"Life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living" -Marcus Tullius Cicero

The dream of becoming a great star is forgotten because of how life turning, horrifying, events happened. Leaving a depression in the family, leaving an empty void, that happened to punch a hole right into the boys chest. The boy that fell so hard when he found out about his mother passing. The boy who fell into a deep hole that went into oblivion, making sure that he will never come out of it. The boy, who lost an older sister, one who he looked up to.

The boy who still has his father, whom is tired of taking care of him. Who wants to send him to his grandmothers house for the beginning of senior year.

He was tired of it himself. He knew his father was struggling with the bills, He had no way of helping his father. But only to be sent away and have his grandmother take care of him...

"Son, Are you packed yet?" His father yelled up at him.

"Yeah dad, I'll be down in a second!" He called back. He groaned out loud at the thought of him moving away from his home. The one home that he grew up in before they passed away. He glanced at the wall where his family photo was, he saw how happy his older sister was, and how happy his father was. And how happy his twin sister was. He then crumpled the piece of paper he was drawing on and threw it in the nearest trash can in his room, and got up from his chair.

He grabbed his shoulder bag and his two duffel bags. He sighed as he took one last look of his room before he shut the door.

He was going to his grandmothers house to get rid of his rebel mood... to have his grandmother put him back into the person he was before the accident. When he lost his twin sister, it felt like his other half left him, it felt like his soul was ripped out and created a void in his heart. Making him feel like that he has no heart at all. He trudged down the stairs and saw his father waiting for him.

He sighed " Do I really have to go?" 

His father glanced up at him. "Yes son, it's for the best... I understand that you do not want to leave for your last year of high school, but you need to learn to let go and not be in whatever state you're in."

He sighed once more and nodded not needing to say another word. His father took one of his bags and opened the door to the house. He glanced around one last time and then shut the door behind him, and walked towards the car.

After getting all the bags in his father got in the drivers side of the car and he got in the passenger side. The drive to the airport was a 3 hour drive, long and boring with the radio in the background as the silence seeped in through the windows. Lights flying by from the cars that zoomed past us, the trees blowing in the wind and the wind also breathing through the car windows, making it less silent. 

Finally arriving at the airport, his father got out first to help his son. Popping the trunk to get his luggage out. His son slowly got out as he took in his surroundings, watching people hustling to get to their flights, parents, family in general, seeing their loved ones on a safe trip to where ever their destination led them. The airport of New York was huge, with many sites to see. He hasn't been on many airplanes in his life, his family wasn't one to travel out of state when everything was in New York. When all of the exciting things happen in New York.

He sighed out a breath of fresh air and turned towards his father who had put his luggage on the pavement of the curb.

"I'll miss you son. Promise you'll call me when you arrive to grandma finch's house." His father said as he clapped his hands  on his shoulders. His son sighed out and nodded not wanting to cry, because of his tough facade.

"I promise dad." He said as his father drew him in for a hug. Patting his back as he let go, he knew it wasn't the last time he was going to see him, but it still felt strange.

He shifted his shoulder bag on his shoulder and grabbed his two duffle bags, and marched up to the front entrance, but not without glancing back at his father who waved at him with a small smile on his face. A small one, that his son hasn't seen from him since he lost his mother. He hid his own smile before turning back to the door and continued his way through the airport, he passed all the security checks and baggage check, and he made his way to where his flight terminal is.

He took in his sights as he let his eyes wander around the many people lounging around in their cell phones waiting for their flight to arrive, which should be in about an hour.

You may be wondering why he was going to an airport when he probably could've drove to his grandmothers house, but his father didn't have the time to drive him, and he would drive himself... that's if he wasn't so nervous about driving alone a few thousand miles from home.

He sighed as he found an empty seat near the window to look out at the terminal of where airplanes sat ready to be boarded with passengers. To his right he saw a young girl, his age most likely, playing around on her phone listening to music with earbuds plugged in. And two his left, he saw a family of five two little kids a boy and a girl running around in circles giggling happily. The mother and father and two older kids just minding their own business, and the mother holding a baby cradling him in her arms, making cooing sounds at her so the baby wouldn't cry.

If only his family was like theirs... he envied them for what they had, so he decided to ignore everyone around him by plugging his one earbuds into his phone, blasting music. And throwing up his hood and tried to get some sleep in.

Moments later someone shook him awake from his nap, letting him know that they were about to board the airplane.

"Sir, we're about to board the airplane... I hope you don't mind me waking you?" The girl he was sitting next to earlier said.

"No.. your fine, thank you." He said as he wrapped his earbuds around his phone, picking up his carry on bag and waited with the rest of the people to board the airplane.

As people walked down the hallway to the plane entrance he felt the cool breeze coming through the cracks making him shiver a bit.  Making him wish to get out of the fall weather soon.

~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*

The plane soon landed in the state of Washington, of Seattle. He stretched his sore limbs as soon as he got off that damn plane, making him sit in an uncomfortable seat for hours on end. He got out his phone and started to dial his grandmothers number to let him know he has arrived if she didn't know already.

The phone rang a few times before she picked up.

"Carter! How are you my boy?" Grandmother said through the phone.

"I'm well, grandma, I just wanted to let you know that I just got off the plane." He said as he started to walk forward to the entrance of the airport.

"Oh that's great! I'll be there in a few moments dear. Just let me finish a few things around here and I'll be on my way to pick you up. I am so glad you're coming down." Grandma said. 

"Okay, there's no need to rush grandma, I have all day." Carter said.

She chuckled over the phone "Don't worry my boy it's only a few things to handle and I'll be there, it's only 45 minutes away."

"Ah. Okay." He said nodding not knowing what else to say.

"Well, I better let you go so that you can get your luggage dear. I'll be there soon so don't fret." Grandma said.

"Okay thanks grandma. I'll see you soon." He said. As he clicked off the phone he stared out the window for a long moment, seeing the afternoon sun glare through the windows. He sighed and continued towards the baggage claim, quickly before he misses his own luggage, or worse gets stolen.

He made it on time for his luggage to pass by him on the luggage pick up. He quickly grabbed them and he went towards seating area to wait for his grandmother.

~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*

An hour has passed and Grandma finch had finally came for him, waking him up from a nap.

"I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner." Grandma finch apologized as she stood over him.

"It's fine grandma, I had all day." He said waving her off as he stood up and stretched his sore limbs. From hours of sitting he was ready to get moving, only to find out that he'll be in the car for another hour. He sighed out as he settled himself in the passenger seat in the front of Grandma finch's car.

"You look so much like your father used to. When he was your age." Grandma started off, filling in the silence.

"Yeah, I get that a lot. And about my eyes too." He chuckled out.

"Yes, yes. It runs in the family. Your twin looked like your mother." She said gently.

He stilled in his seat at the mention of his twin. His other half. "She was beautiful."

"I understand you don't like talking about her, but talking about her in a good way is keeping her memory alive. Carla would've probably made sure that she was remembered for the rest of her life Carter." Grandma said.

Carter nodded and started out the window not saying anything. What could he say? It's been five years since the accident. The dreadful night to find them captive by a robber, to watch them be killed right before his eyes. He shut his eyes tightly, not wanting to start crying, because that's not who he was. After the accident he strayed away from his friends, who had left him alone and left him in his dark corner alone.

The silence filled the car, out of the corner of his eyes he saw his Grandma purse her lips together as if she was in deep thought. Or disappointed in him for not saying anything. He couldn't tell what she felt. He shook the feeling off like it was nothing and laid his head against the window. Watching the trees fly by.

It's all Washington was surrounded in. Forest that would go out for miles. A never ending maze that you could easily get lost in without service. Without help until the nearest town.

The trees then thinned out and as we passed I saw an old wooden sign that hung from two posts, making it sway a little from the wind. The sign with yellow letters that have peeled off from the years, but yet you could still tell what it said.

'Welcome to Union Valley'
Population: 450

A small town where everyone has to know each other. A small town where everyone knows each other's secrets. A small town where a boy felt like an outsider to the secrets that he is determined to find out. A small town where it is meant to stay and be hidden forever.

A small town, that is one messed up town.

And he was stuck inside it.

Thoughts?! Leave them here for the first chapter of this book!

A/N

Hello! This is my first time writing in third person, and in a males POV. So please bare with me while everything will take so long to update! I hope you enjoyed this new story, and I know I still have other books to finish, but I just wanted to get this book out of my head, because if I didn't get these words on paper, I would've thought that they'd disappear from me and someone else might take the idea... But anyways, you won't be seeing many of these, I'm just writing an Authors note for the first chapter to tell you why I began this book. And a good thing too is that this chapter is a long one!

I hope you all enjoyed because it was interesting trying to think this out.

Also please don't forget to read my other books as well! thank you and have a nice day!

-Hannah