5.07

Jake hadn’t been at school since his sister tried to attack it. He was a confused mess.

He didn’t like school. It was a place where he felt he could never truly fit in. But what his sister had done was too far. Wasn’t it?

She had asked him to join her. Join her in what? Being a criminal? Sure, Jake had done a few things that most people would frown upon, but he had never done anything outright illegal.

Jake hadn’t been home for a few days now, trying to find his sister. Nobody at home would miss him. His mother and father were so caught up in work that it would take weeks before they realised, he wasn’t around.

Until she attacked the school, Jake hadn’t seen Lena for almost two years. She was close to ten years older than him; Lena was his half-sister. They had the same father. Lena’s mother had passed away due to an illness not long after Lena was born, and their father had gotten with a best friend they shared.

Growing up with Lena as his older sister had been a little rough. She loved him and would treat him with kindness, every now and then. But she was mean to him and held him at arms’ length all the time.

Her big sister attitude would kick in whenever Jake was bullied. Lena would involve herself with the matter until that person no longer bothered Jake.

It was close to three years ago when Lena was locked up. She had always been a little rough around the edges and didn’t always run with the best crowd, but it was when she stole a car and crashed into a building, that she had taken it too far.

Jake had wanted to show he cared for her and made sure he visited as often as he could. But after a few months, she yelled at him and told him to no longer visit. He left her alone for a couple of weeks and returned, but she refused to come out to see him.

Lena hadn’t told Jake where he could find her, but he guessed she would be where they used to hang out when they were younger.

Jake found the old, boarded up gas station with little trouble. It had been years since he visited, but he never forgot how to get here.

The squat building was boarded up and covered in graffiti. It was mostly just profanity, but every now and then, an impressive piece of artwork was hidden amongst the mural.

Gravel and crushed cement littered the area, and a few burned out cars were scattered about.

Jake remembered a time when he and Lena had camped out here for a few nights. She had wanted to prove a point to their parents, that they were too absorbed with work.

However, after the third night, they were ready to return home. A large, rabid dog had found the place and it desperately tried to get at them all night.

Jake had dreamed of that dog many times since. It foamed at the mouth and its face was covered in blood. It was bigger than any dog he had ever seen, and it used its bulk to smash through the boards to get into the gas station.

Lena had led them out and they spent the rest of the night on the roof of the building, freezing.

The dog eventually left the next day and they slowly made their way back home, terrified.

Nobody had come to save them. When they had made it home, their parents thought they had been sleeping in and pretty much ignored everything Lena and Jake tried to tell them.

Jake loved his parents. They provided for him; they gave him things other parents couldn’t afford. When they did have a few spare minutes to give him, those were the moments he was happiest. They were his parents; it was hard not to love them.

Any mention of Lena however was always a sore spot for them. They would quickly try to change topic or cut the conversation short and return to work. That left Jake upset, because it felt like they didn’t care for Lena.

“I was beginning to think you’d never show up.” The snarky voice cut through Jake’s thoughts. He looked up and saw Lena standing at a hole in the boards of the gas station.

Her jeans were ripped, and she wore a loose-fitting band singlet. Her hair was shaved on one side and a cigarette hung from her mouth. Of all her habits, that was the one that bothered Jake the most. The stench always made him feel sick.

“I didn’t come straight here. I was looking around for you.”

“You stupid or something? It should’ve been pretty obvious this was where I’d be.”

“I’m not stupid. You’re stupid. Turning to a life of crime. What’s happened?” Jake approached her for a hug, and she looked like she was going to hug him back. But she suddenly grabbed him and rubbed her knuckles into the top of his head.

“Ouch. You know I hate it when you do that.”

“Just reliving the good ol days little brother. Why are you here anyway?” She took a drag of her cigarette and looked at Jake. She flicked the cigarette and stamped it out on the ground. “Sorry, dirty habit.”

“I wanted to see what was going on with you. A power suit? Attacking the school? Telling me to join you. Saying others had to pay? What was all that about?”

“Come in, come in. Let me show you my little home and I’ll tell you all about it. Does dad know where you are?”

“Do you even need to ask? They’ve taken on some new project. They forgot to give me dinner the night before I left.”

“That’s rough.”

Jake followed Lena into the building and was shocked at what he saw. The flaking walls and rotting shelves he remembered as a kid were painted and covered in posters and all sorts of things that he figured had been stolen. Game consoles, a giant t.v. and even furniture. Lena had turned the place into a home.

“Welcome to my home. Yours too if you want it. There’s even a spare mattress in the corner if you want it.”