A/N: Hey, I got two reviews for my first chapter! That's like, monumental for me! So thanks :)
dana-maru1: Hey, glad to see you back! And also glad that you still enjoy my series... I still enjoy your fic, too. :)
Mediatorsk: Sorry the website was being stupid for you... it did the same thing to me, too. I'm glad you enjoyed the first chapter. And it's okay if you can't review for a little while, I promise I won't panic lol.
CHAPTER TWO
She walked across the grassy fields, breathing in the fresh air. It was unusually mild for January, even in California, and the sun was shining. The scenery was almost enough to make her forget where she was. Almost. Slowly she walked over to the spot she'd already visited numerous times growing up. She used it to think through everything.
Paige Joyce, the headstone she'd knelt in front of read. Slowly Stella placed a yellow rose on top of the marble.
"Hey, mom," she whispered. "I know I haven't been here for a while, but things have been really hard… Andy lost his job a few months ago, and of course because I'm the smart one, Dad didn't want me to start working. We've been scrounging to get by… we even had to use money from the college savings once… but that's only half of it." Stella stopped temporarily as a tear fell down her cheek. "Dad's gone missing. We don't know what happened. One night, we all just had this big fight, and he was really drunk, so he probably overreacted and left… the car's gone too. But we don't want to go to the police or anything- they're just gonna put us somewhere until we turn 18. God, we're hoping he'll come back… we're really worried. It's been two weeks. And based on when he left, it's probably our fault."
Of course, Stella didn't expect her long-dead mother to actually advise her on what to do, but venting calmed her down. She and her brother had always had to be strong throughout their lives, but their father was always there. He might've been an alcoholic, but no one could ever deny that he cared about them, and did what he could to give them the best life possible with a menial job. Stella had been wearing the jeans she had on for the past three days. It was cheaper if they went to the Laundromat as little as possible.
Stella looked back at her mother's grave. She was only five when she'd lost her, and she had no memory of the woman. But all her father had ever said about his late wife was praise, so Stella and Andy looked up to her as well. Apparently she'd been a very strong person throughout her life, dedicated to what she did, and even more dedicated to her family. She'd been a social worker, and she loved to help people. Stella wished she could follow in her mother's footsteps, but everyone in the family knew that there was hardly enough around to get her into college.
Her cell phone rang. It had actually been one she'd found in the bus station a little while ago- there was no way her father would pay for a phone. "Hello?" she asked, answering it.
"Hey, Stella!" Came the shout from the other end.
Stella couldn't help but smile at her brother's antics. "Are you ever gonna stop doing that?" she asked.
"It's too fun," Andy replied. "Anyway, I got a job!"
"Really?"
"Yeah, down at Wal-Mart. And I'm pretty sure that as long as I work there, we'll get an employee discount!"
"Thank God," Stella said, breathing a sigh of relief. They were running low on funds, and there were bills to pay.
"What about you?"
"Huh?"
"Any success job hunting?"
"Uh… I'm not at the mall," Stella admitted.
"What?" Andy asked. "You know you can't goof off at a time like this!"
"I know, I know…" Although Stella was older by three minutes, Andy always had that big brother character about him.
Andy sighed on the other line. "Well, where are you?"
"Down at the cemetery. I'm at mom's grave."
"Oh."
"I miss her, y'know? I know it was like, eleven years ago…" her voice was starting to crack.
"Hey, it's okay," Andy comforted. "I'll get on a bus and meet you there. Sorry about yelling at you like that."
On TV, most twins, especially those of the opposite sex, were portrayed as hating each other and always fighting, but Stella and Andy looked out for each other. They had to.
A/N: This is about finished as I post the chapters, so unless my computer and the website do battle again, the updates should be pretty quick. Sorry I don't have titles for these chapters... I'm just really bad with titles! Anyway, please review:)
