Disclaimer: I do not own the characters , settings, or events of Animal Kingdom. They all belong to their creator.

Warning: This story contains themes of violence and incest. If that stuff isn't your cup of tea, then I suggest not reading. (Also, then why are you watching Animal Kingdom? haha jk)

She pedaled down the alley full speed. She hardly felt the sun beaming on her back or the window blowing through her hair. She could only focus on her burning knuckles. Her mind kept replaying the event on a loop the longer she pedaled. Would anyone have blamed her? They would've done the same in her position. Josie knew Adam could be sleazy, but she never considered him a liar. She'd gone over to his house to write a new song. She hadn't expect to come face-to-face with another girl. Slim and pale, Josie remembered the girl's defiant, annoyed face when she entered. Josie didn't know what happened next. She only remembered slamming her fist into Adam's jaw. She could hear his groan like an on going siren; she saw him clutching it even as she'd left him. Josie didn't know where else to go. She can't go back to work or to class. She wiped the tears stinging her eyes, and tried forgetting the entire thing.

Josie felt stupid. She'd felt so connected to Adam. He'd been funny and bright. She loved going to his shows and singing with him. They'd sit in his bedroom, strumming their guitars to their favorite songs. Those little moments with him made her forget what awaited her at home. She saw him being part of her future with Mom and J. Now, she'd be alone like always. She choked back a sob as she turned onto her street.

Passing old apartment buildings and dumpsters, she spotted her brother on the stairs. Joshua sat on the bottom step, wearing his old hoodie and worn out jeans. She noticed a black garbage bag sitting at his side. Looking over his brown curls and solemn eyes, she sensed it'd finally happened. He wasn't sad. He wasn't crying. Yet, there was something about him that told her he wasn't there. He was elsewhere, pondering on things that have happened. However, there was something different about this and it toiled in her stomach. All the sadness in her suddenly ceased when she stopped in front of him. Her burning hand, Adam's groan, and the other girl didn't mean anything. She stopped her bike a few feet from him, walking over to him with a backpack over her shoulder.

"J?" she called him. "What's wrong?" She sat beside him on the step. When he didn't answer, she asked again, "What happened? Is it mom? Is she okay?" Josie has a feeling she already knew the answer.

"She's dead," he said quietly.

Josie didn't speak for a second. For a moment, she wasn't sure whether she heard right or not. Josie always saw it coming. It'd only been a matter of time before her mother's addiction overwhelmed her. She tried feeling sad. She tried pitying the woman who'd given birth to her. Yet, nothing came. She looked over her brother, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. He rested his head on her shoulder. "Overdose?" she asked.

"Yeah," he whispered. "I was next to her, Jo. I was right there. We were watching TV and then I look over and she's not moving. She wasn't responding. I called the EMTs and they told me she'd died."

"J," she said. She patted his knee and squeezed it gently, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, J. I should've been here. You shouldn't have had to go through that alone."

He didn't say anything. He merely held her and rubbed her arm gently. "You fight with Adam?"

"I caught him in bed with some girl he met at a show," she said.

"Jo…" J sighed. He saw her red knuckles, "You hit him?"

"It just sorta happened," she explained. "That doesn't matter right now. Right now what matters is what we do now. I mean, my paycheck doesn't cover this apartment. Where we gonna go?"

"I took care of it."

"How?"

"Remember Grandma?" he turned to her, "Mom's mom?"

"Yeah," she nodded.

"I called her. Mom had her number somewhere in her room, so I called to see if she'd pick up." He sighed, "I didn't know who else to call. It's not like we have anyone else."

"I know," she said, rubbing his back. "I know. You did the right thing, J. It's just," she paused, "We haven't seen her since we were kids. Does she even remember us?"

"Of course I do," a woman's voice said.

Their grandmother looked quite young for her age. A slender blonde, Josie saw her age in the crows feet and laugh lines. She dressed in designer clothes with costly sunglasses covering her blue eyes. Josie stood up from the step, adjusting her bag on her shoulder. "Hey Grandma," she said.

"Hey baby," she said, coming down the steps and hugging her. A sweet-smelling perfume touched Josie's nose and it felt odd. Despite her pain, the world moved on without her. It'd pushed her from one incident into another without a second thought. Pulling away, her grandmother only smiled. "God, you're just as gorgeous as I expected," she said. Pushing a stray hair from Josie's face, she said, "Even your mother wasn't as pretty." She then noticed Josie's hand, "What happened here, honey?"

"Nothing to worry about," Josie said.

Her grandmother looked over her face a moment, but then said, "You and J are gonna be staying with me and your uncles. Why don't you wash up and pack your things? J and I will be in the car."

"Okay."

She went up the steps while J stayed with their grandmother. If Josie remembered correctly, people called her 'Smurf'. Why? She wasn't sure. Once she asked her mother, and never got a real answer. 'That's just what they call her, honey,' she'd said. Josie walked to her apartment and already found the door open.

The warm air felt stuffy when she entered. Josie guessed J turned off the air conditioning. She looked around and found J had picked up the coffee table and washed dishes. She couldn't take it. Everything was eerily the same. The row of shoes by the door, the ashtray full of cigarette butts, and even the needle and spoon still sat in their usual places. It'd was as if her mother simply left the house for a while. Moving towards her bedroom, her feet didn't even shuffle the carpet. Her mother's jacket still sat on the kitchen counter, and her keys hung from the hook. Josie picked up the black heels she found by the door and headed towards her mother's room instead. Going inside, nothing changed here either. She looked at the bed and nearly expected her mother to be there. Josie tried ignoring the long rubber tie and small stash tin on the dresser. She hated thinking this was how her mother ended. Anybody who hears about it will think her mother had been another trash junkie; not a loving mother of two children. She hated it.

Josie wiped herself off in the bathroom before stuffing her things into a trash bag like her brother. She shouldered her backpack, picking up her guitar case. She hadn't found the laptop, so she assumed J took it. Josie immediately began listing names in her head: she'd have to call their landlord, her boss, and J's school. She thought about Adam, who would've readily agreed to help her move. She could hear his voice over the phone, telling her he'd be over in a minute. The Adam she'd known would hold her close, let her cry and say nothing but sweet things. Instead, Josie simply closed the door behind her.

She walked to the large truck Smurf parked outside. Strapping into the backseat, she asked, "J, did you do your homework?"

"Yeah," he answered.

"Did you grab my laptop bag? I couldn't find it in my room."

"Got it right here," he picked it up between his legs and landed it to her.

"Thanks," she said.

Smurf began driving away. "You're still in school, Josie?"

"Uh yeah, college. J's still in high school," she answered.

"What are you studying?" she asked.

"Marine biology."

"Yeah, Jo really likes the ocean," J added. "She works at the aquarium by the beach."

"Really?" Smurf sounded impressed.

"It's more of a paid internship until I finish college," she said.

"What is it you do?"

"I work in the sea life section," she said. "It's basically a room with a big tank of fish living in their natural habitats. I give tours and tell people about the fish and the turtles and stuff."

Smurf smiled fondly, "I should've known. I remember when you were a little girl. You loved the ocean so much, we all thought you'd turn into a fish one day and swim away from us."

Josie laughed softly. She wished she could say she remembered too. She hardly recalled anything of her mother's family; she'd been so young. As they drove down the street, she tried adjusting to everything.

"I'm guessing the aquarium doesn't pay a whole lot?" Smurf asked, making a turn. "Especially if you were living in a little shithole like that."

"Well, I'm waiting until a full-time position opens up. Right now I'm an intern, so I don't get a full-time paycheck."

She'd planned on much better things for them when she got hired. They'd move out of the apartment and maybe get a nicer one or a house. Mom would have gone to a real rehab and gotten a job of her own. Josie could have added more money to J's college fund. The three of them would have been comfortable. Now, it'd be only her and J.

"And what about you, J?" Smurf asked him.

"Um, no. I don't have a job," he said awkwardly. "J-Jo doesn't want me working so I can focus on school."

"J's a really good student," Josie said. "He gets A's in everything. He even has a shot at a scholarship for a good university. I didn't want a job stressing him out when he should be studying."

"Who pays the bills then?"

"I do or well, did," Josie said. "We get by well enough."

Smurf looked at her in the rearview mirror as she drove. She grinned as if admiring her. "You have a good sister, J," she then said. "She takes good care of you."

"Yeah, she does I guess."

"How do you pay all of them?"

"Well, my job and the little side stuff I do," she said.

"Side stuff?"

"They pay her extra to fill in for the dolphin trainers," J answered, "And to work in the kids section."

"Wow," Smurf said. "Sounds like you have a lot on your plate, honey."

"It's nothing I'm not used to," she shrugged. "This is a nice truck, Smurf," Josie said, "Is it yours?"

"It was Pope's truck," she replied. "Your Uncle Andrew," she said to their questionable looks, "We got a few toys of our own at home, so you kids will never be bored. I'm also making cupcakes if you're both hungry."

"Thanks," Josie said.

They reached the house. Josie wasn't fully surprised by the luxurious house she lived in or the cars sitting outside. Her mother's family appeared to live well. It was odd that her mother never asked for their help. She thought of all the times a relative with money would've helped. They parked near the open garage and the three of them climbed out of the truck. J took her guitar case; she took the laptop and their trash bags. They followed Smurf into the house, where Josie could only eye the rest of their possessions. J walked close to her and caught her attention.

"Tommy came by before you came," he told her. "He was asking about his money. He said he would put Mom on the corner again if we didn't pay him."

"I don't think anyone is gonna want to fuck a dead woman," she replied. She noted the expensive mustang sitting in the garage before they entered the large house.

"What if he tries getting that money out of you?"

Josie shuddered at the thought. The image was washed out by the faint smell of smoke. The fire alarm blaring, Smurf stormed ahead of them into her kitchen, pulling burnt cupcakes out of the oven. Josie stopped by the kitchen and was reminded of the fancy kitchens they have on television. J nudged her to see the stack of hundreds on the counter. Who kept stacks of money sitting idly on a counter top? Then again, it must be only Smurf and her sons at home. Josie guessed there must be a thousand dollars or more there. She looked about the rest of the luxurious home. The odd feeling returned to her stomach.

"It's like we're orphan Annie coming to Daddy Warbuck's house," she joked.

J chuckled, "I think it's alright."

Josie led him behind Smurf to the backyard. Three men were hanging by the pool outside, none of them noticing Smurf approach them. One was brunet, another blond and the other was very noticeably large. Josie remembered them right away. Baz, the slim stocky brunet, climbed out of the pool as they approached him. Josie remembered him chasing her around on the beach once, but that was all. Deran and Craig pushed into each other, playfully smacking one another where they could. The blond, slim Deran used to let her ride his surfboard; Craig used to be the sea monster who'd hoist her into the air and "bite" her. Josie wished she remembered more.

'J must be having a harder time than me,' she imagined as they stopped near the trio. While Smurf scolded her sons on the negligence, Josie turned to her brother.

"I gotta go to work tomorrow morning," she said, "But if you want to stay home from school, that's okay. You can miss one day."

"Nah, it's cool," he said. "I'll go anyways."

"J…"

"It gives me something to do," he said. "Just like your job. I know that's why you're going."

"They asked me to do some overtime with the dolphins. It's the only reason I want to even go. Also, I'm going to need the phone tonight. There's some stuff I need to sort out with Bill about canceling our lease. I have to make some calls about our address change too. I'll see about getting us some phones of our own, kay?"

"You think we're gonna be here that long?" he asked her.

"But of course you are," Smurf interrupted with a smile. "Why wouldn't you?"

"Well," Josie said looking between her and J, "We wouldn't want to impose on you guys for too long."

J nodded in agreement, but Smurf dismissed them. "Oh you wouldn't be imposing, sweetheart." She hugged Josie again, "I wouldn't even dream about my babies going off on their own so quickly." She kissed their cheeks and turned to her sons. "Kids, you remember your uncles, right?"

Baz spoke first. "Sorry about your mom, guys."

"You look like Julia," Craig said to Josie. His hair was brown like his brother's, but hung down to his neck. With his goatee and muscles, he reminded her of a caveman almost. A very well kept caveman. "Doesn't she look like Julia?"

"Yeah, just blonder," Deran nodded, "And fitter than her. Julia was always a twig."

"Oh remember that time you two got really high and went at each other," Craig said to Smurf, "And she threw something at you? Uh what was it? It was...it was…"

"Coleslaw," Deran answered in a grin.

"Yeah coleslaw! She threw coleslaw at you and it got all over your face-"

"Guys…" Baz cut in between them. He looked to J and Josie and said, "Either of you want a beer or something? We got harder stuff, if you want, gin, whiskey, anything."

"I'll take a beer," Josie said, "J?"

"Nah, I'm good," he said. She understood his awkwardness. She couldn't help but feel the same.

Craig rifled in a nearby cooler and tossed her one. She caught it and popped it open. They noticed the red marks turning purple on her knuckles. "What happened there?" Craig asked. "You get into a fight or something?"

"Oh, it's nothing important," Josie said, putting her hand down and holding the beer in her other hand. "No big deal." She didn't really want to bring up Adam.

"Let me see," Smurf said, examining her hand, "Who was it?"

"Nobody important," she answered. "So, where are we staying?"

Smurf noticed the second subject change, but said nothing else. "You two can stay in Pope and Julia's rooms," she said. "Craig? Deran, show them to their rooms."

The two men nodded and they followed them. Deran led J towards a room adjacent to a small court area, and she followed Craig upstairs. "It's kinda fucked up she's making you sleep in here," Craig said as he opened a door on the right. "I don't know if I'd want to sleep in a dead woman's room."

"It's not like she died in here," she said as she walked in.

Her mother's old room wasn't as bare as she would've imagined. The walls were painted half aquamarine-half deep blue. She smiled softly seeing the little sea creatures painted along the border, as well as fish moving through the mural. "She painted this, right?" Josie asked, bending down to examine an animated crab clipping its claws on top of a rock.

"Yeah," he nodded, "Back when she used to paint and stuff."

"She talked about it one time," Josie said. "It's how I got into the ocean stuff."

Josie remembered it fondly. They watched ocean documentaries and read marine life stood up straight and put her bags on the bed. The rest of the room matched the nautical theme. It's as if her mother knew she'd sleep in here one day. She noticed Craig looking again.

"Um, thanks I got it from here," she said, catching his attention.

"Right," he nodded.

Baz and Deran then came in with a plasma television, brand new and untouched. "We got this one out of the shed," Baz said, "Deran found a second one for you."

"A second one?" she asked. "You guys just keep a stash of plasmas in your shed?" she joked.

He laughed, "Kind of. We just thought you might want one here. We can get you an attachment later."

"That's cool," she said, "Thanks."

"Also, if this room's too kiddie for you," Deran said, "We can repaint or whatever."

She shook her head, "No, no. It's perfect. I love it actually." She wouldn't paint over her mother's hard work.

"So, are you gonna tell us about that hand or do we have to guess?" Baz asked. They appeared more intrigued now than concerned.

"I hit my boyfriend when I caught him cheating," she admitted. "So, he's my ex-boyfriend now."

"Shit," Deran said, "And on the day your mom…you know…"

"Died? Yeah, it's been a fucked up day for me." She took another gulp of her beer and set it down. "And then I got all this shit to go through once I get the phone from my brother."

"That stuff can wait," Baz told her.

"Yeah, don't sweat that right now," Craig said.

She wished she could let it go, but if she didn't do it then who would?