once more. I can't forget the look on her face when we were speeding down that cliff. How scared she was. The image of her face covered with tears full of terror, longing, and shock is burned into my memory now. I could of stopped her from driving that night. It's my fault, I could of prevented it. But I didn't. I'm sorry mom.

About four hours have passed now and I just finished packing. I look at my clock that rest on my bed side table. It's 12:14. I can feel the ache in my bones from the bending down and placing pattern. I flop down on my bed face first, damn I'm exhausted. Right as I get comfortable I hear a scratching noise coming from behind the door. I get up to investigate and just behind the door is my good old pal, Rockie.

"Hey bud." I say softly. He wagging his tail and all you can hear within this silent house is the thump of his tail hitting the floor. I know he wants to come sleep with me, we always did before. I got Rockie when I was nine years old and he was my best friend in the whole world. However, when my mom and dad got a divorce six years later, my dad took Rockie and my mom kept me. I open the door more so he can come through and so he comes willingly. I close the door behind him and as I turn he's already in his usual spot. He would always lay at the end of the bed to make sure my feet stayed warm. I climb into bed after him, got under the covers, and had my head sink into the pillow. It feels as if a 20 pound weight was removed from my shoulders. I feel Rockie moving around towards my feet trying to get comfortable himself until finally he stops and I feel all his weight land on my right foot. I give off a small smile then let the sleep take over me.

Hey Ya'll! This is my first story I've written and I hope you'll enjoy it. Please comment on anything about it. I'll except both bad and good reviews. Thank you!