Amber's P.O.V

"200 dollars."

"No, I want more." 

"Fine 250 and that's final."

"Deal."

I pass over Finnick's old drug dealer with my remaining Heroin needles, in exchange for some money.

As soon as I handed over those drugs, I immediately felt a weight lift off my shoulders and a feeling of relaxation and stress enter my mind. But at the same time, I felt two bigger weights land on both shoulders because of my new cravings and the need to take heroin is stronger and more possessive of my mind and body.

The feelings are all so new and terrifying at the same time, it's as if I don't trust myself anymore and I need someone to control what I do and the decisions that face me.

Sound familiar to you?

I have to say that this is one of the hardest things to do because I crave them so bad, but I know my family is getting themselves into some sort of trouble so we need all the money we can get.

I love my family too much to get them into a new set of problems to eventually break us all apart.

I walk out the abandoned park and make my route home, making sure to buy my family some lunch on the way with some of the money I just got. As I walk along the path I see many families's laughing and giggling at each other, some buying ice-creams for their adorable children and drinking coffee from the nearby café, looking content without a care in the world. I wish I was back to being like that.

The further I walk away from the park, the stronger the urge to run back, tackle the dealer and inject each needle inside me, letting the addictive feeling consume my entire body and sending me into pure bliss.

But I need to be strong for my family.

Trying to take my mind away from the addicting drug that I have grown to love, courtesy of my insane ex-boyfriend that I want to banish to the pits of fiery hell for getting me hooked on this stuff.

I walk up to the café and order some bagels and sandwiches for lunch for my family, laughing in my head at Grey's reaction when I got him a bagel for the first time...

Flashback.

"AMBER, WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS PROCESSED SHIT IN A BAG?!" Grey screamed and pinched the bag away from him in disgust and if looks could kill, that bagel would be demolished into flames.

"It's only a ham and cheese bagel, it won't kill you!"

"Its full of preservatives and gross shit, all compressed into an innocent bagel that will fool the eyes of oblivious people like you Amber!" Grey screamed and stared at it as if worms were spilling out the bun.

Ever since that day a few years back, I have learned to never get Grey something that isn't homemade or heavily processed, he will go ballistic!

I finally get the food, making sure to get Grey a homemade sandwich, then left the small café to walk down the road in the direction of my two-story house. I walk up the small pathway to the door and walk in. Whenever I walk through the door, I'm usually hit immediately with the mouth-watering scent of home cooking and fresh baked cookies that Grey has made, but today there is no heavenly scent, just plain nothing.

"I have lunch for you all!" I scream up the stairs to get everybody's attention, soon after a hoard of footsteps run down the stairs and tackle me in hugs.

"I missed you!" Dylan screams in my ear, making me temporarily deaf.

"Dylan, I was out for twenty minutes." I check my watch and laugh at him, he shrugs his shoulders and looks down at the bag in my hands.

"I call first dibs!" Dylan screams and runs off with the bag, everyone rolling their eyes and walking after him towards the kitchen.

I look around and everyone seems a lot happier today, they all have smiles on their faces and eyeing up the food with hearts in their eyes. We each grab our lunch and sit at the table, the table where a lot of memories have taken place, for example, the time when Isaac sat at the table with mom and cried over his first break up at ten years old. The time when Jason and Dylan gave me the 'Birds and the bees' talk whilst our mom was looking terrified at Dylan when he shared some of his sexual experiences with us in very graphic detail. The time when Dylan gathered all the family and our grandparents around the table and revealed that he was gay, but one of my favourite memories was when we all standing around the table and celebrated Jason's 25th birthday, one of his friends threw pepper in his face and Jason sneezed his candles out, I don't think I have ever cried so hard in my life that day.

"I fucking love bagels!" Dylan said with his mouth open full of munched up ham and cheese bagel, I turned away grossed out whilst Grey closed his mouth himself and told Dylan to chew very sternly.

"So, what time is the police coming over?" Isaac asked anyone whilst stuffing down his sandwich. Dad looked up at him and his expression saddened a little.

"In an hour. Amber are you going to be okay for this, I can tell them to leave an-"

"I'll be okay dad. I'd rather get it all out the way now." I said with a reassuring smile to calm them down, dad nodded in agreement and continued eating.

"I'm going to be home late today, I'm doing a double shift," Jason announced and our parents turned to him with a sad smile.

"Okay son, don't stress yourself out too much! And don't exert yourself just because of-" Mom paused talking when dad nudged her from under the table, shutting her up.

He didn't think I saw it but I heard it loud and clear.

"What the heck is going on!" I demand and look up to all of them, showing them that I'm done with the secrecy and need answers for once. They all look at one another nervously, fidgeting in their seats.

"Well..." I draw out and cross my arms, looking at each of them with a stern expression, a look they're not used to me giving them.

"Fine." Dad said in defeat.

"This has been going on for a while now, not just from you being gone, it started a few months before you left..." Dad began and twiddled his thumbs anxiously.

"A while back, I was made redundant from my job because the company I worked for found another person to do my job for less money. Your mother is in a similar situation but she was fired for not having a good attendance."

I sit wide-eyed in silence.

"We are borrowing money from people and getting loans from the bank, it isn't the best but it's enough for us to live on. Jason is working more and Dylan is producing more clothes to sell, we aren't in the best place but we always make it work angel, you don't have to worry."

"Don't have to worry, of course I'm worrying! Why haven't you told me sooner I could've looked for a job!" I argued, annoyed at the fact that they're keeping serious stuff like this from me.

"Honey you're not working! You are far too young."

"I'm sixteen!"

"Exactly!" I scoff at dad then turn to leave when a knock is at the door, we all look at one another worriedly but I make the move to answer the door as nobody seems bothered to do it themselves.

I look through the peephole to see the investigator standing tall, looking serious and glancing at the expensive watch on his wrist.

"Good afternoon sir," I said politely, opening the door wide for him to enter.

"Good afternoon Amber, are you ready to be questioned?" He asked whilst taking his coat off and hanging it up. I nod my head and gesture towards the dining room so we can talk.

We both sit down in our places, he sat opposite me so I was completely facing him whilst my family were giving us some room and sitting a few seats down from us. He places his notepad and pen on the table and turns on his voice recorder.

"Amber are you ready to start?" The investigator askes hopefully into the recording, I look at the device in his hand and take a deep breath to calm my nerves, thinking about all the secrets that will be revealed to my family that haven't been revealed to them yet, something I have been dreading to reveal.

"Yeah, I'm ready." This should be fun...

*****

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-Mari