The House Across the Street

She turned to look at my bruised and tattered state "Can someone please explain what is going on? Father Christopher?" my mother looked from me to father Christopher to Jade.

"A young boy from your school told us to rush here that there is a crisis but this...this is more than a crisis...what in heaven's name-" "He was going to kill us" I said standing painfully "Father Christopher was going to kill us".

"Your perverse daughter has corrupted mine!" Father Christopher said sharply "She and Jade, have been engaging in unnatural and sinful acts of lesbianism!" my mother audibly gasped placing a hand over her mouth.

"Did you know that Mr and Mrs West? Did you know that your daughter is a disgusting LESBIAN?! he bellowed. It made my mother jump. She closed her eyes briefly letting the words sink in, her face screwed up as though she were in physical pain.

"Is that true Cornelia?" she asked softly before opening her eyes and focusing them on me. I stared at her and then at my father whose expression was that of disbelief and budding anger. And then I stared at Jade. There were fresh tears streaming down her face and before I even processed my words, they escaped me.

"Yes. I'm in love with Jade. That's all I know. I have never loved anyone the way I love her so if that means I'm a lesbian, then yes. Yes I am!" I was staring at her, tears streaming down my own face.

I didn't realize my mother had walked over. She grabbed me by the arm and turned me toward her "Have you lost your mind Cornelia? How can you utter such. You can't possibly think you are like that?" I pulled my arm away from her taking a few steps backward.

"How can you possibly know what I'm like or who I am?" my voice was loud and filled the room "You don't even know me. Neither of you do" I pointed between both of them

"You never knew me, AND YOU NEVER KNEW JAMES" my voice could lift the roof. It was hoarse and I was openly crying now. "The both of you, are the reason he's gone. He isn't here with me because of you. You pressured him. So much pressure, that was the reason he took that stuff that ended his life. He was trying to please you. His whole life, all he ever did was try to please you. It was never enough" the room was dead silent

"All you ever cared about was what people thought of you. You could never look past your selfishness to realize that your children were dying inside until one of them actually DIED!" I sniffed "Day after day we had to hide ourselves, hide who we truly were. From you. He was the only one who ever really knew me and I lost him because of you!"

"Today, I don't care what you want, I don't care what you think of me. I never really mattered to you so why should you care" we all stayed frozen in place. It was a heated staring contest between I and my mother. You could probably hear it if a feather dropped in the room.

Suddenly I saw father Christopher move towards Jade and I rushed towards him grabbing a ceramic vase off the counter and smashing it against the back of his head.

He fell heavily against the floor and laid still. I heard the knife fall from Jade's hand. I looked up to my parents who stared at me. Their expressions morphed into a mixture of sadness, shock, fear, shame. My father looked like his brain had been disconnected from his body. He was there but his eyes had a far away look to them. And my mother had tears streaming down her face.

I could hear Jade now searching through her father's pockets. I heard the jangle of keys and then she grabbed my hand and pulled me. Grabbing her saving box off the floor, forgetting her bag and we rushed across the street and into her fathers car locking it.

As she fumbled with the keys, trying to put it in the ignition with shaky hands, I looked across the street to see my parents standing in the door way staring at us. The car started and Jade accelerated.

My eyes filled with fresh tears as I stared at their image moving backward as the car sped away. I didn't feel sad or angry or heartbroken, I felt something else...something I'd never felt before...freedom? I felt like I was escaping from a horrible nightmare. It was a strange and twisted feeling.

And as I looked beside me to see Jade's wet face as she focused on the road, I realized that I liked this feeling. I had no idea if she could drive and the way she was speeding should have scared me but as she took a hand off the staring wheel and entwined it with mine, I didn't care.

Not about the wind tossing our hairs wildly, not about our bruised faces, not about our destination. We were together. Everything was going to work out. Of that I was certain.

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A couple hours later, we were sitting on a bench on the platform of the train station. Our ride would be boarding soon now. According to the electronic sign above the platform, the next train would arrive in five minutes.

We had parked Jade's father's car a few miles away. It was parked off the road and all the doors were open so it would seem to anyone who would find it that we had run into the nearby woods.

We were scared her father would follow and even as we walked the remaining miles to the station, I could notice the slight speed in Jade's steps. I'm sure she could see the tremble in my hands as I retrieved our tickets after we paid.

The storm wasn't over not until we were on that train, far from this place and safe. I had my head against her shoulder and held tightly onto her arm as she stared at the little picture of her mother inside her wooden box.

We were all we had now. I think slowly that would really hit us. I definitely didn't have any regrets but I had just walked away from my family. It just started to sink in that I may never see them again...I couldn't really place how I felt about that.

The overhead light right above us was like a spotlight it was as though I could feel it burning into my skin. We were trying to be as invisible as possible, and it wasn't helping.

To anyone looking, they would probably think we were trying to slip through the cracks of the paved ground. It must have been an odd sight as well. Two young, bruised girls, tattered and alone at the train station in the dead of night. It brought a weak smile to my lips.

"Cornelia?" it sounded distant but I recognized the voice immediately. I looked up at the sign. The minutes were almost up.

"Cornelia!" people around us had started gathering their things and getting ready. I wished the train would just come so we could be gone before the owner of that voice would find me.

We stood and I pulled Jade so we would stand beside a pillar to avoid been seen "CORN!...my darling...please" her voice cut through the murmur of the few people on the platform. She never called me Corn. She always thought it was a silly little nickname that Jame's should never have given me.

I stepped away from the pillar and there she was. She turned toward me and her eyes found mine. She had tears on her face. She walked steadily toward me and we stood staring at each other for a moment that felt like a century. She let go a little sob before she spoke

"Is that really how you feel?" I just stared at her not really sure what exactly she was referring to "Is that how we made you feel? That we didn't care about you? Or James?" she put her hands over her mouth and bent over slightly crying for a few seconds before straightening up and wiping her face.

"I never got over the guilt. I always felt it was my faul...our fault. I could see the pressure we had put on him was tearing him down. I could see the bags under his eyes. I thought he needed the pressure I thought it would be the right nudge to get him there. I never knew it was too much, I never knew it would take him from us I-" she made a choking sound, sniffled, then continued.

"I love you Cornelia. And I loved your brother. You two were the only things that mattered to me. I will never be to forgive myself knowing that you never felt my love" my eyes were already glassed over "I don't want you to go" she stepped forward and placed a hand against my cheek "My darling girl. You don't have to go" the tears spilled from my eyes then. I pulled her hand from my face and held unto it.

"I want to go mother. I have to go. I don't belong there. I never did. Maybe I just had to go there to find the missing part of me and I did" I turned to look at Jade standing off to the side and my mother's eyes followed.

"Besides, father Christopher would never let us know peace. He's dangerous and in a town that small, he's like a god. We would never be safe" I took both her hands in mine "I want to be with Jade. I want to be free. And I know I'm young, but I want to find myself. It will be hard but I will...I know I will"

She stared at me with fresh tears in her eyes and I thought she was going to try to beg me to stay again but she stretched out her hand towards Jade who looked at me before placing her hand in my mother's.

She placed our hands together "You are clearly not my little girl anymore. You're all grown up. Talking about finding yourself and being your own person. Jeez where did all the time go" she half chuckled, half sobbed and more tears streamed down my face "Take care of her for me will you?" she stared up at Jade who nodded. Her face glistening with tears of her own and then she pulled Jade into her arms in a tight hug.

"Doors are opening all passengers get ready to board" the pre-recorded automated voice echoed through the station.

She pulled away, and then stared at me for a moment before she wrapped me in the warmest hug I had ever received from her. I held on tight.

God, I needed this. I didn't know I did but...I did. This hug, this goodbye. Things weren't okay now, but my mother had acknowledged the things she had done. I could feel one of my many wounds healing as I sank deeper into that hug. At that moment, I knew that things were going to be okay.

I pulled away, a weak smile on my face "I will see you again my darling" that was my mother "If your father isn't already in a stroke, we both will" I let go a snort-laugh.

She reached into the pocket of her denim maxi skirt and pulled out some money, stuffing it into my hand. Almost everyone on the platform was on the train now.

I gave her one last hug and walked away hand in hand with Jade. Staring at her as the train pulled away. One palm flat against the window as I waved. Our faces glistening.

I stared till she was out of sight, and then I rested my head back taking a deep shuddering breath and wiping my face.

Jade's hand entwined with mine and I turned to her. She looked around us carefully and then she covered my lips with her's in a quick, sweet kiss. It brought a smile to both our lips.

We could smell the freedom in the air. And as I sat there hand entwined with hers, I felt ready. Ready for the city, ready for a life with her, ready for whatever came our way.

The feeling of fear absolutely gone. I had her, I could face anything. We got this. I looked at the wooden box in her lap and my smile deepened. Yeah. We definitely got this.

The train sped noisily along, making the world a blur. I had my lover by my side, she leaned over and whispered in my ear "I'm grateful to the house across the street for sending my angel to me"

And the train sped noisily along, leaving my past in it's dust. We were bruised, were happy and what would be would be.

THE START

Comments, feedback and constructive criticism are appreciated. *Kisses*