Diluted Truths (The Advocates #1)

Prologue That Night

Jackie

“Jack,” I heard my sister, Theo, whisper. “Jack, you need to wake up.”

I opened my eyes to see my sister standing above me. I was asleep in the queen bed we shared. I rolled over to look at the clock on my nightstand.

“What are you doing?” I asked as I sat up rubbing my eyes, my voice still groggy. It was the butt crack of dawn and if Mom or Dad heard her, we would both be screwed.

“Nate’s here,” she whispered back and then turned and started digging through her clothes.

That woke me up. I hadn’t seen Nate in two years. I hadn’t seen either of my brothers in two years. They both up and left when Kai, my oldest brother, turned eighteen. He took Nate with him, who was only sixteen at the time. I was twelve.

“What’s he doing here?” I whispered. “What are you doing?”

She turned to me and that’s when I noticed the red cheek and the tears. It must have been Mom. Dad tended to punch, not slap.

“He’s here for us. Pack your stuff.”

“Where are we going?” I asked as I stood and grabbed a change of clothes.

“Away from here.”

I changed my own clothes and began to pack my duffle bag with everything I could fit. “How long are we going for?”

Theo sighed. She had also changed and pulled her camera out from under the bed where she hid it from Mom and Dad. “Jack, we’re leaving. For good. We’re going to live with Nate now. That’s all I know.”

I nodded. Good. I couldn’t stand another day here. Both in this house and in this town. Grantsville was the worst place to live, ever.

After a few minutes of us packing in silence, I looked around our room. I grabbed everything I needed along with some books and my stuffed animal I got when I was a little kid. She was a black cat. I named her Kitty.

“You done?” Theo asked as she zipped up her bag.

I nodded.

Together we slipped down the stairs towards our front door. We knew which stairs had a creak in them and had learned to avoid them years ago. Mom and Dad didn’t like unnecessary sounds. Just as we were halfway down I stopped at a photo on the landing.

It was a picture of Kai, Nate, Theo and I when we were little. The four of us were each two years apart, with me being the youngest. They were my best friends. I grabbed the photo off of the wall and stuffed it in my bag.

When we reached the main floor I stopped dead in my tracks.

Nate was standing in the middle of the room, his back to us, staring at our Mom. She was unnaturally silent, but the lack of life was ever present in her eyes. Even the goddamn necklace she refused to take off was still there.

He must have heard us because without turning around he began to talk. “The truck is on, it’s out front. Drop your stuff in the bed and get in. I’ll be right out.”

Theo and I exchanged a look before following his instructions and walked out the front door. It was Kai’s old beat up truck he bought when he turned sixteen. I couldn’t believe it was still running. We threw our bags in the truck bed and climbed into the bench seat.

I looked out the passenger window, waiting for Nate to emerge.

“Theo, what’s happening?” I asked in a whisper.

“I-I don’t know. Mom and Dad were being really weird and talking nonsense when Nate stormed through the front door. Dad started heading out back but I haven’t seen him since. Nate told me to get you and our stuff.”

I turned to my sister. She was two years older than me at sixteen. I grabbed her hand, seeking any form of comfort.

“Nate will keep us safe,” she reassured me.

Just then I turned and watched as Nate stormed out the front door of the house, the screen slamming shut behind him. He was behind the wheel in a second and peeled out of the driveway before I could let out a breath.

The three of us sat in silence. I noticed some papers on the dash. I grabbed them and rifled through to see mine and Theo’s social security cards and birth certificates. We really were leaving for good.

“Nate?” I asked after about an hour of silence. Theo was now asleep between the two of us.

My brother turned to me with a sad smile. “Hey, Jack.”

“What’s going on?”

“I-I… umm… fuck,” he muttered. I watched as he took in one long breath, and then another. “You’re going to live with me now. I’ll take care of you and Theo. It’ll be safer.”

I nodded. I knew he was right. “Where are we going?”

This time his smile seemed genuine. “Home.”