Disclaimer- I do not own any of the Twilight characters. All rights go to Stephanie Meyer and whoever else has the rights. The McErin's are, however, entirely mine and held under my own copyright.
Chapter 2
Maysen McErin's POV
I was checking the mail when I found a letter from RDF Media. It was the letter Mom had been waiting for since she sent our video in. My only hope for this was that the new mom wasn't as polished as mine. We put on such a front as the perfect American family when we weren't. We obviously weren't the worst off, but I still don't think anyone could see through the exterior of the pastor and his 'perfect', loving wife, the choir director, and their 'perfect' daughter who made straight-A's and was a cheerleader while heading the 'Spread the Word' club at school. It was all so much of a front. I didn't want to do any of that.
I would have loved to just up and run away with my boyfriend, whom no one knew I was seeing, but I couldn't do that because I was sixteen and he was twenty-one. Mom would never condone that when she thought me and Richard Johnson had something going on. Richard she did condone wholeheartedly because he was the 'perfect' guy. He played football and basketball and never missed churched; the perfect guy to my mother.
What no one knew about was the metal illnesses Mom possessed or the ones that I'd inherited. No one knew Dad spent his time with the church secretary because he said he couldn't stand even looking at Mom. They slept in different bedrooms and only saw each other on Sundays and Wednesdays for church, so we could still seem perfect. I had no idea what would possess Mom to broadcast us to the world, as though bringing another Mom into the picture would make us seem more perfect. Dad 'worked' all day; that was the excuse for the affair. He spent hours in the church writing sermons and speaking with God. Mom chauffeured me and my little brother, Bradley, to whatever she deemed good, Christian extracurricular activities.
I walked to Mom's bedroom where she was bathing in the darkness with a cool cloth over her eyes. She had had a breakdown that morning and I had to skip school, but she had still made me videotape several hours of me practicing cheerleading to make sure I was still the 'best'. That was what made Mom happy; when we were the best.
She hadn't eaten a thing since the day before, then only because it was Sunday and Sunday meant you had to eat. I heard her puking in the bathroom the previous evening after the church supper. She claimed her body was naturally thin, but I knew that wasn't the truth. It was the same problem I had. We didn't eat and it was simple as that. I had learnt something from Mother after all I guess, I thought sarcastically.
"We got a letter from the Wife Swap people." I handed it to her and waited to be dismissed.
"You may go, but ready the house for cameras. They come tomorrow and I don't like the mess you leave this house in."
I gave up arguing about it not being my mess long ago and just said, "Yes ma'am."
I returned to where Bradley was whining about
wanting food and rubbed my temple. I took him to the kitchen for dinner since
Mom was having one of her breakdowns. I cooked for him, not eating anything
myself. I never ate if I could help it; part of a granola bar every once in a
while if I passed out too often or couldn't do my chores and extracurricular
activities. Maybe half an apple, but that was it.
The day went as normal until I was tucking Bradley in to bed and singing him a lullaby. When I finished I walked to my room, locking the door and finding a blade that had been taped underneath my table I slid it across my leg watching the blood begin to rise, then pool as I cut again, and again, and again in the same spot making it deeper every time. I took solace in making myself bleed. It proved my control as with not eating. The not eating helped with cheer too. I would be kicked out if I gained any weight and Mother would get mad if I got kicked out of anything, so I starved myself and cut the pain away. It was just how I coped.