Chapter 1
A familiar sound broke through the silence of a dream. They were at it again. Did it ever stop? A high-pitched wail was followed by and then intermingled with a booming bass. The down comforter was pressed hard against ears not wanting to hear. Muffled yet ever familiar sounds crept in and threatened to ruin the day. The sounds were more intense than yesterday, more demanding than the time before that. Words could not be heard. They weren’t necessary. They were absolutely unwanted. The tone and inflection were more than enough. A soft down pillow was placed over the comforter to bar the sounds even further to no avail. Sounds of a familiar song suddenly burst forth overriding the irritating sound.
“Thank God for the alarm clock,” Celeste said, grumpy and relieved, as she rolled out of bed, turning up the volume on her way to the shower.
The day had begun exactly like it had ended with Celeste’s parents arguing. All had been peaceful while her father had been away on a business trip. The house had been silent and still. There had been no yelling, no talking at all really. Celeste went to school, hung out with her friends and came home. Dinner was delivered at exactly 6 p.m. where it was eaten in silence with only the occasional question or comment from mother to daughter. Same thing every day. Boring, predictable, but quiet. Now this.
Celeste, looked at herself in the mirror. She looked tired. Average. Boring. She thought everything about her appearance was average. Medium brown hair, stick straight and just below her shoulders. Brown eyes, nothing unique there. Average face. Not ugly, but not beautiful either. She was thin, mainly because she didn’t eat much. Very little food was kept in the house. Dinner was always delivered from a list of restaurants, breakfast usually brought in by the housekeeper. Her teeth were perfectly straight thanks to the overpriced orthodontist. Turning sideways to look at her nose, Celeste remembered her mother stating she could get it fixed after High School. That was hurtful. There was nothing wrong with it that she could see except the tiny bump in the middle that could only be seen on very close inspection. Even her chest was average. B cup. Several girls in her class had already had plastic surgery because they didn’t want to be average. Celeste’s mother had undergone several breast enlargements. The last was an anniversary present from her father and it was insinuated by her mother that she could have one whenever she wanted.
With a shrug and a shake of her head, as if to get rid of memories that the image evoked, Celeste quickly showered and got dressed in her usual school uniform of blue jean shorts, T-shirt and flip flops. As an afterthought, she returned to the bathroom vanity to quickly apply mascara and lip-gloss. With one last glance in the mirror, Celeste took a deep breath, slung her backpack over her shoulder and headed out the door.
“Why do you have to go again?” Celeste heard her mother bemoan as she ran down the stairs.
“It’s business. It’s what I do. I work for a living,” she heard her father reply in an angry sarcastic tone.
“But you just got home last night. One week at home and two on the road is no life. We never see each other. When you are here you are locked in your office or on the golf course.”
“Someone has to pay the bills! If you didn’t spend all your time shopping maybe I wouldn’t have to work so hard.”
“So I’ll get a job and then you won’t have to travel all the time.”
“Yeah, that’ll be the day. You haven’t worked since High School. No wife of mine is going to work at the mall.”
“Um,” Celeste poked her head into the kitchen timidly, “I’m going to school.”
“Wait, I’ll take you,” Celeste’s mother said as she ran her fingers through her hair trying to straighten it up. She pulled her pink silk bathrobe tight at the waist. “I’ll just be a second. Let me get dressed.”
“No, that’s okay. I’ve got a ride.” Celeste looked over at her father who was staring at his laptop with a scowl on his face. “Maybe I can drive myself?”
“No,” he stated adamantly.
Celeste shook her head and grumbled, “Whatever,” as she turned and ran out the front door. 
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