Chapter 1

My plane landed in Houston two hours later. It was five thirty in the afternoon and still very sunny outside. I always hated visiting Tracy down here for that very reason. The humidity was constantly high down there and I couldn't stand being hot. I guess I would have to just shake it off and deal with it, especially when I had a baby on the way who just might like the sunlight.

There weren't many people in the airport when I got there. I went to the baggage handler and grabbed my bags before heading to the bathroom to fix myself up. I looked a mess since I left the house as soon as the argument ended with me and my parents. I went straight up to my room in tears, packed my bag and left the house. When I got to the bathroom, I took down my hair and combed it out. It stretched just a few inches below my shoulders and was all light brown.

I then took a paper towel and wiped off my face. Some of the mascara that stained my cheeks was still visible and I didn't want my sister to think someone put their hands on me, even though my father had hit me. Once my face was all cleaned up I headed back out of the restroom and sat down on the bench. I then took out my cell phone and called my sister.

"Hey girlie!" She said when she answered.

I sighed, "Hey…are you busy?"

"No not at all why?" she asked, "Don't tell me dad and mom are on you again about something stupid."

I wasn't sure why but I broke down into tears when she said that. "Something like that,"

"Oh my gosh honey, where are you right now?"

I sniffled and wiped my eyes, "The airport in Houston."

She gasped, "Serena! Oh my goodness Mark give me your keys!"

"Why?" Mark yelled in the background.

I rolled my eyes at the sound of his voice. I swear the very sound of it drove me nuts and even more so now that I was pregnant.

"Because my sister is at the airport and she needs my help!" She yelled.

He sighed, "You've got to be fucking kidding me…"

"No I'm not Mark! Look don't be a dick! Serena sit tight I'll be there in a minute ok?"

"Ok." I said before hanging up. I so didn't want to tell her about my pregnancy but I knew I had no choice. I then thought about what Mark might say about me possibly living with them. He was such an ass towards me and I still hadn't figured out why. When I first met him, Tracy was in the eleventh grade. At that point I had only heard stories about how funny he was and what an interesting guy he was. He was pretty nice to me at first and I was happy for Tracy that is until he insulted my outfit and told my sister he couldn't believe she was related to me. We've fought like cats and dogs since then.

A few short moments later, I walked outside and saw my sister getting out of a beautiful black truck. She quickly walked over to me and threw her arms around my neck.

"Oh my goodness are you alright?" she asked.

I sniffled as tears began filling my eyes again. "I think so."

"Here let me help you with your stuff." She said. "They must have did something horrible if you ran away like this."

"You're not going to tell them I'm here are you?" I asked as I walked to the truck with her. "I really don't want to go back."

She opened the back door and put my suitcase inside before answering me, "Only if you tell me what's going on."

I sighed and wiped my eyes, "I'll tell you in the truck."

She nodded and got into the driver's seat while I climbed into the passenger seat. As soon as we pulled off I started crying again, "I'm sorry Tracy, I wanted to call you before I came but I just needed to get away from them."

"It's alright girl, you know I'm always here if you need me. Now tell me what happened from the top."

I sighed and began telling her everything that had happened between us…including the pregnancy. She was utterly shocked and I was sure she was going to turn the truck around and send me back.

"Oh Serena…don't worry about it…I'll help you out." She said with a smile.

I looked at her, "Oh my gosh you will?"

"As long as you promise to take good care of yourself and the baby. You need to get a job, and save up some money until you're able to support yourself and the baby ok?"

I sniffled feeling some relief, "Ok no problem….but how's Mark going to feel about this."

She chuckled, "Mark can kiss my ass…you're my sister and I refuse to let you suffer like this. Don't worry I'll handle him."

I nodded and wiped the fresh tears from my face. "Where will I be staying?"

"The guest house, we just had it finished up and no one is using it so, you can stay there until you can get on your feet." She said.

"Ok….thank you so much Trace, it really means a lot." I told her.

"No problem."

I felt so much relief once I got everything off my chest. I just wondered how living with Mark was going to work out. He was a major pain in my ass and I really didn't feel like being bothered with him.

When we pulled up to her house, I felt my stomach twist into knots. He was standing on the porch with his massive arms folded over his chest. He was a lot more muscular than before, and his once long hair was cut short and colored black. He had this red bandana tied around his forehead and a black shirt on with the words "Deadman INC" on it. His jeans were pretty form fitting leading down to a pair of black boots.

I sighed as Tracy put the truck into park and turned it off. She then touched my shoulder, making me look in her direction.

"It's going to be alright Serena, I've got this." She said before hopping out of the truck.

I took a deep breath and followed her lead, slowly getting out of the truck.

"Hey baby," she said as she came around to my side and put her arms around my shoulders. "Uh you remember my sister Serena right?"

He snorted, "How could I forget…"

She sucked her teeth, "Come on baby you promised to be nice."

He sighed and then looked up at the sky, "You're right I'm sorry….Hello Serena nice to see you."

I shook my head, "I see things haven't changed."

"No they haven't and they never will." He said.

"Mark!" Tracy yelled. "Stop being an ass!"

He growled at her, "Then what the hell is she doing here Tracy?"

"She's going through some problems and I'm helping her out Mark ok?" she said as she got my suitcase out of the truck.

"What the hell does this look like, a hotel?" he asked.

She glared at him and then gave me a key, "Serena go to the back of the house and let yourself into the guest house. Apparently we need to talk."

"The guest house! Tracy we just finished that place!" he said. "No one has been in there yet!"

She put her hands on her hips, "Mark unless you're going to fork over some money so I can get her to a hotel, stop your bitching!"

He growled and stalked into the house, slamming the door shut with a snap.

"Maybe I should go Tracy." I said. "I don't want to cause problems."

She shook her head, "It's not you Serena…trust me. Look just go let yourself in. Don't worry about him."

I nodded and headed to the back with my suitcase. I hoped to God that things would get better around here otherwise I would be leaving very soon.