Red Sun

Red Sun

By Raven St. Pierre

Red Sun

© October 2013, Raven St. Pierre

This book contains strong sexual themes and content not suitable for persons under the age of 18. 
This work is a work of fiction.  All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or have been used fictitiously.  Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.  No part of this e-book may be reproduced or shared by any electronic or mechanical means, including but not limited to printing, file sharing, and email, without prior written permission from Raven St. Pierre.

This e-book is licensed for personal enjoyment only.  This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people.  If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with.  If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should purchase your own copy.  Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

Synopsis

For
Solei Kensington, Conway, South Carolina seemed like a long way from home.  When chance and circumstance land her just outside of the nearby Reservation for six months, she believes that this will be the most monotonous and lackluster phase of her life.  It doesn’t take her long to realize how far that is from the truth.  While coming into her own and figuring out what it truly means to stand on her own two feet, Solei also finds herself amidst an intense love triangle that threatens to challenge the bonds of friendship and brotherhood.  As each chapter draws you deeper into the raw, unadulterated passion, you’ll be left breathless and aching for more.  In this spellbinding account of what can happen when unbridled emotions take control and inhibitions are tossed aside, it is impossible not to be pulled right into the story.  The question still remains; when left to struggle with the overwhelming contrast between what her heart wants and what her heart needs, will Solei make the right decision?

Now Available

Coming soon from Raven St. Pierre

Free Falling Book 2: Secrets

Free Falling Book 3: Exposed

Free Falling Book 4: Reciprocity

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

Again for the First Time

Prologue

             
Even over Christina’s obnoxious snoring and the radio, my dad and Alicia’s voices carried through the wall that separated our bedroom from theirs.  On many occasions, they discussed my life and what I should or shouldn’t be doing with it in their opinions, and tonight wasn’t any different.  As usual, I wasn’t invited in to contribute to the decision that would decide my fate and to be quite honest I was growing tired of it.  In the United States, a person who is eighteen years of age can vote, buy tobacco, and even adopt a child if they so choose.  But for some reason, my father and step-mother don’t seem to think that me being a legal adult qualifies me to make any of my own choices, regardless of what society says.  So, I lay there, listening to them each argue their points, waiting for the verdict.

             
“Mike, what that girl
needs
is a reality check.  She doesn’t have a job; I haven’t seen her put a pen to even
one
college application, and yet she expects to have her hair and nails done like clockwork every two weeks.  We’re raising a spoiled brat!  When she finally does get a taste of real life, she’s gonna crash and burn because she has
ZERO LIFE SKILLS!
  Wake up and stop babying her!”

             
There was a long pause when Alicia finished speaking.  I imagined my father sitting on the edge of the bed holding his head like he usually does when he’s frustrated.  “Solei’s had a
lot
to deal with, Alicia; things that you and I have never gone through, so we can’t even
begin
to relate.  So, what you call ‘babying her’ is me trying to give the child a break!”

             
“That’s the thing, Solei isn’t a child anymore, Mike.  She’s grown!  Christina won’t be eighteen for another month and she’s already got a job lined up for the summer, acceptance letters have come in from six of the schools she’s applied to, and she pulls her weight around the house!  When’s the last time you saw Solei lift a finger to do something for someone other than herself?”

             
“So, we’re making this into one of
those
arguments?”  I could hear it in my dad’s voice that he was getting ready to lose his temper.

             
“One of
what
arguments, Mike?  You mean one of the ones where I tell you the truth about your daughter and you can’t handle a little constructive criticism?  Because if that’s what you mean, then yes, it is one of those arguments.”

             
“
My
daughter?” he repeated in an offended tone.

             
“Don’t twist my words.  You know I didn’t mean it the way you’re trying to make it seem.  I love Solei just as much as I love Christina.  You know that, so don’t even go there.”

             
He laughed.  “Really?  So then if that’s the case, why didn’t you get her in down there at the Social Security office like you did Christina?”

             
Alicia didn’t respond right away.  That was probably smart because what she said next could completely turn the direction of the conversation.  “Yes, Solei is older than Christina by a few months, but you and I both know that her maturity level is maybe at the level of a fifteen year old!  She does what she wants when she wants, and that’s not gonna cut it in the real world.  If she can’t handle following simple orders here, what makes you think I’m about to have her embarrassing me at my job?”

             
It was quiet so long, that I thought my dad had given up and accepted defeat.  But then, there was another loud outburst that startled me and caused Christina to shift in her bed a little.  “You know why Solei disappoints you so much?  Because you don’t expect anything from her!”

             
“I don’t expect anything from her?  Did you not even hear one word I just said to you?”

             
“Yeah, unfortunately I heard the whole sorry monologue.  But the fact of the matter is, you assume she’s gonna mess up, so that’s what she does.  When you tell her to do something, she can see it in your eyes that you’re already assuming that she’s gonna let you down.  So what point is there for her to try to please you, Alicia?”

             
“That is the most asinine thing I’ve ever heard you say in the twelve years we’ve been married.  Do you hear yourself?  You’re actually blaming me for her lack of respect for us as her parents.”  Alicia laughed sinisterly.  “Unbelievable.  Now, I’m taking the heat because of your failures as a father.”

             
Without seeing my dad’s face, I knew that last remark cut him deep.  He and my mom split when my sister Shalon and I were only four, so I was pretty used to the arrangement that we had.  We’d see Dad once a month when he came to get us for the weekend, then we’d go back home to Mom.  It couldn’t have been an easy thing to move me in and try to incorporate me into the unit that already existed with him, Alicia and Christina.  He’d tried to make this as normal a situation as possible; I suppose I didn’t exactly make that an easy transition.  They were used to mild-mannered, calm, agreeable Christina who almost never causes any trouble.  And then here comes me; in short, I’m everything Christina isn’t. 

             
I rested my cheek on my fist and waited for him to recover so that he could respond.  When he did, his voice was flat and disconnected.  “Well, since you have all the answers, Alicia, what am I supposed to do at this point?”

             
“Step up,” she blurted coldly.  “Give her an ultimatum. Solei’s out of high school and I don’t think that we should be supporting an adult who isn’t doing anything with her life.  It’d be different if she was planning to be in school full-time, but I don’t think she’s even ready for that step; not with the grades she just brought in here on that last report card.  It’s a miracle they even let her walk across the stage.”

             
I was now more focused on their conversation than before as I waited to see if my dad was going to let Alicia talk him into this whole ultimatum idea.  He said something I couldn’t really hear, followed by, “When I break the news to her about me leaving for that job, I may as well tell her this too.”  He paused.  “Maybe I’ll take her to fill out some apps or something since I’ve got a couple days off.”

             
It was like hearing the judge’s gavel slam down as I was being given my sentence.  My dad cracked under the pressure which meant that I’d either have to conform to their expectations or…..or…..or
what
?  I had an epiphany in the midst of my panic.  Throwing me out wasn’t an option, so there really
was
no ultimatum.  It’d be more of a bluff actually.  On that note, I settled down, deciding not to sweat it.  I’d play along and apply for a few jobs and whatever else they wanted me to do, but I’d see to it that if anyone called me for an interview, they’d regret it. 

             
There hadn’t been a sound from dad and Alicia’s room for about ten minutes, so it was safe to assume that she was satisfied with her win and finally stopped squawking for the night.  Now, the loudest thing in the house was Christina’s snoring again and I turned over to rest on my back.  With my plan worked out and tucked away in my mind, I began to think on other things; the things that keep me from getting a peaceful night’s sleep on my own.  The horrific images that began to invade my consciousness forced me to quickly reopen my eyes and scramble to find the small white pill on my nightstand.  I was so desperate to get it in my system that I actually swallowed it before I even got my hand around my glass of water.  It only took about ten minutes to doze off, but that was long enough to give my mind a chance to wander again.  There wasn’t anything else I could do but wait for the meds to kick in.

             
Typically, I sleep in until around noon and then get up well rested and ready to start my day.  So imagine my surprise when my dad started banging on my bedroom door at 7:45 the next morning.

             
“Solei, downstairs in thirty minutes,” he demanded through the door.  I heard his footsteps thudding down the stairs swiftly; those were the footsteps of a man on a mission.  He had his heart set on straightening his wayward daughter out once and for all, but little did he know I was already one step ahead of him.

             
I rubbed my eyes and glanced over at Christina’s bed and wasn’t surprised to see that she was already up and gone and had even made her bed before leaving the house –
freakin’ over achiever
.  It’s like she goes out of her way to make me look bad.  I dragged my feet the entire way to the bathroom and made sure to slam the door to show my father how displeased I was with his early morning drill sergeant routine.  When I finished, I only had ten minutes to get dressed and there was no way I’d be done by then.  So, when I sat in front of my father at the kitchen table at nearly 8:55, he wasn’t exactly pleased with me.

             
“You know what?  I’m almost glad you couldn’t get down here on time; that helps me make my point.  You gotta step your game up, Solei.  Me and Alicia need to see you doing more than sleeping in and laying out by the pool all day; it’s time you start to act like an adult.  You seem to think of yourself as some heiress or something, but look around.  We’re a working-class family which means that in order to survive, that’s what we have to do…..
work.
”  He paused and stared back at me as I sat with my arms folded.  “I’m off today and tomorrow, so I figured we could hang out and get some applications in before I leave out next week.”

             
Aside from me hearing him mention it to Alicia the night before, this was the first time he’d said anything about having to leave town.  “Where
you
going?”  I asked.

             
He stretched and yawned in his seat as he responded.  “Down to the Reservation.  We just got a contract to build the new community center there.”

             
“That’s like three hours away!  How long are you gonna be gone?”

             
“It’s a six month job, but I’ll only be gone for the first two weeks, after that I’ll just commute.”  He looked like the very thought of driving back and forth all those hours stressed him out.  And for me, two weeks stuck here without him would be torture.  I’d be here alone with Alicia and Christina who were sure to get on and in every single last nerve of mine.  Dad redirected his attention toward me.  “So, get your shoes on cause we have a lot of ground to cover.”

             
Before I could say anything else, he stood up and walked toward the mud room off from the kitchen.  He held open the door leading to the garage and waited for me to follow.  We drove in silence.  I’m sure he was thinking about the things him and Alicia talked about the previous night, but I was going over my plan again in my head.  If he wasn’t babysitting me today, I’d simply put a fake number on the applications and put an end to this charade early.  But knowing him, he’d want to look over every detail just to be sure that I’d dotted every “I” and crossed every “T”.  Something like a wrong number would definitely be too obvious. 

             
I watched the cars passing by us, which wasn’t a surprise; dad
always
drives five miles under the speed limit.  When I sighed, he turned to look my way and I knew he was getting ready to take a go at holding a conversation. 

             
“Got any places in mind that you think you might wanna check out first?”  He asked.

             
“Nope,” I yawned, still watching the cars pass as we continued down the street at a crawl.

             
A few seconds went by and he took another stab at it.  “What about the mall?  There has to be somebody hiring there.”

             
I nodded.  From the corner of my eye, I could see that every so often he took his eyes off the road to glance over in my direction.  Counting telephone poles helped me ignore him.

             
He sighed and slid his hands down the steering wheel a few inches.  “Solei, Alicia and I aren’t trying to be hard on you.  We just want what’s best for you.”

             
I laughed a little to myself.

             
“What’s that mean?”  He asked.             

             
“Nothing, Dad.  It means nothing.”

             
He did his best to wait patiently for me to elaborate, but he doesn’t do as well as I do when it comes to holding in feelings.  “Was that your way of disagreeing?  You don’t think we have your best interest at heart?”

             
“Maybe
you
do, but Alicia?  Not so much.”

             
“Why do you say that?  She always looks out for you.  She makes sure your needs are met; she feeds you, she sends you to the salon a couple times a month.  I don’t see what your issue is with her all of a sudden.”  His rationale might have convinced me if I hadn’t heard the argument between them.