chapter one

Me and Jackie finally arrived in Colorado. The air here felt different somehow - lighter, crisper, like it carried a hint of something new. Jackie was on the phone with our uncle, walking a few steps ahead of me.

"Was your guys' flight okay?" he asked through the speaker.

Jackie replied shortly, "Fine."

I wasn't really listening. My eyes wandered around the airport instead, taking everything in. People here looked... different: the way they dressed, the way they moved, the way they talked. It didn't feel like home, and yet there was something exciting about that.

Suddenly, Jackie's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

"I see them," she said.

I looked up and followed her gaze. Katherine was walking toward us, a warm smile on her face.

"Hi," she greeted softly, glancing at both of us. She immediately pulled Jackie into a hug.

"I'm so happy you're here."

Then she turned to me and hugged me too.

"I'm also happy you're here."

I'm not really a hugger, but I didn't want to seem rude, so I hugged her back.

As we started walking, Katherine kept asking about our flight: if everything was okay, if we were tired, if we needed anything. She talked a lot, but her tone was kind, almost motherly.

We headed to the car, and I slid into the backseat next to Jackie. I put on my headphones, let the music drown everything else out, and stared out the window. The wind brushed against my face, and for a brief moment, it almost felt peaceful.

When we arrived, Katherine opened the front door and looked at us carefully.

"You guys okay?" she asked.

"Fine," we both answered at the same time.

Katherine smiled softly.

"Let's get inside and introduce you guys to everybody."

Just then, her phone rang. She picked up, talking to someone, Jamal, I think. I walked forward to the door when suddenly someone came flying past on a skateboard, yelling:

"Move!"

I stumbled back, startled, and watched him glide past me like it was nothing. Before I could even react, another guy sitting nearby pointed at himself.

"Hi," he said casually, "Danny."

Jackie introduced us quickly. "Jackie. And this is Evelyn."

I gave Danny a polite smile and followed Jackie and George into the house.

"Benny, stop running!" George yelled as a little boy darted past us, laughing.

We stopped at a doorway where two guys were sitting on the floor, playing a video game.

"Guys, could you stop a moment?" George said.

One of them stood up, his eyes immediately landing on Jackie and staying there.

"These are Jackie and Evelyn," George introduced us. "Jackie, Evelyn, these are Alex and Isaac."

Isaac didn't even bother to look up, still focused on his controller.

"What's up," he muttered, eyes glued to the screen.

Alex, on the other hand, couldn't stop glancing at Jackie and Jackie definitely noticed. It was obvious. He barely acknowledged me, and honestly, I wasn't surprised. Jackie always drew attention wherever we went.

"Got another bag if you can go grab it," George said to Alex.

"Uh, yeah, sure," Alex replied, finally walking toward us. He smiled directly at Jackie and held out his hand.

"Hi."

Jackie smiled back and shook his hand.

Then his eyes flickered to me.

"Uh, hi," he said quickly without even holding my gaze, and then he walked away.

Jackie and George kept moving forward, but I stayed back for a moment, letting my eyes wander to the TV screen.

"Streets of Rage," Isaac said suddenly, noticing me watching.

"Nice, what stage?" I asked, surprised that someone else even knew about that game.

"Nine." He finally paused, resting the controller on his lap and glancing up at me.

He gave me a quick look that made me feel a little unsure of myself, but I forced myself not to show it.

"Damn, I'm stuck at seven," I admitted with a small laugh, glancing around the room.

Isaac seemed to realize he'd been staring too long because he quickly looked away.

"Uh, maybe, I mean, if you want, I can help you with it sometime?" he offered hesitantly.

"Actually? Thank you," I said with a small smile.

Before he could say anything else, Katherine appeared in the hallway, phone still in hand. She stopped when she spotted me.

"Evelyn, honey, Will is gonna show Jackie the rooms. They are in the kitchen," she said before heading off again.

"Thanks, Katherine, hope the dog is okay," I called after her as I left the room.

I walked into the kitchen just as the skater guy from earlier rolled past again. Will spotted me and smiled.

"Hi, you are Evelyn, right?"

"Yes," I replied, shaking his hand.

We headed upstairs together. As we walked, my eyes caught on a framed photo hanging on the wall, Katherine and my mom. My chest tightened instantly. I missed her so much. Maybe I wasn't her favourite but she was still my mom.

I followed them down the hallway as Will knocked on a door. Inside, a boy was reading; he immediately stood up and came toward us.

"It's nice to finally meet you guys," he said warmly.

I smiled, and Jackie replied, "Thanks, you too."

We kept walking until we reached the garden. Music was playing softly, and laughter carried across the space.

"I'm hard of hearing," Will explained as we walked. "So if I'm not looking at you guys or there's a lot of background noise, I won't understand. Just FYI."

Jackie nodded. "Ok, thank you."

Will turned down the music and clapped his hands.

"Hey everyone, these are Jackie and Evelyn."

"Hello," we both said.

He started introducing people. "That's Parker over there, and that's Benny."

Then my eyes landed on someone else, a boy stepping out of the pool, water dripping from his hair. He was... hot. Like, seriously hot. I noticed Jackie noticing him too. And, honestly, if Jackie wanted something, or someone, she usually got it.

He laid down on a lounge chair like he didn't have a care in the world.

"That's Cole," Will said casually.

Before I could even process, another boy came running toward me with a camera, shoving it in my face.

"Um, hi?" I said awkwardly.

"Jordan, aspiring film director," he announced proudly.

"Leave her alone, Jordan. Come on," someone called from behind him.

Out of nowhere, a dog jumped out of the pool and shook itself dry, right next to me and Jackie. We were instantly soaked.

"Albert, no! I'm so sorry," Will said, rushing over with towels.

I laughed softly as I wiped my face.

"You guys know what? Come on, I'll show you to your rooms upstairs," Will said, motioning for us to follow.

As we headed upstairs, he called over his shoulder, "Hey, Cole, start bringing their stuff upstairs, okay?"

"Cole."

"I heard you," Cole replied lazily.

"Um, Will," I asked as we climbed the stairs, "how many of these kids are George and Katherine's?"

"Oh, you didn't know? All of them," Will said with a laugh. "There are eight of us kids. Plus, Lee and Isaac are cousins on Dad's side."

"Our uncle Richard said you had a big family, but I mean, I had-" Jackie started.

"Wait, you all live here?" I asked, surprised.

"Uh, no," Will said with a chuckle. "I live in town with my fiancée, Hayley, but everyone else, yeah."

Will showed Jackie her room first while I wandered a little, peeking into other rooms. Then Cole walked up the stairs carrying boxes. He glanced at me and smirked.

"You guys have a ton of stuff," he said before passing me.

Will came back out and led me to my room, which was right next to Jackie's.

"It's a little bit smaller, but I hope you like it," he said.

"It's fine," I replied. It wasn't really small, just smaller than Jackie's. But she's older by two minutes, so I guess she wins.

"We'll get your stuff up here. Make yourself at home," Will said before walking off.

I sat on the bed, exhaling slowly. A new house. A huge family. So many strangers.

I was unpacking my things when I heard a soft knock on the door. My hands froze mid-motion, still clutching a folded sweater.

"It's open," I called, my voice quieter than I intended.

The door creaked, and she stepped inside with a gentle smile."Hi, sweetheart. How are you holding up?" Her eyes scanned the room before she frowned slightly. "Oh, I'm sorry that you got the smaller room."

I shook my head quickly. "It's okay. I'm sorry for... taking your space."

She crossed the room and placed a warm hand on my shoulder. "No, don't be. I'm happy you're here."

Her touch was comforting, grounding, and for a moment, I let myself breathe. She studied my face, her expression softening even more."You know," she said quietly, "you look so much like your mother when she was your age."

My chest tightened. "Actually, everyone says Jackie is more like her," I whispered, fiddling with the edge of my sleeve.

She smiled faintly. "Yes, Jackie has her spark now... but back then, your mom? She was just like you."

I opened my mouth to respond, but the words stuck. My throat went dry, like all the air had been stolen from the room."My mom is..." I swallowed hard, forcing the words out. "She was perfect. Like Jackie. And Lucy... Lucy was more like Dad."

For a moment, silence settled between us, heavy and fragile.

She sat down on the edge of my bed, patting the spot beside her, and I slowly lowered myself next to her."I know this isn't easy," she said softly, her voice laced with understanding. "Coming here, leaving everything behind... losing her." She hesitated, as if weighing every word. "But I hope, in time, you'll find a way to make this place feel like home."

I nodded, though my chest ached. "Yeah... I'll try."

Her smile warmed, but there was sadness in her eyes."Are you hungry? We're about to have dinner."

I shook my head slightly, exhaustion pressing down on me like a weight. "I'm... pretty tired."

She brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. "Alright. Get some rest, honey.