CHAPTER 3

THE MEIR FAMILY

Brooke opened up her bedroom window, letting air into the room but pushing a boy out. Sandino held onto the small ledges of the single family home as tight as he could as he made his way over to the ladder, which sat in a dark corner. Its one thing to sneak in when the sun is up, its another to sneak out in darkness. The wrong footing could send Mr. Lovett falling, hopefully landing on the soft grass of the yard, instead of the concrete patio. He moved at such a fast pace, it made Brooke nervous, but he reached the ground safely. Brooke found herself able to breathe again, not realizing she has been holding her breath in suspense. She pushed the window down to a close, just as her bedroom door swung open. Her younger brother stood in the doorway with a disapproving look upon his face.

"Don't you knock?" she spoke, annoyed, plopping herself on to her queen sized bed. Micheal stared.

"Sneaking boys out of your room again?" He assumed with a chuckle. It was no secret to him that his sister was friendly when it came to men. He had tried to talk some sense into her before, but she wasn't ready to listen. He wondered if she ever would be. In the end, the conversation always ended with her being the big sister, and him being the little brother. He had given up. She'd find out on her own how men could betray and be up to no good. All he did was tease now. She stared at him, no response to his comment.

"What do you want Mikey?" She asked, arching her perfectly plucked brows. He wished she would stop calling him that. He was seven-teen years old now. Not a little kid, which is when the nickname Mikey came up. Mike bit into an apple that he had in his right hand, smiling as he chewed. What he was about to tell Brooke would change her attitude quickly. It was something they both could be very happy about. Brooke waited impatiently for him to swallow, her pointy narrow nose wriggling in frustration.

"Damon's here," he responded, grinning. Brooke's face lit up as she raced past her younger brother, down a small hallway and into the living room. A dark haired man sat on the couch, turned towards their mother Ella, his back facing Brooke. She felt her heart race with excitement, as she let out an ecstatic shriek, causing the broad shoulder man to turn around. His light green eyes went straight to her face.

Damon moved away when when he graduated, and hadn't been back much since. It had been about a year since the last time he had visited his family. He may have called almost every day, but that didn't tell him how much his family had grown. His mother had lost a lot of weight appearing thinner in the face and smaller in the hips. Micheal looked like a man now. He was taller than his big brother, however, he still seemed messier. Damon had based that on the fact the it was only eight in the evening, and he walked around in a semi stained bath robe, opened, where everyone could see his blue and white striped boxers. And his hair was newly dyed brown with highlighted strands of blond, and it laid messily over his head. Micheal and Damon didn't have a close relationship. Maybe that was Damon's fault. After all, when you move away you tend to lose contact with some people. Damon never thought it would be with his siblings though. Thinking about it, Micheal himself could be at fault. He wasn't a big communicator. He was quiet and kept to himself most times. So much had changed. Damon's eyes wondered over to Brooke. She was a young woman now. It seemed like it was just yesterday that she was a toddler, following his every move. He used to work so hard to get away from her. Secretly he missed that. Brooke was his best friend once upon a time. She had long, gorgeous, dark brown hair and a bright smile. She was an elegant woman. She looked  like their mother used to when she was in high school. Everyone had grown, and Damon hadn't been around to witness it. But it didn't matter. He was here now, and he was hoping all of that would change. He wouldn't miss anything else.

"Hey Brooke," he said with a grin as he got on to his feet. She hopped over her mothers short stubby legs, and into her other brothers arms.

"Damon, I'm so glad to see you!" Brooke Exclaimed. "I thought you weren't transferring for another week." That was the plan. He wasn't supposed to be home until next weekend. Funny thing about plans though, even if you believe they are definite, they have a way of changing. He could have called and let them know, but the element of surprise was much better.

"Things changes," Damon replied. "My client moved earlier than expected."

KAHLAN AND TINA

I had explored the house on my own, while Ernistina talked away on the phone. Within two hours I felt like I knew my new home inside and out, taking notice in the number of possible exits. There weren't many. Tina had reached her goal as well, telling the judge back in Ohio how great everything was going, and how excited I was about the move. Obviously she had lied. But I let it go. She was only looking out for me, as always. When Tina was first telling me the details of the house, she never mentioned the fact that I would have my own little pool in the backyard. This was one thing that did excite me. Unlike the ocean, I knew exactly what was at the bottom of a six foot pool, and it didn't scare or worry me a bit. I was free to get lost in my thoughts here. I was free to wash away everything bothering me. It may not have been the rainy days in Ohio, but it would do. While Tina continued to talk to others who had no concern to me, I found myself getting comfortable on the gray love seat in the living room. I felt like I was being swallowed by its large cushions at first, but with the right amount of shifting, I found the perfect spot. I pretended to watch reruns of I love Lucy, but within a few seconds of the first scene I drifted off to sleep.

"Kahlan! Get up!" My eyes rolled around as I tried my hardest to focus on the face in front of me. My social worker stared down at me. I sat up, using the back framing of the couch as a crutch, so I wouldn't fall back. Tina was on her fragile knees beside me, hands resting on my legs. "You gave me a scare," she said expressing her concern, moving my light brown bangs out of my face. I sighed. I didn't think you were going to wake up for a moment." I smiled at her sleepily. How long had it been since I got a good nights sleep, no interruptions, no nightmares? It had been awhile.

"How long was I asleep?" I asked.

"About an hour," she replied, feeling my forehead as if she were checking for a fever. I wasn't sick, I thought. Not in the way that she thought anyway. I may have been a little sick in my mind, considering the fact that I could hear Ryan's voice in my head, and even sometimes had hallucinations of him. Sometimes, I could smell the cologne that he would usually wear, and it would make me sick to my stomach. I just wanted to sleep and dream a good dream. Was that too much to ask for? "I'm sorry I had to wake you," she continued, getting on to her feet, as she saw me rubbing my eyes. "I just... I need to show you how to work the alarm system." This awoke me much faster. To me, an alarm system was the difference between life and death. If the alarm were to sound, it would either give me time to prepare myself and be more alert, or scare off the intruder. An alarm system might be a step to getting better sleep. I got on my feet and followed Tina out of the living room, down the white empty hallway of marble looking tiles towards the main door. Beside the main door was a white box.

"What do you need me to do?" I asked.

"I just need you to pick a four digit code that only you would know." I stared in thought.

"It could be anything?"

"Anything number form, yes." She confirmed, opening the box, revealing numbers, a few symbols and colored buttons. I took a deep breath. What was something that no one else would ever guess? I didn't have to think too hard or too long. I put in the numbers. "Don't tell anyone this number," she continued as I stepped back. "Not even me, do you understand?" I gave a quick nod. She could count on it. Giving this number out would be a mistake. I knew that. She showed me how to disengage the alarm, and how to sound it off. I had it down pat in a couple of minutes.

It was time. Ernistina Bail stood at the main door, on the porch, hair flapping just a bit in the light breeze.

"Are you sure about this?" She asked, gripping the handle of her russet snakeskin purse tightly. I gave a little nod. "I don't have to leave Kahlan. I can stay in the guest bedroom a couple of nights if you need me to." I stared at her. It suddenly dawned on me that she was afraid for me. But why? She had said herself that everything was going to be okay, and when she said it, I believed her, and I thought she believed in her own words, but as I looked her in the eye at this moment, I saw doubt. Was there something wrong? Was she hiding something from me? No, of course not. Tina would tell me everything, just as I swore I would do the same for her. I took a deep breath.

"Tina, I have to learn to be by myself," I replied, "I can't be afraid anymore." My response scared me. This was not me talking. This was me using Tina's words against her. I really did want her to stay, but at the same time I didn't want to be this person anymore. I had to start somewhere. She nodded. She began to back up into the darkness, away from the little light of the porch, blending in with the large bushes that hovered over the door just a few feet away. "Tina?" She stopped and looked as if she hoped that I had changed my mind. "Tomorrow, do you think we could cut down the bush and add more locks to this door?" She gave a slight grin.

"Of course, anything for you Kahlan."