Reunion

"Hey mom, whadya' say we pay Aunt May a visit?" She looked at me with the dullest sight and said, "You're crazy. I haven't seen my dumb sister since high school." "Well if you won't come, then I'm going alone." I went around the corner hallway and grabbed the keys to my rental car. "Whatever. You aren't gonna get to see Claire though." I came back around the corner. "What do you mean? Is she in school right now? It is only three o' clock." "Claire stays hidden away with May so nobody finds her. Otherwise they'd force her to come back to me, and I can't even afford her." "So they would send her to foster care." "Yup." I took my keys and my purse and said, "Well mom, I'm going. I don't think I'm coming back." "Yeah, don't. Unless you pay all my rent, and your own." Without another word I left the house. The small light blue and yellow house where I once spent my time playing in the yard with my sister. I wouldn't ever be coming back. I was destined to find Claire and take her home with me, if that was even possible. I had two tickets back to North Carolina that I had spent a lot of my time saving up for. I got in my rental car and began to drive. I didn't know what would happen when I got there. I had so many thoughts and questions like what if Claire isn't even there? What if they moved away? What if Claire isn't fed enough? I was so worried about all of these things. Ever since I left Cali to go to NC, all I thought about was Claire. I got some freelance gigs that payed very little, but enough to feed me, and I slept in a small tent, which was one of the only things I brought with me other than some money. Even though I hardly had any money, and I couldn't go to school, it was peaceful for a little while. I would eat what I could afford back then, which was mostly ramen and water, and I would look up at the stars and think of Claire, and if she was okay. I would pray to whoever was listening that she wouldn't be hurt. I saved almost all of my pennies to visit Claire, and then when I was 17 I tired to catch a flight to Cali, but I was held back. I was underage to fly up to see Claire without a parent or guardian's approval. I had to be 18. Soon before you know it I turned 18, but money for flights kept rising and rising, and I just didn't have enough. I found a job that payed kind of meh, but enough to live off of, and soon I rented my first very own tiny apartment. I also adopted my first pet, a Red Ticked Coon kitty who I name butterscotch. I even managed to make a couple of friends, and I had been doing well in my job too. Things were really starting to look up for me. All I'd been through really paid off. Traveling to new destinations every week in a dirty tent, constantly lacking poor nutrition, almost having to visit the ER three times, and not even having time to bathe. I was so grateful for my life now, but I couldn't help but think about Claire. I missed her so much and I was so worried about her. So I started to save up again, and this time I went to see her. My head was swelling so much that I didn't realize I'd arrived at my Aunt May's house. The house was very old and looked abandoned, but I could see a dull light from the inside. I walked forward and hesitated to knock on the door, but my gut made me. I waited there in anxious silence for about a minute until I heard footsteps. An old shaggy looking woman with round glasses and a cane opened the door. "Hello, is this still the house of Maybelline Lynn?" I took a good look at her and realized that she was my Aunt May, but she looked very different. Aunt May looked me up and down and then said in a old corse voice, "Ain't you Jenny's kid?" My eyes lit up in hope knowing she remembered who I was. "Yes! I am Crimson Lynn, your niece!" She turned away for a moment to look at something and then faced back to me. "Yeah. I remember you. What do you want here?" "Aunt May I have come to visit my sister, Claire. Is she here?" Aunt May suddenly closed the door, and I was speechless for a moment, until she opened it again after unlocking a small chain lock. "Would y'a like to come in? Or are you gonna just stand outside in the dark?" I thanked her and walked in quickly. Her house was actually pretty decent on the inside. I remember the few times we visited Aunt May and played with her fake China pottery that we held pretend baking shows with. Those were some of the most fun times we had together out of everything. That was how Claire got into baking. Claire used to love to bake for me. "Claire's upstairs. She should be in her room on the right." "Oh, ok. Thank you very much." I nervously sped up the stairs and almost ran smack into a small mirrored dressing table. When I got to where Aunt May said Claire's room was, the door was closed, and I could hear quiet humming. It sounded just like Claire. I knocked and she suddenly stopped singing. I heard some rustling and then the door opened. There stood my one and only beloved sister, with a face of shock. Her sleek blonde hair was as long as mine, which meant she kept the promise from when we were younger. We promised each other to grow our hair below our butts and not cut it until we met again. She still had her babyish chubby face and her dazzling brown eyes too. "Hello Claire, it's me, your sister!"