Chapter One
“Mom! MOM! I know you can hear me! Wake up!”
Screams of Kylie came from the living room, at 5:30 A. M. as she was struggling to awaken her mother.
“Mom! I told you not to drink again, you knew this would happen!”
As Kylie sighed, finally giving up, backing away, cleaning up the bottle and bottles of empties that laid around, her mother opened her eye.
“Mom? Do you have to be a drunk?” Kylie asked in complete disappointment, turning and closing her eyes, with a look on her face that spoke volumes.
“I wish things were different”
9:30 P. M. and Kylie stood questioning her every thought as she gazed at her reflection in the mirror, running her hands through her long blond hair and looking deep into her blue eyes.
“Why am I? Why do things happen the way they do? Why aren't we different?”
As thoughts danced throughout her mind, stories of her past appeared across her face, and she stared blankly into the air that surrounded her.
Then a voice was found creeping into her ears.
“Kylie?” Startled, she jumped and her mind flashed back into reality. She spun around to face the door, where her eyes saw her past come alive.
“Cooper Daniels?” She exclaimed, her eyes widening.
“Kylie Scott.” He replied smiling. “You look great, your mom called me, told me you wanted to see me.”
“Well, she must have had quite a few beers in her at that point.” She whispered under her breath. “Great to see you again Cooper.” She said looking into his eyes. “Can we go somewhere? Somewhere to talk? To clear somethings up?” Kylie then questioned.
“Sure.” Cooper responded, reaching his hand out for hers.
Grabbing her coat, she walked out the door, leaving her mother to drink her life away.
“Goodbye Mom, I'm going out..” She said knowing that she wasn't actually listening.
“Why did you leave three years ago Cooper? You left me so alone.. You didn't even say Goodbye, you just left. No reasoning, no.. Anything, what did I do so wrong?” Kylie spoke, her eyes filling with angry tears.
“You leaving, destroyed me..” She added with her head down playing with her hair.
Cooper pulled the car to the side of the road, and brought it to a stop, placing it in park and removing the keys. Unbuckling his seat belt, he positioned himself to face her. Then with his eyes eating hers, he spoke too.
“I'm sorry” He said in the softest voice. Clearing his mind, he then said to her, placing his hand on her cheek. “I never meant to hurt you. I love you. You are the greatest sister in the world. I won't let you live like this anymore. I won't let you suffer with that drunk anymore. It ends now, and I promise you, things will be different.”
His hand slid off her face and put the keys back in the car, he started it up, faced back to the steering wheel, and pulled back into the road. Silence overtook the setting and Kylie sat as still as a board. Movement at that moment seemed deadly. Then words became present.
“Dad misses you..”
Her eyes became very alert. The sound of the word “Dad” made her confused. Was almost as bad as the word “Mom.” She hadn't known the meaning of those words anymore, she hadn't been given a actual mom or dad just two people that continued to present a day of disappointment.
Her mother a drunken lunatic and her father a stranger that she once knew.... five years earlier.
“”Dad” Doesn't know me to miss.” She replied in a calm voice that was barely detected over the rumbling of the car.
The night grew old, as they drove for miles, to a destination that was quite unknown. They said nothing the whole time. No noise found Kylie's ears as she soon found herself asleep in the passengers seat, dreaming of nothing.
5:15 A. M. the clock in the car read, as her eyes beamed open due to the clash of the car door closing. They were parked outside of a gas station in a place called Jeans Dale, and Cooper had gotten out to pump more gas into the car. Kylie watched as he went into the store to pay. She watched how he pushed his short black bang out of his face, and pulled his wallet out of his American Eagle jeans. He hadn't changed at all. To Kylie he was still that seventeen year old boy that looked out for his little sister.
He was the only piece of her past she enjoyed, and that was the one thing she'd never change.
“You're awake?” Cooper said, joining her back into the car. “I got some fruit muffins, if you want them, I remembered that you liked them.”
“You remember a lot about me, thought you forgot everything. I mean you never even called, it was hard to believe that you were still alive.” Kylie replied taking a muffin out of the brown paper bag and placing it against her mouth, waiting to take a bite.
“Where are we going?” She said her voice full of curiosity.
“Where ever you want Kylie. We're in Jeans Dale now, about three hours away from your house, and three from mine. It's all up to you now, so choose.
A unworried face laid upon Kylie as she popped a piece of muffin into her mouth and chewed. She didn't care where she ended up at this point in time, so it didn't matter. Awhile after a silent period had passed and she had finally swallowed, she glanced at Cooper and asked, “Can't we just drive?”
Then, without any answer or response at all, they pulled out of the gas station and continued down the highway to find the great unknown.
“Do you think my mom will notice I'm gone?” Kylie pondered. “She's probably to drunk to even remember I'm alive, she doesn't care. I know it!”
“I wouldn't be so sure of that Kylie. Though I know at times it doesn't seem like she cares....”
“Or anytime at all!” She interrupted.
“... But she does. She called me remember? I spoke to her on the phone the other night for hours. She knows that you may not go back, and thats okay with her cause she realizes that you'd be better off without her, and that she just causes you pain.” Cooper explained. “She wants you to be okay and she wants to become better too.”
The story on Kylie's face was rewritten now. She had no idea, and now that she did.. That changed everything.
Chapter Two
“Where are we now?” Kylie questioned Cooper, glancing around at her surroundings.
“At my place, I had to bring you somewhere. Sorry that I had to make your mind up for you. I thought it'd be best......... You should see you Dad..”
Quickly Kylie's eye flashed from dazedly dreaming out the window to looking into Cooper's eyes with a strong worry seeping through.
“You're joking, right? Please tell me, please say that you're joking Cooper! I haven't spoken with... that man, for FIVE years! What am I suppose to say?! “Nice to see you”? I don't even have the slightest memory of his face.”
She sat waiting for an answer, glaring deep into Coopers world, trying to understand what would possibly possess him to say such a thing.
The signal on the car was ticking right, as they turned, pulling into a driveway that lead to a two story green Victorian house. It was a beautiful house, a familiar house. Flowers decorated the complete exterior, allowing themselves to illuminate the whole place.
“You could just say “Hello”? That sounds good enough to me.” Cooper said finally, as he moved his eyes to meet hers. “I'm tired, come inside... Let me sleep.”
Kylie's face beamed with disappointment, this topic was clear to set her in a rather uneasy state, and Cooper just removed himself from the car and began to walk towards the door.
“I have a phone. You can call you mom!” He yelled letting his voice operate itself over and around his turned back and into her ears.
Thinking to herself momentarily, and then sighing, she too unbuckled her seat belt and allowed herself to escape from the place she now came to know as her only true safe reality.
Her hands shaking and her heart increasing in speed, she inhaled deeply, extending her hand for the door handle, knowing that what she found beyond the wood was more then just a few blue painted walls, but her life giver himself, her very own long lost stranger.
She felt her hand against the iron, she dared herself to let this happen, slowly turning the doorknob, she braced herself for the most extreme impact. She heard the click, the door opened with a gentle cry and she stepped inside.
“Cooper? .... Cooper? Where'd you go?”
A soft voice come whispering into the picture. The sound of a small young girl could be heard from the distance, and Kylie's drive for knowledge increased. She closed the door, removed her shoes, following the undetermined voices of people, she welcomed herself into this home.
“Daddy? Who's here? I heard a womans voice.” Kierra said as she sat brushing her curly brown hair watching her father pick out a long flowing pink and white dress he then laid on the bed beside her.
“A friend honey... put this on okay? I'll introduce you two later... Daddy's going to talk to his friend now though. Will you stay in your room?”
Who was “Daddy”? Kylie questioned inside her mind.. and who was this “friend” that was spoken about so commonly. What was going on? She had to know. Curiosity overtook all thought and she continued through the house.
Around her she found pictures of people she had never known. She saw faces of figures she wish she never knew, and she saw a portrait of her, her dad, and Cooper.. She froze in her tracks and the once pursed voices vanished from her mind. That picture, it brought instant tears to her eyes and she fell crumbling to the ground. With the picture grasped in her possession she remained kneeling next to the couch. Her mind rewound through her past, searching for that memory. She clicked pause and stopped in a field of snow, it was Christmas and they were building a snowman, back when it was all okay, when everyone was there and her mother wasn't to drunk to take a picture. That day was beautiful. She never wanted to let go.
“WOW! You're pretty!
Gasping Kylie fell from her kneeling position and sat on the floor. Quickly whipping away her crystal tears from her, now red face, she glanced up to see the face of that child with the softest voice. She was a young girl, who stood about three feet off the ground, with curly brown hair, sparkling green eyes and the most gorgeous pink and white dress that complimented her porcelain skin.
She smiled at Kylie and then with a giggle she ran the other direction, down the hall and towards the stairs.
“Daddy! Your friend is crying! I think shes hungry, can I feed her?”
“Kierra! I thought you were told to stay in your room.” Cooper said laughing as he walked towards the living room where Kylie now stood trying to place herself back together.
“Kylie? Are you ok? Why the tears?” Cooper wondered as he walked towards her concerned, reaching out for her arm. “Talk to me!”
Kylie pushed the framed lies into his hands and took a seat on the couch.
“You have a little girl? And you didn't tell me? I can't believe that you would keep something like that from me!”
Cooper's eyes widened and a smile was painted ear to ear. He laughed and took a seat next to her.
“Well I'm glad you can't believe that I'd keep something like that from you, cause i wouldn't, ever! Kierra's not mine Kylie!”
Her head began to spin with that idea that – if Kierra wasn't Cooper's, could she possibly be HER father's? The thought sickened her and she raced to find the delete button.
Cooper glanced at the photo that was forced into his arms and he placed it back on the side table where it once was before. He then looked at Kylie's single tear, and watched as it fell to her lap.
“Kylie? Kierra is Koldin's four year old daughter.”
“Koldin!?” Kylie said, shocked by the name. To her he had become just a distance memory. A boyfriend from her elementary years, her best friend since birth.
“Koldin.” She repeated softly to herself reviving all the dead details.
“Do you remember him?” He questioned.
She looked up and stared blankly out the window. “Tall, brown hair, blue eyes, sweetest guy i ever knew.” She thought to herself. “I remember him better then I remember hearing that he had a baby.” She replied closing her eyes slowly.
“Food! Eat! Be happy pretty girl!” Kierra said rushing into the room, from the kitchen with a plate coated in chocolate syrup and what looked to be a peanut butter sandwich in the middle.
“Here! For you! Now Eat! Be Happy!!!” Kylie opened her eyes, and couldn't help but laugh, this was truly Koldin's daughter.
“Be happy.” She repeated grinning. “Thats what your Daddy always use to say to me.” She explained, excepting Kierra's efforts.
“Thank you Kierra.”
The little girl giggled and ran once again into a separate room, leaving Coop and Kylie in silence, allowing more questions to be asked.
“Cooper? Where is Koldin anyways?” Kylie asked, placing the plate onto the coffee table.
“Well ......he's out in the backyard putting up a play center for Kierra.... He's with our Dad.”
Chapter Three
“Dad!? He's home? He's here!?” Surprised Kylie impulsively replied, leaping to her feet and rushing directly back into the kitchen which she had noticed had, had a big bay window facing the backyard. There he was, just like Cooper had said. He and Koldin stood back on staring at the project they were about to take on. She couldn't believe her eyes. It was true. He was still alive after all these years of being dead to her. He was still alive.
He stood old and weathered, with his head of white and grays, observing the piece of paper he was held in his hand. He seemed different. Maybe a little taller a bit fatter, glasses and a his body appeared to lean to the left. She couldn't believe it, there he was. Her father, her very own stranger.
Cooper walked into the kitchen slowly, with his questioning eyes. She seemed to be taking this well.
“Are you alright?” He said, finally finding the power to let words become present.
She turned her body slowly, allowing shortly after for her eyes to follow. “Alright?” she repeated, a little confused. “Am I alright? Do you think I'm alright? After all these years of living without a father, going so many days alone. No one around to build me a play set. No one to care if I awoke the next day. Am I alright?” Her mind raced to comprehend the fact that he was being completely serious. “I'm alright.” She after a pause then replied. “But just alright.”
She took one more glance out the window at her once friend and her father. They were happy. Cooper was happy. What they had managed to make without Kylie around was happy.. and she knew that if she were to stick around the happiness would soon fade away. She didn't want that. Not for Cooper. He deserved more.
“Give me your keys!” Kylie demanded. “Give me your keys to the car, Cooper.” She the repeated, more sure then ever, and an outstretched hand awaited to feel the cool metal touch her.
“Why Kylie? You're not going anywhere. You haven't even been here an hour. You must stay. We drove all this way, used all the gas. You're staying right where you stand.” Cooper shot back, turning away and walking upstairs to where Kierra was now playing.
“Cooper?! Coop!!” She yelled chasing after him. “Stop! Come back!”
Kylie chased him all the way down the hall, up the stairs and into Kierra's play room, where she stood, Barbie in hand.
“Hi pretty girl! Wanna play!?” Kierra asked running towards her with a Ken doll. “You can play the Daddy!”
Cooper laughed and looked at Kylie as he found her smiling too, “Now you have to stay. You're the Daddy, you just can't leave.” He said as she looked at him.
And as quickly as the smile came, it was gone.“Why not? Our Dad left me.” Kylie replied upset, turning to leave the room.
“SO BE BETTER KYLIE!!” Cooper shouted after her in discussed that she would say such a thing, even if it was the truth.
She came to a stop instantly, and spun around, began to walk toward Kierra and knelt down. “I would love to be the Daddy, sweetie, Thank you for the offer.” She said expecting the Ken doll.
Cooper smiled as he left the room, and walked downstairs “I'm actually going to sleep now. Okay!?” He stated with a slight chuckle.
“Goodnight Kylie, and Kierra.” He then added walking into his bedroom, and closing the door.
Night fell quickly, as it was soon 6:50 P.M. Kylie had spent the whole day with Kierra playing a bunch of games, and touring around the rest of the house. She was also given a chance to explain just who she was to Kierra, and why in basic details, she was there. She was just in the middle of telling Kierra a story about her Dad when Koldin himself, and her father walked in the back door.
“Honey Bear! We're all done!”
Kylie's ear began to tingle. “Honey Bear” she thought, that name, it was so familiar, her memory pounced on a thought. “I love you, Honey Bear. I'll see you tomorrow.” That name, that's what her father use to call her all the time.. Right before he left, he had said it. She remembered now. The memory became clearer then she had wanted, and she had almost in seconds felt enraged with anger. He said he would be back! She thought, but before she could dwell on it any longer, her father had made his way upstairs and into the playroom.
“Well hello there. I had no idea we had visitors. You must be one of Cooper's friends are you?” He said in a friendly old mans voice as he picked Kierra up in one arm and directed the other towards her. “I'm Cooper's father, you can call me Kane.” He said calmly, not even flinching a second.
Rudely her eyes just seemed to stare at his extended arm and she looked at him discussed. Did he have a disease? Did he really not remember her? Her heart tore. Then her mind began to wounder, this could be a new beginning. I could get to know him all over again, but as Cooper's friend.
She blinked and flashed back into reality, looked him in the eyes with a smile, and reached for his hand. “Nice to meet you sir, I'm Kylie.” She then replied trying to hide all her emotions.
“Great name! I have a daughter with that very name, I've always loved it. She lives with her mother though, far away from here. But anyways, Come Kylie. You look hungry, go awaken Cooper and join us for dinner will you?” He said in such a pleasant tone.
She was amazed with how he had acted. She never remembered him being so nice before, he was always so angry and upset at something! Thats why her mom started drinking, and he left.
Kylie tapped on Coopers bedroom door, and slowly slide it open, walked inside and closed it behind her. “Cooper? Cooper? Wake up, it's important! I need to talk to you.” She said walking towards his bed were he lay snoring, and mumbling, like he always use to.
“Humm, what is it Kierra?” He mumbled softly into the pillow. “Go ask your Dad okay? Let Uncle Cooper sleep.” he continued to ramble.
“Cooper! It's Kylie! Wake up!” She said flicking on the lights, taking away he sheets and removing his snowy white pillow from under his head.
“Ah! What's wrong?” He said finally having an realization of what had happened over the past day and a half.
“Dad doesn't remember me! It's that fabulous?” She said happily.
Cooper became confused. He thought that maybe the lack of sleep was causing him to hear her tone wrong, or hear the wrong words, but that either way did not sound right. “Fabulous?” he repeated scrunching up his face. “How?”
“I can finally start over! I'll explain later. Your family is awaiting you at the dinner table, we shouldn't keep them waiting. Plus I'm your invited quest, I wouldn't want to make a bad impression.” She said smiling, and hurrying towards the closed bedroom door.
“Um. What?” He questioned, but before the answer was given he was being pulled towards the dinner table two rooms over. “Later Cooper, I'll explain it all later.”
Chapter Four
In a flash they were present in the dining room and Kylie was seated at the head of the table across from Cooper, where food was laid out in front of them like they were royalty. It was quite the dinner and conversation was found throughout the whole meal.
“So Kylie, tell me about yourself, would you?” Kane asked as he placed a spoon full of peas on Kierra's plate. “You say you're not from around here?” He continued.
“No actually, I'm from a place about six, seven hours away from here.” She replied. “ I live there with my mother and a little boy she takes care of, Kurt. He's about the same age as Kierra.”
“Oh wow, thats so interesting, tell me more.” He said letting the conversation grow.
After supper was over, and the table was cleaned, Kylie was directed towards the living room, where she sat with Koldin to reminisce about there long forgotten past. While Cooper and Kane remain in the kitchen to do a few dishes and talk.
“What do you think you doing dad!?” Cooper questioned in an angry whisper. “Why don't you tell her the truth, thats why I brought her back here you know. So she could remember. She knows who you are, she remembers. Why did you have to go and lie to her that you were clueless to who she was. Now she'll never know the truth. You have to tell her! Or, or I will. I won't let her get hurt again, the car crash did enough. I don't want her to live in a false reality any longer!”
“What was I suppose to say Cooper? I didn't know she knew who I was, I wasn't planning on freaking her out and saying. Hello, I'm your dad.” Kane replied as he set down the dish he was drying at the time. “What do you want me to do?”
“I told you! Tell her the truth! She deserves to know. Tell her about the crash, tell her that you are her father, and you remember. Tell her you didn't leave her, that she left you, tell her that this is her home, that her mother just took her away so it might be easier, tell her that, thats the reason her mother drinks, and tell her that Koldin is her husband and that both Kurt and Kierra are the children she bore. She needs to know.”
“And if she doesn't understand?”
“MAKE HER UNDERSTAND!” Cooper shot back.
With that Kylie ears were drawn away from Koldin's words and she became interested in the distance voices. She arose from the place she was seated and curiously wounder towards the kitchen, where she leaned against the wall and listened to the words that would soon break her heart.
“So you except me to just tell her that, hey look Kylie, these are your children, and i know you don't have a clue who they are, but thats cause you slide into a coma two days after they were born and didn't come out for four years. It's just not that simple Cooper.”
She let out a huge sigh of realization, while her heart increased in speed now as she saw Koldin walk down the hall and with Kierra in his arms.
“You don't remember, do you?” He asked his sweet quiet voice.
She didn't remember. That was the honest truth.
Kylie's knees weakened and she slide down the wall and found the floor. Crying, tears poured from her eyes and over her cheeks. She didn't believe it. She didn't want to. But it explained so much, it explained everything.
“Mommy? Mommy, please don't cry, it's alright. I don't mind if you don't remember me. We still love you. .... .. Right Daddy!?”
Struck by such overwhelming realization, it all began to make sense now, and still her brain hurt and cried out for more explanations. She was so lost and alone.
Yet everyone was right there. She looked around, peering though her watered eyes. Her life was beginning to rewrite itself and she no control. Sitting, she watched as the horror movie played on. Enter Copper and Her father stage left, and her daughter and her husband stage right. It was all so unbelievable. How could she have ever forgotten all of this? How was this at all possible? It was like she was sitting in a dark room now. Listening to the silent approach of night, and all it's haunting mysteries, where nothing moved but the tears that washed over her face down their normal path, that seems to be stained on her angel skin. Where to go next use to be a irrelevant question. Now. It was the only one.
Chapter Five.
.. [ Will be posted Later, Keep Checking back for the next few chapters. The whole book will eventually make it here.. when i find time.]
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