Home
When her boss told her last week what was happening, she felt the world falling apart around her. Though, he did offer Katana a letter of recommendation to another company, that company would bring her back home. Just a few years ago she graduated top of her class with not one, but two bachelor's degrees, international business and entrepreneurship. She was offered a great internship that gave her living and food expenses.
Now, the company she had no choice but to go to left was in her old city and didn't offer living expenses. Thankfully, after calling her mom, her room was promised. See, Katana had seven younger siblings. She was the oldest and there was a huge gap between her and the next oldest who was just now turning seventeen. See, her biological dad and their mom had her in high school before he took off. Her mom got remarried eventually and after her youngest siblings, the twins, were born, he took off too. This all led to their mom's drinking problems.
The part of the city she lived in, wasn't what you would expect she was from. In fact, she dressed like two different people because of this. She had business attire and home attire. Now she will have to mix the two.
"Katana Maria Plunkett! Why did I hear from Libby that you're coming home tomorrow! Like, to live! You should be telling me yourself!" My best childhood friend from next door, Emma. She called me and this was the first thing she said as I tried to say hello.
"I know, Em! I've just been so busy trying to figure everything out. I'm sorry. Links Incorporated decided to downsize our whole building last week and I was having trouble finding a new internship here. My boss got me in with a place there but it doesn't come with the perks like this one. I will be working and living in the basement." I moved into the basement when mom had the twins, Alan and Alana. No one wants to move in there because of the cellar doors to outside. They creep them all out. Libby and Skylar use it though to sneak their dates in or to party from what Libby told me.
"A text would have been fine. Now I have to plan a bonfire last minute!" Shit, no. Not that.
"No bonfire!" The bonfires we have usually get out of hand.
"Fine! Can we still have a small party? We can do in the backyard. Ace and Karsten decided to take down the fence between our yards.. made us wonder why we hadn't done that before! I'll ask Ryder to get some booze on his way home from work. I promise, small. Just our people in our houses. No car fires, abandoned buildings and gasoline. Just us." Emma was great and meant well. I agreed.
So, my siblings. This is going to go great. Note the sarcasm. With my mom an alcoholic, I was the parent of the house usually. It isn't why I left, I had a scholarship and opportunity to get out and well, my mom said if I didn't get out she would kick me out. So, I went. My siblings were lost for the first year, but they figured it all out. I sent money home to Skylar each month to make sure the bills got paid and if they needed anything. Him and Libby being the next oldest had part time jobs, also. My mom did work at a bar, but most the money she got went to her habits usually and she would have only some left after.
Like I said, there is 8 of us kids in total. Me at 26, Libby 17, Skylar 16, Ace 14, Megan 13, Reese 10, and the twins Alan and Alana are 9. My dad barely stayed around for the twins to be born honestly. I was just to turn 17 when he left. I spent a lot of time with Emma. She's the same age as me. She has her older brother Ryder who is only a year older than us then its her brother Sheldon, who is 18 now, then Karsten their brother and Ace's other half of the double trouble. They actually have the same birthday even! I try to keep in touch, but its hard and I'm just so exhausted.
I see my boxes and my bags. I was able to fit my last bit of my life in these boxes. At least I didn't over do everything and fill my apartment up. Everything I owned fit in just about ten boxes and then I put the needed items in my gym bag and a backpack I still had from school. It would give me a couple of days to unpack my boxes at least.
When morning came, I brought my boxes down to my Chevrolet Tahoe. Yeah, it was a gift from the company as a thank you for your time. I only accepted to keep it because I needed a car anyways. They would have just sold them off or whatever anyways since they had nowhere to put them. They were company cars. All the interns drove them mainly and a couple of other employees as well, so we just were gifted them. With the boxes inside and my bags being the last, I looked back at my apartment, locked up and stuck my key into the apartment manager's mailbox.
Hey, just about to hit the road. Should be there in like two hours.
I sent this text to Emma, Libby, and my mom. They all sent back excited emojis. I was surprised my mom was functioning this early. This drive was long and I had my music to stop me from boredom.
"Ah!!! Katana is home!" I heard a voice shout as I pulled into the garage from the ally. Had to be Alan.
Everyone rushed to the garage and all started to help me get everything to the basement before hugging me. Even Emma and Karsten were here! Thankfully, its Sunday or I would have had to take a lot of trips to do that myself.
"Oh, you guys!" I hugged them all in a group hug so tight. Everyone looked so much bigger since I last saw them. That was after graduation. I didn't have the money to really make the drives home for holidays and help with the bills and make sure the kids all got some sort of present. A plus of coming back.
"My baby!" My mom finally appeared.
"She's been sober since you called about coming home. Its scary." Libby whispered to me.
"Hi, Mom." I gave her a hug and a smile.
"Everything in? Shut up the garage, Skylar. Let's all go in! I made stuff for BLT's for lunch for all of us." Mom walked me inside. We usually would do build your own type of foods growing up. It was the easiest.
"After lunch, I'll help you downstairs with some unpacking. I'm sure that drive made you want to rest." Emma said and Libby asked if she could help too. Mom stopped the rest from asking too.
My basement wasn't much. It was still a basement. I only lived in it for about two years before leaving for college. I ordered a new mattress and bed frame though. The old twin was taken by Reese who had outgrown his toddler bed. Since Libby and Skylar used it to hang out with friends and probably other things, it had a couch, table, tv, a fridge, and well almost made it seem like a studio apartment. It even had its own creepy toilet and shower. I say creepy because it was all out in the open.
"So, I should catch you up to speed. Reese owns the autoshop, since dad passed. I'm working at Pop's and Karsten is a pain in the ass to deal with seeing as him and Ace are exactly the same." Emma sums up everything. "Oh, and I'm sort of with Jameson now. Its nothing official."
"Wait, Jameson?" The same guy I lost my virginity to at 14?
"Yeah, it kind of just sort of started to happen. I know its messed up, but I couldn't just ask you and the history between you two I thought was history." She isn't in the wrong at all.
"No, you're good girly. I just wouldn't have pictured you and Jameson. It makes sense though really thinking about it." I shrug. There wasn't much to do when we were young so most of us just had sex, drank, did drugs, party, and well just anything that was fun.
"Thank God, cause I was feeling like the worst friend in the world for that!" We laughed because nothing ever gets between us and we've shared guys before.
"Yeah, so update on the recent things here in this household. Skylar is messing around with like three girls lately, I'm dating Carlos, I caught Ace last week down here with some bimbo, Stacy, and mom is seeing some guy named Tom. Sums that up. Oh and I found a freaking pregnancy test this morning and it said pregnant! I am freaking the fuck out here and have been holding that in too fucking long!" Libby shocked us.
"Whose is it?" I ask. Shit, mom better not be pregnant again. Her drinking habits will come back soon enough. But she did stop recently.
"I actually don't think it's mom. She went into early menopause last year." She pointed out.
"Then if it isn't you-" that only left, "Megan?"
"That's what I was thinking. She's only 13! She has to be freaking out! I didn't know what to do. You are the better one when it comes to sex talk stuff! I was lucky to have you and you did Skylar too. Skylar had the talk with Ace, but Ryder took over for him. I should have done Megan already but I just can't!" Welcome home to me.
"Its okay. They learn the jest of it in health class. So, if she is, that's on her and we would just have to show her support with whatever she does. Mom would see it as another person to put down on her assistance, so she won't care probably." I still think she will freak out a bit.
"I think I'm going to go to the store. Libby, come with me to give me a hand but send Meg down here to help Kat." Emma, the planner.
Five minutes later, Megan came down. "Libby asked me to come down to help. She said to have Ace and Reese go help Karsten set up the stuff for tonight and leave Skylar to watch the twins and mom. So, whats up?"
"Hey, kiddo. Its been a long time. I'm sorry I haven't been around. I'm sure the older three talked a bit about me though. My door is always open unless I lock it to shower or whatever. But you guys are always welcome down here if it means to get away from whatever is going on with mom up there. I never let you younger ones down here because of the things us older ones would do. You're 13, so I'm sure you do some of that stuff now anyways. I know I did around your age." I smile at her.
"Yeah." She definitely showed she was hiding something.
"Spill. I can read you kids like nothing. You're hiding something. This room is a judge free zone." It was my policy since the day I moved down here to give up my room for the twins.
"You promise?" She was definitely worried.
"Yes. Libby and Skylar still have used me to talk to for the most part even when I left. I'm easy to unload things off on." I shrugged and patted on my unmade mattress. Skylar and Ryder apparently put it together for me last night.
"I'm pregnant." She shut her eyes.
"Okay. Shit happens. So, who's the father?" I ask calmly, though inside I was loosing my shit.
"He doesn't matter." Meg was hiding something here too.
"It does matter. You're only 13. You have options and choices, but it should be also ran past him as well." She started crying after I said this.
"I-I-I was raped."
