The Glitter Effect
Chapter One
I can't remember when it was good
Moments of happiness elude
Maybe I just misunderstood
Muse- Falling Away With You
The sky was a swirl of brilliant pinks and oranges, streaking together like an oil painting. The morning birds had began to call to each other, signaling the dawn, and a lone runner made her way steadily down the footpath. Aria Montgomery sat silently on the porch swing, a plaid blanket draped loosely around her shoulders, watching the world around her slowly wake up. The cup of coffee in her hands was still full and its contents were now as cold as the morning air. She wasn't sure why she had made the coffee to begin with. She had been unable to sleep all night and the thought of starting at a new school weighed so heavily on her mind, that she was unable to realise how tired she actually was.
She had been reluctant to move to Iceland over a year ago, and she had caused such a fuss that father was willing to leave her behind. It never ceased to amaze her how much her father was willing to do anything to suit his own agenda. Arias mother on the other hand, had flat out refused to move anywhere without her daughter. The whole situation caused a lot of tension in the family, particularly between her and her brother. Because it was her fault that he had to leave behind his circle of friends, and it was her fault he had to miss the final game of lacrosse, where a scout from the University of Philadelphia was set to watch Mike play. Mike didn't care what had happened to Aria that year, which had caused his whole family to uproot and move to Iceland. As far as Mike was concerned, it was all her fault and he had never forgiven Aria.
Aria pushed the thought from her mind. She didn't want to bring up old memories, especially ones she had been struggling to bury for the past year. Above her, Aria could her the sound of the shower starting and knew her parents where awake. She threw the contents of her mug into the bush and walked back inside.
"Good morning sweetheart." Her mother said over her shoulder as she busied herself at the stove.
Aria didn't reply as she sat placed the empty mug in the sink and then sat her self down at the table. She looked around the house and sighed. It was a lot smaller than the one they had in Iceland, and a lot older. With only three bedrooms and only one open living area, it was hard to avoid your family when there was nowhere to hide. Rosewood's population was booming, according to her father, and the choices for houses were limited. Something else Mike liked to blame on Aria.
Ella walked over to Aria then and placed two pills in front of Aria along with a cup of water. Aria screwed her face up and pushed them away.
"Aria." Her mother sighed. "You know you have to take these. It's Doctor Mercer's condition for you returning to school."
"They make me nauseous." Aria said in a small voice.
Ella's face softened and she sat down across from her daughter. "I know this last year has been hard on you."
Aria scoffed then. Her mother would have no clue what the last year had been like for Aria. Her parents had relied on a physiatrist and drugs to handle Aria's problems from the moment they had arrived in Reykjavik. While her parents where at social functions and Art galleries, Aria was fighting through panic attacks and trying not to relapse into old habits. Her father had been particularly distant, but that was more of a blessing than anything. After a while Aria fell into a routine and had actually made friends with some of the local teenagers. Mike was also doing well; joining a basketball and football team, and he had also found himself a girlfriend.
But just as things where looking up, Byron was offered a job at Hollis University, one he couldn't refuse, and the whole family was uprooted once more and moved to Rosewood, PA. Something else Mike got to blame on Aria.
"This is a chance to start over, and heaven knows we all need it." Ella said softly.
Aria looked away from her mother then, she could not handle the accusatory tone in her voice. She knew her mother would never say out loud that she blamed Aria for what had happened, but Aria knew that along with the rest of the family, Ella did blamed Aria as well.
Aria swept the pills off the table and into her mouth, washing them down with the water. Ella smiled, patting Aria on back and walking back to the stove. "Are you hungry? I was going to make some French toast." Arias stomach flipped at the mention of food and she politely declined her mother.
The wooden staircase groaned and protested as Mike hurried down them, his lacrosse stick sticking out of his backpack. He strode to the kitchen bench, pulling an apple out of the basket and turned to leave.
"Mike." Ella called before he could leave. "Do you want me to make you some breakfast?"
"I've got lacrosse tryouts this morning. I don't want to be late." He turned to leave again, but was once more called back by Ella.
"Why don't you let Aria drive you? It will save you time?"
Mike shot an unreadable look at Aria. "I'd rather walk." And then he was out of the house before Ella could protest. Aria looked to her mother for some kind of reassurance that Mike would forgive her sooner or later and they could go back to normal. But the thought angered Aria. She had nothing to be sorry; she was the victim in all of this. She had tried to explain it to Mike so many times, but her father had used her as a scapegoat and no manner of explanation would help Mike to understand.
Her mother turned back to the stove, effectively closing down any conversation about Mike or otherwise.
An upstairs door slammed and Aria watched as her mother's demeanor completely changed. Her movements became fast and erratic, and she did a few double takes as if she forgot her purpose. Aria felt a pang of guilt as she watched her mother sweep a bottle of vodka of the kitchen counter and placed in the cupboard under the sink. Ella looked over her shoulder at Aria with a pleading look in her eye. Aria dropped her eyes and tried to busy herself with her hands.
Byron walked into the kitchen with his briefcase in one hand and a newspaper in the other. Aria fought the wave of nausea as the smell of his after-shave drifted over her. He hadn't worn it since he worked at his old job in Philly, and the smell was starting to bring back memories for Aria.
"Any coffee?" Byron asked.
A look of horror washed over Ella's face. "I didn't think you would be ready yet, I was just getting breakfast for the kids sorted first-"
Byron sighed, and then turned to look at Aria as if he had forgotten she was still part of the family. She involuntarily shrunk back and looked away, no longer able to look her own father in the eyes.
Byron glanced at his watch. "You have five minutes to get ready Aria while I wait for some coffee to brew. If you're not ready by then, you can walk to school." He turned back to Ella, silently signaling her to start a pot of coffee and seated himself at the table to read his newspaper.
Aria tried to hide to confusion on her face, and gathering up as much courage as she could, she cleared her throat to get her fathers attention. "Can I just drive myself to school?" She had tried to sound confident, but her voice broke.
Without even looking up from his paper Byron replied to his daughter, as if it was the stupidest question in the world. "One must have the trust of ones parents before they are allowed the privilege of driving a car." He finally looked up then. "And you Aria, do not have the trust of your mother or myself."
He returned to his paper, ending the conversation. Aria fought to keep herself from crying, but she could feel the pressure building behind her eyes. "Ill walk." She told her father as she quickly stood and left the kitchen before he would see her cry.
Her room was in the back corner of the house. A large Sugar Maple was planted outside of her window and blocked her room from the outside view. This time of year the leaves were a burnt orange colour and it reflected an eerie hue onto her walls of an afternoon. She missed the cool blue walls from her old room in Iceland. She missed everything about Iceland.
Once she heard her father's car leave the driveway, Aria allowed herself to relax, but the earlier interaction with Byron still lurked in the back of her mind. She had thought that after such a long time that the events that unfolded a year ago would have faded, but it was apparent to Aria that neither her father nor Mike where going to forgive and forget so easily. Her mother was a different story; Ella wanted to forgive Aria so badly but she was too scared to go against her husband. Ella's inner torment had turned into a drinking problem, one that she hid well from Byron. Aria lost count of the times she had to drag her mother to bed and hide the vodka before Byron or Mike returned home. A migraine was Arias go to excuse when Byron asked why Ella was in bed at ten in the morning.
Nausea gripped Arias stomach as she forced herself to pick an outfit for the day. She would have preferred to complete her senior year in Iceland with her friends and teachers she was familiar with. But life wasn't fair. She felt sadness wash over her as she pulled out an electric blue sweater covered in gold embroidered horseshoes. It was her favourite sweater and her good luck charm, but most importantly, it would also hide her scars.
She dressed quickly, not wanting to look at her body any longer than she had to, and pulled her hair into a loose pony tail and then grabbed her bag from her desk. Her mother was already seated on the couch, a bottle of vodka sitting on the coffee table and the television turned right up. Aria bypassed her mother quickly and left the house, closing the door quietly behind her. Her stomach flipped again, reminding Aria that she had taken her medication on an empty stomach.
The Café was bustling with activity when Aria stepped inside. She had first noticed the small shop when her family had driven into Rosewood for the first time. Luckily for Aria it was only a block away from her new high school. She joined the queue and placed her order, then pulled out a book while she waited. She was only able to read three words before she felt someone bump into her, knocking the book from her hands.
"I am so sorry." A deep voice said.
She blanched, forgetting her intentions to scold whoever had bumped into her. A young man stood in front of her. He wore a navy jacket over his pristine white shirt and a black bag was slung over his shoulder. His dark hair sat in a messy heap on his head, as if he had run his hands through it multiple times that morning. He eyes where blue that complimented his jacket nicely.
"I am such an Idiot, I wasn't looking where I was going." He explained as he bent down to pick up the book he had knocked from her hands. "I was in a bit of a rush."
Laugh lines spread out from the corner of each eye, but that certainly did not reflect his age. He could not have been any older than twenty-three which meant the pronounced lines where due to excessive smiling. Aria felt her stomach roll as she examined his face and tried to imagine what it would be like to be filled with such happiness, that it reflected through her eyes.
"Sorry." He offered warmly as he held her book out to her.
Her mouth opened to form a reply, but she was lost for words, so she instead smiled. His own smile widened and he placed the book in Aria hands.
"Tess of the D'Urbervilles?" His brows rose, as if surprised by her choice of book. "That is a very serious read, and if I remember correctly, not a very happy ending."
"I never was one for happy endings." The words were out before she could stop herself, and she felt the heat rise in her cheeks.
"Do you choose your books solely on the ending?" He asked curiously.
The question caught Aria off guard. "I hadn't really thought about it." She replied honestly.
The answer seemed to appease him, and another brilliant smile shaped his face. "I'm Ezra." He said as he extended his hand. Aria accepted it, sliding her small hand into his large one and let the heat engulf her.
"I'm Aria."
They stood holding hands, amidst the morning rush of customers, seemingly oblivious to the world around them. It wasn't until another customer walked by and accidently knocked Aria's shoulder that she was awoken from her trance. She pulled her hand back and folded it over her book, pulling it close to her chest.
"Its not every day you meet some one who is familiar with Thomas Hardy." Aria remarked.
"I actually majored in English at Hollis College, so my knowledge of under appreciated authors is very vast." He did not say this with smugness, but rather as an offer to share that knowledge, and Aria wanted to share in that knowledge very much.
"I'm actually on my way to my new job now." As if he remembered that he was meant to be doing something, he turned his hand to look at the time and muttered a profanity under his breath.
"Speaking of, I am very late." He looked up at Aria with a mix of regret and reluctance before he grabbed a napkin of the condiment bar and quickly scribbled something down.
He handed the folded napkin back to her. "I hope to hear from you soon." He gave Aria one last smile and left the café with his coffee in hand. Aria opened the napkin and couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face. He had written down his phone number.