Chapter 4

　　The town has cool and clean air and a great path to run with. There were small stores of different products and foods but I didn’t bring any money with me so I can’t buy any of those.

　　Whenever I have an award during middle school, my two brothers would bring me to a restaurant to celebrate. Jay would show his appreciation of me more obvious than Felix, who’ll make me feel that I was appreciated and loved. Nowadays, many teenagers felt that they weren’t loved by their families. They don't understand how each family would show their appreciation and love.

　　Jay would tell me amazing things and how much he loves me. I don’t see that as fake because that was his unique method of showing how he loves me so much. Omit, Felix will have a deeper connection to me that would make me feel loved. He’s the most protective person in our family and I could go into a war with him as my defense. Both of my parents materialize their affection. When I won a spelling bee, they bought an expensive Pilot pen. I don’t know why I wanted to have an expensive pen back then.

　　After a few minutes of walking, I was amazed that there was a high school. The sign said that it is the community academy for the teenagers of this town. It is smaller compared to the school I was attending, but I get that since the town wasn’t big as well.

　　They were students passing by and they looked me in the eyes. Their stares shivered down my spine, making me avoid my eyes on them. Weird and scary. Are they eating a person? Probably not but their stares said so.

　　I ignored them and ran for more minutes. I hadn’t seen a huge house or mansion in this town. Most of the houses were only covering a small area and didn’t have a second floor. Back in our old town, people seemed to brag about their status by having the tallest building and largest lot.

　　As I ran more, the houses on the sides of the pathway were disappearing one by one. It looked like a crooked mouth, not having teeth on some parts of it. Then, it completely disappeared when I’ve come into a place full of trees and the pathway ended. The vivid green grasses were scattered on the ground, and this place has the freshest air ever.

　　I breathe heavily, letting the oxygen pump inside my lungs. The ground was clean and I sat near the river, leaning my back on the bark of the tree. My back tends to ache when I don’t have something to lean on. That’s why in my life, I tend to lean on my brothers.

　　I pulled the book from my tote bag. Before I open it from where the bookmark was placed, I gulped water to refresh myself.

　　Then I started reading.

　　…

　　When the moon was patched on a night, I went to my windowsill and pulled down the pink curtains, which blossomed with patterns of flowers. I was about to sleep when I thought about that. Leaving the windows unprotected is dangerous for stalkers, though I wasn’t a hundred percent sure that there are stalkers in this place.

　　I ate my sleepiness. Before I fully covered my windows, Nana’s lights outside sparkled. A man was standing, knocking at their door. He must be Nana’s son or grandson, at least he’s connected to Nana. His back was a statue. When he glanced over in my direction, I was able to see his face. His sharped-edged jaw was a masterpiece, carved by a known sculptor. His eyes striking yet puffy. And the way he smiled, I cannot emphasize it’s enough. We got a boy-next-door type neighbor!

　　I immediately closed the curtains out of embarrassment. I wish that guy wasn’t thinking I was stalking him. Seeing him was an accident. I didn’t expect to see her there. If Nana has a family with that kind of look, I wonder how gorgeous she looked when she was younger.

　　…

　　“Get a life, Cath,” Felix said one morning while we were having breakfast.

　　“I’m alive.”

　　“That isn’t what I mean.” Felix raised his voice.

　　Jay stopped chewing his food. “He wants you to go outside and socialize with other people. Make friends with other teenagers. You can’t spend your life forever inside.”

　　Jay has a sense and I know Felix only wanted me to enjoy my life after our parents died. They said that they were already buried in the cemetery. They didn’t tell me so I could pay a visit. They said it was too for me. What’s with the word dangerous that it’s overused by my two brothers?

　　“I don’t need friends. I need justice for Mom and Dad.”

　　“We can’t,” Felix muttered. He stood from his chair and his face got closer to my face. The spaces between our faces were less than an inch. “The thing that killed them werewolves.”

　　No one can imprison a wolf. I knew that was the thing he wanted to point out. I stayed silent for the rest of our morning. Before my two brothers leave, they kissed my forehead. They told me that I have to enroll in the community college for the next semester. They were the ones who processed my papers and I have to wait for a call to attend the school.

　　School sucks. Since my brothers didn’t want me to stay inside forever, it is also an escape from what happened to my poor parents.

　　That night, I didn’t have the choice to help them. What I did was listen to their screams and groans caused by pain. Every time that moment struck my mind, I can’t help but let the salty tears make traces on my cheeks.

　　I’m sorry, Mom and Dad. I could’ve done better for both of you.