Hi there. Bet you thought you'd seen the last of me. I really don't have an explanation for why this took so long, especially since I've had the first half written for about two years. Wanna say it's a mix of procrastination, focusing on my other stories, and just... forgetting this story even existed. I just had a random burst of inspiration to work on this again. I read the original story, which I still have saved on my Google Docs (sorry to anyone who really liked that, btw) and oof. It really was a hot mess. Hopefully y'all still enjoy this new version and maybe it won't take years for me to update again. See you later! ~Shaymie

I awoke to a sharp tapping on my car window and opened my eyes reluctantly. Sam was staring at me, surprise apparent in his eyes. Trevor stirred awake, his eyes opening a crack. He smacked his lips and looked down at Lucy, who was still asleep in his arms. I smiled back at him and rolled the window down for Sam.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked, looking towards the backseat. I shushed him and checked on Lucy one last time before getting out of the car, grabbing my purse from the passenger seat. A pang of sadness went through me as my fingers glossed over my mother's suicide note, which was worn from the countless times I had reread it, wondering why she had left us.

I took out the note Mom had written for Sam and watched his face as he read it. His expression glossed over as he read it, but I could have sworn I had seen just the tiniest bit of… sorrow? Regret? Maybe it was pity. He and his mother did like to act like they were so much better than us.

"Ryan, I'm so sorry-"

"Sorry doesn't bring her back." I took a deep breath to calm myself down and looked up at him. "Can we stay with you or not? Lucy needs someplace warm to stay and I don't want to leave her in this cold much longer."

Sam looked at her through the window, a frown on his face. She was curled up closely to Trevor, shivering even though she was huddled up in a blanket. Her cheeks were flushed, and part of me was terrified she was going to catch a cold. She didn't need that now, when she was already dealing with so much... She was having trouble coping with Mom's death.

"Bring her in. I'll have my fiancée cook up something warm." Sam walked into the house without another word. I noticed that he was barely dressed, only wearing a pair of shorts. He didn't even have any shoes on. Was he one of those insane fitness people who did crazy things to stay in shape? I shook my head and opened Trevor's door. He scowled up at me. He wasn't fond of the idea of staying with Sam.

"Trev, I know it sucks, but it's just until I can get us a house," I said as he climbed out of the car with Lucy clutched tightly in his arms. I locked the car behind him and frowned. Would anybody try to steal our stuff? It never hurt to be safe, especially since we were in a strange town full of people we don't know. I sighed as I walked into Sam's house and held the door open for Trevor.

The house was warm and cozy, a complete contrast to what we were used to. It smelled delicious. I could hear Trevor's stomach rumble. We hadn't eaten since the funeral, and nobody had much of an appetite then. Sam gestured for us to join him in the kitchen. Trevor gave me a dirty look, his green eyes narrowed. I sighed and followed my half-brother into the kitchen.

Sam was leaning against the counter while a woman (his fiancée, I assumed) was standing over the stove, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she stirred whatever was in the giant pot on the stove. Half of her face was scarred, something I tried to not pay much attention to. I didn't want to offend her. I may hate Sam, but that's no excuse to be rude to anybody else. She seemed like a nice enough lady. After all, I know that most women would hate being up so early to cook for someone she didn't even know.

"You guys can take a seat," Sam instructed, waving a nonchalant hand towards the dining room table. I sat next to Trevor and squeezed his free hand. He didn't look at me, his glare still focused on Sam, but he squeezed back. Lucy mumbled in her sleep, snuggling closer into his chest. Sometimes I envied my little sister's ability to stay asleep practically everywhere. I can't remember the last time I had a good night's sleep.

"I want you to know that I'm still mad at you," I began, my voice trembling. I couldn't understand why Mom had wanted us to come back here. How could she be so sure that Sam was even still living here? "I hate you and your mother for how you treated us. You constantly looked at us like we were the dirt beneath your feet. And for what? Joshua left you, too. You weren't better than us."

"Ryan-"

"This is the last place I ever wanted to come. If it wasn't for Mom, I'd have taken Trevor and Lucy as far away from here as possible. Mom wants us to make up, but there's no fixing what your side of the family has done." Mom's blood is on Allison's hands. If she hadn't been so bitter, we could have gotten away from Don sooner. She saw the bruises on Mom's face, the way she could barely hold herself up. She didn't like Mom but she could have still done something. Did she just not care what happened to her?

"Ryan, that was all my mother. I wanted to help Dahlia, but Mom would've thrown me out just for talking to you. I'm... sorry." Sam ran a hand through his shorn hair and blew out a puff of air. "Look, Ryan, you guys can stay here as long as you need to. I'll talk to the council tomorrow about getting you set up with a place."

I was surprised by the sincerity in his voice. Thinking back on it now, Paul had never really said anything when Allison was tearing into my mom. I remembered seeing him over Allison's shoulder, his face full of shock when our eyes met. He didn't hate me and Trevor like his mother did, but he also didn't go out of his way to talk to us. Like the rest of the reservation, he knew that Mom was the reason his parents split up. Mom didn't know that Joshua was married, since she lived in Seattle at the time and only stopped by for the occasional visit. But it took two people to cheat and Mom willingly stayed with him.

The only thing Sam and I have in common is our hatred of Joshua Uley.

He left Mom right after Trevor was born. At first she just thought he was spending the night out drinking with his friends but then came the text. He said he couldn't do it anymore. He said he wasn't meant to be a father, that he didn't want to be tied down anymore. The last I saw of him was his back as he carried his things out of the apartment. He didn't say a word to me. No goodbye. No "I love you". Nothing.

"Food's done." The woman's voice pulled me back to reality. I watched her grab three bowls from the cupboard and fill them with the soup she had been warming up. Trevor lightly shook Lucy awake and sat her in the chair next to him. I couldn't help but smile as she yawned and rubbed her eyes sleepily. Maybe... maybe it won't be so bad after all.