No Matter How Small Chapter One

I opened my eyes, slowly, before quickly closing them, due to the sudden brightness of the sun.  When I closed them, I noticed what I was wearing: a blue t-shirt, some tan shorts, and a pair of black sneakers.  This was exactly the same attire that I wore when I was a little kid. But why was I wearing it now?  Wouldn't the clothing be tight on me if I was 22?  So why did it feel so loose?

"Zack."  A young voice said.  I gasped, quietly, as my brown eyes opened again at the sound. "Zack."  The voice chimed again.

I stood up, desperately looking around at my surroundings, looking for the owner of the voice.  I was apparently, at a park, with a big slide, a play set and a few pairs of swings.  "Kayla?"  I asked. The peaceful, green grass around me swayed from side to side, as the wind blew softly against it.  

"Zack."  The voice responded, making me turn around.

A slow smile met my lips at who I saw.  "Kayla."  I said, before quickly running toward her.

A young girl sat on the swings, her hands holding onto the ropes connecting to the swing.  She wore a yellow, floral dress that went down to her knees.  Her skin was a peachy color while her cheeks were soft and rosy.  Her short, black hair swayed down to the middle of her neck, some of it getting in her emerald green eyes.  She looked up from her feet, as a smile slowly widened on her face once seeing my face.  "Zack."  Kayla responded, slowly getting off of the swing, as I engulfed her in a bear hug.

"Kayla."  Tears stung the corners of my eyes, as I hugged her tighter in my now child-like arms.  "I thought I'd never see you again."

Kayla rested her small chin on my shoulder.  "I'm right here, aren't I?  So don't use a strong word like 'never' when it's not true."

"I'm sorry."  I replied, as a few tears slipped off my chin and accidentally into Kayla's hair.  "I just really missed you.  Where did you go?"

"Don't worry about it.  All that matters now is that we're together.  And no matter where we are, we'll always see each other again."  Was all she said.

"Really?"  I asked, pushing Kayla away with my hands on her shoulders.  Was this real?  Was I really going to be able to see Kayla again after so long?  It felt like a miracle.

Kayla chuckled a light chuckle as she slowly brought up her right index finger, wiping away a stray tear that made its way down my left cheek.  "Yes.  But for now, let's have some fun."  Kayla said, sitting back down on the swing behind her.

I smiled, happily, before running to the swing right next to hers, plopping down on it and swinging my legs with all my might.  Kayla copied my motions, before we were both being swung high up in the air, laughing, playfully.  

"This is a lot of fun."  Kayla said to me.

I giggled, and answered, "It sure is.  I wish this day would never end!"

Once those words escaped my lips, our swings suddenly stopped swinging and the bright, blue sky turned into gray, dull clouds.  Kayla and I gasped, as we hopped off the swing set.  "What's going on?"  Kayla asked, running to me for protection.

"I-I don't know."  I murmured.  But something stung deep inside of me as the scene reminded me of a memory long ago.

Suddenly, two pairs of shiny, black shoes made themselves present in front of us.  I gasped, fiercely, as I saw two adult men in black suits and black shades standing in front of us.  "Kayla Ann Marie?"  One asked.

Kayla looked uneasy, but she still nodded and said, "Yes?"

The two men glanced at each other, nodded, and then both ran towards us, specifically the little girl beside me.  Kayla screamed, quickly grabbing onto my blue t-shirt.  I quickly grabbed Kayla's hand and ran away from the two men.  "Come on!  Let's go before they catch up!"  I said.  But the men were too fast and we were too slow.  

Kayla screamed once again, as one man grabbed her free hand while the other quickly pulled out a pocket knife.  "Zack, help!"  Kayla shouted, her hand not letting go of mine.

I pulled on her hand with all my might, when the man with the pocket knife, pulled the back of Kayla's dress down with one hand while swiftly shearing the blade twice through Kayla's back with the other, giving her a small X mark on her upper back.

Kayla screamed in pain, as red blood oozed out from the scratches.  "Kayla!" I yelled, looking at her with worry.

Before I could do anything else, I was shoved down by the man with the pocket knife, making me accidentally let go of Kayla's hand, as the other man slung Kayla over his right shoulder.  "Kayla!"  I shouted, as I started to get up, but was soon stopped as the man's shoe met my side, knocking the air out of me.

My body fell to the ground with a thud, as I heard Kayla's cries and whimpers becoming fainter with every step the men took away from me.  I slowly raised my brown-haired head, as I saw the men carrying Kayla away in the distance.   

Rain started to fall, as I slowly positioned myself on my hands and knees.  Tears streamed out of the corners of my closed brown eyes which didn't help the cuts and scratches that were now present on my face.  Why?  Why did it have to happen again?  "Kayla!"  I screamed one last time, before wrapping my arms around my body and sobbing, hopelessly for my best friend.  Even though I knew that nobody was listening, I did know one thing.  I had lost Kayla…again.

***

I shot straight up out of bed, gasping wildly.  With every inhale, it was let out as a shaky breath.  My whole body felt warm, as I raised a smooth hand to one of my cheeks, immediately feeling how damp it was.   My hands trembled at the touch, knowing that my eyes were probably wild-looking; my pupils the size of tiny brown dots while bags rested under my eyes.

What a nightmare.  I hadn't had a dream like that in years.  The last time I had was the night of the day it happened; when they took her away from me for no reason at all.  Just thinking about that day made my blood boil with anger while it also ran cold with sadness.  I could've done so much to save her but instead I just laid there in the middle of the playground, playing dead as if I were an opossum.  Why didn't I do anything?  If I had pushed myself, I might've been able to at least find out where they were taking her and call for help.  But the stupid child that I was back then, didn't do anything.  He only cried, sorrowfully, as he prayed for a miracle.

Suddenly, a furry brown and white dog hopped up on the bed, barking.  My sadness slowly faded away, as I smiled and scratched behind my dog, Scooter's ears.  Hopefully, all of the terrorizing feelings I felt from that day would vanish once I was packed up in my new house.  If not, I was going to be miserable.

***

I grabbed all of the remaining cardboard boxes out of my room and carried them out of the house and to my red Jeep.  My mother and father were on the porch, smiling as they watched me pack up for the move.  All of us still couldn't believe that I was finally moving out of the home where I was born and raised.  But it still felt kind of nice, to finally have the authority to make my own rules and decisions.

I smiled at the thought, as I unloaded my arms full of boxes into the trunk and slamming it shut, before looking toward my parents while wiping some loose sweat off my brow.  "Well, I better get going if I want to finish unpacking before night falls."  I said to my parents.

My mother quickly ran down the porch steps and hugged her only child.  "Please be careful.  It's a scary world out there, you know.  So make sure you brush your teeth, eat right, and change your underwear every night."  She instructed with an index finger pointed straight up at me.

I smiled, nervously down at my mother.  Even though she was only a few inches shorter than me, she was still pretty intimidating when it came to doing those things.  "Mom, I'm not a little kid anymore.  I'm 22 years old.  I'm going to be a scientist with beakers and liquids."

My mother let out a 'humph' as she let go of me and folded her arms over her chest.  "Well, to me, you'll always be my little six-year old scientist with cups and water."  My mother smiled up at me with a wrinkled grin.  

I laughed a little at her comment, as my father walked up beside her and put a heavy hand on my shoulder, his brown eyes staring intently into mine, as a smile stretched across his whiskered face.  "Good luck out there, son.  Make your father proud and…"  My father pulled me aside, away from my mother, as he quietly whispered in my ear, "…and make sure you tell me when you want to go looking for a girlfriend.  We can go to the nearest bar, have a drink, and find some women.  There are plenty there.  Believe me, I know."

"Honey?"  My mother asked with a suspicious glare.  "What are you talking about over there?"  She tried to make an attempt of craning her neck over our shoulders to try and listen to what we had to say to each other with no luck coming out of it.

My father instantly removed his hand from my shoulder and said, nervously to my mother, "Oh nothing, Honey.  I was just reminding Zack that he needs to call you every day to make sure that he's okay.  Isn't that right, Zack?"  My father turned to me with a look that clearly told me to just go with it.

My mother looked toward me as I answered with a smile and a nod, saying, "Yep.  I'll call you every day, Mom."

That earned a smile from my mother as she said, "Well, good.  I'm glad to hear that.  I'll be looking forward to your calls, every day, Sweetie."  My mother walked a few steps toward me, as she gestured for me to lean down, even though I knew what was coming next.  Then with a light squeeze, my mother's thumb and index finger were catching a piece of my cheek as she stretched it and wiggled it.  Was it weird that almost every female in my family did this to me and not to any other male?  Was I special?  Is that it?  Is that why I always got the cheek-pinching?

I try to remove my mother's fingers from my face which only brings more damage to my cheek, but I manage to remove them.  "Thanks, Mom.  But I have to go now.  Okay?"

My mother exhaled a long breath that was filled with sadness.  "I'm going to miss you."  She whispered, as tears started to form in her eyes.  Then, my mother's arms were wrapped around my body as she cried into my white t-shirt.  "My little boy is all grown up."

I grinned, as I hugged her back.  "And I'll miss you."  I said, putting my fingers under my mother's chin to get her to look up at me.  "And no matter what, I will always be your little boy, okay?"

My mother sniffled as she wiped away a tear or two with the back of her pink sweater's sleeve.  "I love you."  My mother said, as she pushed on her tip-toes to kiss me on the cheek.

"And I love you."  I said, kissing her back on the cheek.

My father walked up to me, as he held up a hand.  "And I'll miss you too, Zack.  Just be careful."  

I looked up at my father's giant hand.  We always did a high-five whenever we needed luck, whether it be for winning a football game or making a bet.  You could say that to us, it was our good luck charm.  I smiled a toothy grin, before giving my father's hand a good slap.  "Don't worry.  I will."  I responded, as I lowered my hand back to my side.

Then turning toward the front door of the house, I called, "Scooter, come on!  Here, boy!"  I made a few whistles in order to get him to come which seemed to do the trick, as I saw the little beagle scamper out of the house.  I opened the passenger door to my car, as Scooter jumped inside, his tail wagging faster than a windshield wiper, before closing it behind him.  

"Do you have everything?  All of the furniture from the basement packed?"  My mother asked, worried.  And what she meant by that, was that my room was in the basement, where I had supplied myself with a couch, a T.V., obviously a bed, a table, and a few chairs.  Yeah, it was a pretty big basement.

I nodded.  "Yeah, Mom.  Everything's packed in the moving van.  They're on their way to the house as we speak.  So I love you and I'll hope to hear from you soon."  I said, as I walked to the driver's seat of my car, getting in, and slamming the door shut.

My father chuckled.  "Don't worry.  If you know your mother, it's that she will call you before you even leave this driveway."

I chuckled with him, as I put the key in the ignition slot.  "That's true.  Well, good bye and I love you."  I said, turning the key and taking the parking brake off.  I backed out of the driveway, looking out of my sideway and rearview mirrors to make sure nobody was driving past.  Luckily there wasn't.  And then, slowly backing all the way out of the driveway, I waved with one hand while with the other on the steering wheel.  "Good bye."

My mother waved, horrendously, as I sort of waited for it to snap off, while my father had a slow and steady wave going on.  "Good bye."  They said, as they watched me turn my eyes back to the road, and drive off, away from the house that I used to call 'home'.

***

The drive there took a good 15-20 minutes, before the house came into view.  Scooter's head was sticking out the window, his floppy ears flapping in the wind, while his tongue was sticking out of his mouth, drool flying off of it.  I smiled at the dog.  I'll admit I have tried doing that, but it wasn't as fun as I thought it would be.  I was expecting some kind of energetic rush that dogs usually get from it, but the only kind of rush that I got was the rushing of the wind as it messed up my hair, moving it in all directions and making me look like some kind of anime character.  I laughed, shaking my head, at the foolishness that I had done when I was younger.

Scooter, suddenly, barked, as he pulled his head back into the car and looked up at the towering house nearing us.  "There it is, Scooter.  Our new home."  I said, as I took a turn, pulling up into the driveway, beside the moving van, which had arrived before us.  I put the parking brake on, before taking the key out of the ignition slot and getting out of the car.

I walked over to the passenger side of my car, and let Scooter jump out and explore.  Even though he was two, I knew he wouldn't run away from me.  He was pretty obedient for a dog so young.  Besides, he also knew that if he ran away he wouldn't be able to chew on his favorite toys or be able to savor his favorite treats and bones.

I watched my dog sniff the tall grass that obviously needed a good mowing, as he took in everything around him.  I did the same, as I looked up at the house.  From the look of it, I didn't understand what was so bad about it or even where the rumors about the house came from.  It looked like a normal house.  But I will admit that up close, it did seem kind of used up.  White paint was starting to chip off the sides of the house, and a few of the windows in the front looked cracked and filthy, as it looked like it had been painted with dust, inside and out.  Also, the porch looked like it was a minefield just waiting for the chance to give you a good splinter.  Not to mention the fact, that it looked like it was about to collapse under your feet if you dare landed a toe upon it.  Man, those pictures on the Internet were definitely not up to date.

The driver of the moving van got out of his automobile, along with two other guys and walked toward me.  The driver was wearing a uniform made completely out of blue.  His pants looked a little dirty, as if he had decided to roll around in the dirt just for the fun of it.  His shirt read in the top-right corner in nice, white-stitched cursive, 'Hal Bundy'.  On top of his head, he wore a blue hat that said, 'Hal's Moving Services'.   The other two wore the same uniform except for the part where it said their names; then it was 'Chuck Pandis' and 'Bill Loren'.

"You need help with this, right?"  Hal asked, as he started to open the door containing all of my furniture.

I shifted my body away from the house and nodded to the man.  "Yeah, thanks."  I said, walking over to Hal and the other workers, as he started to get two chairs, one under each arm, while I got the other two, leaving the other men to get the table, as we walked up the creaky porch and inside the house.