So this is my first fanfiction story so I'm really sorry if it isn't exceptionally good. I can only improve though so I'm hoping to do so over the course of writing this. Anyway, here's Chapter 1:
With a groan, Caitlyn Parker opened her bleary eyes and looked around. Her head was throbbing and her body was stiff. In her sleepy haze, it took her a few minutes to realize that she was lying on the cold ground instead of her bed. A few seconds later was when she finally noticed that the sky was above her instead of a roof.
She jumped to her feet so fast that she got a head rush. Looking around frantically, Caitlyn relaxed once she realized that she wasn't far from her home. The fire escape beside her lead up to her room and she could see people walking just outside the alley.
At least she wasn't far from where she was meant to be but that didn't explain why she was suddenly outside. Had she been sleepwalking? Did she really climb down the fire escape and then just collapse here?
Slowly, she began to recall the memories of what had happened. She had been woken up at 3 in the morning because of a really bright light outside her window. After debating for a while whether it was worth getting up for, she had decided to try and sleep. Once she had found that impossible, she had climbed down the fire escape to see what was going on. She couldn't see anything and then a sharp pain at the back of her head made the world go black.
Caitlyn reached up and ran her fingers over the back of her skull. Sure enough, there was a rather large bump. That was strange. Maybe a bird had landed on the roof and knocked some loose stone down. It seemed like the most likely cause.
She froze upon the realization that she had no idea what time it was. If her parents had come into her room and found her missing, she was going to be grounded for an entire year.
That was why she managed to climb the fire escape and get into her room in record time. She left the window open behind her and looked at the bedside clock. It was 8 in the morning. Caitlyn had never been so grateful for it being Saturday in her life. Her mother was probably only just waking up.
Before she could do anything, her phone started having a seizure. She snatched it up – thinking someone was dying or something – before glaring at the screen. It was just her friend asking her what color she should wear. Only she hit send after every word. Nothing unusual but still extremely annoying.
The brunette typed back a half-hearted answer and threw the phone onto the bed. The message had reminded her that she had to meet her friends in an hour for their girl's day. Caitlyn only hoped that she would be able to stay awake the entire time and look decent because from what she could see in the mirror, that was going to be a mission and a half.
Black bags hung under her blue eyes that were rather dull from lack of sleep. Her hair looked like she had just been electrocuted. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips a light purple. She might be getting sick as well.
"Caitlyn! Do you want some pancakes before you leave?"
Caitlyn jumped slightly at the sound of her mother's voice. "Sure but not too many because we're going out for lunch!" As an afterthought she added, "And none that Matthew has been within two meters of!"
"Relax! Your brother isn't even awake yet!"
"Yes I am! I'm just not coming out my room!" Matthew's voice shouted.
It was completely normal for everyone in the Parker house to communicate from different rooms without actually opening the doors. They were a relatively loud family.
"Do you want me to bring them to you?" Caitlyn's mother shouted.
"Yes please!" Matthew replied. "With blueberries!"
"I'm going to be out in an instant, I'm just getting changed!" Caitlyn called.
"If I knew you were going to make pancakes I would have waited before brushing my teeth!" Caitlyn's dad yelled.
Caitlyn shut her thick blue curtains and started getting changed into the outfit she had set out the previous evening. She put her shirt on backwards twice before getting right and then slipped out of the door to see that her brother had come out of his room.
"Mom, can I knock that dog off Caitlyn's head?" Matthew questioned.
"Shut up," she grumbled. "I put my brush somewhere and now I can't find it."
"Are you going to go out like that?" her mother asked. "Because if so, I would like you to not tell anyone that you're related to us."
Caitlyn rolled her eyes. "I already make sure to never tell anyone that I'm related to Matthew so don't worry."
Her younger brother ran his fingers through his perfectly combed light blonde hair. "At least my hair is immaculate."
"Where did you learn that word?" Caitlyn asked. "It has more than 2 syllables so it shouldn't be in your vocabulary."
"I know big words," Matthew argued. "I probably know more than you anyway."
Caitlyn grabbed her plate off the counter and started walking back towards her room. "I'm sure that you're wrong but let's not test it. We don't want to strain your brain, now do we?"
She shut the door behind her and put the pancakes down on the counter. She personally preferred her dad's cooking to her mom's but it was food and she did love food. Caitlyn started digging for her brush while taking bites.
Her mind kept going back to what had happened earlier in the morning. What on earth was that light that had woken her up? What had been the thing that knocked her out? And how was she ever going to make herself look presentable with an hour?