Farther Along{open}

Charity drags her feet through the snow. Her blanket wrapped around her like a cape does little to keep her warm. In one hand she's carrying a small cardboard box while her other hand holds the blanket around her. The cold wind chills her to the bone. She stops in front of a house. It's an old house almost ruined. The house reminds her of home. She goes inside and realizes it's her old house where she last saw her parents. She sits down at the table. All the dishes have are covered with dust. She lays the cardboard box on the table and walks through the house. She walks to her parents room. She misses her parents. It's been five years since her mom died. Her dad always told her it would be better farther along. She started to understand what he meant, but it didn't seem possible. Her dad died two years ago. She started losing hope in life. Tears start to form in her eyes. She has no idea where her brothers and sisters are. She has no idea if they are even alive anymore. A single tear falls down her face. "I miss you." She whispers very quietly. She walks to her old room. The bed is left messy just how she left it. She sits down on the bed. She stares out the window. The wind whistles through the house causing her to shiver. She wraps the blanket around her completely. She lays in bed thinking about her family. She has nothing left to hold onto. She feels hopeless like her life is drifting away. She looks out the window at the sun reflecting against the snow. She rolls over and sighs. She's not wanting to enjoy the snow. She wants to find a way to stay warm. She climbs out of bed and heads to the living room. It seems strange for the fire not to be going. She sees the front door still open and walks over and shuts it. Her dad's coat hangs right beside the front door. He always hung it there so he could grab it on his way out. It's covered in dust, but that isn't a surprise after how long it's been left hanging. She grabs the coat and wraps it around her. A smile grows on her face. Charity sits at the table looking inside the cardboard box. She has no idea what she's going to do with it except hold onto it like it's her last hope. "Maybe I can find hope here." She mutters to herself. She looks around at the old pictures. She finds one picture before the twins are born. Her mom's stomach is huge as the twins are close to being born. Her dad is standing there smiling with his hand on her mom's shoulder. Charity is standing in the front with Lavender on one side, and Peter on the other. They all seem so happy. She takes that picture, wipes the dust off, and places it in the cardboard box. She finds another picture of her family after her mom's death. Her father stands there with a smile on his face, yet his eyes explain everything. His eyes show the pain he's really in. The twins are smiling in return Charity smiles. She wipes the dust off the picture and places it in the cardboard box as well. She covers herself back up with the blanket, grabs the cardboard box, and heads back into the snow. She drags her feet in the snow with the blanket dragging behind her. She slowly walks back to her new home with Zander and his family. As she's dragging her feet, she trips and falls face first into the snow. The cardboard box flies out of her hands, and the pictures land in the snow. She starts to her feet when she sees someone standing close to her.