Chapter Three
Keirri Hatmaker was fourteen years old the day she stood next to her father's emerald green casket. No doubt, she had had a hard life in the past, but this was the worst thing that could possibly happen. Paul, the man now lying in the casket, was her mother's first love. However, after two kids, Keirri and David, they divorced, and Laura went to Paul's brother, Elmer, for comfort. They ended up together and got married in Keirri's late childhood, producing Melissa.
Elmer and Laura had their hardships, more than any couple should suffer, but still she allowed herself to be manipulated by him. David moved in with Paul, leaving Keirri and Melissa alone in a house of Hell. More and more, Laura fell under Elmer's spell and began to neglect her children, and Keirri turned to her father for help. A month before his death, she spent a weekend in Heaven with him, and she decided she wanted to live with him. She went home, told the news to her mother, and was grounded immediately.
That left her here. Still stuck in that house, even though her father was going to hire a lawyer and get her out of there. Fate had muddled the situation, leaving Keirri stuck in a situation that made her feel downright horrible. She had grown up in that single week between receiving the news and the funeral, no longer retaining her bratty attitude and deserting it for a newer, better one. The experience had torn her heart in half, but the emotions from the funeral that she was receiving were overwhelming. She knew she was an empath long ago when she started looking into mutant powers, finding her answer in a book by Charles Xavier.
She left a rose in his coffin, her emerald eyes looking down as she ran her hand over his cold, stiff one, taking her last look at her father. She turned and walked away, never again looking behind.
A year and a half later, the fifteen-year-old Keirri was stuck in the same situation, watching over her blonde-haired, blue-eyed little sister alone. Her self-esteem had taken a turn for the worse, and day after day, she had spent time locked up in her room without a friend in the world. Elmer was worse than ever, and Laura was frustrating to Keirri, who had just gone through another break-up.
"Don't worry, I fell in love with the wrong one first too. You'll find another one." Laura gave her daughter a full-fledged smile, patting her on the back as if the sentence had no impact on Keirri's emotions.
"Mom," Keirri cleared her throat, approaching a subject with the utmost of care, "how would you feel if I wanted to go to a private school?" She tucked a strand of dark brown hair behind her ear, the Indiana-born girl a bit nervous at the subject.
"Sure, hun, as long as it helps you get out of this mood. I can't have you sulking around here and taking up extra space, can I?" She was painfully oblivious to the situation.
"It's in New York...Are you sure we can afford it?" Her fingers nervously twitched, but she felt a great deal of bliss from her mother's emotions.
"Sure. I'll just use your Social Security money." Melissa entered the room, going into the fridge and grabbing a popsicle.
"Melissa..." The six-year-old stopped in her tracks, turning to her older sister. "How would you feel if Keiki were gone for a while?" Melissa just shrugged.
"You can go. Quit wasting my time."