I watch as the clouds pass beneath me. I almost feel as free up here as I do when I swim. Of course, it might be even better if I could actually fly. But being in an aircraft is the closest that I will get. No way will I ever go sky diving or bungee jumping. I know mum went bungee jumping at some point before either my brother or me came along.
And queue depressing thoughts.
I sigh and focus on the interior of the private jet. That's right. Private jet. My uncle that I have never met set me up on a twenty seven hour trip from home, to my new home. And part of that package, is the final leg would be covered in a private jet. Which I am both happy and annoyed about. Happy that I am alone – the people on the last fifteen hour flight were all really loud, therefore I have had no sleep. And annoyed that I am alone – it leaves me alone in my thoughts, a place I don't want to be.
It's weird that there are only three of us on the plane – me and the two pilots. Well, compared to the nearly two hundred that were on the other plane that I had been on. This one looks like it could be a living room. Seriously. There are couches – one of them even being able to turn into a bed – three different TV sets, and even a kitchenette.
I'm starting to wonder who my uncle actually is. Mum only said as we were growing up that they didn't get along as siblings. So, she moved to Australia, got married, and left her entire life behind. By the looks of things, he must be wealthy. Like, rich wealthy.
Hopping off the plane, the last leg of the trip would be an hours drive to my uncles place. And apparently that would be happening by limo. Jeez, is he serious. Although this is really nice, I think after stepping into the black leather interior. The next hour, I watched out the window as we passed the countryside, my first proper look of America.
It's not all that much different. Well, the driving on the wrong side of the road is. Oh, and the number plates. Why do cars only have one? Otherwise we could be looking at any place in Australia. Then again, there are no gum trees. Or big gaps between house clusters. Or kangaroos on the side of the road – you know, dead ones.
As I watch the sun turn to orange and set towards the mountains in the distance, I begin to wonder where I'm staying. Unlike what I said earlier, there is more open space out here. Only a few farmhouses dotted here and there. Nearing the hour mark, I spotted a huge castle. It looks in really good condition. Maybe someone fixed it up. Although, I'm not going to be the best judge of what castles look like. This is the first I've seen, there are none in Australia – at least that I know of. The limo driver continued to get closer and closer to the castle. Then we were heading up its driveway.
Okay, I know my uncle must be rich, but there is no way. No way in hell does he live here. Maybe the driver just wants to show me some of the cooler things to see. Yeah, that must be it.
The driver stops and I see him walking around the vehicle to my door. He opens it saying, "we are here, Miss Anna-belle."
I just stare wide eyed, both at the driver and at the castle looming up behind him. Hesitantly, I grab my knapsack and swing it over my shoulders, then swinging myself out of the limo. Once I'm out the driver shuts the door and proceeds to get my belongings out of the trunk. I stare up at the five story castle in shock and awe.
He does live here.
Claire is going to have a field day with this.
The driver walked up the front steps and left my belongings beside the door. He came back and stood next to me. "Do you need me for anything else, Miss Anna-belle?"
I quickly put my hands in the hoodie pocket that I'm wearing, and pull out a notepad the size of my hand and a pen. Scrawling on a blank page, I then show him the message which he leans down to read. 'My uncle lives here?' I ask him.
"He does, Miss. Good luck," the old driver says kindly before turning back to the limo. I numbly walk up the steps and hear the limo pull away. I stare at the huge wooden doors. I can't believe that this is how I'm going to meet my last relative.
Bracing myself, I knock on the door three times and wait. Feeling incredibly under-dressed for a place like this, I fiddle with my giant grey hoodie. Looking down to my very well worn purple converse and denim shorts. I fix my glasses to sit better on my nose and fiddle with my hair which is tied into a side plait.
The doors swing open with surprising ease for their size, leaving a tall man in the doorway. He towers over my short height, and takes me in with his deep blue eyes. His grey hair is long and pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. He wears a very formal black suit with a white shirt.
"You must be Anna-belle," he says in a deep and formal voice. At my timid nod he continues. "My name is Vladimir Masters, your uncle."
I ushered the young girl into my home calling out for Sebastian, my butler. As he comes up behind me, I watch as Anna-belle shrinks in on herself, attempting to hide in that monstrous jacket of hers. I can't really blame her. Sebastian is at least two heads taller than the young girl with long brown hair. That's not even mentioning the fact that he is a ghost.
"Could you take Anna-belle's things up to her room?" I say to the butler.
"Sure thing, sir," the tall ghost replies.
Anna-belle keeps her wide blue eyes on the ghost the entire time. Sebastian easily lifts the three suitcases with his ghostly strength, then motions to Anna-belle's backpack. "Would you like me to take that bag up, young miss?"
She briefly glances at me while shaking her head and holding the straps tighter. Sebastian asks if I needed anything else. I dismissed him and he left my niece and I in the entrance hall together. She doesn't look too much like my sister did, at least from what I can recall. She must have her fathers looks.
"How was your trip?" I ask the girl and she jumps slightly. She shrugs and looks anywhere but me.
"Did you get much sleep?" I try again, noticing the dark circles under her eyes.
She shakes her head while looking around the grand entrance. I could see her attempting to be subtle about it, however that was not happening.
"Any sleep at all?" I persist this time making her look up at me. Once again she shakes her head.
Can she talk? I haven't heard her make any noise at all. She could possibly be mute. Deaf is out of the question as she does respond to sounds.
"Well, dinner is about to be served. How about we go eat then you can look at you room, hmm?"
She nodded at that and I led the way down a hallway and through a set of double doors. A grand dining room was set out before us. The long table which comfortably seats fourteen is currently set for two. I take my spot at the head of the table and she sits just to my left. Anna-bell drops her bag nest to the chair that dwarfs her. The smaller door at the other end swung open and two servers came out.
The first was the ghost from before, Sebastian. While the second is a young woman, probably around thirties, but she seems to have a timelessness about her. Sage – her name – has black shoulder length hair and green eyes, just as bright as Sebastien's. That would be because they are siblings, twins in fact.
They brought out the Chicken Alfredo and placed one in front of each of us. I asked for a glass of wine while Sage tried to ask Anna-belle what drink she wanted. It wasn't going well. Eventually Anna-belle brought out a notepad and pen from her pocket and wrote what she wanted. Sage brought back out a glass and pitcher of water. By the struggle before I would have thought the drink to be a little more complicated than that.
The diner passed in silence, neither one of us knowing quite what to do or talk about. So by the time we both finished, I offered to show Anna-belle her room. At her nod, we moved out of the dining room and up the grand staircase.
My uncle opened the decorated wooden door and held it for me. I ducked through and stood in what had to be the biggest bedroom ever. The main area which I am currently gawking at has a huge four-poster bed, complete with night stands on either side. A light pink bedspread covered the entire thing including the mountain of pillows, also pink. A wall separated the room into two which sat behind the bed. Well half a wall, it only reaches a normal roomed height, while this one is double heighted. Walking around the partition, I discover a separate study and lounge space.
"The bathroom and closet are through those doors there," Vladimir says – jeez, that name is long – pointing to two similarly designed doors to the entryway that I had overlooked at the foot of the bed. "Sebastian has left your luggage in the closet so you can unpack yourself. You should probably get some rest, so I will leave you here, unless you need anything more?"
I shake my head, still preoccupied with the room.
"Well, I best be getting a few things sorted. If you need me I will be in my study which is the first door on your left on the right side of the main staircase." He turned to leave closing the door lightly behind him. I realise that I hadn't thanked him at all and take the two steps to the door and open it up. Vlad – hmm, that's better – turned at the sound and looked at me curiously. I hesitated only a second before giving a light smile and signing thank you in AUSLAN, hoping that he knew what it meant. By his nod, I guess he got it. Bringing my head back in the room I shut the door for the night.
I sit under the covers of my pink bed after I had unpacked most things and had showered. You don't know how good a shower is until you have had one after travelling for over a day straight. I turn to look at my bedside table. I set up a family photo with all four of us in it from the stash that I was carrying in my backpack. Looking over the smiling faces of us at the beach feels bitter sweet. More bitter I guess. I flop down into the pile of pink pillows – I seriously need to get a different colour scheme – and instantly fall into an exhausted sleep.
Yay for procrastination! (I think I spelt that correctly...)
This is my first go at writing anything with Danny Phantom (Disclaimer: I do not own btw) so hopefully I did okay...
Anyways, let me know what you thought and if I should continue.