You're One to Remember by Chanda Dobra (best books for 20 year olds TXT) 📖

relief, it was still early. Walking forward she tried to ignore the creepy painting of her uncle, but she couldn’t help but glance at it. The paintings eyes burned into hers. With a shiver down her spine she turned and began to climb the stairs, feeling the paints eyes burn into her back as she exited the room. Walking onto the second floor she looked around, she could hear John and her Mother talking. She knocked on the open door, and spoke, “What’s going on?” Walking forward her mother took a step towards her and gently held her arms as if trying to hold her back, “You don’t need to know Myra, it really isn’t important.” With a cautious glance at John she continued, “I think it would be best if we all left the room now.” Myra felt like screaming, you never told her anything! Her mother and John seemed to keep so many secrets from her, she couldn’t stand that annoyed feeling of rage she got. Suddenly a loud knocking at the door rang through the house, and mother sighed and rushed out of the room, Myra thought she saw a tear slide down her face. She looked at John, “What’s going on John?” When he hesitated to answer her eyes gleamed with frustration and she struggled to keep her voice calm, “John, please tell me what’s happening.” John sighed and looked her right in the eyes, “Dad is coming to visit.” Myra felt her heart go cold, her skin turned even paler then it already was. John spoke concernedly, “You okay? You’re looking a little pale…” Her legs felt so weak they couldn’t hold her any longer; slowly she sat down on the floor, her eyes staring blankly ahead with disbelief. The knocking sounded again, she heard her move wail with agitation, “Just wait a minute!” Myra could hear her fixing things around, cleaning up some of the trash the kids threw around. John held out a hand and Myra lifted her hand and grabbed his, John pulled her to her feet. Staggering slightly, she was able to stand up straight, but not without being light headed. Grunting, she ran her fingers through her hair, feeling to see if she had a knife through her head or something. The light headed feeling turned into a headache once she heard the door slowly open. Fear and anger flashed through her eyes and she turned around, rolling on her heels like she always did. Her pace was quick as she walked out of the study and rushed towards the stairs, each step bringing her closer and closer to her father.
It was night-fall now, the family was sitting by the fireplace. The glow of the fire gleamed dimly around the room, giving just enough light to see who was around her. Mother was sitting next to Ryan, or dad, that’s what he wanted us to call him now. John was sitting next to mother and beside him was me. An hour ago we put Jessie and Rose to bed, so now it was just us four. Her father spoke, “I know I have been a bad father, and husband, to you all in the past-“ Without thinking she snapped, “ If you’re asking us to forget then no, what has happened will never be forgotten.” Pain filled her father’s eyes and he spoke cautiously, “I know, I am not asking you to forget, I want forgiveness.” Her heart filled with guilt, she wasn’t giving him a chance. John looked at their mother, who was in tears. She spoke first, “I forgive you, I know you were messed up but this family need’s you, I and John can’t support all five of us on our own.” John nodded and Myra’s eyes flashed with frustration again, I could help! They never ask me! Ryan sighed, “I want to support you, I want to be part of this family. I will never do anything I had done, ever. The past will not be repeated.” He looked directly at Myra and John now, “But only if you two allow me.” Myra looked from Ryan to John, she could see the pain in her brother’s eyes “I forgive you.” Ryan smiled as John spoke. Dread filled Myra’s heart as her father turned his gaze from John to her, “Myra?” She couldn’t speak, no words could escape her. She looked at her father, she knew she had to forgive him. So she said what she knew she had to, “I forgive you too, dad.” As she finished her words, his eyes filled with happiness, but behind it she could tell he was hiding something, a smirk of evil. She took no notice to it, convincing herself father really has changed…right?
***
Days flew by; Myra grew closer and closer to her father. Ryan seemed like a new person, not like the rude, scary, cruel, or heartless man she remembered when she was younger. “So dad, what are we going to do today?” Myra spoke without thinking much. Ryan turned his head towards her and smiled, “Well what do you want to do today?” Thinking hard, she said, “We can… go for a walk?” John lifted his head and smiled, “I vote for walking.” Ryan shrugged and said, “Alright get your jackets. I’ll tell your mother we’ll be back soon.” Grabbing her jacket, she waited by the door with her brother. Her father appeared a few moments later with his jacket, the three of them walked out of the house together. Smiling happily, slowly the pain of Ashes loss began to disappear. The love of her father seemed to help, a lot. Myra thought to herself while she walked between her father and brother, Will this end? Just like everything else has ended? Every time I care about something, or someone, it leaves me. Glancing to John, then to Ryan, she decided, no. Not this. This will never end. She was determined not to let this go, no matter how hard she had to fight for it. She was thrown out of her thoughts and into reality as she tripped over a rock sticking out of the cobblestone pavement. She landed hard on the ground, but caught herself at the last moment. John laughed while Ryan smiled and helped her up. He spoke gently, “You alright? We can go back if you want.” She shook her head, it can’t end, “No I’m fine, really.” She wiped the water that was now on her jacket, trying to fling it off. Failing miserably, Ryan wrapped his arm around her and they kept walking, John keeping close to her other side.
They arrived back at the house, who knows how many hours later. Dad had just cut-the- cheese so, pretending to be little children again, John and Myra where running in the house acting as if they were disgusted. The joy she felt as she joked around with her father and brother, felt like the best feeling in the word. Myra no long felt lonely, the need for death. She thought to herself again after so many times before, I never want this moment to end, this feeling, I never want it to go away, never want it to end… The sound of her father laughing as he burst into the door brought her back from her mind, “Dad, you’re gross.” Laughing she walked towards her father. Ryan laughed and wrapped his arms around both Myra and John, “Oh I love you guys so much.” John smiled, but didn’t reply. Myra kissed her father’s cheek lightly, “I am going to bed, my tutor will be here early tomorrow.” Ryan grabbed her hand and looked at her, “Tutor?” She laughed, “Well not tutor, more like private teacher.” The blank, confused look in his eyes told her that he had no idea, “Since we are rich and all, mom said I can spend more time at home with the family, where I am comfortable.” She glanced at the ground; she didn’t want to tell her father the truth. John yawned, “Well I have to go to school,” He walked up the stairs and leaned down his mouth beside her ear, “Like a normal kid.” Myra closed her eyes and breathed in slowly, that hurt. John warm, sweet smelling breath floated across her face, and he leaned back upwards and bounded up the stairs. Myra felt cold pain fill her heart, turning it to ice. She felt the tears under her eyelids, she stood hanging onto the stair railing with her eyes closed, and she could feel her dad looking at her with confusion. Opening her eyes, she tried not to break down and cry in front of him. Three words slipped from Ryan’s mouth, the three words she didn’t want to hear over all the three words she could choose from, “Are you okay?” Myra fell into her father’s arms, wrapping them around his neck and burying her face into his shirt collar. Tears made a small pool on his shirt, but she knew he didn’t care. She trusted him more than she ever had, she could even say she loved him. Feeling her father’s arms wrap tightly around her, it comforted her. He whispered into her ear, “Why don’t you go to school?” Sighing, she reluctantly let her father go and she grabbed his hand. Myra lead him down a long hallway under they reached one of the many studies in the house. She let his hand go and they sat on the two chairs that were placed beside a small fireplace. Wincing sadly, she really didn’t want to tell the story. Breathing shakily a tear slid down her cheek as she began, “The last time I want to school, I was bullied. Not the normal type of bullied, in every way possible.” She looked into her father’s eyes, hers with rimmed with tears while his filled with anger and grief, “I wish I had been there for you-“She raised her hand slightly, tell him she wasn’t finished. “They beat me; they beat John in front of me. They harassed me online, which is why we don’t even have a computer. They killed the class pet and put it in my desk, they gave me death wishes. After a while… they began to kick Rose and Jessie around when they were walking out of preschool. That was when I… snapped.” She looked at her father again, realizing her gaze had moved to a daze in the firelight. “I… I murdered them dad, I killed them. I was put in boot camp until I turned fifteen, at the time I was only thirteen, turning fourteen. I was allowed to leave once I turned fifteen. Since then, every school didn’t except me. We agreed to move here because this house is away from the city, yes we are in a different nation all together, but even here no school will let me in.” Her father stood and kneeled to the side of her, he placed his hand gently on his daughters, “I don’t care what you have done in the past, I really don’t. I am sorry this all happened to you, I understand.” He pressed a kiss on her hand, and Myra smiled and leaned down, she hugged him. She cried into his shoulder as he hugged her back, she could hear him murmuring comforting things to her but she couldn’t understand. She was to light headed from repeating what she had done out loud.