Blake Kim looked out the windows from the back seat of his Uncle Gabe's brand new white BMW. The seats were dark leather and smelled like new car. He leaned back propping his head tiredly on the seat, sighing as he did so. It was silent except for the hum of the engine and its wheels flying down the highway. He could barely hear his aunt's or uncle's breathing as the drove home to their mansion on the riverside. Blake was mentally sore feeling the irritated pulsing of his left temple. Ever since he left the court room with that sentence, it has not disappeared. It would fade slightly, but never gone. To drown it out he plugged in his earphones and played some R&B music.
He was supposed to spend the summer with his aunt and uncle away from the city life to regain some of what was left of his pride. He had already decided that once he stepped onto their property, he would try to become a new person. A better man than the one that inhabited the city and held a gun. He never meant to hurt anyone. It was just supposed to be a robbery. A rich house with the family on vacation. He needed the money for his family. It was all supposed to be planned out. He watched the house from the outside with another friend as two others ransacked the house for any goods or money. They didn't even make a hundred dollars between them when the police rolled up. And-
"Blake, are you hungry?" His Aunt Alex asked worriedly from the seat in front if him, cutting his train of thought. He tugged his right earphone off trying to make out what her tiny voice had said. She turned her body around in her seat so she faced him. She was a small woman, barely 5'2" with a delicate framed face and soft understanding features. Her hair brushed her shoulders but weren't long enough to pass them. Her eyeliner made her narrow eyes wider as she smiled at him with thin lips. "Are you hungry? Your uncle made ribs at the house," her voice was almost pleading. He could tell she struggled to even look at him and the memories he probably brought to her. "You like ribs," it seemed like she was reassuring herself.
He nodded. "Yeah, Auntie. I would like that," he smiled. She turned around feeling more confidence in herself.
Four years ago, when Blake was thirteen, their daughter Lisa came to stay with his family in the city for the summer. She was fourteen then, just one year older then he was. The summer was one of his best since the two of them were inseparable. Then during the last days before she was to return home, she was hit by a car. She died a week later. The tragedy ruined the entire family. This summer was the first day in almost four years that he has spoken to his aunt without her breaking down into tears.
The car ride took another half hour. During the entire thing, the only word Blake's uncle had said to him was "Hello." His aunt took up the responsibility of speaking to Blake as they parked infront of the house.
"Come on. I'll show you around the house," she got out of the car and popped open the back. Most of his luggage was bulky and big. She took the smallest one, his laptop case. Blake jumped out and grabbed one of the bags while his uncle silently grabbed the other. His Uncle Gabe was a tall man of 5'10" just shying from six foot. His figure was lanky yet he had built up some muscle over the years. His aunt led the way into the large house. They deposited his belongings on the second floor bedroom on the right that faced the lake. From the small tour, he discovered it had three floors, not counting the basement. The kitchen and dining area took up the first floor along with a medium sized living room area with a billiard table. Upstairs on the second floor were three guest bedrooms and a family room with a 65" flat screen television with an unused Xbox 360 and several games that he didn't get a chance to look at. There was also a luxury bathroom on the floor. He swore it looked like a hotel compared to his parents' two bedroom apartment back in the city. The top floor, he didn't get a chance to look at since it mainly consisted of the master bedroom, bath, and his uncle's music hall. A balcony wrapped around the top floor where he knew his aunt painted when she was depressed. And judging from the dozens of paintings she put up around the house, she was depressed a lot. "I'll leave you to get settled. Make yourself at home," Auntie Alex whispered to him before going up to her top floor where his Uncle Gabe had disappeared to.
"Home sweet home," he sighed to himself and didn't even bother to touch his suitcases. He just picked up his laptop and placed it on the desk neatly.
Blake jogged down the stairs to the front door which was left open for the sun's afternoon rays to warm the house. He stepped out to the porch and looked around. There were a few houses, just as big as his aunt's, a little ways off from where he was. It was a big difference from the suffocating closeness of city life. Even the air was different. He might enjoy this summer or he might not. As he leaned on the wooden bench that was left out in the sun, he hoped it would be good.
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