Hey Guys! Thanks for all of your awesome reviews! They've been great. I'm sorry my first chapter was so short, but I've been swamped with school lately! I'M SORRY! I'll try to write as quickly as I can, but expect a new chapter maybe twice a week. Oh, btw, I LOVE reviews, so please respond!! Thanks!
Casey and Derek sat quietly for a moment in the car, each trying to calm down before having to face the home that had become their Hell on Earth. Derek started the car, letting the roar of the engine soothe his nerves, like a baby being pacified with a blanket. The sound was familiar and consistent, one of the only things that hadn't changed in the past week since finding out about his family's death. With a last long, grief-stricken look at the cemetery, he pulled away from the curb, leaving most of the Venturi-McDonald family in their final resting places.
He drove down long, winding roads, all the while being suffocated by the silence that enveloped him and his step-sister. Derek glanced at Casey, and he wanted to say something, anything to get her to smile, or at least to help ease some of the pain that he knew she was harboring inside. But when he opened his mouth, nothing came out. It was as if the silence had swallowed his voice, leaving him mute. He opted for turning on the radio, but realized that as soon as he did, it was a mistake. The song drifting from his speakers, was like a knife in his broken heart, and Derek saw the tears forming in Casey's eyes.
He abruptly shut it off, earning him a sympathetic, if still teary, look from his step-sister. A few uncomfortable minutes later, and what was left of the Venturi-McDonald family pulled into the driveway of their house. To an ordinary person, it looked like a normal house. But to Derek, and perhaps Casey, it felt like a prison, torturing them with memories of loved ones past, haunting them with the reminder that those loved ones were gone forever.
Casey turned to look at him, her bright blue eyes searching his own. He felt as if she was inspecting his soul, and was finding it unworthy. Derek quickly broke the gaze. He couldn't bear to look at Casey too long, for it brought back all the good times and the bad times, and all the times with his family. Derek was determined not to cry in front of her. He was now the man of the house, and he had to stay strong for her. After all, Derek loved her, she was his sister.
Derek was surprised when she spoke. It was so soft at first he didn't think he had heard her. "Derek," She said quietly, commanding his attention. "Are you ready?" Casey asked, pointedly looking towards the house. He knew that she meant was he ready to go in, and face remembering.
"No. No, I'm not. But I really don't think I'll ever be," His voice was hoarse, from the inner struggle of containing his emotions. Even as he said that though, he knew that they couldn't hide in the car forever. So Derek opened got out of the Prince, waited until Casey joined him, and then, grabbing hands, walked together bravely into the House of Pain, as they would come to call it.
I hope you liked this chapter. PLEASE give me feedback so I can improve on anything that you didn't like, or for some more story ideas! Btw, Thank you Rebecca for helping me get this started. I couldn't have had this much of a good time w/out u! ily! Thanks, again everyone!!