on the safe side, part 1

January 10, 2084 - Ryanne Phoenix is 13, Summer is 19, Hayden is 34, Piper Wilson is 29.

Soundtrack: "Because of You," by Kelly Clarkson.

It's boring being grounded. It's the middle of winter, but there's no deep snow on the ground, not that she'd be so childish to go sledding, or skating with her sister the way they used to, the way they'd find some frozen puddle in the field, no matter how small, and get their skates out. Most of the time, the thin ice just cracked under their weight, breaking through to one inch of water and soggy winter grass. It was fun for a minute. Back when they still lived in Bluewater, back when their mom was still alive.

But otherwise, there's nothing to do here in the winter, and Ryanne was bored. So she stopped at the CVS on the way home from the bus stop and she did this. It turned out mostly pink, and a little bit green too. It wasn't a statement. It wasn't a rebellion, or revenge, or hatred for anyone. It was just something to do.

profile: Summer

Summer Phoenix

Summer was a surprise baby for her parents, who were barely sixteen years-old when she was born. So that her parents could finish high school, Summer was mostly raised by her grandmother, Sophie. Her grandmother provided her a stable home and relatively normal childhood. Summer grew up knowing that Hayden and Rhianna were her parents, though in relation to each other, they acted more like siblings.

When Summer was nine, her parents married and made a home of their own, along with her new baby sister, Ryanne. Rhianna established a toy store, and named it after her, Summer's Place. In her early teen years, Summer also started a young romance with her childhood friend, Tyler.

For that short time, which Summer remembers as their glory years, the young family did fine on their own. Until tragedy struck. When Summer was fifteen, her mother was killed in a car crash that sent her father spiraling into a deep depression. The girls were taken in by their grandmother once again, as they all tried to struggle through the chaos to put their lives back together and find their way forward.