The Self Harmed by Chalen D. (electric book reader TXT) 📕

“I’m not entirely sure why Alex is here.” I looked down.

Self-harm, from his depression?

“Well he’s skinny enough to have one. And what if we changed the name to Ana cuts?” Caden liffted an eye brown.

I looked at Owen, “I really like that name.”

“Yes!” Caden jumped, “Two for the band!”

“She said she liked the name not that she was going to be in it.” Owen looked at him.

“I think it’s a good idea.” Alex came to walk between Owen and I. Caden was still walking backward excitedly. “We’re all stuck in this place, so we might as well have something to keep us bussy. You know to get our minds off of why we’re here.”

“Ana cuts.” Owen said.

“Ana cuts.” Caden held up his hands.

“Ana Cuts.” I nodded.

“Ana cuts.” Alex tossed up a hand agreeing.

“Ana cuts.” Ryder came to my other side and held out his hand.

Caden put in his hand followed by Alex. Alex grabbed my hand and put it on top of his. I left it there.

“Come on little Owen.” Ayelie slapped a hand on mine.

“Yeah.” Clara squezzed beteen me and Alex slapping on a hand.

“Come on Owen. Hurry up and put your hand in before people start to think we’re praying to a cult.” I muttered looking around

“This is a fuckin’ cult.” He slapped his hand in.

We all tossed our hands into the air.

“Yeah!” Caden laughed, slapping Ryder’s hand as they pulled each other into a hug.

Clara pulled me into a hug by my shoulders.

Ana Cuts.

The next couple of days went by. The band started to get fans, we all started to gain a little more wieght, and the dinning hall looked great. We even had a tree that made the hole hall smell like pine. Chrismas cheer was in the air. You could smell it. Today they where letting us go home for a week for christmas. Christmas was my second favorite holiday. I loved the lights. That was my favorite part.

“There they are!” Jackson smiled as he saw us.

He was standing next to Mom in the lobby of the school with the other parents. He pulled Caden in for a hug, and then pulled me in for one.

“You ready to see the new place?” He grinned at his son.

“I guess.”

“Ready for Christmas?” Jackson asked me, not wanting to let his good mood slip.

I played along. “It’s my second favorite holiday.”

Mom pulled us two into hugs and then we headed back to the car. Caden’s new house was huge, and it was so pretty. Caden just sighed, rolled his eyes at me and walked up the walk way. I followed behind him at a slower pace looking around.

“Do you like it Charlie?” Jackson asked from behind me.

“I love it.” I grinned looking at the top floor. “It’s really pretty.”

“I made you a room here.”

“You did?” I asked turning to him.

“Yep!” He laughed, with Mom. “You have your own bathroom and a walk in closet and-“

“Thank you!” I hugged him.

“Not a problem.” He laughed. “I thought you would need a place to stay when you had sleep overs with Caden. It’s the fourth door upstairs on the right.”

The foyer was huge and tall, but that could wait I was excited to see my room. I pushed open my room. Holy shit. I ran and jumped on my bed.

“Don’t get too excited.” Caden said from the door way. “Dad usually over does it. Have you seen your bathroom?”

I grinned at Caden and yanked open the door to my bathroom. I was in heaven.

“I told you.”

“Dream crusher.” I glared at him.

“You have to at least admit that the statues are a little scary.”

My eyes slid from his to the statues, and back to him. “I admit it.”

He smiled and crossed his arms.

“But look at this shower! You could fit seven people in there.” I grabbed his arm and pulled him into the shower. “I can see myself taking a shower in here.”

“Alone I hope.” Caden said, reaching for the door. He looked at me. “It’s stuck.”

“What?” I hurried to him.

“Just kidding.” He pushed it open.

“Ass hole.” I smacked his chest and walked out.

He laughed, “I can’t believe you’re still afraid of being trapped."

“That elevator scared my mind okay?” I demanded.

“We were six.”

“I doesn’t matter.” I grabbed his arm and yanked him out of the bathroom. “Now help me find my closet.” My closet was huge. I’ve never seen a closet so big in my entire life. When I was little my Mom had a small walk in closet, and I would sit in there for hours playing dress up. I touched the dresses, and the makeup desk.

“Damn.” Caden muttered.

“Damn is right.”

“Race you to the pool!”

We both jerked to the door and pushed each other to the pool.

“I win!” Caden announced pumping the air with his fist.

But I was coming in hot, and tackled him into the pool. I came up for air first.

“Yes!” He laughed hitting a fist into the water, making a wave.

I splashed him, “Hey!”

“You can still tackle!”

A woman in a maid’s outfit ran to the edge of the pool. She was older. She began to yell at Caden in a different language. Caden grinned, and then she damn started yelling at me!

“Uh.” I looked at Caden.

Caden grinned at me and told her something.

“Good for her.” Caden muttered to me as the woman yelled. “So you know how hard it is for me to get chlorine out of clothes? Get out of the pool this instant. Leave your clothes in the Landry room so I can clean them. You’ll catch a cold!”

Caden said something and swam to the edge.

“Come.” She waved at me with an accent I couldn’t place.

She grabbed my arm and helped me out of the pool.

“Pretty girl.” She smiled, shook her head, and wobbled to the house.

“Who the hell is that?” I demanded.

“It’s Maria. She’s from Italy, she’s in charge of food and stuff.”

“So like a second wife who doesn’t speak English?”

“Come on.” He laughed slinging an arm around my shoulders. “I’ll teach you how to speak Italian.”

We changed clothes and walked down to the kitchen.

“That’s the table?” I asked, squinting at the four chair table. “I thought it would be bigger.”

“Come on.” Caden tapped my arm.

“Where?”

“I’ll show you the formal dining room. And then the living rooms.”

“You have two living rooms?” I asked, hurrying after him.

“And a sunroom.”

He showed me everything and then We found Mom and Jackson in the sun room.

“Ready?” Jackson asked.

“For what?” Caden asked.

“We’re heading over to the fish store to get some Koi for the pond.” Mom said, picking up her tea glass.

“Can I pick some out?” I asked, taking her glass.

“Of course you can.” Jackson seemed to be enjoying himself that I was so excited.

“Yuck.” I handed mom the glass back.

“What did you think of your room?” Jackson asked eagerly. “I’ve never had a daughter so I thought I would spoil you. You’re the only thing I have closeest to a daughter.”

His words had touched me, and His smile was true.

“I loved it-“

“She loved it so much she even yanked me into her shower.” Caden said.

Mom choked on her tea.

“Only because I was showing him it was big.” I quickly said. “And then he tried to say the door got stuck.” Caden’s mouth fell open.

“You know she’s afraid of being trapped.” Jackson said.

“It was a joke!” Caden looked at Mom. “Honest.”

“I know.” Mom patted his shoulder.

He stuck his tongue at me, and My mouth fell open.

“Okay!” Jackson said quickly before it could escalate. “Fish. And then I’m giving you both money to buy presents for everyone. Me and Your Mom already finished shopping for you guys.”

“Really?” Caden asked. “What did I get? Did I get that new key board?”

“I don’t know.” Mom smiled.

“I did, didn’t I!” Caden grinned at her. “There’s no key board in my room So I must have gotten it. I always have one in every house in my room.” He told the last part to me.

We all left the sunroom to the car, us talking about what we could have gotten. After we got the Fish Mom and Jackson set us free in the mall.

“Meet in the food court in an hour?” Caden asked.

“An hour and a half.”

“Deal.” We both High fived and then we went separate ways.

I went straight to the video game store. Caden had been telling me about the Xbox game he wanted really badly but he wasn’t going to be able to get it because He would be with me in the crazy school. He also wanted a head set so he could game on line, and he wanted a cordless controller. I grabbed the game a blue cordless controller, and a matching blue head set. The last one. I thought I was going to have to tackle an old woman for it but she put it back saying that her grandson would like the red better.

“Swoop.” I muttered, snatching it off the shelf.  

Even though I hurried to get into line I had waited twenty minutes.

“Is this a present?” The casher asked. “I can put it in the box with paper.  You can wrap it later when you get home.”

“Sure.” I nodded.

I handed over the money and she handed over the box. Next was my Mom. There was a really expensive perfume that she loved, and she could only get it when My parents were having a good month. She hadn’t had a bottle in a while. I checked out with a box of the perfume and a small roll on perfume. When I was younger I would get Jackson ties. He would be good spirited about it and wear the multi colored ties.

But now it was different. I didn’t want to give him a tie or socks. But then I remembered something from when I was very little. Jackson was sitting on a couch, reading a book. I had no idea where we were, but I remembered the book was on its last leg. When I had asked him about it he said it was one of his favorites and he had read it so many times, but he was afraid he was going to have to retire it soon. A week later their dog got ahold of it and ripped it to shreds.

Jackson was heartbroken. I made a quick stop at the book store bought four books and headed to the food court. Caden pushed off the wall and tossed up a hand, when He saw me.

“Sorry!” I