AN: Sorry this was rushed I wanted to get the first chapter up before work!

I groaned as I picked another box up. "We ought to have a yard sale."

Darry raised his eyebrows. "I don't think anyone would want to buy this stuff."

"Darry, what is this?" I pointed to what looked like an old trunk.

Darry shrugged. "Got anything in it?"

I picked it up a little it was heavy. "Yeah"

Darry shrugged. "I don't know I don't have a key either."

I dragged that box up to my room. I had gotten the outline to a new tattoo on my upper back, believe me Darry wasn't happy. I looked around my room at the all the boxes. My family shipped everything here. All my furniture, clothes, books you named it they sent it. It was like they didn't want any part of me left; they even sent all my weights. To make room in the basement, which we put my old furniture and weights we had to go through the junk in the attic that wasn't needed.

Darry come in dropping the last box from the porch. "Maybe we ought to hold off for that yard sale. Just shove everything in the attic; no one wants a yard sale in November."

"December." I corrected. It was December first two days until my book came out.

"Jesus." Darry said under his breath. He rubbed his shoulder.

"Almost time to start decorating."

He rolled his eyes. "I don't know it's the first Christmas with out Mom and Dad."

I bit my lip. It was first Christmas with out my family too. "Well, we have to make it a special one then." I picked a box up.

"What are you going to do tattoo Merry Christmas to your forehead?"

"I was thinking more of my ass."

Darry's (P.O.V)

"I think that's the last of it." I closed the attic back up. Sunny emerged from his room dragging and old trunk.

"Aren't you a little bit curious to what's in here?" He asked wiping away a few beads of sweat.

"Probably forgotten bullets and guns, Dad used to hunt, when we were little he locked them up so we wouldn't blow our heads off."

Sunny winced. "Never saw the fun in hunting."

"We have a ton of keys in an old jar. Follow me." I decided not to argue with him about hunting.

Sunny dragged the old trunk in the kitchen. "Don't give me a hand or anything."

I dumped the entire jar or keys on the table. "What kind of lock is it?"

"Master." He mumbled. He already began to sort through the keys to figure out which ones would fit the lock and what brands to toss back in the jar.

We began attempting to unlock the lock but the keys didn't fit. Sunny picked up the trunk. "I'll get this opened some how."

"Yeah, well I gotta' get ready for work."

"You're working the night shift again?" Pony's voice came from behind.

I felt a jolt in my stomach. He looked defeated. I rubbed the top of his head. "I told you guys, night is more money, especially since there isn't many roofing jobs do to snow and cold weather."

I was almost done changing my shirt when Sunny walked in. "Figured I'd take the kid for Chinese. Want me to bring you some home."

I shook my head. I wasn't too big on Chinese food; in fact, I wasn't big on anything Sunny ate. He was a health nut and whole wheat junk and he rarely touched meat. Soda and I dreaded him making dinner. I don't think Pony really minded.

"Darry, you have to talk to him or something."

"You're work schedule and his school schedule conflict. You barely talk."

"Sunny, what do you want me to do, ain't like your any better, your either cooped up in your office or room writing, or out for something with your book." I ran my hand through my hair. It was way to long; I hated how fast it grew. I was about to give my self a buzz or maybe just shave it all off.

"Well he doesn't want me."

I laughed, they idea of my little brother actually wanting me or needing anything from me except the roof and food was slightly odd to think about. "I highly doubt that it's me. He's probably just mad about Soda going out every night. Besides I think he preferred coming home to a roof instead of a cardboard box."

"You act like you're going to go in the poor house any moment. You're oldest brother is a double trust feud baby, you haven't need Soda's paycheck since I got here, we're not exactly loaded, but hell we're okay."

"He knows I have to work. He's fourteen not four."

Sunny rolled his eyes like a little kid. "Yeah, do you not remember what it was like at fourteen, your face breaks out, arms and legs out grow each other, hair pops up in random places, and your heart, and head and hormones start arguing."

I stomped into my boot. "Sunny, he doesn't like girls yet, and incase you haven't noticed our girlfriends claim he's an absolutely beautiful child, he looks more and more like Soda everyday. Pony's fine."

"Does your hard headedness come from your mom's side or our fathers?"

I knocked on his head. "I believe Dad." I grabbed my keys. "Hey, Ponyboy, I'll see you later."

"What time you coming home?" He asked pulling his nose out of his book for once in his life.

"Probably around two. So don't wait up; you have school."

"Bye." He said turning back to his book.

Sunny's (P.O.V)

I threw down my tool; the garage was cold and I needed a break. I stepped inside the house thankful for the warmth. My hands felt like they were frozen. I turned the water on hot and washed them.

"Sunny?" I nearly jumped a mile up. I turned to find Soda with a face of someone who was caught red handed. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. I guess Pony's asleep."

"He might be its only" I looked at the clock above the stove. "Twelve thirty five." I was out in the garage longer than I realized. "You're late."

Soda starred down at his feet. "I shouldn't be punished; I would have gotten away with it."

I raised my eyebrow. "That's a lame excuse, what's the real one?"

"See, Evie wanted a real date not the Dingo or Jays, so we went down town to this little Italian place, and my date lived in farm country, our food came late and we'll yeah."

"I'll let it go, since I was distracted, and because I feel for Steve."

Soda grinned. "Thanks, I'm going to get a shower."

"I'll go make sure Pony's asleep." I pushed open the door of the bedroom that he shared with Soda. I smiled at the sight. Pony was sprawled out with his history book next to him fast asleep. He had a single lamp on. Poor kid still had his jeans and shoes on. This was going to be a chore. I went over to his bed, grabbed his History book, and put it in his backpack that was on the floor. Then I worked on his shoes. Here was the real task, his shirt. I sat him up softly.

"Abraham Lincoln signed the emancipation." He mumbled.

I laughed. "Yes, he did."

Pony squinted in the light. "What time is it?"

"Way past your bed time. Did you finish you're homework?"

"Yeah, Darry home?"

"No, but you need to get ready for bed."

He pushed me away so he could take off his jeans. I turned the lamp off so he could stop squinting. He struggled with his jeans for a moment but manage to kick them off. I tossed him a shirt from his closet. He put it on like a little kid dressing himself for the first time and couldn't find wear to put the head.

"Let's make this painless." I said. I helped; he put the shirt on backwards but I wasn't going to say anything.

He flopped back on the bed. I sighed I forgot the covers. I got him the undercovers.

"Sunny?" He called as I pulled the covers up to his chin. "Tell Darry, I finished my homework."

This was clearly the sleep talking. "Alright, I will."

"Love you." He barely mumbled.

"Right back at you."

Darry's (P.O.V)

I hated the lumbar yard job I had. It was one for the winter only. We cut fire wood; I think it hurt my muscles more than the roofs. I signed when I saw the light on in the garage. Who ever left it on was going to be in serious trouble. I stomped into the garage to find, Sunny with that old trunk.

"What are you doing?" I asked beginning to wonder if his brain had frozen.

Sunny nearly jumped out of skin. "I almost got it, see the lock is unbreakable, since we don't have the key and all the old tricks didn't work, I took the hinges off. One last screw."

He unscrewed it and ripped the lid of the box until it was hanging by only the lock. "It's letters."

"Letters?" I questioned, now I was interested. "Let's take it into the living room."

Sure enough, the entire box was full of letters and shoeboxes filled with pictures.

I pulled a hand full of pictures and began sorting through them.

"That's weird." Sunny said suddenly.

"These letters here have no return address but it's to the same to houses." He handed me the stack of envelopes. "But these letters are addressed to our house and they are from those to houses."

I looked at the addresses it was from Florida. "I don't know anybody in Florida. Do you?"

"Yeah, my Grandparents live there."

I looked at the dates on the back of the pictures. "Sunny, this is you and Dad; I couldn't have been born yet." He scooted next to me.

"Who is this woman?" He asked me.

"I think those letters might tell us."