Broken Road

Broken Road

Prolouge

The Broken Road

Prolouge

Glen Oak, California- May 2010

It was the beginning of May, and as was always the case, she felt the weight of dread hit her. She supposed that she shouldn't. She knew that Stanley would say it was just superstitious, but she couldn't help it.
Even after all these years.
Because May still brought pain.

Hurrying up the sidewalk to the door of her parents' house as she balanced her books, she couldn't help but make a mental list of those events. 'That night.' 'Eighteenth and Potomac' mixed with the 'announcement.' CJ being stalked and her agent being killed in an unrelated incident. 'The kidnapping.' 'The Cordel.' 'Gaza the 2nd. . .' shaking her head, she used her key to enter the house as she tried to remind herself that May was a month like every other. That good things happened then too. Huck and Molly. Georgia. . .

"Tella, glad you're here. Mom and Dad are busy and Kevin is working undercover again so I was kinda hoping that. . ."

"I would watch the kids?" she interrupted her younger sister as she put down her things on the table by the door.

"Yeah and thanks," the younger woman said as she shrugged into her light spring jacket.

"I didn't say. . ." she started to protest as the younger blonde hurried pass, "I really have to get to the church, pre-marital counseling. . ." she rambled as she pulled open the door. "Oh and Ben called about the party on Sat, I told him that of course you'd go with him," she added, closing the door behind her.

"Right, because I wouldn't have anything to do then or tonight!" she said throwing up her hands in annoyance. Biting her lip and inhaling, she turned and headed into the family room where two of her nieces were watching TV and their brother slept in a playpen. As the two blonde girls turned and smiled, she couldn't help but do the same in return, "so you two want to help me make dinner?" she asked.

"Unt uh," Georgia, the younger of the two said with a determined shake of her head as Savannah gave a more forceful "No," before turning her head to look at the TV again.

"Well, that's unsurprising," she muttered as she headed into the kitchen by herself, trying to remind herself that this was alright. This was how her birth family worked. She just still had to get used to it, not that five years shouldn't have been enough time to.

But still, there were issues that would never be resolved because the change in family dynamics couldn't be changed back. "Stop it," she muttered to herself. "Stop blaming and stop feeling guilty. If you didn't want to do this, you should've just said so, not that Lucy would've listened, but you could've," she continued as she went to the freezer and pulled out the makings for a light dinner. "You could've avoided it by staying at the library or going up to the apartment, not that she wouldn't have tracked you down. Or you could just do what Ellie has been saying and regrow your backbone," she continued as she moved to the counter and then stopped. "OK, note to self. Stop talking to self and set up an appointment with Stanley before what's left of your mind is completely gone," she self-mocked as she shook her head at the same time that one of her youngest brothers ran into the room. "Didn't think any one else was here," she said eyeing the twelve year old curiously.

David only shrugged as he went to the refrigerator: "Just got here. Oh, there's some guy here for you."

"Really? Who?" she asked as she wiped her hands on a dishtowel.

"Don't know. Some guy in a dark suit," he shrugged as he turned. "Weird though. He asked for you by the wrong name."

"What do you mean? And don't drink out of the container."

"Whatever," he shot back as he leaned against the refrigerator. "He asked for Donna Moss. . ."

"He did?" she asked, paling slightly. "Did he. . . did he say why he was here? Where he was from?"

"Didn't ask. Why? Is something wrong?" he asked in what she would normally think was a cute protective way since there was over twenty years separating them in age.

"Umm. . . probably not," she tried to reassure as she wiped her sweaty palms on her pants. "Can you just stick around for a few minutes? I. .. um. . ."

"You know Lucy and Kevin don't trust me or Sam with the kids," he started to protest.

"Just. . ." she started exhaling. "Never mind," she added as she hurried towards the living room.

The walk seemed to take forever.

She could hear the TV as she passed through the living room, even if she didn't comprehend the words coming from it.

She automatically processed the sound of the kitchen door opening and closing as she came towards the front door and the man standing just inside it.