Page 54 of Deranged (American Street Kings 3)

15

Wraith

Past

The numberten had been iced with pink frosting on the homemade cake. The entire house smelled like chocolate. Mom baked the cake the night before while humming the happy birthday song, smiling as she made her way around the kitchen. It was a side of her we didn’t see very often.

Happy. Loving. Carefree.

It was the medicine Dad had been bringing home for her lately. That was what made her so happy, turned her into someone completely different. Before she started taking it, she was always sad or angry, either crying herself to sleep, or storming through the house yelling at everyone, cursing me and my brother for ever being born. The days she was angry, she said it was our fault. The days she was sad, it was Dad’s fault.

But whenever she was happy, Dad was happy. And that made me happy. But not Glenn. Not my older brother. When Mom and Dad were happy, they’d have friends over, and Glenn didn’t like it when other people came to our house. He never told me why, always saying he didn’t trust other people. Said he only trusted me. His little sister. When we were home alone, that was when he smiled. He was the only thirteen-year-old boy in the neighborhood who liked playing with his little sister—always spending time with me whenever he got the chance.

Mom and Dad didn’t have enough money to buy toys, but Glenn always found a way to make me something to play with. Like paper airplanes or using money he earned by washing the neighbors’ cars to buy me balloons or crayons. But it was always our secret. He made me swear Mom and Dad would never know about the things he made or bought me. I never knew why, but I was too glad for the spoils to ask questions. I just nodded and played.

Mom placed a few paper plates on the table. “Happy birthday, sweetheart.” She smiled. I loved it when she smiled. She looked so pretty, wearing a red dress that matched her lipstick. With her raven curls and pale complexion, I always thought she looked like Snow White. Only prettier.

“Blow out your candles and make a wish.”

I glanced around the room. “Can’t we wait until Dad gets home?”

“Dad won’t be home for another hour, sweetheart. And I’m dying for a piece of that chocolate cake. Besides,” she took my hand in hers, clutching it tightly, “he’s bringing home another surprise for you.”

My heart leaped with excitement. “A present?”

Her dark eyes beamed. “A present, yes.”

“Did you hear that, Glenn? Dad is bringing me a present.” I’d never gotten a present on my birthday before. It was truly the happiest day of my life. Birthday cake, a present, and Mom was happy. But Glenn wasn’t happy, even though he smiled every time I looked his way. I could see his smile didn’t reach his eyes. Why wasn’t he happy? He was always happy on my birthday, even if Mom and Dad weren’t. On my sixth birthday, he snuck into my room while Mom and Dad were still sleeping, holding a Twinkie with a single burning candle. He softly sang happy birthday so as not to wake Mom and Dad, and after I blew out the candle, I wanted to share the Twinkie with him. But he said he had a tummy ache. I still believed he lied. He didn’t want me to share the tiny Twinkie. He wanted me to have it all, knowing it would be the only present or cake I’d get that day. Glenn always smiled on my birthday. But not today. Why? He knew how important this was for me, to finally have the kind of birthday I only saw on TV shows. After all, he had already had his happy birthday three years ago, the day Mom had last worn her pretty red dress. Why wouldn’t he be happy about me finally feeling this kind of excitement?

Mom tucked my hair behind my ear, staring at me like she was proud. I had never seen her look at me this way, like I wasn’t the worst thing to ever happen to her.

“Thank you, Mom.”

She placed a kiss on my cheek, a show of affection my brother and I had hardly ever seen. “You deserve a present this year. You’re my big girl now.”

“What present is Dad bringing her?” Glenn’s voice sounded angry, and his light brown eyes glared at Mom.

She stiffened, glowering back at him, and I didn’t like it. I didn’t want anything to ruin my happy day—especially not a fight between my mom and my brother.

“You’ll see when Dad gets here.” Her answer was cold. Clipped. The opposite of the warm touch of her hand against mine. “Come on, Dahlia. Let’s blow out the candles and eat some cake. Remember,” she smiled at me, “make a wish.”

I nodded.

There were only two candles burning on the cake, but that didn’t matter. Nothing else mattered but the happy feeling that filled my tummy with a thousand butterflies, flapping their wings like they were excited too.

I closed my eyes, and I made a wish. I even stopped breathing for a few seconds while I repeated the wish over and over inside my head.

I wish for more birthdays like this one.

Once I was sure my wish had reached the stars, I opened my eyes and blew out the candles. Mom clapped her hands and gave me a peck on the cheek. “My big girl.”

I smiled, watching her cut the cake, placing it on the paper plates.

As she placed my slice in front of me, I looked up at her, and she nodded. It was one of the golden rules in the house, to ask permission before we ate our food—or in this case, the cake.

I didn’t hesitate after she gave permission, grabbing the spoon and digging into the thick slice of chocolate cake, fluffy frosting covering the top and sides. I hadn’t tasted anything like it before, the sugary sweetness of heaven that coated my tongue with every bite. It sure was no Twinkie, and the cake Glenn got on his tenth birthday wasn’t as nice as this one—at least not how I remembered it.

Bite after bite, I ate that cake like it was the last thing I’d ever eat. Every mouthful was delicious, frosting clinging to my teeth, making the taste last longer. I didn’t stop until my plate was empty, until I had gobbled up every last crumb. Only then did I look up at my brother, realizing he hadn’t touched his cake yet.

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