Paragon sighed. It was brutally, humid and the air was thick with a strange electricity. She was curled on the window seat in her bedroom, the large window pushed open to allow some air circulation. She dangled her feet out the window hoping it was improper for a lady to do so. At seventeen she was the youngest of her family, and had two older sisters constantly pestering her to behave perfectly. To be a paragon—a model of perfect behavior. Well, she wasn't perfect. She would never be perfect. Not a perfect lady anyway, for she would always be clumsy, adventurous, and somewhat sloppy. She smiled to herself — that would show them.
Glancing out the window, she saw Colette flirting with suitor number three—or was it four? No matter. Colette was all curls and curves. Absolutely gorgeous. And—huge surprise here—a perfect lady. Fair skinned, emerald eyed, and rosy cheeked, she was popular with everyone. No exceptions, kids, old ladies, guys, dogs...probably even skunks. Even Paragon couldn't help liking her, despite all the lessons in etiquette. Yup, so, that was Colette, the oldest.
Lina and Colette couldn't have been much more different. The only similarity was...they were both paragons, perfect, boring. No offense. Lina was tall and willowy with light brown, wavy hair and gentle brown eyes. Unlike Colette, she preferred books to people. She preferred books to just about anything else. Even eating. Paragon couldn't wrap her mind around that fact. It was to insane. That was Lina.
Paragon was the complete antithesis of them both, if that's possible. Can three things be opposites at the same time? Well, apparently so, because they were. Paragon had olive skin, high cheekbones, blue eyes flecked with gold, and dark hair that twisted itself into ringlets at the bottom. She wasn't a book person or a people person or even an animal person. She was a mystery person, or so she called herself. She told her sisters that she was interesting because she didn't just love one thing. She wanted to try everything. Be everyone. Or at least walk in their shoes for a day. She wanted to be a hero or a princess or a detective or a warrior. Secretly though, she wrote. She wrote of dragons and monsters and princes. She wrote of courage and greed and hope. Her mother had told her tales of these things as a little girl. She had said they were once real. Perhaps, Paragon thought, they still were. There were still princes, greed, courage, and whatnot; but she wanted pixies and dragons.
Paragon's mother had been much like her: a mystery person, full to the fingertips with adventures. Paragon felt tears rise in her eyes and blinked them back. Her mother had died three years ago, but her memory still hurt. She took a breath. The air practically tasted as though something was about to happen. Something did. A familiar creaking sound from outside. Suddenly, she sat bolt upright so quickly that she nearly tumbled out of the third story window.
"Father is home!" She shouted, already rushing down the winding stairs."Lina, Father's here!" She rushed past the library as Lina looked up from her book. Bouncing down the front steps onto the lawn, she came to an abrupt halt. There it was, her father's carriage, rattling down the drive. Paragon grinned widely. Colette's suitor had left, and Lina had joined them on the lawn. So there they stood, like statues, still and beautiful, waiting. Impatiently. Their father had been gone for three weeks on business, and all three girls had missed him terribly. His work often carried him away from home for long periods of time, but three weeks was especially long. The carriage rolled to a stop, and their father stepped out.
"Father!"
"Papa!"
"Your back!"
He threw open his arms,"One," He hugged Colette."Two," He embraced Lina."Three." He squeezed Paragon. "Aah, three times the charm."
"Welcome home, Father." Lina said smiling warmly.
"We missed you terribly." Colette added.
"How was your trip?" asked Paragon.
"Quite well." He grinned. "I'm famished. Is their any supper about?"
"Oh, yes! Sara is making pork roast and apple pie!" She replied cheerily. Her Father was home. He was safe. They were together. She smiled again. Nothing could go wrong on a day like today.