Thank you for the reviews I know this is only the 2nd chapter but I still hope you're enjoying it! Once again this is going to be a slow start so please be patient!

Enjoy!

~Maxine

Chapter 2 - Time Of Your Life

Amber eyes stared at the over filled dual grave sites. She could feel her Uncle Tim's hand on her left shoulder and her Aunt Alice's hand on her right shoulder.

The funeral service was beautiful but it was way too long in Alison's opinion. Half the people that spoke on her parents behave were co-workers and friends from work; she barely knew any of them.

Her dad's brother was drunk for the most part she was still surprised he hadn't fallen in an empty grave while everyone was walking through the cemetery. Of course there was the walk back to the cars. She couldn't help the smirk at the thought of watching his drunk ass tumble into a six foot empty grave. It would serve him right for being drunk and bringing his bratty fuckin kids into her home and letting them run rough shot all over the joint.

Alison had been at her breaking point and knew a nervous breakdown or some sort of freak out was in order; she would probably get to that soon. She had been hiding in her room for the last two weeks while her dad's drunk brother, lazy wife and five bratty kids tore through the house. Too bad she's had her parent's room all locked up tight and no one could get in but her or her Uncle Tim and no one else. They would need some C4 or a battering ram.

She felt her Aunt Alice squeeze her shoulder. "You can stay as long as you want; were going to wait in the car." Her aunt stated in a soft tone before she felt her aunt and uncle relinquish both of her shoulders.

Alison wanted to stay longer but knew staying any longer would be detrimental to her mental status. She knew logically in life children were made to bury their parents that's how it was supposed to happen. She always figured her parents would live till at least their mid seventies before she had to figure to how to sneak them in through the back door of an retirement community in Boca Raton Florida.

Her amber eyes went back to the dual grave sites before she walked over; leaning down she kissed the top of each grave stone. She was glad Uncle Tim had placed a rush on the dual engraving order. Most cemeteries don't do the engraving until after the funeral but since it had been two months since the accident Uncle Tim had them start on the order immediately.

It had taken the Spain medical unit two months to sift through all the rubble to find the remains of her parents, even then they couldn't have an open casket because they could only identify them by their dental records; they thought at first they could pull DNA but there wasn't enough remains to even do that. Alison was still cringing over the damn report she'd snuck from her Uncles briefcase one night while she was over having dinner with him and Aunt Alice.

It was by far the stupidest thing she'd done to date.

Alison spared one last look at her parents final resting place...She could come back any time she wanted, but for now - she just wanted to be in her own home. She sighed heavily and knew the following day would bring the reading of the will and after that she was cleaning house and everyone was going to leave her the hell alone so she could finish school and they could get back to their own lives.

She turned and left the cemetery promising to be back soon to visit her parents; she knew they would understand.

Sleep evaded Alison all night. She was glad her parents were finally laid to rest after 2 months, but the last two weeks had been pure hell on Earth with her dad's brother and his family all staying in her home. She was tired and felt herself getting more grumpy as the morning was going on and was about 3 seconds from bitch slapping her cousin across her Uncle Tim's office.

Uncle Tim had excused himself because he had to take an important call in the adjoining room and the 5 year old Tommy the tiny terrorist was running around the long rectangular table skipping and singing at the top of his lungs. She almost gave his sister some cash when she stuck her foot out and tripped him but watching the little runt face plant on the carpeting and skip...bump-bump-bump to a stop was thanks enough.

Must keep smirk off face...must not laugh. It was the mantra Alison kept repeating in her head as the little shit started crying so loud you would've thought he got hit by a damn car.

The 7 year old Lincoln was picking his nose and wiping it on the underside of the chair. THANK GOD she was sitting across from him and his arms were too short to reach her because she was pretty sure he would get tired of whatever he was doing and would try to wipe his boogers somewhere else.

Note to self: Don't let the 7 year old touch you.

The 10 year old Amanda for the most part was actually behaving herself as she sat at the very end of the table reading the magazines that were on the table.

The 12 year old Jeremy...well she really hadn't been sure what he was doing until she started to breathe through her nose and noticed a certain foul stench. That kid always did have stomach issues. She was sure if he kept straining he was going to shit himself; especially if the bright color red of his face was any indication. If farting ever became an Olympic sport that kid would have Gold medals lining his bedroom walls; if his parents didn't sell them on E-Bay for money first.

And the 15 year old Zoe who had tripped her brother earlier and on Alison's good list was actually just speed texting her friends. She had a bit of a snotty side to her, but tripping her brother purely for her amusement only had earned her brownie points in Alison's eyes.

Amber eyes watched as Uncle Tim came back into the conference room. She watched as he laid a folder down and opened it. "This is the most simple will I've ever had to draw together. It's been notarized and a judge has already signed off on it; so there is no way to contest it."

"In the event of a dual death this Will and Testament will be a joint Will and Testament. This is the last Will and Testament of Marie Alison Merker and Martin Michael Merker. I, Marie Alison Merker and Martin Michael Merker, of Santa Monica California, revoke my former Wills and Codicils and declare this to be our Last Will and Testament. There are no payments of debt or expenses because everything was paid off. Our only child Alison Marie Merker is the beneficiary of everything under our name. Nothing will go to anyone else."

That last sentence only set off a bunch of cursing, pissing and moaning. And of course it was being all done by Alison's dad's brother Mathew and wife Connie. Alison looked at her Uncle Tim as she nodded to him and he nodded back; speaking in their own code. Which meant Uncle Tim was driving her home and not the drunk, his lazy wife and their kids.

"Have you decided what you're going to do once you graduate in a month?" Tim asked Alison as he looked over at her.

Alison's amber eyes went from the whizzing scene outside the SUV to her Uncle as he sat behind the steering wheel. "I just want to get through the next four weeks and then decide. I can still pack up in the fall and got to UCLA. I just haven't decided anything; graduation first then try to figure everything else out. I've got a couple of months of summer to really decide."

"Maybe you should get away for summer."

Alison's eyebrows shot up. "What do you mean get away?" She asked curiously.

"You know be a normal 17 year old and go traveling before you have to go away for college. Go to Europe or Hawaii or Alaska some place other than here." Tim suggested. "You've lived here your whole life."

"Well considering mom and dad lost their lives doing a European tour, that one is most definitely scratched off the list and Alaska..." She made a face before she shook her head negatively. "Hawaii could be a maybe but then again I'd have to actually get on a damn plane to cross the ocean and I don't see that happening either."

"Maybe you and your friend Wendy can hit the road and travel the different states; go sightseeing. You should go a thousand different places that you have never been." Tim stated honestly.

"Yea...maybe."

Or maybe she could go by herself. After everything she'd been through the last two months; she just wanted some alone time.

Who the hell was she kidding she didn't want just some; she wanted tons.

Now if she could just get her idiot in laws out of her damn house.

Alison dreaded walking into her house.

Her parents really were gone; there was a finality to it all.

Alison walked into her home with Uncle Tim following her. The TV was blaring so loud Alison's ears were literally throbbing to the sound coming from the speakers in the living room.

Tim watched on proudly as his niece walked into the living room and turned the TV off before she turned to the 7 lumps on the couch with her hands on her hips.

"You've been here for 2 weeks eating me out of house and home, running up the long distance bill calling every idiot you all are friends with, running up the electricity and water bill with every fuckin light on, running the water from baths to the pool and as of right now it stops. I ALLOWED you to stay because you were related to my father and now he is gone and you're allowed nothing according to the will which means the charity line stops. You have a home go there and get the fuck out of mine."

Matthew Martin was barely able to stand up because he was once again drunk. Alison shook her head. They'd only gotten back to the house probably an hour before her and he was already blitzed. "Who the fuck do you think you are? This is your parents home not yours."

"Correction Mr. Martin, Alison's parents left her everything including the house, which mean if you don't pack up and get the fuck out she can call the police and have you all arrested for trespassing and then Child Protective Services can take all your children who are under the age of 18." Tim gently stated.

Gently stated? Who was he kidding. He liked sticking it to the drunk bastard!

Alison smirked as she watched the 7 lumps as they peeled themselves off the couch and scattered to pack all their shit up. She was glad the house was equipped with a state of the art home security system because she wasn't sure when but she could just FEEL she was going to have problems with her extended family in the near future.

Alison stood by the front door an hour later as she watched her 5 cousins slowly walking down the stairs and out the front door to the family Winnebago. She watched as Mathew and Connie crossed the threshold out into the night. "Thank you for coming, I hope you enjoyed your stay. You ain't gotta go home but you have to get the hell out of here."

As soon as they were walking down the steps she slammed the door behind them as she and Uncle Tim were thrown into a fit of laughter. "I could be picking up on the wrong vibe but I don't think they are going to send me a graduation gift."

Tim threw his arm around her shoulders and gently hugged her and kissed the top of her head. "Your father hated them. He would've been so proud of you for standing up for yourself tonight."

Alison nodded. "Yea, I could only take so much of them. They really had to go."

"Speaking of going, I had better get home before your aunt has a fit. I'm going to follow them off the property, watch them from the security cameras and as soon as were through the gate close them and arm the gate and make sure you arms the house once I leave. If you need anything just call sweetheart." Tim stated before scoping her up into another hug. He didn't really want to leave her but they'd already agreed she needed the alone time after getting rid of the 7 unwelcome house guests.

Alison watched as her uncle left and made sure she had the gates closed and arms as soon as both vehicles pulled onto the street. She walked around the house promising herself she'd clean up tomorrow since it was Sunday as she turned all the lights off and shut everything down. Once she got upstairs she arms the house and her amber eyes fell on her parent's bedroom. She pulled the key out of her back pocket and opened the door.

Everything was exactly how they had left it. It was clean and nothing was out of place. Their laptops still on their desks turned off. The only thing they ever took on vacation was clothing and their cell phones; nothing else was allowed it was deemed 'their private time' and no one or nothing would get in the way...unless of course it was her.

Alison leaned over and could smell the Chanel No. 5 on her mother's pillow and the Old Spice on her father's. She laid across their California King 4 poster bed as she buried her head in her mother's pillow and cradled her father's pillow into her arms; she couldn't help letting it all settle as she cried herself to sleep.

4 weeks later, Alison graduated high school and closed that chapter of her life. She'd already made her decision about traveling, but couldn't decide about college.

She stood in her bedroom and packed up the clothing, laptop, wireless card, cell phone and chargers, a couple of pillows and a couple of blankets. There was really no telling what she would need or where she was going to go. She looked at the map of the United States Uncle Tim had gotten for her as she closed her eyes and put her finger down.

Chicago Illinois.

It would be interesting and fun and it would be something she would remember for the rest of her life. She stopped at her uncle's first to say her goodbyes where he demanded she call him every other day just to check in. Her aunt had of course bought a HUGE ice chest and packed it to the brim with sandwiches, snacks, water and soda. Not to mention a bag full of toilet paper and paper towels...'Just in case' she whispered.

She pulled out onto the highway with her GPS sitting on the dash and her music softly playing. Her amber eyes looked at the cemetery as she passed it. She'd already said her goodbye to her parents a couple of days ago.

Another turning point
A fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist
directs you where to go
So make the best of this test
and don't ask why
It's not a question
But a lesson learned in time
It's something unpredictable
but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life

Alison smiled softly and could only hope that where ever her parents were now; that they were having the time of their lives.