Sitting on the edge of my bed, I played Mario Kart. I had been afraid if I laid down or made myself too comfortable, then I would have doze off. Mom glared at me with her hands on her hips while Dad frowned, with concern making his eyes look tired. Why was Mom so mad? I had the right to be mad.

Was she mad I wasn't in a coma?

Was she mad I was still breathing?

Dad put a warm plate of broccoli and brown rice onto my lap. Smiling, I put my Wii steering wheel controller beside me on the bed, and then I began scarfing down my food.

Dad glared at Mom. "I told you she'd be hungry. Why weren't you watching her?"

Usually my parents would never fight in front of us kids. Arguing had always been considered "adult business," and it was supposed to happen behind closed doors. Before Franco died and I uncovered Mom and Kina's evil plot, I never would've imagined wanting my parents to divorce, but now I wanted it desperately. Dad needed to leave Mom and take Angela and me with him. He needed to be our hero.

Mom said, "She's fine, Kevin."

"How would you know?" He snarled at her.

Mom put her hand on Dad's arm. "Ask her yourself."

Dad focused his attention back on me. I was busy eating while trying not to seem too excited for their drama. I loved seeing Mom squirm.

"Sweetheart, what happened today?" he asked.

With a full mouth, I said, "Mom kicked Gregory out of the house."

"And why was that?"

That's why I loved Dad. He wanted to hear my side of the story instead of believing Mom's lies.

"I don't know." I shrugged my shoulders and peered at the floor. In a soft voice, I said, "I guess because I was in Franco's room, going through his things."

"Anything else?"

I glanced at Mom. "I'm sorry for cussing at you. It'll never happen again." I batted my eyelashes and gave a pouty lip. This should get me some brownie points for apologizing and owning up to what I did.

I wondered if Kina had told Mom and Dad anything about today or anything about last night. If so, they weren't giving me any hints. Deny. Deny. Deny. That was my motto. Kina wasn't the only skilled liar in this house. The only difference was that I was lying for my survival, and Kina was lying for pure evil. Mom, too.

Dad asked, "Why didn't you want to eat dinner with us?"

It was time to put on the waterworks. Dad hated to see his kids upset. I pictured Franco's body laying on a cold slab of metal. Alone and miserable. That trick helped a tear fall down my cheek. "I know Mom's mad at me. I felt too bad to come downstairs."

After Dad glanced at Mom, she said, "Oh, baby girl, I know yesterday and today has been hard for you. It's been hard for everyone. I was upset that you cussed at me, but that doesn't mean I want you to starve."

Dad squeezed Mom's hand, which made me want to gag. He cleared his throat. He sat down beside me on the bed and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, which made me want to smile. A tight lipped one so he would still feel sorry for me, of course.

I met his gaze.

"Your mom is trying to say we're a family, and we don't abandon each other. I wish things could've gone down differently today, but it's too late to take what happened back. The most we can do is learn from it. I can't even imagine what you're going through not getting any sleep, so I'll give you a pass for your potty mouth today. Only forty more minutes, baby girl. Only forty more minutes, then it's all over. You can sleep the day away tomorrow if you'd like."

I nodded.

"We respect each other in this family. I know you're hurting over losing your brother, but your mom and I are hurting over losing our son. I hope you never have to experience the loss of a child as a parent." He paused to wipe a tear from his eye. "I love you so much. We all miss Franco. Your mom made a decision on his funeral outfit, so you need to trust that she's made the right decision. You need to respect her."

I pouted and looked away to stare at the wall, where neither of my parents stood. Dad took her side! Mom had known all along she was going to get her way, and she had the nerve to come into my room with an attitude. What a way to add insult to injury.

Why couldn't they see that I was trying to help? I was hanging on by a thread. I couldn't take it if Dad thought of me as a nuisance. I would slit my wrists with Mom's razor blades, or I would run into traffic. I thought it'd be poetic justice to die the same way as Franco, a car crashing into my body.

But what was the point in fighting against Kina's--maybe even Mom's--plan of killing me, if I ended my own life? If I was thinking about doing that, then I might as well let those bitches win. Plan B: I could run away.

For years I've saved up money from my allowance. I was going to buy Kina a birthday gift for May, but she didn't deserve it. Instead, I could buy a bus ticket and go anywhere in the country. I was tall for my age, so I could pass for sixteen, or whatever the age was required to have a job with a worker's permit signed by a parent. I could easily forge Dad's signature. I could be a waitress at a local diner in a small town. Those people were gullible, and it wouldn't be hard to find someone to take me in. They probably wouldn't even make me pay rent. I could fly under the radar. No one would be able to find me. No one, not even Dad or Gregory.

Mom sighed. "Baby girl, say something."

I stared at the wall, refusing to speak. She was in my room to get details and report back to Kina.

"Do you understand about respecting my decision? I know you miss Franco. I know you two were inseparable. I get that you think you know what's best for him, but there's no way my son is going to be dressed in a skater outfit for his funeral. No way. He's dressing formal. Franco will be wearing a suit."

I didn't answer. I hoped if I appeared desperate enough, Dad would make Mom compromise. I had to get my way, because then I would know Dad still loved me. I was still Daddy's little girl, right?

"Loren!"

I winced, so Dad would feel sorrier for me. It worked. He told Mom to calm down and apologize to me as he pulled me in closer and kissed the top of my head.

Mom took a deep breath and stared at me. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have raised my voice. It's been a long day for the both of us, so maybe we just need some space. Tomorrow will get better I promise."

I couldn't even tell you how tomorrow went because I slept the day away to catch up on sleep. Dad checked on me frequently.

The next morning, I opened my eyes. My eyelids were heavy, as if cement had been poured on my face. Stretching and yawning, I turned my head to see Mom sitting in a chair beside my bed. I flinched. I frowned for a split second, but I composed myself quickly. I couldn't let Mom know I was suspicious of her and Kina. If they thought anything was up, they would bump the timeline in killing me. I needed to stall as long as possible until I could figure out what to do.

A tight smile formed on Mom's lips. "Hey, sleepy head." She chuckled at her own joke. Then she leaned back into the chair, crossed her legs, and put her elbows on the armrests.

I kept laying on my back. I focused on the ceiling. I wanted to avoid Mom at all costs. Maybe I'd get lucky, and she'd leave.

Instead, she asked, "Are you hungry?"

I didn't answer.

"Loren, are you giving me the silent treatment?"

I cleared my throat.

"I love you. Why are you mad at me? What is this really about? Talk to me, please."

I closed my eyes and pretended to fall back asleep.

"I don't want to stress you out, but...the funeral's tomorrow. I wanted you to know that." Mom got up then and walked away.