Wingless Book Series (book 1) by Holly Hood

guy who could wait it out, and he had a
great deal of patience.
    I stared at the ceiling. I
couldn’t see it, but I stared anyway. It was hard to fall asleep
when you were unaware of what was going on in the room next to you.
The thought of what might be going on was thrilling and scary all
at once. I was never one to like power, but in the back of
everyone’s mind, you secretly wouldn’t mind having some at one
point or another. To be able to make things the way you wanted them
would be was an amazing thing.
    A lot of people don’t want to be perceived as a heartless, uncaring
person, but if you could have your way and you could physically
threaten those around you to get what you wanted and it would work,
it would be an amazing thing. I was a young girl who hadn’t always
gotten her way and this sort of style or way of doing things seemed
appealing to me. It was nothing like I had ever
known.
    I imagined if things turned
out well that I would be brought into the family and I would know
all the truths and I would be just as valuable to them as anyone
else. I secretly liked the thought of that. Maybe power was the key
to all my problems, a simple solution. It must have been enough for
Evan to stay with a family who wasn’t even
his. Somewhere in him was a person that enjoyed the dangers and excitement of it all. Or maybe not.
It was hard to say. Maybe he had been
brainwashed all these years into feeling it was
right.
    Power was the one thing that
I lacked. Power to change the way I felt about my family and my
life. If I wanted out, I needed a good reason to change the way
things were. It was a complicated thing; most people would see my
life as a great wholesome family who cared
about each other. I didn’t because I lived it and knew the truths
behind it. I knew things that would make them think twice about it
all.
    My mother was in a deep
depression over the loss of my brother, she had even been
hospitalized over it, which is, of course,
a normal response to losing a son. She also had a horrible
relationship with her father who brought a great deal of trouble to
our family. Things that no one wanted to have in his or her life. My father, on the other hand, was a great
man, but even he had made mistakes. These were things that would be
even more of a problem later on in life, I was sure of it. So I
will leave that where it lies for the time being.
    Evan came in the room. I
could hear his feet moving across the
wooden floor, the bed moved and sunk so I knew he was sitting. His
house was so dark at night- somewhat relaxing and a little eerie.
He lay down-I could feel the warmth of his body next to mine-not
saying anything. Maybe he thought I was sleeping.
    “ I’m awake,” I
whispered.
    He turned on his side, touching my
arm.
    “ I thought you would have fallen
back asleep.” He ran his fingers through my hair.
    “ I was waiting for you.” I moved
closer to him, finding his chest to rest my head on like always. I
loved to feel him breathe.
    “ Anything you want to say to me?”
he asked me in a tired, barely there voice.
    “ What happened and who was that
guy?” I asked quickly. It had been bugging me. And if he was
willing to answer me, then I was asking.
    “ That man that you saw was a
family friend. He borrows money and my dad has me deal with him. I
didn’t know he would be here tonight and I’m sorry that scared
you.”
    “ I’m fine. I’m even better because
you’re honest.”
    “ No reason not to be. The other
guy, that was my brother and roommate, Kenny,” he said, sighing and
pulling me close. “Can we go to sleep?”
    “ Of course,” I said. He kissed my
cheek and never spoke again that night. He was out like a
light.

Chapter 11
     
    Obvious
     
    The water was so refreshing in the
shower that morning and I was feeling amazing. I didn’t wake up at
home and I was in a great mood. As I made my way out, I could smell
food. Was he cooking breakfast? I found the idea
amusing.
    “ What’s