I.
My father died when I was 17. My biological mother was out of the picture, and the will stipulated that my legal guardian would be Vanessa, a friend of the family's living in a small town about twenty miles away from ours. I hardly knew her. My parents, actually, had few really close friends, and I had only seen Vanessa a few times in my lifeβand not recently at that. My plan was to bide my time and be as little trouble to her as possible until I turned eighteen and started college. I wasn't thrilled about moving away from my friends and imposing on a forty-five year-old woman I barely knew. I had probably missed the wrestling try-outs at my new school, so I would not even have that outlet to work off my grief and excess physical energy.
Vanessa seemed pleasant enough, from my vague recollection of her. I knew she had been a sorority sister of my mom's. She was the type who wore a lot of make-up and had a bit too much to drink at my parents' parties. When I was a little kid I hated it when my mom's friends would leave lipstick traces on my cheek. I would run to bathroom to wash them off as they laughed at me. I half remembered that Vanessa had been the ringleader in this harmless fun.