These days are what Ava lived for. The days where she could hang out with her older brother and pretend that everything was okay. It was the only part of her life that she didn't have to fake. The happiness she felt when she was with Xavier was genuine and sometimes she allowed herself to think that their lives hadn't been drastically changed. That they were still one happy family and the murders never happened and that her other brother wasn't currently spending the rest of his life in prison. She could never allow herself to live in that fantasy world for long because that world hurt more than reality. Sometimes she had wished that she had been one of the victims just so she wouldn't have to deal with this pain anymore. Then she thought back to her Xavier and realized that he was the only thing that was keeping her alive.
She closed her eyes and sighed loudly. She figured that she should start getting ready now, because she knew that if she took too long, her brother would go into overprotective mode. Heading into her bedroom, she grabbed a pair of yoga pants and a shirt before slipping them on and putting her hair up in a messy bun. Usually she would get all dressed up, but she was only going to her brother's for lunch. She didn't need to impress anyone. She grabbed her keys and phone before heading out the door. She stopped to lock the front door and headed to her car. She debated whether to walk or drive to his house since it was right up the road, but in the end she decided that driving was the best option. She didn't feel safe walking the streets alone.
A minute later she was pulling into his driveway and shut off her car. Sometimes she wished that they still lived together, but after their parents divorced that really wasn't possible anymore. She made her way to his front door and knocked a few times, waiting for Xavier to come and answer the door. Once the door opened a few moments later, she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Hey, big brother," Ava exclaimed and smiled widely up at him.
