Silver Stars on a Starless Night by Cheyenne M (story reading txt) 📖

all the time. Daniel was at work at a lumber company about a half an hour away. We would go visit him for lunch every now and again, but most of the time they would take us to the park so we didn’t have to sit in the car with him. Having to be in that small of a space with him for too long was destined for trouble.

 

 

Then one day, my mom unleashed a total surprise on us. We would be moving soon, to Wyoming. I didn’t know if I should be happy or scared. I was somewhat excited, but at the same time, I would not be around my Nana and Papa, or my aunts. I had lived with them for about three years and they were who I considered my real family, I didn’t want to lose that.

 

 

When they had heard of this arrangement, they were not happy with my mom. The thing is, they already hated Daniel. He was originally supposed to go out with my Tia Linda, since my mom had already been married once before. Her younger sisters Linda and Brenda had a harder time finding dates, mostly because they didn’t really want to. Thus my Nana tried to set her up with Daniel.

 

 

The only reason she knew of Daniel was because he was the son of one of my Nana’s church-going friends.  He had been in the military at the time and was going to be coming home on leave. They decided it would be a great time to introduce him to Linda. However, my mom was the one who caught his attention and eventually they were married. Which, obviously, is how we got to the point we were at.

 

 

Nonetheless, my Nana and Papa were infuriated that my mother would let this man take away their grandbabies.  This started a massive fight between them all. We went over to their house to talk about it, and Daniel jumped down my Papa’s throat about how it wasn’t their place to say anything. They had no right spoiling my brother and I and certainly no right to tell my mom would she could or couldn’t do. My Nana took us kids into our old room on the lower level (split level house) that was right across the hall from theirs. She gave us some toys and asked if we could wait down here and stay safe while they all talked upstairs. It was the only fight I really remember from that time period. The rest happened before I had memory of them.

 

 

Since they were unable to change my mom’s mind, they decided to spend as much time as they could with us before we would move. So one day, they came out while Daniel was at work, to take me and Justin out for fun. They had done it a thousand times before, so my mom had no problem with it. They brought over some new outfits they had picked out, and got us ready. Then we took off to Spokane, Washington for a day at the mall and any other place they thought we would enjoy.

 

 

I remember little of that trip except that it was one of the best days I had ever had with them. We went to the mall, the roller rink, clothing stores, toy stores, and anywhere else that struck our fancy. However, that day would also be the day that stuck in Daniel’s mind forever. The day he would use against my mom’s family, so that we would cease contact with them.

 

 

When we got back that evening, Daniel was home. To make it worse he was furious, at my mother, my aunts, and of course me and my brother. I came running in the house with my brother trailing behind me, both of us excited. We were stopped short when we ran into Daniel who was standing just inside the door, waiting for us.

 

 

“Go to your rooms.” All light and happiness drained from us and I looked around for my mom, but she was no where to be found. “Excuse me?”

 

 

“Yes dad.” we said in unison. Then I sulked to my room feeling sick to my stomach. I closed the door just as my aunts fame walking in the door of the house. They had been getting the rest of our things out of the car.

 

 

“I need you to leave.” Daniel’s voice was harsh “Now”

 

 

“I don’t understand…” Linda started to say.

 

 

“I need to talk to my kids. Alone.” He emphasised ‘my’ not because he cared, simply because he was attempting to show his authority over them in this particular situation.  This was they would not have a choice, even if my mom decided to step in. I wondered where she was at.

 

 

“They aren’t in trouble are they?” Brenda asked. I could hear emotion in her voice but could not quite place it.

 

 

“That is none of your damn concern.” He was getting more irritated and I was becoming more scared. I sat with my ear pressed to the door so I could listen. I was trying to figure out why we were in trouble. I knew if he became irate with them, then his anger would be taken out on me and Justin.

 

 

“We were just asking” I could hear them trying to push the door open. Obviously they were not getting anywhere.

 

 

“Go! Now!” I heard steps then the door slammed. I jumped at the suddenness of it then realizing he would be heading this way, I hurried to get to my bed. I just got sitting down when our door opened. I was scared of what he would do now that he was mad.

 

 

“Me and your mom agreed you will not be spending anymore time with them. They are not a good influence on you and they have spoiled you for way too damn long. I will not tolerate their habits in my house.” My face fell, they were actually my family and he wasn’t, so why did he get to say this. I wanted to yell this at him, I wanted to call for my mom and ask why she would agree to this since they were her family also. However, I knew that nothing I could say would change his mind. My brother didn’t have the same idea though, he was upset and wasn’t going to hide it.

 

 

“Why?” He whined “They are my nana and papa. Why are you taking them away?” I could hear that he was nearing tears. I was afraid what that would bring.

 

 

“Shut up! I will have none of that whining bulls**t in my house! You are too damn old to be crying about stupid petty things!” I couldn’t see Justin on the bunk below me, but I could hear him struggling to stop crying. I also knew it would be no use; he was heartbroken.

 

 

“But they are for me. Not for you!” He said defiantly. He was stubborn, that much I knew, but I didn’t know if his stubbornness could take him through what I knew would be coming next.

 

 

“I said that’s enough!!” Daniel lunged towards my brother and I screamed. I covered my eyes so I would see what happened and I waited for the sound of his hand on Justin’s body, but it never came. He was cruel like that, just wanting to scare us, to put fear into our small minds so that we would follow his every word.

 

 

“I have talked to your mom.” Ironically she walked in at that moment, she had heard the screams. “We will be moving in a week and you won’t get to see them anyway. This was you will get used to it a little sooner. I don’t want to hear any more about it, understand?”

 

 

“Yes.” We both whispered. I was too scared to actually say anything louder than that. I had been just as hurt by it as Justin, but I wouldn't dare say that to him, I was a little older and understood the consequences. Justin on the other hand, spoke out of emotions and did not really give thought to what might happen.

 

 

We moved a week later as promised, down to Wyoming, though I didn’t want to. I had no choice and neither did my mom. I realized this on the trip down there.

Chapter 5

They had argued the whole way, my mom was completely unhappy with moving away from her family. She hated having to leave them behind, but yet she was willing to do whatever this man wanted just to make him happy. Her parents did not like Daniel, but then they had never liked my dad either. Yet my mom was happy to leave her life behind all because she had found someone willing to accept her even though she was divorced and had two children already.

 

 

I know that she was trying to do what was best for us, that was all she ever tried to do, but she put herself through hell because of it. They thought I was asleep in the back of the car on our second day of the trip, but I had woken up. I didn’t want them to know I was awake because I knew he was mad and that meant more of a chance that it would be taken out on me. So i kept my eyes closed and listened. They had started out whispering about something and I couldn't tell what it was, but then it became heated. They started raising their voices at each other and all I remember is my mom saying she hated him. She said that she hated him for lying to her kids, for taking her away from her family, for being so awful all the time.

 

 

They should have had the newlyweds love, that is what anyone else expected, but it seemed as though they were already fed up with each other. My mom was angry, she easily could have hurt him, but I was hoping she wouldn’t because I was afraid that he would do to her what he did to us. I also knew that it wasn’t good for the baby to be angry like that and I didn’t want the baby getting hurt.

 

That was only one of many time that I heard my mom fight with Daniel in which he wasn’t aware, every other time he knew for sure that we could hear him. I never knew if my mom was aware that I was listening; she had always seemed to know when we were awake. Yet, on this occasion she may have been too upset, or maybe she did know and didn’t care. Whatever the reason, I felt like I had hear a little bit of a much larger secret. One that, maybe I shouldn’t know, and perhaps still haven’t figured out.

 

We had arrived at Sheridan and were on our way to the new house, which was actually more of a townhouse, when they began fighting. I had been asleep but woke up when we had stopped at a red light. I made it appear that I was still asleep, especially when my parents  began talking. I could tell right away that my mom was upset, it was obvious, but I couldn’t figure out why. I opened my