Page 2 of Chasing Redemption

And although I was little, I knew that it wasn’t normal for parents to not hug their child.

“No, sweetheart,” Uncle Wolf whispered in my ear as he rubbed circles on my back. “You can stay here with us for as long as you want.”

* * *

Uncle Wolf parked the car in front of a big warehouse with the wordsREDEMPTION MChung in an arch over the front of the building. There were balloons tied to the picnic tables, people everywhere, and loud music blasting from speakers. The yard was large and open, with dense woods beyond.

Aunt Jeannie crouched in front of me. “It’s a lot, I know. But Redemption is a big family, and they want to celebrate you being a part of that.”

“They’re all here for me?” I knew people had parties, that happy occasions were usually celebrated, but I’d never had that. Mother hated my birthday. She said it was a reminder of how I ruined her body with marks on her tummy. The balloons saidwelcome, and I knew they were there for me. Right then and there, I promised myself that I’d always be good. I’d never give them a reason to be upset with me so that I could continue to live with them and live this life. I’d be perfect if that’s what it took.

Aunt Jeannie helped me out of the car, holding my hand as she guided me through the crowd with Uncle Wolf on the other side of me. They waved, called out to people, but no one approached us, which I was thankful for.

My mind spinning, I tried to keep up with everything going on around me. This was nothing like the parties Mother had. All those required poofy dresses and sitting quietly in a corner. Invisible was safer.

This party was like a competition for who could talk the loudest, laugh the loudest, or do something crazy. Like backflips off a picnic table.

A smiling man with long hair, a scruffy beard, and a faded black shirt approached us. He was probably about the same age as Uncle Wolf. The pretty woman next to him had her eyes on me and a kind smile on her face. She was tall, maybe the tallest woman I’d ever seen.

The man clapped my uncle on the shoulder, while the woman crouched down to my height. “Hi, I’m Scarlette. You must be Peyton.” Her voice was soft, but I could still hear it over all the noise. I gave her a small nod. “This big guy is Connor, but you can call him High. And do you see those boys out there?” She pointed to the group of teenagers that Hunter was hanging out with. “The four tallest ones are ours. Colt, Van, Nash, and Ares.”

The boys were throwing a football, then piling onto the one who caught it and laughing. I focused on the tallest one. He didn’t laugh, but I could tell he was having fun from the way he tossed everyone else around. I wanted to join the fun, to play and run, but I couldn’t. Just the thought of going over and asking to play made me freeze with nerves. Instead, I gripped Aunt Jeannie’s hand tighter.

“They’re rowdy, but they’ll make sure you don’t get hurt. Go on over whenever you want.” With that, Scarlette stood up and started talking to my aunt.

The two of them chatted for a while, and every so often my aunt gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. Eventually, Aunt Jeannie sat me at a picnic table, setting a plate piled high with food in front of me. More people approached, introducing themselves and telling me about their positions in the club. I learned High was the vice president and that Uncle Wolf was president. The rest of the titles all ran together—road captain, enforcer, and those were the only ones I remembered.

The names confused me, but every person at the party made a point to come over and speak to me. From what Mother had told me, these people were wild, mean, and reckless. From my corner of the party, I couldn’t understand why she’d said that. Everyone was smiling and having a good time together, and the music was fun. One man even burped loudly, and nobody told him it was gross.

I wanted to explore, but I wasn’t ready to meet anyone else. I was tired, the music was loud, the sound of motorcycles coming and going hurt my ears, and the day was getting hotter.

Quietly, I left the picnic table and headed into the woods. I wouldn’t go far. I only needed a little quiet time away from all the fun chaos.

I walked until the noise from the party faded away completely. Tall trees blocked out the sun, and the quiet peace of the woods calmed me. My brain no longer fired a million miles a minute trying to keep up with everyone. I’d spoken to more people today than I had in the past year.

I sat down against a tree and enjoyed the time I wanted to myself. No one would notice I was gone. They never did.

Unsure how much time had passed, I got up and realized it was darker, almost night. I thought I walked back in the direction I’d come, but after a minute or two, I knew I should have heard music and the noise of people talking, but there was nothing. Only silence.

Don’t panic.

I whirled around, trying to place where I was. All the trees were the same. I couldn’t remember because I hadn’t been paying any attention to my surroundings while I walked. Going over to a tree with a thick trunk, I sat down and willed away the tears that threatened to fall.

Someone would find me. Aunt Jeannie and Uncle Wolf weren’t the same as Mother. If I’d gone missing, she would have been the last to know, and she would’ve been more upset if I was found than by my absence.

My aunt and uncle cared. They hugged me, talked to me at dinner, took me to see a lady to talk about myself and my feelings.

Someone would find me. Because I was family.

My hands formed into fists, my nails digging into my palms as I tried to keep myself from panicking. What if they hadn’t noticed I was gone? What if they left me?

“There you are,” said a voice I didn’t recognize. Although it was dark, I could make out who it was. Colt, Scarlette’s son.

He crouched down and reached out his hand. “Come on, we’ve been searching for you. Prez and Jeannie are freakin’ out.” I instantly liked his deep voice.

Swallowing hard, I gave him my shaking hand and let him pull me up to my feet. Colt led me in the opposite direction that I’d headed before, never letting go of my hand. His was big and warm, and it sent a little shiver down my arm.

After a few minutes, the noise of the party filtered through the trees. When Colt and I entered the clearing, he let out an ear-piercing whistle that had everyone’s attention snapping in our direction.

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