CHAPTER ONE DENTIST

Nobody likes dentist appointments, but me… well let's just I would rather just let my teeth rot then have someone poke around in my mouth. I looked over towards my brother, Chris, and silently begged him to let me leave. He just shook his head, ignoring my pleas.

"Katrina Reid." The secretary called.

"You'll be fine Kat." Said Spencer. He knew I hated dentists.

I took a deep breath. You'll be fine Kat. I repeated to myself. I took a shaky breath and stood up. I knew it was childish to be afraid of the dentist, and that at fifteen I was much too old to be doing this but I just couldn't help it.

I had no idea why it scared me so much, I mean, with the things my brother did and all the times he and been in danger… you would think this would seem like nothing. I had been afraid he wouldn't come home so many times. But still, the thought of sitting in a cold gray room with in that uncomfortable leather chair staring up at artificial windows featuring palm trees or hot-air balloons struck fear in my heart.

I walked through the ugly white-painted door with the too-perky secretary (who giving me a bright white smile that was just too obviously fake.) I followed her towards the door. Dreading every minute, I thought of the last time I had gone to the dentist, or was supposed to go..

I was nine years old, and I didn't want to go to the dentist. Not at all. I was praying for something to happen so I wouldn't have to go. Spencer, my fifteen year old brother walked towards me holding my pink fluffy coat. I loved that coat, it was warm and soft and every girl at school was jealous of it. It was the one thing I had that they actually wanted. Spencer has saved for three months to buy it for me for my birthday. "Ready Kat?" he asked.

"I don't want to!" I said.

"Come on Kat, please?"

"I hate dentists!" I yelled.

"Kat, shhh. You'll wake up Mom."

But it was too late. She was already up. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"To the dentist Mom, were just going to get our teeth cleaned." He said.

"NO!" she screamed. "The government will take you away! It's a trap! Don't go! Don't go!" she grabbed Spencer's wrist, pulling roughly at it. "YOU CAN'T! I won't let you! Won't let them take you away! You won't go!"

Her screaming made Chris come into the room. "No Chris! It's the government! Don't go!"

"It's okay Mom, we won't go!" Spencer said.

"No! You will anyway. I know! A mother knows." She said.

She grabbed Chris and me with her free hand and pulled us into the room we all shared. She pushed us in and closed the door, locking it behind her. "I'm sorry, but I can't let them take you. I can't." she said through the door.

Guess I don't have to go to the dentist.

But that wasn't the case now. There was no schizophrenic mother to lock us in a room today. Well, I guess compared to that the dentist wasn't so bad…

Forty five minutes later I walked through back through the door again.

"See, that wasn't so bad? Was it?" Asked Spencer.

I smiled, showing off my newly white teeth. " I guess not."