There were 9 of us. 9 teenagers who stuck together through everything. From the death of a family pet to the disappearance of our parents 3 years ago. We were probably the most likely to end up dead or in prison,.but we didn't care. We stuck together through thick and thin, and nothing was ever going to change that. Let me start from the beginning.
3 years ago, when my oldest brother Braden, who's now 18, was 15, our parents left. We don't know where they went or how long they would be gone, all we knew is that they had left without even a goodbye, they'd taken all their clothes and other essentials, and just took off one morning without saying a word. I remember Braden reading a letter out loud though. He said it must have been written by dad, it looked like his handwriting. I remember all of the letter. I remember exactly what it said. Right down to the last period.
Braden,
Son, I knew you'd be the one to find this letter. And I really don't have anything to say other than I can't do it anymore. Neither can your mother. We just can't be parents anymore. And we both know that you'll take good care of your brothers and Kayleigh. Now I know this is a lot to put on a 15 year old boy, but I think you can handle it. I think you'll do just fine. Your mother is really upset that she couldn't be the all star mom, and that her last resort was to leave. She says she loves you, and she loves your brothers and sister. Anyway, I have to go for now, but promise me you'll take good care of your family.
Always,
Dad
I remember Braden trying not to cry, I knew he was very upset by the fact that mom and dad had abandoned us. I figured he'd be okay though. He'd always been a strong willed person. He could take on anything and not even realize how much stronger he was than anyone else he knew.
Mom and Dad had never been good parents. Not even close. Which is why I think I was so confused when Braden got upset that they were gone. I never got upset, or sad, or mad. I think the only feeling I ever felt was relief. I was glad they were gone because I knew Braden would take better care of us than they ever did. All of my brothers thought the same thing I think. At least that's the way they acted. It took me a while to figure out, but I think about a week after mom and dad left, I figured out why Braden had been so upset. He was only 15.
He didn't want to be the one to take care of us all. He didn't want to be the one that had all the responsibilty of taking care of 8 other people younger than he was. That's why I figured he was so angry at mom and dad, but when I talked to him about it later, I figured out that I was way wrong.
"Braden, what's wrong? Why did you get so mad when you found that letter daddy left?" I remember for a long minute, he didn't answer, like he was trying to make his words absolutely perfect before he said them.
"Because, Kayleigh, they're supposed to be the parents. If they didn't think they could be good enough parents, and they really wanted to do something about it, they should have took us to Uncle Jason's, Uncle Chris. They should have taken all of us somewhere where they knew we'd be okay. How do they know that I won't skip out on you all? How do they know I'm not gonna just run off like they did?" I remember he stopped for a second to think. He sighed. "I'm just mad because they think it's okay to leave all the responsibilities on me, and it ain't right. It's just not."