Thursday, March 20, 2008

Story Part 1 {Meet Amber}

Ok, so recently I have been inclinded to write {ever since I took those pirate quizes}, and so I'm going to write a little story or whatever every week. *Silence* Yes, I'm serious! *Silence, skeptical looks* Stop! Ok, fine, I'm going to promise you. And I'm going to promise you in AWESOME scrolly letters. Cuz I got skillz....called html. :)


Haha! Wee! Ok, I promise to blog at least once a week if not hindered otherwise. :)


Here we go...

Amber sat in the backseat of a blue minivan. Her brown eyes surveyed the passing landscape. The trees here were tall, the grass was green, and the sky was a bright blue. She sighed and leaned against the window, her hand fiddling in her dark red locks. It seemed like whole world was bright and happy while she was angry and sad. The driver, a tall young woman, glanced into the mirror.

"You ok?" she asked. Amber nodded, not saying anything. She looked at her reflection in the glass. "You know," continued the woman, "It's only for a year. Next year, once I get a real house, we can live together and be a family again."

"Not all of us," Amber replied, her voice soft. Her mother heard.
"Amber, stop bringing up your father. It's a good thing he's behind bars! The world is safer this way."

"Mom, how can you say that? He's always been there for me, especially when you weren't!" she retorted, anger rising in her.

"Amber, you know I can't always be there! I have a job that requires me to travel!"

"Then why don't you take me with you?" Amber exclaimed.

"You think I don't want to? Do you actually think I want to be seperated? I have to do what it takes to provide for this family. I have to do what your father never will!" Her mother's voice was raised to an alarming level.

"You keep saying this family. How can you call us a family when you won't even speak to, much less look at dad?"

"Amber, your father is dangerous! He's a criminal, and you know it! I'm not going to say I'm glad the police finally caught him, but you have to understand; it's better this way!" Amber was mad, but she chose to silently fume instead of renting out loud. The moments passed in silence. The scenery that had seemed so bright and cheerful before now seemed gray and dull. She closed her eyes. Her mother kept her eyes on the road, even though they were now leaking tears which she hastily wiped away.

A while later the car drove up to a large iron gate behind which was a large, old victorian mansion. The grassy plot surrounding it had many flower gardens and ponds. The house itself seemed to look like it had come from a movie or a book. The windows were large and there were many of them. The multiple doors were made of a dark wood garnished with brass knockers and doorknobs. The roof was pointed and had a perfect little dark purple chimney on top. It must have a hundred rooms, Amber thought. It seemed like several minutes before they arrived in the circular driveway around the entrance. The closer she got, the more it seemed like a castle, and soon upon her arrival she found out it was one that had been remodeled.

"Now remember," her mother started, "It's only for a year and your Aunt Cindy is being incredibley kind to do this for us. I grew up in this house, and I hope you'll grow to like it. I made a lot of memories there. This house has lots of land for you to run around on, not to mention there's a good high school conveniently located a few minutes away." Her mother turned around to look at her. "Please, Amber, try to make it work." Amber looked at her, her lips pressed together.

They got out of the car. The front door opened and a middle-aged lady with light hair and bright blue eyes rushed out. She was short yet kind of thin. She embraced Amber's mother, immediately talking to her and setting the plans. She turned to Amber.

"Oh my..." she exclaimed, as she looked over Amber's sharp features. "My, my, Amber, you've certainly grown up. The last time I saw you, you were only this high," she said, holding her hand at her waist. Amber gave a small smile, though she hardly felt like it. "Come in, come in," said Aunt Cindy, ushering them inside. Opening the wide doors, Amber found herself inside a large hallway with two sets of stairs leading off in two directions. The hall walls were covered in old tapestries and antique pictures. There were many side tables covered with rich cloth, and old vases sitting on top of them, even though most of the flowers had long since died.

Aunt Cindy led them into a furnished living room and served Amber's mother some coffee. They talked for a while and Amber only half-listened. She looked around the room, thinking about everything that had happened. Her dad had stolen, cheated, and gambled. But he was always at home whenever her mother was traveling for her journalist job. Amber was very close to her dad. They had many inside jokes and special moments. Amber mentally tried to remember every single one of those moments.

"Amber?" her Aunt called. She was showing her mother to the door. Her mother hugged her. Amber said nothing, choosing only to glare at her. "Stay safe, ok?" Amber nodded and watched her leave. As she drived off in her minivan, Amber turned and closed the door. She looked at her Aunt again. She was thin and frail, not old but not as young as her mother either. Her bright blue eyes held wisdom and mirth, tinged with a flash of pain. As soon as she saw that flash, it disappeared and her eyes were happy again.

"Do you want to see your room?" she asked. Her voice was soft yet strong. Amber nodded. She followed her up a flight of stairs and through a labrynth of passages and halls. She looked at the many portraits and pictures on the walls, guessing the eyes staring down at her were from long-dead relatives. They finally arrived at a white door with a simple door knob at the end of a hall.
"This is it," said her Aunt Cindy, "Your mom's room." And before Amber could say anything, her Aunt was moving down the hallway, leaving her alone in front of the door.

She looked at it with a strange face, her eyebrows coming close together. "My mom's room?" she repeated as she opened the door and stepped inside. The room was large, she could tell, but she had trouble seeing in the dark. She groped for a light switch. Once her fingers found the switch, she flipped it on and stepped back. The room was much larger than she had first thought. The walls were a rich red color. The bed in the center of the room was very big and covered in a silk canopy. Side tables draped in red cloth held beaded lamps. A decorative rug on the floor covered the tan carpet. Bookcases lined one wall and the other was covered with still more tapestries.

"Wow," she said, taking another step back and dropping her bag on the floor. She aproached the white dresser with gold embellishing then sighed and walked over to the bed. She turned and looked at herself in the mirror. She was wearing jeans and a t-shirt with a purple jacket. She felt out of place in this old victorian mansion. She felt out of place everywhere. Her whole life seemed out of place. Then she burried her head into the pillow and cried.

Part 2 coming soon!