Chapter 2 - Winter's Cold Embrace

“You really are doing a sensational job, Chloe. We are so pleased to have you working here. Please accept this small token of my gratitude,” Erik said with an odd tone to his voice as he shoved a wad of bills into the maid's hand. He sounded weird, pronouncing his words in a slightly exaggerated manner, like he was flirting or something.  Ew.

“Oh! Thank you Mr. VanDoren. You are very...generous!” As she said it, she gave a little half bounce, causing her large breasts to jiggle. Her father stared at them, unabashadley, while the new maid acted (overacted) shy.

Victoria rolled her eyes as she scurried past them on her way to the ringing phone.

“Hello?” she said into the phone.

“Hey, Vickers! It's about time. I thought I'd die of old age before you finally picked up. What took you so long?”

“Hi, Debbi. You caught me in the bathroom. What's up?”

“A new club just opened up downtown, and I was wondering if you wanted to check it out after school tomorrow.”

“You know it.”

“Will your parents mind?”

“Nah. They don't really care where I go,” she cast a scornful glance at her dad, but he didn't notice. Her father was once again gushing about how wonderful Chloe was and what a fabulous job she did. And Chloe was once again giggling her girly giggle and acting like she hadn't just heard these same compliments a couple of days ago. “Dad usually works late anyways, and he doesn't care what I do with myself as long as I pull straight A's. Mom's so busy with Bradley, she never even notices when I'm not here.” Though the words were true, Victoria felt a surge of anger after she said them.

“Great. See you then.” Debbi hung up the phone before Victoria could say anything else. She stared at the receiver in her hand for a second.

“Bye, Debbi,” she mumbled to herself as she hung it up.

Behind her, Erik was still talking to the maid, while she played the part of a coquettish maiden. It was truly a nauseating sight to see. She was going on and on about some skiing trip she had taken, and Erik was feigning interest. No, not feigning interest, but actually interested. He was hanging on every word that was coming out of her mouth. She was surprised that Erik could get caught up in the story she was telling, Chloe seemed so...vacuous. Victoria wondered if Chloe had actually given mouth to mouth resuscitation to her skiing buddy, saving him from 'most absolute certain death' or if she was embellishing the story. Victoria decided she didn't care and headed into the kitchen to make some sandwiches.

Mother didn't cook as much anymore, she was always so tired. She usually asked Victoria to prepare something simple for the family to eat. Victoria didn't really know how to cook, but she could do a few meals. She made a pretty good chef salad, but Bradley didn't usually eat it. He had a problem with the lettuce. The last time she made it for the family, Bradley's had ended up on top of his head and in his lap. Erik was not pleased and Victoria decided that salad would no longer be an acceptable meal. Clayton couldn't seem to find anything good to say about it, either.

As soon as she placed the last sandwich on the table, Clay stormed through the back door into the dining room. Victoria sighed to herself. He was in a mood again. She didn't have to wonder what happened at work to cause him to be so cranky, she knew he would tell, or rather, yell about his day.

“That damn Roger! He always thinks he can step on my toes and get ahead. But I'm sick of putting up with it!”

“Lower your voice, Clayton. There's no reason to yell. A gentleman never yells.”

Victoria nearly choked on her sandwich. Who was her Erik to teach anyone how to be a gentleman? Since when did gentlemen go around complaining about this, that, and the other thing, have screaming matches with his wife, never help her with the kids, and smash little girls' dollhouses to dust? She looked over at the two of them, their faces scrunched up at each other.

“Oh. Well excuse me, father, I didn't realize I had to be so quiet. Did someone die, or something.”

Erik stiffened at his son's response. “You will address me as 'sir' when you speak to me, young man. And I've had quite enough of your attitude for one evening. You may retire to your room without supper.”

“Whatever. I'm not in the mood for Vick's tasteless sandwiches, anyway.” He stomped out of the room, over to the stairs and all the way up them. Victoria could hear him stomping across the floor to his room, then the door slamming shut.

Erik, aware that his daughter was watching him, pulled himself straight and tried to look dignified. He partially succeeded, but Victoria looked quickly away. She couldn't stand to look at him most of the time. He was always so short with everyone in the house, then tried to reclaim that distinguished air he possessed when she was a small child. But she could see through him now. He was a fake.

She decided she'd go up and check on Bradley. It was just after 8 p.m., so her mother was probably in bed. Katherine got up early in the mornings with Bradley and started his therapy. On the weekends, Victoria would occasionally observe. It didn't look much like therapy to her. Her mother cheered while Bradley jumped on the bed, they played tug of war with the bed sheets, they did jumping jacks and push-ups, and sometimes they danced. It looked more like she was playing with him, choosing to spend all her time with him and neglecting the rest of her family. She always claimed that Bradley needed her, but had no idea what was going on with the rest of her family.

Victoria could be hugely pregnant or failing school, and Katherine wouldn't even know. Clayton could disappear off the face of the earth and she probably wouldn't even realize it for days. Erik could start having an affair with that dippy maid, and Katherine would never find out because she rarely left the second story of their house. When she did, it was to take Bradley to the therapy sessions he had to go to three times a week.

She found Bradley sitting quietly on his bed, staring at nothing. This was almost as common as him jumping on the bed or banging his head against the wall. She came in and sat on the bed beside him.

“It's time for you to get ready for bed, mister.”

“No. No bed.”

“I'm afraid so. You need to stock up on your energy for more bed jumping tomorrow.”

At this, his eyes lit up. “Story?”

“Okay, we'll read one story. Then it's off to dreamland for you.”

Bradley tucked securely in, Victoria went downstairs to clean up the table and put the dishes in the dishwasher. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she stopped. Her father was on the phone, but it was clear that it was not a normal phone call. His voice was near furious, but he was making a clear effort to keep it quiet, like he didn't want anyone else in the house to know.

“No. I already told you, you can't come here. Don't call this number again!” He hung up the phone and whirled around, then jumped when he saw Victoria staring at him.

“Jehovah's witnesses,” Erik mumbled as he jerked a thumb at the phone. Without another word, he went out to the front room to watch tv.

Victoria simply stood there for a moment, knowing her father was clearly lying, but also knowing it would do no good to argue with him. She wondered who it really was.

It was a clear day in late fall. The leaves, having long ago fallen from the trees, had lost their brilliant shades of orange, red, and yellow, and were now the dead brown Victoria always associated with impending winter. The skeletal limbs of the once full and beautiful trees stood naked, their color only slightly darker than the gray sky. The dirty leaves lined every street and cluttered every yard. She hated this time of year. It was a time of cold emptiness. Of quiet submission to the ravages of winter. Even the animals hated this time of year. Many animals hibernated, lying dormant like the trees, and the birds flew away. It was hard for Victoria not to let depression sink in.

The only bright spot in the day was now. When she got to check out the new club Debbi told her about on the phone yesterday. From the outside, the building looked rather plain. But on the inside, Club Red was quite a sight to see.

White strobe lights lined the ceiling, casting a cheerful light to the room. Victoria felt better as soon as she stepped inside, leaving her winter blues behind her. Pumping music filled the air, adding an electric feel to the atmosphere. Victoria turned to her left and saw where the music was coming from. There was a DJ booth against one wall, the punky dj jamming to the music. In the back of the club, a bright red bar ran the length of the wall, with several stools lined up in front of it. Debbi motioned for her to take a seat.

“Isn't this place great?” Debbi yelled over the music.

“Fabulous!” Of course, any place that wasn't home or outside between late fall and early spring was fabulous. Anywhere she could forget about her home life for awhile. She looked out on the dance floor where several people were grooving to the DJ's sounds.

"I thought I told you to wear something sexy."

Victoria looked down at herself. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"Nothing. If you want to look like my grandmother. Would it kill you to show a little boob? Or how about some leg? You have great legs, you should show them off. You might actually get a date now and then."

Victoria looked at her friend. Debbi was...not like her. She was a bit on the wild side, outgoing, open, and honest. Whether you wanted her to be or not. And one thing she had plenty of was boyfriends. She had a different boyfriend every week. A different hair color, too. Victoria returned her gaze to the dance floor.

And then she saw him. He wore a black long sleeved tee with blue printing on it and had jet black hair. His dusky skin shone in the bright lights that moved back and forth across the floor. Even from where she sat, she could see his intensely blue eyes. She sat and wached, mesmerized, as he moved. He wasn't the most graceful dancer, but there was something about him. Something that drew her attention to him and wouldn't let it go. From far away, she heard Debbi's voice. “Earth to Vickers. Come in, Vickers.”

Victoria grabbed her friend's arm, ignoring Debbi's yell of protest.

“Who's that, on the dance floor?”

“The blonde guy? I don't know, just some dude, I guess.”

“No. Not the blonde guy. That one. In the black shirt.”

“That? You must be joking!”

“No,” Victoria said, finally tearing her gaze away from him and looking at her friend's astonished face. “Do you know him?”

“Know him? I have to live with him.”

“What!?”

Debbi laughed. “That's my brother, Shane. Forget about him. He's a junior and he thinks he's all that. Besides,” she said as her dark eyes glittered, “juniors don't date freshmen.”

Victoria stared at Debbi dumbly, then at the handsome boy, still on the dance floor. Debbi's brother? She couldn't believe she had known Debbi for over a year and never even seen him before. She had even been to her house a time or two, but Shane had never been there. Debbi had always said 'My stupid brother' this or 'my stupid brother' that, but Victoria never took stock in it, she had a 'stupid brother', too. All older brothers were like that.

“Yo.” Debbi nudged her arm.

“Huh?” She didn't look at her friend.

Beside her, she heard Debbi's sigh of frustration. “Do you want me to introduce you?” Debbi sounded completely unthrilled about the idea.

Victoria felt a sudden surge of nervousness. It was so silly, really. She had never been all that interested in boys before. In fact, it always annoyed her when other girls in her class would make a big deal out of this boy or that one. They looked so stupid with their leering faces when they watched the boys walk down the hall in their tight jeans, then making comments about who had the cutest butt.

“Come on,” Debbi hopped up from her stool and grabbed Victoria's arm, dragging her right out to the dance floor.

“Hey, Poopyhead. I want you to meet my good friend, Vickers.”

Shane looked at Victoria and she suddenly felt like her body weighed a ton. Her brain felt numb, it felt like she was trying to think through pea soup. She struggled to say something. She opened her mouth, then closed it again without saying anything.

“Vickers?” Shane inquired.

Now that she was standing right in front of him, his eyes were even bluer. Bluer than a clear summer sky. Shane looked at her, amused, waiting for a response.

“Well, aren't you going to say anything?”

“Uh...the wind is very cold today. It makes the leaves swirl.”

Shane's eyebrows knitted and he looked at her like she was a mental case. Victoria, horrified, turned and ran to the bathroom where she nearly threw up. She gasped for breath. What a stupid thing to say! He must think she was the world's biggest idiot.

She dabbed some cold water on her burning cheeks with a paper towel and checked herself in the mirror. She looked...foolish. And childish. She sure didn't look like she was fifteen. She decided she should just go home and ditch Debbi. She might be a little miffed, but she would get over it.

Victoria peeked out of the door of the bathroom, making sure the coast was clear. She didn't want Shane to see her. Not a soul in sight. Upon seeing the bar, she thought an ice cold blended juice drink might help her to calm her nerves. Since Shane had obviously left because of her retardedness, there was no reason to run away just yet.

She took a seat and ordered her drink. She was starting to feel a little better when, out of the blue, none other than Shane took the stool next to hers. Now, instead of thinking through pea soup, her brain ceased to function completely. She had to remind herself to breathe, but even then took shallow breaths. The air around them was silent. Even the music didn't seem to exist right at this moment. She contemplated jumping down from the stool and running out the door, but didn't want to look more foolish than she already had. She didn't dare speak to him, she had already tried that, and had completely messed it up.

“So,” he said suddenly, causing her to jump just a little. He pretended not to notice. “You say it's a little chilly outside?”

OmigodOmigodOmigodOmigod Victoria was frozen. He was looking at her again, waiting for her to talk. She forced herself to breathe, but didn't realize she had been holding her breath. She sucked air in with a whistling sound and felt her cheeks start to burn again. Why couldn't she act like a human around him? Speak, girl! Her brain screamed at her.

“Let's start over. Hi. My name is Shane. And you are..?

Victoria stared blankly at him and willed herself to talk.

“Look, I know your mother always taught you not to talk to strangers, but I promise not to bite you.” He smiled a lopsidedly.

Her mother!? Oh, God! He really did think of her as a child! This time when she flushed, she could feel it all the way down to her toes. She felt so stupid.

“Igottago.” She hopped off the stool and ran out the door, completely forgetting her coat, which she remembered about halfway home when the biting wind penetrated her skin. She wasn't about to go back and get it, either. She had more coats.

**********

It was only about 5 pm when she got home. Her mother was actually downstairs today. She was sitting on the couch looking positively beat. Bradley was jumping on the couch next to her. He was having a blast, and not showing any signs of slowing down.

Having left the most embarrassing moment of her life behind her, Victoria found she was actually happy to be home. Home where Bradley was like a ping-pong ball jumping all over the furniture and body slamming into his family members. Home where her pale mother, who looked like she needed about three years of sleep followed by some intense sunlight, sat on the couch like a vegetable, or laid in bed, or had her little 'therapy' sessions with Bradley. Victoria wondered why her mother always seemed so tired even though she spent increasing amounts of time in bed. Home where Clayton and her father were constantly arguing about everything under the sun. When she was a child, her mother would argue with Erik frequently. But they hardly ever did anymore. Instead, father argued with Clay and he and Katherine barely spoke.  

She was fooling herself if she thought she was happier than here.  Any place was better.

“Mom? Where's Clay?”

Her mother looked at her for a full minute before answering. “Upstairs.” She turned to stare blankly at the tv.

“Upstairs, upstairs, upstairs, upstairs,” Bradley sang as he jumped.

Victoria headed into the kitchen to make macaroni and cheese, Bradley's favorite. Victoria didn't like the vacant look her mother had given her. She used to be so youthful and sharp. Now she seemed grandmotherly, but in a slow kind of way. At first, Katherine's eyes registered absolutely no recognition for her daughter. For several seconds, it was like she had forgotten who or where she was. It frightened Victoria to see her mother acting this way. She decided to talk to Clay about it after setting out dinner.

She called Bradley and her mother to the table, knowing full well that Katherine wouldn't eat. She hardly ate anything. She was looking thinner all the time. Maybe Victoria should talk to dad about making an appointment with Dr. Parker for Katherine. The thought alone filled her with dread. Her father hated people, especially minors, telling him what he should do. But something had to be done. Her mother's behavior was odd and concerning.

She didn't have to wonder where upstairs Clayton would be. She knew he would be holed up in his room again. When Clay wasn't working or going to school, he was in there. The door was locked. Victoria pounded on it.

“Clayton, we have to talk.”

“Go away, Vick. I'm busy.”

“There's something wrong with Mother.”

Clay opened the door and snorted at her. “There's a lot wrong with Mother. There's a lot wrong with this whole family.” His glassy eyes sparkled in the darkened room. He had that stupid grin on his face again.  He was stoned. Victoria had complained to her father briefly, about Clay's behavior. But Erik had simply stated that what Clayton did with his paychecks was his own business. Her father either chose to ignore the fact that his son addicted, or simply didn't care. But why should he? He didn't care that his family was going to hell. Clay was right when he said there was a lot wrong with this family.

“I think she should see a doctor.”

“So what are you telling me for?” Clay replied snidely. “Erik makes all the decisions in this house and no one else can ever say anything.”

“Since when did you start calling him by his first name?”

“Since he decided to stop acting like a father.”

“Aren't you worried about mom? She's just not...right.”

“Why should I worry about her? You're doing enough worrying for both of us. Besides,” he said as he took a long hit, held it, and blew the smoke in Victoria's face. "Viper's Weed takes all your worries away. You wanna try it, Vick? Wanna puff the dragon?” He held the joint to her.

Victoria coughed and waved the smoke out of her face. “No thank you!”

Clayton chuckled to himself as he turned away from her, clearly done with the conversation.

Victoria left, closing the door behind her. She headed into the kitchen to clean up where she found Bradley squishing the macaroni in his hands. He had already smeared it into his hair, all over his face, the table, his clothes. She sighed wearily. She wished she had a normal family. She knew Bradley couldn't help how he was, and maybe not her mom, but her dad certainly could. Where was the father that used to give her piggyback rides up to the house and talk to her mom's pregnant belly before Bradley was born?

“Come on, Brad. Time to go splash in the tub for a bit.”

“Splash! Splash water!”

“Yep. Splash water.”

Hours later, she finally crawled, exhausted, into bed. It was nearly 11:00 now and her father still wasn't home. She found herself hoping he would never come back.