Tina nearly jumped off of the plane when the doors opened. Daniel followed along with the rest of the crew members. Alana, however, was the last one to get off the plane. Tina waited for her to come down and then the two walked together down the terminal. They went to the luggage area and got their bags. Carts drove up to carry the luggage for them. Mr. Seth motioned for everyone to fit as many people as possible onto one cart and then they were driven to the front doors where their baggage was taken to the cars.
" Mr. Seth?" Alana asked.
"Please, you all call me John." He said kindly. She nodded.
" When is our other things going to be here?" She asked concerning her car and motorcycle.
" Tonight. They will be dropping these things off at the main complex and you can pick them up tonight." He said. She nodded and then heard barking as the kennels with her dogs were brought over. Tina took Summer out and walked her to the car. Alana leashed her dogs and let them into the car and relaxed as everything was being loaded. John got in and looked at the dogs.
" These dogs are not aggressive, are they?" He asked.
" Oh no. Golden Retrievers and Australian Shepherds are very nice dogs." Alana answered.
" Just making sure." He said, but still made no move to pet the dogs.
" Alana, when I reviewed everything of yours that was being dropped off, I noticed that you don't have any furniture, why is that?" John asked.
" Well, the apartment that I was staying in was furnished already so I didn't need anything. A lot of my personal belongings are in storage at a facility north of here. I'll probably end up taking some of them out." She said. He nodded and started to read his book. Tina was chatting with Daniel at non-stop speed and Alana was too tired to care what they were saying. She laid back against the seat and dosed off. But not before feeling her two dogs jump onto the seat with her and snuggle close to her. They were nice and warm and that's exactly what she needed in that cold weather.
Alana felt someone nudging her and she opened her eyes to see Tina looking at her.
" Hey you! We're here." She said cheerfully. Alana blinked her eyes a few times, before everything came into clear focus.
" You must have been tired, girl. You slept the whole two hour trip. Probably because you were to nervous to sleep on the plane." Tina laughed and stepped out of the car. Alana got the leashes to her dogs and stepped out as well. She looked around the complex. These were new houses that hadn't been rented out yet, but since it was close to the studio it was rented to them. John walked over to them and handed each of them a piece of paper.
" This is the address where you're staying. You and Tina are across from each other, so you guys won't be alone. Also, Alana your things are here. The trucks got here right when we pulled in. You can move you things into your new home." He said and went to talk to the other employees. Alana and Tina walked to the parking lot where two trucks were unloading boxes and so forth. Alana's car was released and then her motorcycle was pulled out of the other truck. Tina got her car, which was a nice indigo blue 1990 Crown Victoria.
" Hey, drive your motorcycle back and I'll give you a lift to come back and get your car." Tina said.
" Ok, let's go." She said. She got her keys and started the bike. She listened to the loud popping noise that Harley's are known to make from the muffler. She smiled and put it into first gear and gave it gas. She rode it out of the parking and down the street, which wasn't very far from the main complex. The other employees just watched her go by on the large bike. Alana was a short person, only five feet tall, but she handled the massive motorcycle with no problem. She drove to the address that was given to her and drove into the already opened garage. She turned of the bike and leaned it onto it's kick-stand and then went out to the street where she got into Tina's car and they made their way back to the main parking lot. They parked and both got out.
" I got a lot of stuff, but I kissed a little butt so when they are done with everyone else's, they agreed to drop it all off at my place." Tina said with a devious smile. Alana laughed at her. She always found some way to get her way. Her dogs had been tied to the rail away from all the commotion where they would be safe. Alana loaded the few boxes that she had and then untied the dogs and put them in the car.
" I better hurry up and get home, they must really have to use the bathroom. Also, since it's still early and I have no furniture, I am going to go in town and buy a few things and get some stuff in storage. I bet it's old and dirty too." Alana said trying to be cheerful about getting those things out of storage. Tina nodded.
" Cool, I'll go with you." She said and went to her car. The two drove to Alana's house and got out. Tina lead Summer into the house and out to the back yard. They let the dogs go and the dogs anxiously relieved themselves.
" Boy, they really had to go." Tina said. Alana smiled and nodded. They went back into the house and looked around. It was nice and big. A lot better than the apartment that she lived in.
" Alright let's go." Alana said.
" What are we going to use?" Tina said. Alana pointed to a Ford 350 diesel truck that pulled into the driveway.
" Daniel said I could use it while he uses my car." She said. Daniel came up and they exchanged keys.
" Thanks Dan." She said.
" Yeah, thanks Danny." Tina said sweetly. Alana smiled and walked to the truck as Dan left with her Buick.
" The dogs will be fine until we get back." She said and they got into the truck.
" Damn! This truck is huge!" Tina said.
" Yeah I know. I knew it was big, but I feel like I'm driving a bus or something." Alana exclaimed. She started the engine and pulled out of the lot.
" It's loud too." Tina said with a smile.
They drove away from the housing complex and down the road a little way. Alana looked around and everything just kind of came back to her. She turned right and headed down another road. Tina listened to her punk rock music and looked at all the scenery.
" It's nice out here." Tina said in awe.
" Yeah, I guess." Alana said quietly.
" Come on, Alana. Enjoy it. I know some bad shit went down here, but let's just have fun." Tina said sympathetically. She really felt sorry for Alana, but she knew that there wasn't very much she could do.
" I'll try." Alana said. She was only doing it for Tina, though. She didn't really think that with all that happened to her in the past that she could possibly enjoy herself. She drove to a lot full of buildings all lined in rows. She went with Tina to the main office and talked to the man and showed identification. He opened the gates and she drove the large truck inside to the door with the number 57 on it. She took the key out and got out of the truck. Tina stood by the door and waited for her to open it.
" What's wrong?" Tina asked.
" Nothing. Just a lot of old memories in there." She said. Tina nodded with understanding and waited patiently as Alana slowly opened the door. A strong smell of dust came from the inside, along with the smell of old wood. Alana reached in and flicked the light switch on and looked around. A feeling of over whelming came over her and she stepped back and looked away for a minute.
" Hey girl, it's ok. Everything will all be better when we get it out of here. Maybe you could just keep it all in the garage or the attic if you don't want to see it, ok?" Tina soothed. Alana took a few deep breaths and went into the little room. She walked to the boxes and started picking them up one by one and handing them to Tina to put in the truck.
" Tina, this one might be a little heavy." She said, pointing to the large oak chest covered in dirt and cob webs.
" Gosh, this stuff looks like it's been in here for a hundred years." Tina exclaimed.
" Well, close enough." Alana said. Tina smirked and lifted one side of the chest.
" Shit! What the hell do you have in here?" She asked, taken by surprise by the weight.
" Old junk from when I was a kid." She said.
" That's some junk." She said as they walked slowly to the truck and loaded the chest onto it. Alana looked inside the storage room and got the last box and then shut the door. They both got back into the truck and then drove to the front where they returned the key and then left the lot.
The two women made their way back to the housing complex and unloaded everything and when that was done, they had to go on another trip to get a few things that they both needed for the house. Tina already had furniture, but Alana needed some. She didn't even have a bed. They drove around the city streets and lucky for them it wasn't that crowded at that hour, but it would be later. Alana looked at all the stores they passed and then saw one for furniture. She parked the truck in the lot and got out with Tina. The two of them went in and looked around. An older woman came up and smiled at them kindly.
" Is there anything that I can help you with?" She asked.
" Yeah, I need to get some furniture and I'm just looking to find what I like." Alana said.
" What type of furniture do you need?" She asked.
" All kinds. I have absolutely nothing in my house." Alana said, somewhat embarrassed.
" Wow! Then you might be just the customer we need." The lady said with a small laugh. Alana smiled and looked at the entertainment center.
" Ok, let's start this shopping spree. Can what I buy be delivered today?" Alana asked looking over a nice dark oak entertainment center.
" Yes they can. We haven't had a lot of business for the week, so everyone is quite available to help with the equipment." She said. Another salesman came over with a piece of paper and a pencil and Alana said hello, but Tina smiled with that flirtatious look in her eyes.
" Ok, I'll take this oak entertainment center." She said to start everything off. They all walked around the store and looked everything over.
" Hey Alana! Check out this bed set." Tina said and pointed to another dark oak piece of furniture.
" Yes, this comes with the bed, the dresser and the night stand for $1045 and that's it's sale price." The woman said.
" Damn." Tina said looking it over.
" I like it, I'll take it." Alana said and walked on. The woman smiled at her associate and Alana pointed out a couch set. It was a dark green velvet set with the couch, love seat, and a chair. She pointed out two shelves to put little things on and then a coffee table made of glass. She walked to the kitchen area and pointed to another glass table that had four dinner chairs with it.
" Ok, I think I have spent almost 5,000 dollars, I think I am done for now. I'll have to go to a regular store to get everything else." Alana said.
" Well actually, you only spent 3,894 dollars." The associate said.
" Cool." Alana said.
" Well that was business we definitely needed. How would you like to pay for this?" The woman asked.
" A check." Alana said and got out her check book.
" You must have one nice paying job." The woman went on with a smile.
" Yeah, kind of. Graphics design. It pays enough to support me." She said and smiled at Tina. Alana wrote the check and handed it to the saleswoman. She processed it through and smiled when it approved. Alana was given a receipt and everything was done. Alana wrote down where she lived and gave the spare key for the house to the woman.
" If I'm not home on time, which I should be, but who knows, you can just open the door and move everything in. But make sure they do not open the back door, because I have two dogs in the yard." She said and the woman smiled.
" Thank you for coming here. This is exactly what we needed." She smiled. Alana and Tina said goodbye and walked out of the store. They were walking back to the lot when she saw a police car that had been sitting in the parking lot drive over. The woman got out and looked at her. She was older, like in her thirties and she had short blond hair that was somewhat curly. Her eyes were dark brown, however.
" Is there a problem officer?" Alana asked.
" No, it's just....you looked familiar. It's been a long time since I have seen someone that looks like you, but those eyes of yours remind me of a little girl I met a long time ago." Alana looked the woman over and realized that she recognized the woman too, but from where? Tina looked at Alana.
" Could she have been one of the officers on your parents case?" Tina asked. The officer looked at Tina and then at Alana.
" You're Alana Vega, aren't you?" She asked. Alana was suddenly breath taken with the over whelming feeling of deja vu.
" Yes. I remember you. You're the one that had to ask me all the questions regarding what I saw or remembered about the murders." Alana said.
" My God. I haven't seen you in so long. I take it you had recently come back?" She asked.
" Yes. I am on a business trip here." Alana said. The officer nodded.
" You know, I have seen your sister around. I've talked to her, but we don't see each other often. She asks every now and then about if we found anything regarding your parents case, but nothing more." The officer said.
" Really?" Alana said in a somewhat sarcastic manner. Tina raised her brow, but remained quiet.
" I suppose she's not really looking into the case." Alana stated. The officer shook her head.
" It kind of annoys me. I mean she comes in, asks if we found anything, we say no and she says ok, and then she leaves. You had at least asked for copies of the reports and files, but she hadn't done none of that." Tina looked at the name tag on the officers shirt and saw her name was officer Taylor.
" Officer Taylor, does Alana's sister ever ask about her?" Tina asked out of curiosity.
" No, actually she doesn't. I asked her once how you were and all she said was that you left and she didn't know, and then she walked out." Officer Taylor said, feeling sympathetic for Alana who just kind of shrugged.
" It's nice to know that the one immediate family member you have left doesn't give a shit about you. Oh well. It's not my choice, it's hers." She stated.
" I'm real sorry about that. Actually, I'm really sorry about everything. I won't ever forget that night. You do know that your sister turned in the deed for the house, right?" Alana looked at the officer in surprise.
" What?" She asked in astonishment.
" She didn't want her half of it. She thought that if she gave it up it would be sold, but nobody can sell it, because documents your parents had made before they died said that it would go to you and if you approve, then it would be sold. But since it is in your name now, no one can touch it. This happened about six years ago. No one could find you to let you know, so the court house kept them until they could. It's not a big deal for them since the house was already paid off, just considered to be abandoned. It's yours to pick up if you want it. The gates are sealed and the court house has the keys too. The only thing is.......the house was left the way it was since the murders. Your sister didn't go near it or have it cleaned or anything so everything you saw that night should still be there." Officer Taylor said, knowing how hard it was for Alana to think of those things.
" Yes, I will go get the deed. If she doesn't want it, I have no reason to give it up at the moment. My parents worked too hard for that house and I am not about to throw that away." Alana said.
" Well, I better get back to work. Give me a call at the department if you need anything. A lot of us can't let this case go. Even the boss is still bothered by it." She said. Alana felt the tears warm up in her eyes.
" Thank you all. I'll give you a call sometime or if I need anything." She said. The officer nodded and gave her hug. Alana remembered this happening when she was younger. When she was alone in that house and the police showed up. Officer Taylor had been there to comfort her.
" Thank you so much." Alana said.
" No problem." The officer said goodbye to both of them and then she left. Tina came over to Alana and looked at her.
" Come on, the furniture is being loaded into the vans right now." She said pointing to the company vans. Alana nodded and the both of them got into the Ford truck and left the lot. They had to go to a store and get kitchen utensils, things for the bathroom, and so forth. Unfortunately, Alana was no longer in the mood for shopping. She just wanted to curl up in her house and relax.
" My first day here and already things are coming down on me." Alana said. Tina could hear the hurt in her voice.
" That bitch!" She said suddenly. Tina could tell her friend was angry and she knew why.
" I can't believe she gave up the fucking house. That was our house!" She growled. Tears of anger and frustration fell down her cheeks. She was so angry, she just wanted to find her sister and beat the hell out of her.
" Alana, let's eat take out tonight. We'll worry about everything else tomorrow or even later than that. The sooner we get everything together, the better. Then you won't have to go out as much." Tina said and Alana agreed.
" Yeah, you're right." She said as they drove into the drive way just as the two vans arrived. They got out of the truck and opened the door and the garage. One of the men gave her back her key and they started to unload everything. Then Daniel drove up in Alana's Buick and walked up to them.
" That's a nice car. I think I might get one for myself." Daniel said. Alana smiled and handed him back his keys.
" Hey, are you ok?" He asked.
" Yeah, I'm just worn out. Too much running around for one day." She said. Daniel nodded.
" Well, we're all going out tonight, you two want to join us?" He asked. Tina looked at Alana.
" It's up to you. I'll stay with you if you don't want to go." She said. Alana thought about it for a second and decided that she hadn't eaten a decent meal from a restaurant in a long time.
" Yeah, we'll go. What time?"
" At 8:00 pm. We are going in a limo tonight so we'll be here to pick you two up." He said and then smiled and left. Alana went in the house and started to direct where to put everything. Tina went and played with the dogs for a while.
An hour and a half later, Alana was sitting on her new green velvet couch, exhausted from the day. She got up and went to bathroom only to realize she didn't have toilet paper.
" Here you go." Tina's voice startled Alana and she jumped back.
" Shit! You scared me." She said.
" Sorry. Just relax. I got some tissues." Tina smiled and handed them to her.
" Better than nothing." Alana said and closed the door.
Alana came out and looked at the time. They still had almost three hours.
" We'll start getting ready in about an hour and a half. It doesn't take me long." Tina said. Alana nodded and went to the garage. She looked at the boxes and then the chest.
" You know, you really should try to take back some of that lost child hood. Open some of your boxes. I know there's some good memories in there somewhere." Tina said. Alana shook her head.
" Not yet, if at all. I'm not ready to face the past." She said and went back into the house and greeted her dogs. They barked with joy at seeing her and then began to sniff around, looking at there new environment.
" Get comfortable boys. We'll be here for a while." She said and grabbed one of her suit cases.
" Tina? Do you know where we are going for dinner?" She asked. Tina walked in and shrugged.
" Beats me, but if I know Daniel and John, their first day here, you know they want to go out in style. We better dress formal." She said.
" Let me go get my suit case in the car." Tina said and rushed out to get it. Alana dug through her dresses that were on their hangers and in plastic wraps and thought that either black or green would look nice for the night. Tina came back in and looked at Alana who held up two different dresses.
" Black or green?" She asked. Tina looked at them. The black was long with a swooped back and a slit on the right leg and then the green was short with almost no back and only a few straps across the back to give it that sexy look.
" The green." She said and dug through her dresses.
" I knew you were going to say that." Alana said and smiled as she put the black one back.
" It matches your eyes." Tina said.
" Yeah right. I'm sure that's why you picked it." She said and dug out the black high heels with the no toe and straps around the ankles. Tina pulled out a short blue dress with no back or straps, only a strap that connected to the front and went around her neck to hold it up.
" See? I get things to match my eyes." She said and fluttered her blue eyes.
" Funny." Alana laughed. Tina got up and went to the bathroom to change. While she was gone, Alana quickly took off her clothes and put her stockings on and took off her bra. She slipped the dress on and zipped the side up. She sat down to put on her high heels when Tina walked out and outstretched her arms.
" What do you think?" She smiled devilishly. Alana nodded and had to admit to herself that her friend looked quite astonishing in the dress she had decided to wear.
" If Daniel doesn't love you now, he will tonight." Alana stated. Tina squealed and jumped up.
" Cool." She said happily and went to her purse where she took out her makeup. Alana got her makeup out as well and went to the bathroom and began to apply it all. She never did wear a lot of it though. She still wanted to show her natural beauty behind it all. Tina was just about the same way. Neither of them liked to wear a lot of makeup for that same reason. Alana finished putting the last bit of makeup and looked at herself. She smiled and began to brush her hair. She decided to french braid her hair going up instead of down and then she would curl the remaining strands of hair. The bathroom began to smell like hair stray and Alana coughed a few times because of it. After an hour, she finally finished. She didn't want to spend an eternity on her hair so she left it at that, but even in such a short time, it looked quite ravishing with the dress that she was wearing. She smiled and walked out of the bathroom and looked at Tina who had done something similar. Her strawberry blond hair was put into a donut shaped bun and pinned in place and then the remaining pieces of hair was curled around it and some dwindled down her neck, making her quite an attraction. They sat down together and took out their jewelry to add to the final touches. Tina wore her diamond bracelet, a diamond necklace with a blue rhinestone at the center, and diamond stud earrings. Alana on the other hand, put on her dangling diamond earrings, a diamond bracelet like Tina's, and one diamond ring with a heart shaped Sapphire in the middle. She didn't take off the necklace, however. It was a simple chain with that little gold heart pendant and a single small diamond in the middle. Tina raised her eyebrow and lifted a more elegant necklace, laced with diamonds.
" Want to wear this one?" She asked.
" No. I never take this one off. For eleven years I haven't and I don't plan to." Alana said kindly.
" Why? Something your parents gave you? I noticed you never took it off, but I never bothered to ask why. You think with all your money, you'd get something more expensive." Tina said curiously.
" Well, remember that first date I had? That one that didn't work out, because I left as one of the reasons?" She asked.
" Yeah...."
" He gave it to me. He wasn't a very rich person, but he gave it to me with the little money he had and I loved it even though I didn't show it very well. Sometimes, it's the simplest thoughts that count the most and mean more than all the diamonds you could buy." Alana said touching it gently.
" How sweet." Tina said in awe.
" I wish I could find a man like that. You're right though. It's perfect with you." Tina said and smiled. Then there was a knock on the door.
" Ooh, sexy buns is here." Tina said. Alana's mouth dropped and she started to laugh. Tina just winked her eye and got there coats.
" Alright, let's go." Alana said and they went to the door. Their longs coats went to their feet and they had no intention of showing anyone their outfits until they were in the restaurant. They stepped into the limo with the rest of the crew and the driver drove away and down to the main highway. Everyone was dressed nice for the occasion. Tina was eying Daniel, but he seemed to be off in his own little world. She turned up her lip in disappointment and looked at Alana who only shrugged not knowing what to say. Maybe Daniel wasn't interested in her, that would be the only thing to explain how he didn't pay attention to her. John on the other hand was looking at Alana with admiration. Alana turned her attention to the window and watched the cars drive by and the houses pass. She didn't like it when men eyed her. It made her feel uncomfortable.
The limo pulled to a halt and the driver came around and opened the door. One by one, they all stepped out and looked around. It was a nice large restaurant and the environment was invitational. Across the street were smaller restaurants, made for the more average people with lesser income. Alana turned and walked in with the rest of the group. A man came to collect their coats and Tina smiled at Alana when they took them off.
" Wow! I never knew you two could dress so astonishing." One of the employees stated. She was dressed nice, but not as ravishing as they were. Alana almost felt bad when the woman looked at them with admiration and jealously.
" This one talked me into wearing a dress like this." Alana said, pointing the finger at Tina who just smiled and shrugged.
" Got to leave it to me for the night to go right." She said proudly. John was starring at Alana with almost a lustful look. Alana had never seen him stare at her like that. She flushed and turned away.
" I think she made a wonderful choice." John said smiling. Alana looked back and gave a weak smile and then looked at Tina who just winked her eye. A butler came up to them and escorted them to their table. Tina was sitting next to Daniel and on her other side sat Alana. Alana was grateful when the woman who had commented on their wonderful attire sat next to her. But she was quite disappointed when John sat directly across from her. He was still starring and it was beginning to annoy her. She flipped nervously through the menu, but couldn't focus on what she wanted to eat. Finally, she decided on a chicken salad with a bowl of vegetable soup on the side.
" Alana? It's not like you're going to ruin your wonderful body if you eat a lot once in your life. This is hardly an appetizer." Tina said, surprised at her.
" Tina, do you realize that I have a small stomach? I hate to eat a lot and you know it. That's all I ate when I was a child, was junk food and too damn much." She stated with a smile.
" I saw some old pictures of you and you were still beautiful with a nice body." Tina said stubbornly. Alana just rolled her eyes and laughed.
" You have a beautiful smile, Alana." She turned abruptly to look at John. The woman next to her was looking at her, along with Tina and Daniel. Alana looked down nervously.
" Thank you." She said at a near whisper. Tina noticed her discomfort and nudged her.
" Hey, let's go talk outside." Tina said.
" Is something wrong?" John asked with concern. Tina shook her head.
" No it's just that she wasn't feeling very well. You know coming back to New York and all." Tina said.
" Oh yes, the boss discussed your discomfort on that. Try to get some fresh air and relax." He said kindly. The two got up and walked outside. It was getting colder, but they didn't take their jackets.
" What's wrong?" Tina asked.
" I don't know. I feel so uncomfortable when guys complement on me and all. I just don't know what to do. I didn't want anyone to fall in love with me you know." She said hastily.
" Well hey, then tell him to bug off. If you're not ready, then let him know." She kindly with a smile. For some reason, Tina could always make her smile.
" I guess I can try that." She said.
" Alana Vega?" Both girls turned around to see four figures in trench coats and a woman with light brown hair and brown eyes. Something about her was so familiar.
" I'm sorry, do I know you?" She asked uncertainly. Tina tightened her jaw and remembered the picture in Alana's room, framed on her night stand.
" You should!" The woman growled. Alana was confused by her sudden change of attitude. The woman seemed angry at her, but for what? Alana could hardly see the faces under the hoods the four figures wore.
" Yeah, Alana......maybe you should recognize us all." She looked at the figure standing a littler further away from the group. His voice was deep and angry. Alana knew the voice and tried to put aside the possibility that it could be who she thought it was. She looked back at the woman and realization began to hit her.
" Janet....." She almost whispered.
" Yeah, the sister you left behind you bitch." She growled. Tina came to stand by Alana.
" Hey, fuck off." She said angrily. Tina was boiling with anger and the desire to hit Janet for everything it was worth. Janet merely looked at her and then back at Alana.
" So where have you been all these years?" She growled.
" That's none of your business." Alana hissed back. Suddenly, the memory of what officer Taylor had told her came back. Alana fought back every urge to hit her sister, but it was becoming unbearable. Alana heard a small chuckle and looked at the figure that had spoken to her earlier.
" I never thought I'd see you again." He growled. Then he pointed to the necklace.
" I see that you are still wearing the necklace." He stated. Tina looked at her in surprise, but said nothing.
" I....." She found that she couldn't say the words. They were stuck in her throat. She bit her lip and looked at the ground.
" It must have been easy for you to just leave." Janet said coldly. Alana's head shot up.
" Easy? You think that it was fucking easy for me?! You weren't there! You were out with your little boyfriend while I watched mom and dad get murdered in front of me, knowing there was nothing that I could do." Alana almost yelled. She saw the hurt in Janet's face when she mentioned her parents.
" I had to walk through their blood, you didn't! Then you come here criticizing me for leaving! What the fuck was I supposed to do?!" Alana screamed. Some of the people passing by looked in their direction, but didn't say anything and kept walking. Tina came closer to her and wanted to hold her to show support, but she didn't dare. She had never in all her years knowing Alana seen her this angry or upset before. Alana turned away for a moment and when she turned back, she punched Janet hard in the cheek. She staggered back and the man next to her grabbed her.
" That's for giving up mom and dads house!" She growled, her green eyes vibrant with anger and flushed with tears.
" How the fuck did you know about that?" Janet growled holding her face. The figure that was supporting her wanted to come at Alana, but his friend held him back.
" Officer Taylor told me. If you don't want it, mom and dad had made agreements that the house goes to me and without my consent, you can't sell it. The deed has been at the court house for six years already." She said bitterly. The memories began to flood her mind and she just wanted to go somewhere and cry her heart out.
" You bitch!" Janet yelled and Alana was going to come at her with another attack, but one of her friends jumped in the way. It was the one that had referred to her necklace.
" I suggest you don't touch her." He growled. She could see only half of his face inside the hood he wore and she starred into his brown eye, only to see cold and bitterness. Alana sighed and stepped back.
" Tina, I need to leave." She said and turned away from the group.
" No problem." She said. Just then John came out and looked at them.
" Alana, Tina, what's wrong?" He asked and then looked at the group.
" Friends of yours?" He asked curiously, noting the hostility on their faces.
" No. Just people I used to know. John, I am not staying here any longer. I have to go. Tell the other employees I am sorry and that I am not feeling well." She said.
" Make that two." Tina stated. John nodded and leaned over to the two.
" Are you sure you're going to be ok? Would you like me to escort you to a taxi or something?"
" No, John. That's her sister. I think we can handle it." Tina said. John nodded and gave the group a glare before walking back into the restaurant.
" New boyfriend?" Janet growled. Alana knew what she was trying to do.
" No, my boss." She growled back. They began to walk off, when she heard Janet's voice again.
" You don't give a shit about anybody do you? You left everything behind, including the last member of your family still alive!" Janet yelled. Alana stopped and turned sharply.
" What?! How dare you say I left. Is that what everyone thinks? That I left just because I was thinking of myself? You bitch!" Alana said in shock.
" There wouldn't be any other reason!" Janet yelled. The group starred at her and she could feel their icy stare.
" Really? The only reason I left is because Big sister told me to! Or do you remember what you did to me!" She growled, but the hurt was evident in her voice. Tina looked at Alana as she called a cab to her and then turned back to the group.
" You want to blame her for everything when you told her to leave? How fucking selfish is that? It's a good thing your parents aren't alive to hear this." Tina said in disgust. Those words hit Janet hard where it hurt. Tears spilled over her cheeks and she screamed at Tina.
" Fuck you! You don't even know them!" She screamed.
" I don't have to. It's obvious you may have loved your parents, but you didn't give a shit about your sister." Tina yelled back and got in the cab. Janet cried into her boyfriends arms and the other tried to comfort her except the one who had got in Alana's face. He stood their dumbfounded.
" I'm going home." Was all he said and then he was gone.
Tina and Alana were sitting in the taxi quietly, but Tina knew now that there was a lot of hidden pain inside her friend. She had to get to the source of it and have Alana tell her. She needed to get it out. The taxi pulled in front of Alana's house and she paid and got out. Alana was walking to the house when Tina stopped her.
" Alana, we have to talk. I got to know. You are my best friend, a sister I never had and I need to know what happened eleven years ago." Tina said. Alana was crying now, but knew that she was right.
" Take me to the house." Tina said. Alana jumped back in fright, almost as if she'd been stung by something.
" I can't go back there." She said.
" You have to. Let everything come back. The happiness, the pain, the good times, the bad times, the fear you got from that house. That's the one place where you can honestly feel everything and tell it truthfully with all the emotion you have." Tina's words were setting in and in a way she was right.
" Stay here." She said and went into Alana's house and to the back yard. When she came back out, she had all three dogs, including her own and opened Alana's car. She had gotten the spare keys from the house and opened the passenger door.
" Let's go. I need directions." Tina said sternly, but gently. Alana knew that there was no backing away from this.
" God.....all of this comes down on me in one damn night." She sobbed and got into the car. She started the car and they began to pull out of the driveway.
Most of the trip was silent, with the exception that Tina asked for directions. Alana was hesitant at first, but she had to get it out. She wanted to let Tina know the truth for a long time, but she always held back, fearing that it would be too much or that Tina would think she was crazy, but she trusted her friend. Then Alana looked out the windshield to see the old steel gates that guarded the entire house. They pulled up and looked at everything. The house was not that far down the trail, but still quite a walk for them to be wearing high heels. She turned off the car and got out. Alana got out a few seconds later and her breathing became a little heavy. Tina let the dogs out on their leashes and went to the gate.
" That's a big ass lock." She stated looking at the large chains and lock. But there was a part of the gate that was bent and it was enough for them to get through. The dogs followed her and after some coaxing, so did Alana. They walked down the old path that was now mostly covered in grass. It was obviously that the lawns were kept well so that no wild animals would hide in the tall grass and pose a threat to anyone. Tina starred at the large Victorian house. The windows were covered with plastic and the paint was old and worn. It was peeling off and some of the wood on the porch was broken. The house was falling apart, but it was sturdy enough to last a few more years.
" I bet this was a beautiful house." Tina said and looked at Alana who was looking around. Tina saw that she was crying and almost on the verge of collapsing. Tina tied the dogs to a post that held up the porch roof and went to her. She gently led her up the porch steps. Tina went to a window and took down some of the plastic. She was breath taken with what she saw in the little light that the moon light gave. Alana looked in and then backed away and started to cry. Her dogs whined worriedly. Tina came to her. The carpet still had the blood stains of her parents on it and Tina hadn't intended for Alana to see that.
" I'm sorry Alana. I didn't know." She said gently and they sat down next to the dogs on the porch.
" You have to tell me. Let me know. Start with after you moved here. Start with the good memories and then work your way into what happened. Just go day by day and take it slow. We're not in any hurry. But you know you have to tell me." Tina said. Alana took a few deep breaths and pet her two dogs, along with Tina's Golden.
" It was early nineteen ninety when it happened. Me and my sister never got along really. We were too different. But I got along with my mom. She was like me. She loved art and animals like I do. Me and my dad got along great too, but I was closer to my mother...." Alana said, almost smiling. Tina smiled.
" Go on, tell some good things. The fun you guys had." She said encouragingly.
" It was the first morning of February......."