• Nathon Powers' Journal Entry #15
    March 24, 2010


    tab "All right, Nathon, we're here." My mom flipped on the lights upon walking inside the house, and then looked at me. "So, what was it you were going to show me about dad?" I kept quiet for a second, thinking that maybe there was a chance to get out of this situation. But I knew, after a moment's thought, that what I was trying to hide was impossible, like hiding an elephant with a napkin.
    tab "Come here," I said, motioning with my hands for her to come upstairs. She followed, but it seemed like she was almost hesitant, like she didn't want to know the truth. I didn't blame her.
    tab The lights were off when we got upstairs to my dad's room. It took my reluctant hand to turn them on.
    tab My mom gasped, hands to her mouth. She stumbled backwards, wobbled, and nearly collapsed to the floor. It was the kind of reaction I obviously expected, but not the one I wanted.
    tab "Oh my...oh my God..." She pointed with a trembling finger down at the ground, where dad lay there, absolutely still and lifeless.
    tab "Mom..." My mom rushed over to him, and held his body in her arms, not even caring that he was smelly, rotten, and dead. She lowered her head, just sobbing over him, not even saying a word.
    tab I had always thought, before, that my mom had hated my dad ever since he quit his job and dedicated his life to Jenna. But watching her cry there told me a whole different story.
    tab "Nathon...Who did this?" she finally asked, not turning her head from staring at dad. I opened my mouth. I don't know what I was going to say. May I would've said "Tyler Woods". Or maybe I would've dodged the question, and answered "I don't know". Whatever I would've said, my mom cut me off.
    tab "This is my fault!" was her sudden outburst. She was acting like a child, but I could understand why. "I...I left him, and because of that he's...he's..." What was I suppose to say? Was I suppose to tell my own mom that everything was going to be ok? Somehow, I couldn't bring myself to do that, and I left the room, my mom saying over and over again,
    tab "Why...Sam...Sam...Sam..."

    tab I went to my own room, and sat there on the bed, staring out my window. Three weeks ago, the worst that could ever happen to me, I thought, was bad grades and a suspension. Now, I saw what was really the worst. My dad, dead. My adopted sister, possibly a slut. My mom drowned in a bowl of self pity. What was happening to me, personally, was nothing compared to what was going on to everyone else around me. But still...
    tab I couldn't help but be angry now. Around half a month, now, I had protected Jenna. I had respected her, and loved her as a sister. Because to me, I guess, that's what she was. But when she got home from school that day, I knew I couldn't keep it up any longer. I was fed up with playing the "hero". Thinking about what life would've been like without Jenna...It made me sort of wonder why I had even bothered to defend her in the first place.
    tab A hero, or a villain. I didn't even know who I was any more, and I didn't even care.

    tab There were tears streaming down my mom's face as she called the police. I didn't stop her. I wasn't helping Jenna. Not after seeing how much I really missed mom. Not after seeing how much Jenna had taken away from me. And it was around when Jenna came home when the men were dragging out the body.
    tab "What the hell's going on?" She looked at me dead in the eye after staring at one of the people at the scene for awhile, and asked,
    tab "Nathon, are you responsible for this?" I hated that. She acted like she was a parent, and that I was some son who had done something really bad. Which couldn't have been farther from the truth.
    tab "Yep," I said without a bit of hesitation. "Now get the hell out of here. You've caused enough..." I was interrupted by a voice from behind,
    tab "Jenna?" I could sense bad things were coming. And my senses weren't far off.