Part I

Vulnerability didn’t come easy. Kameron experienced more than his fair share of violent gales and teeming rain. Sometimes, it seemed the storms would never end, so he built a soundproof, watertight, underground bunker to shield himself from pain. But, the ghosts of his past did not obey the laws of physics and passed through every wall. He longed for freedom but feared the unknown. Life outside the walls enticed him with green grass, warm sun and cool breezes. The chilly, dim bunker was familiar like a shadow and eerily comfortable. Nadia hit the nail on the head when she said the pain ate at his soul. Lately, however, life had been kind. Beautiful, even. Kameron had a family who loved him dearly. His stalwart friends had his back no matter what. Even if leaving the bunker and smashing the walls left him exposed, he wouldn’t do it alone. With this in mind, he took a courageous breath and the first baby step toward freedom.

“I’m from Newcrest. Did you know that?”

She smiled softly, shaking her head.

“My parents…” He cleared his throat. “They were just kids. I didn’t see my mom much after she graduated. She ran off with this older guy because he had money.”

“She didn’t take you?”

“She left me with my nana.”

Kameron closed his eyes and took deep breaths as the memories and pain drifted back. “My nana was not your typical grandma. She was mean and played mind games. I wasn’t a bad kid, but some kinda way she felt like she had to scare me into submission. She would tell me the mailman would take me away if I didn’t clean my room. Sometimes, she’d drag me outside yelling at him to take me just so I knew she was serious.”

He snorted, shaking his head. “Of all the things a child can be scared of, can you imagine being afraid of a mail carrier?”

“That’s ridiculous,” Nadia said.

“She threatened to shave my head in my sleep and feed me to the cowplant. I was just a kid, but I was so paranoid all the time.”

“Oh, Kam. You were too young to be so stressed!” 

“Heh, who are you telling? When I got older, she stepped her game up and attacked my intelligence and emotions. She told me I was stupid, worthless… She locked me out of the house for whatever reason. I can’t tell you how many times I slept on the porch.”

“Wait, hold on! What did the rest of the family do? Did they know?”

“They let it happen. Nobody ever stood up to Nana.”

“Gosh, Kameron! I’m so sorry you grew up like that. How did you get out?”

“Easy. I left.”

“Just like that?”

“Mmhm. I went to a friend’s house after school, had my birthday, and the next day I went as far as my little money could take me.”

“To Strangerville?”

“Yep.”

To be continued…