I stared at the sign in front of me and sighed before starting my bike again. My mother has been fighting with her husband, Lance, for almost a year about him cheating on her. He'd been arguing with her about her adopting me when I was 9 years old. Their oldest son, Michael, is 3 years younger than I am while Sam is 4 years younger than him. Santa Carla. Murder Capital of the World. I pulled out a cig and lit it and pulled a deep drag off it. This was going to go one of two ways when the whole family got here. Either the boys would embrace this place and mom would be happy, or it would all go to hell.

I drove my bike all the way to Grandpa Emerson's house, passing the famous Boardwalk mom had ranted and raved about before I'd left home. Mom, Michael, and Sam were supposed to be joining me in a couple months after everything with the divorce was final and school had been let out. This was one of the many reasons I was glad I was out of school, not that I had really finished. I'd dropped out my junior year much to mom's annoyance. Lucy Emerson has a very clear picture of what her kids' lives should be like, and dropping from school isn't part of it.

"There's my girl!" Grandpa shouted as I got off my bike with my bag slung across my back.

"Hey grandpa," I greeted with a smile. "I'm surprised you're not puling some prank." I hugged him tightly as he chuckled. I used to always visit him while the boys stayed home with mom and Lance.

"I plan on saving the big one for Lucy and the boys," he told me, and I just nodded. "That all you brought with you?" He asked eyeing my small backpack I'd carried with me.

"This is all I really wanted to keep," I told him. "Lance made sure I remembered my place over the years."

"I never liked that guy," Grandpa muttered making me chuckle. "C'mon I'll show you your room and then we can go over the rules."

"No second shelf. Stay out of the taxidermy room. Don't move anything. Don't rip the address label from the TV Guide." I smiled at him as he started laughing. "How'd I do?"

"You got a good memory."

"Well, I've been coming here often enough I should remember the rules," I told him. "And you don't have to show me to my room. I remember where it is."

"I've changed a few things since you were here last year." He told me and I smiled and rolled my eyes. I followed him up to the attic room where I've slept every time I've come here. When we walked into the room I wanted to start laughing. There were a couple stuffed birds flying from the ceiling and a woodland critter or two on flat surfaces.

"You shouldn't have," I said to him with a flat voice.

"I wanted to welcome you home properly." He moved to the side so I could walk past him into the room. I placed my bag on my bed before turning and smiling at him.

"I'm thinking of hitting the Boardwalk tonight. Anything I should know?"

"No changes that I'm aware of." He turned and left the room leaving me to unpack my bag alone.

That night, I looked around the Boardwalk with a small smile on my face. This place never changes. I looked at the stalls and shops all around and smiled softly. Walking the Boardwalk was like walking down memory lane. Mom used to bring here every summer before Lance decided to put it on a permanant hold. Once I'd gotten my bike I was back down here every summer. I'd made sure to keep a great relationship with grandpa and kept mom in the loop on everything going on in Santa Carla. I felt eyes on me as I window shopped, but I ignored them before going into a candy store. I grabbed what I wanted and paid before turning and bumping into a fishnet and leather chest.

"Watch where you're going, chica," the owner of said chest chuckled and I looked up into a pair of blue eyes. His blond hair was long and wild and he had a playful smirk on his face.

"I'll make sure to do that," I told him with a small smile before walking around him and leaving.

"Where ya headed?" he asked following me as I walked away.

"Around."

"Around where?"

"You are very curious about someone who really wants you to disappear, aren't you?" I asked finally turning to look at him. He wore a black coat that reached his knees with the sleeves rolled up and looked to be split in the back. He wore his mesh shirt, tight, dirty white pants with a black belt, black leg warmers on his shins, brown boots, and a few bracelets on his writ. He also wore one earing with a skull connecting with a saber.

"Why don't you disappear with me?" he asked with a smirk on his face and I rolled my eyes.

"Not even if you paid me." I turned back around and continued walking listening to his footsteps behind me.

"Come hang with me and my brothers tonight."

"Not going to happen."

"Why not?"

"I don't know you."

"I'm Paul."

"Still not going with you." Paul chuckled as I continued walking away from him. He continued following me and jabbering on about wanting me to go with him to meet his brothers, but I still ignored him all the way back to my bike.

"Nice ride," he whistled admiring the machine between my legs.

"Go away, Paul."

"You coming back tomorrow?" he asked and I raised my eyebrow at him. "You still need to meet my brothers."

"No." I started my bike and went back home as quickly as possible.

I opened the sliding doors to grandpa's taxidermy room and glared at him.

"You forget to mention something to me?" I asked him and he just grinned at me and I groaned before going back up to my room.