I was sitting on the couch reading a book about animals when I heard a knock at the front door. My parents were away on a business trip and I was home alone. I opened the door to see two police officers holding their police caps in their hands, looking solemn. "Are you Astrid Cavallo?" one of them asked, looking at me. "Yes. Why do you ask, Officer?" I replied getting a sinking feeling deep down in the pit of my stomach. They looked at each other and said, "We are sorry to inform you that your parents perished in a plane crash." My eyes widened and I stepped back, taking in the horrible realization. "Do you have anyone you can stay with?" the officer asked softly a couple of moments later. I shook my head, tears welling up in my eyes. My parents were gone. My parents were gone. My parents were gone. The horrible realization kept repeating itself in my head as one of the officers led me to the back of a police car parked in the driveway. When we arrived at the police station, they led me into the building and handed me a cup of hot chocolate and a blanket while they went into another room. After a while they came back and showed me into a room for questioning. I sat in the chair still dumbstruck about the whole thing. I kept thinking it was a horrible, terrible nightmare. Then the investigator walked in, and he sat down looking at me with suspicion in his eyes. "Why am I here?" I asked in a shaky voice. "We believe your parents death was not an accident," the investigator said bluntly, while popping a sour Gusher into his mouth. My mouth fell open, shock evident on my face. "WHAT?!" I exclaimed. The investigator, who I later learned was named Jake Harding, nodded while taking a sip of water. "Did your parents have any enemies that you know of?" Still processing this new information, shook my head. "Are you sure?" he asked while writing something down in his journal. I nodded, my face a mixture of shock and sadness. The investigator signaled to the guard who came in and led me back to the waiting room. All I could think about was the day they left. It had been a lovely spring day with the birds chirping in the warm spring heat. My parents were rushing to finish packing their bags while I sat quietly, reading in my room. "Astrid! Come down here please!" my mother called from downstairs. I went to say goodbye with the book still in my hand. I hugged her and my dad while saying, "Love you Mom, love you, Dad." That was the last thing I ever said to my parents. After a couple of hours had passed, the police officers came back in and said, "We found a relative of yours in Texas. You will be transported down there tomorrow. For now, one of our officers will give you a ride back to your home and she shall stay with you for the night. Is that okay with you?" I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. The officer left and thirty minutes later, a female police officer came and introduced herself as Sharon. I got in the back of her car and we started heading toward my house. "So, Astrid when we get to your house where should I sleep?" I thought for a minute, considering it. "In the guest room on the first floor. It's right across from my room. Also, I have a question." Sharon nodded, signaling that I should ask my question. "Who am I going to be staying with in Texas?" Sharon peered at me from the driver's seat. "Didn't your parents ever mention any relatives?" I shook my head. "They said all our relatives were dead." Sharon nodded and said, "You have a grandfather in Texas that owns a ranch and you are being sent there." I softly gasped, a shocked expression on my face. We stayed silent for the rest of the car ride after that. When we arrived back at the house, I showed the officer to her room then I went into mine and closed the door, locking it. Then I threw myself onto the bed and cried until I fell asleep. I dreamed of the happy years with my parents laughing and playing with me. In the morning I woke up, feeling even sadder and lonelier then the day before. I went down stairs and saw Officer Sharon making omelets already in her police uniform. "Hi," I mumbled, still half asleep and sad. "Good morning. I made you breakfast. We'll be off for Texas in a while." I sat down and ate the omelet, still in my half asleep daze. I barely spoke. As I ate, the house was eerily quiet. I finished eating and went up to my room to start packing my things. I only packed my essentials. I made sure to grab my mother's family heirlooms and my dad's favorite jacket. I walked back downstairs with my backpack in my hand and my phone in my pocket. "Are you ready to go?" asked Officer Sharon. I nodded, taking one last look at the old living room walls, the familiar curve of the doorway to the kitchen, and the beautiful detailed design of the door as we drove away.
The car ride to the airport was silent and dull as I scrolled silently on my phone and Officer Sharon focused on the road. I was looking at the old pictures of my family on vacations and having fun during the holidays. We arrived at the airport and Officer Sharon helped me through check-in and all the way until I was waiting to board the plane. "The flight is about four hours long, but you are in first class, so when it's time to board, go up to them and tell them you're a child. Okay?" I nodded in response and sat down as Officer Sharon went to speak with the flight attendants. I then walked over and they led me inside the plane and to my seat. After that, I was left alone in my seat staring at a photo of me and my parents smiling while staring at the sunset. After a while, people started boarding and the flight attendant asked me if I wanted water before we took off. I nodded my head to her and she bustled off to grab me a cup of water. As I waited, a girl about my age squeezed into the seat next to me and said "Hi, my name's Hazel. What's your name?" I turned to her and said, " My name's Astrid. Are you traveling alone?" She nodded and said, "Yeah, I am going to visit my grandfather in Texas. Anyway, I am sixteen. How old are you?" I thought for a moment that we might be going to the same grandfather in Texas, but it must be impossible for a coincidence like that to happen. "I am sixteen too..." I was about to say something else when the flight attendant came back with my water. "Here you go. When we are in the air, I will ask you what you want to eat." Then she walked away to make the announcement over the intercom while I continued talking to the girl. We talked for the rest of the flight and when we landed, we exchanged numbers. "I'll call you later, Hazel," I said, waving goodbye. She nodded and headed in the other direction. I walked outside and was immediately hit with a blast of intense heat. It felt like it was summer already. Then I heard my name being called. "Astrid Cavallo!' I turned and saw a police officer calling my name. "Yeah?" I called. The officer walked over. " Welcome to Texas. I'll be the one drivin' you to your grandfather's farm." I nodded and followed him to his police car. I got in and he started driving while I thought to myself /What will meeting my grandfather feel like?/ We drove for about thirty minutes before stopping at a huge ranch, with a beautiful white house, stunning stables and pastures with three horses in each of them. I got out of the car and looked around at my surroundings. Just then an old man walked out of the house and I recognized him immediately as the man who had stabbed my mother when I was five because they had been arguing. That old anger rose again and I ran passed him, pushing him aside and heading to the room I had stayed in as a child. I would find a way to get out of living with him one way or another. credits to @asuna_the_flash for editing Should I make a second chapter?
