Dangerous

Chapter 1.  Run, Danni, Run
       
            The sun was shining brightly as it broke over the distant mountains in the dark blue sky. Dawn came around five thirty this morning and even the light breeze was no help calming its burning effect on the cars that drove down the highway towards the east. The wind slight as it was played with the tall grasses of the meadow on each half of the road, it was the briefest of entertainment but soon even that grew tiresome.
          The morning drifted lazily towards the afternoon and almost all the traffic disappeared as the cars turned off to their place of work, all but one. A dull, blue, 1993 minivan, The sun seemed to glare down on the siblings that occupied the van, making the paint job glow like new while also blinding them in the process. "Your van is a piece of shit, i mean was traveling in the middle of summer and you don’t think to get the A.C fixed."
                  "Don’t talk about my baby like that Danni."         
                  "I won’t be talking much when the heat kills me."         
                "Way to think positive."
                  "Way to think positive."  The girl named Danni, obliviously younger mocked her brother.
                  "Your mean you know that." He pouted slightly and she rolled her eyes
                "Andy, sometimes your ridicules." She leaned forward and turned up the music so classic rock thumped against the speakers
                She leaned back in her seat and shifted so she could stare out the window as her brother started to sing along with 'Benny and the jets" very loudly and very off key.  When Danni turned to yell at him the shut up she glimpsed herself. Green eyes stared back at her from a small mirror embedded in the sun visor. Danni was not an ugly girl, but she was very plain looking especially compared to her Older ridicules handsome brother. She reached up and so did her reflection and at the same moment they brushed a lock of dark brown hair behind her ears, the gold crosses that dangled on chains chimed as her fingers dusted against it.
                She sighed deeply as she noted the difference between her and Andy. Even though they had the same mother and same father, they could not be more different in every way; he was tall with his sandy blonde hair, blue eyes and a wide breath taking smile. Danni was short, dark brown hair, green dull eyes, and a tight lipped smile. While Andy was calm, she was short tempered, while he was happy, she was detached, he was friendly she was cold. They were very different, but were very close.                                                                               
                Danni let her thoughts drifted to a very dark place in the recent events of her life, she even ignored her brothers constant poking until a sharp pain exploded in the fleshy part of her upper arm. She gasped and looked at him, but when she turned her head he was staring out the front window innocently. "What the hell?" She yelled and he still kept his gaze out the window and he was suppose to be five years older.
                "What?"
                "What the hell was that for?"
                "What the hell was what for?"
                "Why did you slap me asshole."
                "What your mouth."
                "Don’t tell me to watch my mouth prick you just slapped me." She glared at him, her green eyes rolling like thunder against the dark circles under them, while she rubbed her arm.
                "Prove it bitch."
                "The proof is the ugly red hand print on my arm." She lifted her arm and pulled back the sleeve and sure enough it revealed an angry red hand print the same size of his hand.
                "Awe, do you want me to kiss it and make it better."
                "Oh shut up." She hissed at him.
                "I'll kiss it, to make it feel better like I use to."
                "Oh my god, ew, don’t ever mention that again." She groaned and sunk lower into her seat.
                "oh, come on Danni, i miss those day. Tucking you into bed, giving you piggy back rides, kissing your boo boos."
                "Ok ok, just stop." Danni put her fingers into her ears, even though she would never admit it in this lifetime or the next she did miss those days too. "Whose suppose to be older?"
                  "I am."
                  "You don’t act like it."
                "That’s because 'I don’t want to grow up i want to be a.'"
                "Don’t say it, "She pointed at him threateningly as he let a sly smile spread across his face. "I am warning you." She poked him hard in the shoulder, when he remained quiet she sat back and relax and then he coughed the ending. "Gahh, Andy!" She screamed, sat up straight and slapped his shoulder so hard her hand throbbed in pain. "I hate you." She muttered, pulled her legs up, resting her shins on the dashboard and crossed her arms in annoyance.
                While Danni seethed in silence, the van passed a lone brick house, with a fenced in lush green field that a few cows fed themselves in.  The picture was completed as they drove over an old cobble stone bridge.  The scene reminded her painfully of her old home with her father and brother.  Her home sickness made her wonder if her brother had felt anything, but his happy face masked everything he might have felt about leaving their home.
                Andy broke the silence when he said.  "I can't wait to see little Jenny."  He glared at her when she scoffed at him and rolled her eyes.  "Danny." His face became stone; Now Danni could see the resemblance between them.
                 "I'm sorry, I just don’t.. I don’t know... Didn’t you just see her like two months ago?" Danni stumbled through her words.
                "Well, she is our baby sister, We " He emphasized the word we. "Should have seen her more."
                "Well, We" She mocked his emphasize. "Will now be seeing her every waking hour of every single day." She crossed her arms over her chest.
                 "Stop it, right now."
                 "Stop what?"
                "This...” He waved a hand at her. "This attitude."
                "Well then you stop."
                "Stop what."         
              "Stop trying to fix our family." She yelled at him,  Fifteen years of repressed rage made her physically hurt but she couldn’t bring herself to blame Andy as she once had.
                 "I see." He made a sound and nodded his head. "Now we are getting to the root of the problem."  He tapped his chin.
        "Don’t do that, don't you dare."
        "Do what, Danni."
        "Just because you were an assistant professor of physiology doesn’t mean you can go all therapists on my ass." She pointed at her accusingly, facing him as she tucked her left leg under her body.  "That is not fair Andy and you know it."
        "Not my fault you didn’t go to college."
        "That's not even the point.” she rolled her eyes. Danni rested her head on the head rest and closed her eyes.
        "Gee Danni, if you are going to act like this I’ll kick you in the back with Ripley."
        "You wouldn’t stick me back there with your stinky dog."
        "Yeah, I would leave you on the side of the road."  His smile told her he would do it to. She glared at him and stuck her tongue out at him.
        "Come here boy." He clicked his tongue and The Massive head of The great Dane appeared beside's Danni squeezing his head through the two seats.  His hot breath filled the small space.
        "Ew, Andy."  She gagged and cupped her hand over her mouth.  "Andy I’m going to kill you."  She wound down the window and stuck her head out to avoid the dog's hot, raunchy breath washing over her face.  “I hate you sooo much."
        "I love you to baby sis."  She gave him a dirty look as he blew her a kiss.  “Hey move over so Ripley can get some fresh air."
        "Then wind down your window." She snapped at him.
        "He's not at my window, he’s at yours."
        "Go get daddy, Ripley go get him." Danni tried to push the dog towards her brother, but Ripley just looked at her like yeah right.  Giving up she slid from the window and let Ripley take her spot. “Enjoy the fresh air while it last." Danni muttered as she laid her head back against the seat
        she couldn’t stop her eyes from slowly sliding shut.
       
        Chapter two.  Dream a little dream
       
          A high pitch squeal let the Emerey family know that someone was calling their house.  Danni was out of her room with the first ring, down the stairs with the second. "I got it, I got It.!" She screamed at her brother and father.  Andy ran down the steps behind her reaching the catch her arm.
                 "No you don’t Danni."
                 "Uh huh."
                 "It's for me."
                 "Is it Marsha?" Danni laughed as Andy clipped her upside the head lightly.
                 "Shut up brat."
                 Danni stood in the doorway trying to wiggle out of his grip when her father picked up the phone. They both stopped to listen to his conversation, but when he started to cry Andy laid a hand on his sisters shoulder and guided her away.  At first Danni wouldn’t move but she let him lead her up the steps into his room.
                 "Andy." She whimpered, her father’s expression burned into her memory.
                 "Shhh Its ok." He bent over and picked her up, setting her onto his bed he knelt down in front of her. 
                "What’s wrong with daddy, why is daddy crying? Andy why is he crying."  She screamed as she clung to him while at the same time fighting against his embrace.
                "Dads ok, He's going to be fine, Danni listen to me."         
                 "No, no."
                 "Dad's fine, its Aunt Liza." The name of her favorite aunt made her freeze.
                 "What’s wrong with Aunt Liza." She mumbled into his Shoulder, His shirt was drench by her tears and Andy could have sworn  they burned his skin.
                 "She’s really really sick... Danni, she’s not going to make it."
                 "But she can’t... Die." the little girl swallowed the word.
                "They don’t know when, that’s why dad has to go away, dad has to go take care of her."
                "He's leaving."
                 "Only for a little while."
                 "He’s not coming back." Her grip tightened on his arms and nails bit into his flesh as he fought to hold onto her. "He's leaving."  She screamed at him.
                 "He will be back, I promise."
                "Whose going to take care of me, whose going to cook, and clean and.. and.. and."
                 "Danni shush." Andy put a hand over her mouth to quiet her.  "Everything will be ok, I’ll cook, and clean and take care of you while dad is gone."  He pulled her close and rocked her lightly until she fell asleep.

Chapter 3. Alone forever Alone.
         
         Danni sat straight up in the seat of the little blue minivan. She was breathing heavy and a thin coat of sweat glistened on her skin. When she looked around her the van was stopped and she figured that’s what made her wake up and Andy was sitting next to her. His nose was inches away from a map in his right hand and a town pamphlet in his left.  "Why did we stop?" She mumbled stifling a yawn with the back of her hand.          
         "I’m hungry."
         "Again?" It seem to become her automatic reply to his growing appetite, and she just shrugged when he shot her a dirty look.
         "Yes again."
         "Please tell me we are not eating here."
         "Nope."
         "Then did we run out of gas."
         "Nope." Danni was confused and showed it on her face.
         "But we are at a gas station."
         "I wanted to get a Map." He waved the map a bit enough to make the crinkle noise.  Danni sighed and looked around. The place looked decrypted, the food most likely tasted like wet newspaper, as well as being overpriced. She sighed and when she sat up she felt the need to go to pee but when she looked at the bathroom door her stomach flipped. the bathroom was  disease riddled that was use by both men and woman truckers who had to no choice but to use it on their way to go knows where.
         "Why are we still here?"
         “I can’t find the dinner on here so i wanted to asked."
         "Diner? What diner?"
         "I was going to tell you but you cut me off."
         "Well sorry." She rolled her eyes.
         "Last time I went to mom's, I got lost."
         "Of course." She snickered and he shot her another look.          
         "Are you going to let me finish." Andy snapped at her and she waved her hand for him to continue. "Anyway I passed by this nifty... Shut up... I went... Stop laughing at me."
         "No one says nifty anymore big brother."
         "I went it and ate in there and the food was really good, I want to go again." He told her quickly in one breath so she wouldn’t interrupt again.
         "Well go ask."
         "Already did" Danni went cold, as a long shiver snaked down her back it didn’t help that a low mournful creaking sound came from a old out of order sign above the gas pump. She breathed deeply trying to control the emotions rolling through her.
         "What?"
         "I went inside, while you were sleeping to ask them to help me figure out how to get the diner."          
         "So you left me. You left me in here by myself."
         "Ripley was here."
         "You just left me alone in a van in the middle Of Hick town U.S.A" She tried to keep her voice even but it broke.
         "Danni; don’t freak out, I was at the window. “Andy turned and pointed to a large window in the front it took up half the store. He then faced her placing a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm his sister. 
         "But"
         "Ripley was right here."
         "He likes strangers." Danni blew up and smacked his hand away. "Hell he loves strangers, he would have welcomed them. Are you insane, what's wrong with you!"
         "Did you take your meds?" He kept his voice even, of course she had hoped he was joking, she didnt take medication and never would.
         "Screw you!"
         "I can’t talk to you like this."  Danni could feel her eyes bug, He left her alone and she was over reacting? Of course she was he left her alone, here of all places.  Part of her knew she was going beyond what was necessary but when the flood gate cracked it busted open and her emotion came crashing around her.
         "Danni." He whispered to her, but she turned and crossed her arms over her chest facing the Gas station and ignoring him. It wasn’t just him leaving her in the van alone; it was him leaving her alone ten years ago, when he finally found her he promised to never leave her again.
         The diner was about an hour away and even then she refused to talk to him, she didn’t even look at him. Andy even pulled over to a shoulder of the road and apologized to her for leaving her. They both knew that her fear of being left alone came from a reasonable source but it got out of control most times and after a brief silence while they thought about it he said sorry again, Danni forgave him and even scolded him when he said he was still hungry.