She liked her little life in Wasaga Beach. Things were usually quiet in her humbler-than-humble home. Often, the only sound that could be heard was the gentle whistle of the wind seeping though the old, uninsulated windows that her mother begged her father to have fixed year after year. That wasn't about to happen, though. The only thing he worried about was when he'd reach the bottom of the bottle.

Nothing often disturbed the peace of the Cameron family home. Once you got past the drunk squabbles of parents after each paycheque was quickly drunken away, things were alright for Serenity.

The only thing she wished she could change was having her brothers back, sharing the room next to hers. Being the youngest and the only girl had its perks. She missed their pranks and ridiculous antics that led them in trouble with their parents and at school. Sometimes, she wanted to be able turn down the hallway, knock on the door next to hers, and tease her middle brother until he created another hole in the wall.

But those days are over, she thought, staring at her reflection in the mirror. She was in the midst of applying her makeup when the photo of her and her two brothers that sat proudly on her vanity caught her eye. It was the only good photo the three of them could muster up, and probably their last. Her eyes moved to the lined papers that were tucked behind the frame. She pulled them from their spot and unfolded them twice. The first thing she noticed was her oldest brother's chicken scratch writing, that greeted her with her with the nickname he had made up just for her from childhood, Rabbit. Her eyes skimmed the letter, stopping at the parts that talked about how much fun he was having in Alberta. She smiled faintly, feeling tears burn at her eyes as she skipped to the bottom.

Love, Tracker.

He was always the most responsible of the three. Tracker took the role of older sibling seriously. So much so, that when he moved to Toronto, he brought our middle brother, Sean, with him a couple years ago. It hadn't been since that day, when Sean and Tracker set off with nothing but a backpack each and Tracker's motorcycle, that Serenity last talked to her middle sibling. As they were pulling away from the trailer park, she recalled her being held back by her father as she kicked and screamed on their front steps; begging to join her two brothers. Her parents claimed she was still too young to go with them; that this was something Sean needed. To this day, she still didn't understand why.

Her and Sean were the closest of the siblings. She always figured it was because they were only 14 months apart, while Tracker was already in his 20s and too worried about girls to join in on their immature crusades. However, she figured things would be different now, if she was ever lucky enough to see Sean again. He never wrote home or called, let alone visited. The thought of her brother's carelessness and disregard for his friends, his home… her, turned her sadness to anger each time she dwelled on it.

Don't let it bother you anymore, she thought to herself, he doesn't care anymore, so why should you?

Serenity shook her head, removing the thoughts from her head. Her vision returned to the mirror, where she observed the tears that snuck past her eyes. Grabbing a tissue, she dabbed them away, as to not mess up the mascara she had applied moments before. Crying about something she couldn't change made her even more angry, causing her to turn the photo upside down without even thinking twice.

Once her eyes were dry, and she managed to return her focus to the silence that surrounded her, she was able to finish her makeup in peace.

Or so she thought.

As she began to steadily apply a thin layer of black eyeliner to the waterline of her eye, a knocking rang through the home, sending a scared twitch through her entire body. Her eyeliner making its way from her eye, down her cheek. She pulled her hand away from her face, checking the damage in the mirror. She let out a frustrated sigh, her arms limp at her sides.

The Cameron children were known throughout Wasaga for their anger issues, but Serenity was the best at controlling her emotions by far.

"What the fu—" she muttered through clenched teeth. She stopped herself short, peering over her shoulder toward the hallway where the noise came from.

She snatched a makeup wipe from its dispenser and rubbed the access black away gently. On her second attempt, she successfully applied the eyeliner and was ready for her boyfriend, Darren, to escort her to their weekly date on the beach.

On her way out of the bedroom, she grabbed a beach bag she packed the night prior and slung it over her left shoulder. Shutting the door behind her, she headed to the kitchen. Her parents' quiet conversation came to a halt the moment she stepped foot in the room. She couldn't help but notice the distraught look plastered on her mother's face as she spoke.

"What was that about?" Serenity asked, referring to the banging moments prior. Before responding, her parents shared a look.

"Just that neighbourhood hooligan," her dad responded first, "Stewart, is it?"

She looked between her parents, who looked to be in agreement. Her mother's face said something different, though. Distraught, would be the word she'd use to describe it. She simply nodded, unconvinced.

"He sure is interesting, huh?" Serenity played along, grabbing a grilled cheese sandwich her mother made for lunch. She took a few bites when her phone buzzed. It was Darren.

"Oh, he's here." Serenity placed a gentle kiss on her mother's cheek before gliding past her on the laminate flooring.

Luckily for Serenity, her parents were too preoccupied by the bottle to realize that it was a Monday afternoon.

She trudged down the steps from the front door, looking straight ahead for Darren. A whistle from her left caught her attention.

"Hey sexy," the corner of his mouth raising into a sleazy smirk. "Ready to go?"

He reached his hand out to the girl, allowing her to stitch her fingers between his. As they approached the water, they sun glistening from the water's surface caused her to squint her eyes. With her free hand, she pulled her sunglasses from the top of her head onto her eyes.

"Where should we set up?"

The beach was always empty at this time of day. Many of the beach goers were the Wasaga High School students, who were currently in class.

"It looks like its pretty much fair game," Darren answered his own question, as Serenity suddenly became preoccupied.

As the couple passed a few unfamiliar faces, one of the groups caught her eye. It looked to be four teenagers around her age: two guys and two girls. She had never seen them before, and in a town like Wasaga Beach, everyone practically knew everyone. Time suddenly slowed down as she locked eyes with the most familiar looking one. They didn't break their stare as she walked past them at a distance. He was surrounded by two of the prettiest girls Serenity had ever seen; one blond with bangs, and the other a redhead. He was currently on his knees, burying the one with red hair. He dawned an oversized grey hoodie and baggy jeans.

Sean, she thought. But where did the denim jacket go?

No, she shook her head. Her eyes must be deceiving her. Upon this realization, she returned her attention to her boyfriend.

"Right here," she plopped her bag down where she stood, the sand distorting as it hit the ground. She looked over at the boy in the hoodie once more, who still hadn't broken his stare.

"Who's that?" Darren asked, a tinge of jealousy falling from his lips as he spoke. His words brought her eyes back to him.

"Should I beat him up?"

"No," her words rushed. "I mean, no. It's fine."

"Good," he enveloped her cheek in his strong hand, "'cause you're my girl."

He pressed his lips to hers gently. Her eyes were still locked on the other boy's. But now, his eyes narrowed at her.

There is no way it's the Sean Cameron, in the flesh. He vowed to leave and never look back all those years ago. Why would he come home now?

His stare was interrupted by the red-haired girl, who had now escaped from where she was buried in the sand. She turned her head to follow her, who Serenity assumed to be, boyfriends' gaze and the two briefly locked eyes. Serenity pulled away from her boyfriend's lips and turned to face the water in front of them.

The hours passed like a speeding train; similar to the one that had barrelled through Serenity's life the day her brothers left.

The sun began to drop from its place high up in the sky upon the couple, who were now packing up to head back home.

"What a beautiful day," Serenity sighed in contentment as she stood up and brushed the sand from her bare legs.

Darren followed suit, throwing the bag over his shoulder. He offered his arm, to which she connected the inside of their elbows. She no longer paid any mind to the cruel tricks her mind was playing on her.

The two walked only a few moments until they reached the front door of the Cameron's home.

"Thank you for today," Serenity's eyes started at the ground, scanned his toned chest and tattooed arms, then met his eyes.

"I love you."

Without a word, Darren pushed a piece of her soft brown hair behind her ear and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"I'll see you around, kid."

Her heart melted at these words. It was their own little salutation when parting ways.

She entered the Cameron residence and closed the door behind her, leaning backwards and gently allowing her back to fall against the door. She let out a content sigh and pushed herself off the door. As she ventured further into the home, she was met with a boozy aroma filling the living room. Upon further inspection, her parents laid practically lifeless on each of the two couches in the home. They had shared a bottle that now only contained a third of liquid it started with. Serenity rolled her eyes as she rubbed her index and middle fingers along the side table that now dawned a boozy film from the day's activities. She turned the TV off and started towards her bedroom. Once there, she began to remove the makeup she worked so hard on earlier in the day.

With a clean face, Serenity tip-toed over to her dresser, where she pulled out a pair of grey sweats and an oversized blue shirt Sean had left behind years ago. She pulled each item of clothing onto her body and fell onto the bed, exhausted. Laying on her side, she looked over at the alarm clock. 5:09 PM. Serenity was used to cuddling up in bed by herself this early. Her stomach growled, but she didn't feel up to making herself anything. God knows her parents were in no state to do so.

Her blinks suddenly slowed as her eyelids grew heavier and heavier. She gave in and allowed her body to drift in a moment of sleep, before she was awoken with a start by an eerily familiar sound from earlier in the day. She looked over at the time once more. 5:18 PM.

"Jeez." Was all she could make out.

Her parents bickered back and forth for a moment as her mother's voice drifted from the couch towards the front door. Her back was to the bedroom door as she heard her father mumble, "so, uh, how long until the cops get here?", followed by footsteps down the front steps.

The rest of the conversation was too far for Serenity to hear from her bedroom. Being the nosey person she was, she crept down the hallway and stood just left of the door, as to not be spotted. She listened as her mother continued to talk to the unidentified visitor.

"Sending you to Toronto, that was the best thing we ever did. How else was I going to keep you out of jail?"

Suddenly, the pieces began to fall into place for Serenity. A familiar voice confirmed her suspicions.

"I know," the voice was filled with tears. "That kid at school… he was going to shoot my friend… so I, so I grabbed the gun… and it went off. I-I think, I-I might have… I might have killed him." The tears enveloped his voice now.

Sean's voice.

All that could be heard was the sound of muffled cries from her mother and her brother.

"You're home, we gotcha." Their dad said, joining in on the hug as Serenity peaked around the corner to watch.

She watched as her family shared the most meaningful hug she had ever seen. After a few moments, Sean pulled away.

"Where's Serenity?" He sniffled, his face red with tears. "I just saw her at the beach earlier, I want to—"

"Sean…" her voice trailed off, just above a whisper as she appeared from around the corner. Their parents parted, allowing the siblings to embrace.

"It is you." Her voice muffled in his shoulder. Tears instantly fell from her face.

"I-I-I killed someone, Ren," she felt her brother's body fall limp in her arms.

The two embraced in silence. Serenity nuzzled her face further into her disheveled brother's shoulder; the brother that was always strong when she needed him most. Now, it was her turn to the same for him.

The sound of gravel crunching together brought her eyes to the three people she had seen him with earlier. They had just appeared from around the corner; the look on their faces reading worry and concern for their friend. The two girl's faces changed to confusion then, once meeting Serenity's gaze. They whispered between one another. She figured Sean hadn't told his friendsmuch about his baby sister. She pulled away from her brother, grabbing both his shoulders and meeting his gaze.

"I think there are people here for you," she pointed towards the group behind him with her chin. He nodded, lowering his head.

"Do what you need to, Sean-y."

She patted his right shoulder and turned on her heels, disappearing into the trailer to give her brother the alone time he needed to sort his life out.

Once back inside, she was greeted by her mother seated at the kitchen table. Her head hung, defeated. She looked to her right, where her father stood against the counter, next to the sink. She moved next to her father, peaking through the window to watch Sean address each of his friends.

"Do you think he's going to stay?" She asked hopeful, receiving a shrug from her father in response.

She continued to watch out the window silently, until the orange car that brought Sean and his friends back to Wasaga, pulled out of the driveway. Serenity turned her back to the window and rested against the counter just as her father had. The front door swung open then, revealing Sean. The look on everyone's face was desperate to hear what he had to say.

The door slammed shut behind him as he tossed his backpack on the floor in front of him.

"I'm staying."