Change was never an easy thing to accept. Being human, you want to be able to control every aspect in your life, and occasionally, there are those people, who will for things to happen so much, that it does. But once you have things going the direction you want them to, the problem to getting your life to stay that way. No matter how hard your grip on things is, something will always end up slipping through your fingers, disrupting and shifting everything else.
It's a part of everyday life, and something that will always be there. Humanity couldn't survive without constant changes, if the world stopped rotating on its axis, if it stopped revolving around the sun, the entire Earth would be completely destroyed, no animal, human, or plant could survive the tsunamis, the supersonic wind, and the liquid interior of the Earth would tear the crust apart almost instantly, because if the Earth ceased movement, everything would move at a rate of 1,000 miles per hour.
Adapting to new things isn't easy; it'll sometimes make you anxious, or even downright terrified. There are two groups of people in life. Those who accept changes with open arms and a smile on their face, and those who struggle to keep their hold on the old things, even while the memories are fleeting, and the new is already upon them.
Alaina decided that she fell into the latter category.
A soft, tinkling voice drew her out of her contemplative state, her attention shifting to the pile of quivering boxes, stacked in the delicate hands of what appeared to be a tall woman. "Alaina, dear, can you take some of these boxes?"
Said teenager rose from her position in the corner. She had been watching the formerly completely empty living room slowly fill with cardboard boxes, with her knees drawn up to her chest and observing silently. She closed the short distance between her and the shaking form, the weight of the boxes to much to bear. Sliding her fingers under the box at the top, she lifted it away from its peers, revealing the bright hazel eyes of Laure Page, who face instantly showed relief once her load was lightened.
Laure had tied her hair up at the beginning of the move, something completely out of character for her, who hated rubber bands with a passion, because of their tendency to snap whenever she held one. The brown curls were in a loose, messy bun on the top of her head, which Alaina assumed was to keep it out of her face while she worked, or she was trying and failing to make some sort of strange fashion statement. Some strands had fallen away from the rest of Laure's hair, sticking to her face, where there was a thin sheen of sweat.
"Merci, sweetheart, it's so hot here, isn't it?" the middle-aged woman spoke with a smile gracing her features, appearing pleased, although Alaina was pretty sure it was just a façade, and that Laure was none too pleased about the heat and humidity in their new state. The teen nodded, feeling the box begin to slip from her fingers. She quickly adjusted her hands and turned her head to her mother, a questioning look in her eyes.
Laure made a small noise of understanding, looking around the spacious room with a glance, "Just set it down beside the others."
Alaina followed these simple instructions, brushing the deep red curls out of her face while straightening herself out. She studied the great brick fireplace in front of her with fascination, loving how the colors on the bricks seemed to tie the whole room together, now the only needed new furniture to match.
"Maman!" A shout from the front door rang through the room, capturing the two people in its attention. A small boy with brown hair ran in through the front door, tracking in dirt with his tennis shoes. Laure made a disapproving clicking noise with the tip of her tongue against her teeth, knowing she'd be the one to have to vacuum up his mess later.
The seven year old gripped his mother's shirt in his tiny fists, yanking rather harshly on it, causing the boxes to begin to appear dangerously close to falling. Alaina quickly removed them from Laure's grip and set them down before any major damage could be done, seeing as the word "Fragile" was written on the side of the box in permanent marker.
Gabriel spoke a mile a minute, his tugging becoming too much for Laure to handle, and he spoke to her rapidly while she pried his hands off her shirt. "There's a boy next door who's the same age as me! And he say's we're gonna go to the same school! His name is—name, what's his name—oh! It's David! His name is David, Maman! And guess what? He like's Pokémon, too! He collects the cards, so can I bring mine over so we can play together? He showed me this legendary one that he has, and he said he might trade with me! I need to show him my limited edition—"
Alaina wrapped her hands around a thick binder in the box she was digging around in, searching for that particular item, the box being labeled "Gabriel's toys", she flipped through a few pages to make sure it was the right one, satisfied when being assaulted by the bright, holographic colors of the Pokémon cards Gabriel wanted so desperately. She handed her little brother the binder, and his face lit up in an even bigger smile than before. "Thank you, Lani!" He gave her a quick hug, pressing his face into her abdomen, showering love on his sister.
She smiled at the nickname he had donned on her when he was just learning how to speak, as pronouncing "Alaina" could prove to be quite difficult for a young child, so he just stuck with the simpler "Lani".
Laure watched her children fondly, and laughed at her youngest' mad dash out the front door. She rubbed the back of her neck, her smile shrinking, giving her the appearance that made her look much older than she actually was. Her worn smile seemed almost sorrowful. "He got his father's personality, all right."
Alaina's smile fell, and she directed her vision toward her toes, deciding that she'd repaint them later that night.
"It's really sad; I don't think Gabriel can remember Tristian before…" Laure trailed off, and Alaina could feel her gaze on her before clearing her throat. "Before." She repeated.
Alaina suddenly felt nauseous, and decided she needed to find a secluded place to collect her thoughts. She bent over to pick up her traveling bag, which contained everything she thought she would need from the long drive from New York City to the most haunted town in America, Savannah, Georgia.
She swung the light pink duffle bag over her shoulder, waving toward Laure, clearly dismissing herself from the room. Alaina made her way over to the staircase pressed up against the wall, her hand gripping the banister tightly, as her mother called out to her. "After you pick out your room, come back and start moving in your boxes or Gabriel might try and steal it!"
Alaina glanced back at Laure, nodding offhandedly, before continuing up the gleaming wooden steps. Her first impression of the hallway in front of her was that it seemed extremely bland and boring; there was no uniqueness, just a simple hallway. She recalled the apartment she had left behind in New York, missing the warm feel to it. The hallway leading to her old room had been decorated with bright colors, a bright light with pink beads acting as a shade, causing there to be little pink dots lining the walls and floor, creating a calming atmosphere for Alaina. Posters of popular boy bands had been plastered all over her door, the occasional drawing given to her by Gabriel, and a shiny metal sign, reading "Girl zone – Enter at your own risk!"
The plush carpet under her feet was a soft beige color, its shade almost matching that of the walls, but not quite. Plain white doors lined the hallway, none of them looking inviting in anyway, so her interest in them was low. Alaina grabbed the handle of the door nearest to her, turning and pushing without any hesitation, eager to just pick a room and get it over with, so she could find somewhere she felt that was just for her.
"It will have to do" she thought, studying her newly discovered bedroom. It was a decent sized room, not too small, not too big, and it contained one rather large window, the sun would have been beating down through it, but a giant oak tree sat in front of the house, only letting streams of light peak through and leaves and reach the window.
The wall color mimicked the walls outside the room, as did the carpet, except the carpet was softer, as if it wasn't as worn as the rest of them house, like it was not yet defiled by countless children stamping their feet as they walked or ran around. A closet with two pure white sliding doors was on one wall, other than the window seat under the window, the room was completely empty.
Alaina stepped over to the window seat, letting her fingers drift over the painted wood. She let her hand fall back to her side, and tossed her duffle bag onto the window seat with a loud thud. The zipper was undone with a simple flick of the wrist, and Alaina was rummaging around, searching for something she needed to get through the day. Her hand brushed what felt like soft leather, and she knew she found it. She wrapped her fingers around the small book and drew it out of the bag, cradling it close to her chest.
She left the duffle bag in its place, and exited her new room, choosing exploring over bringing her things upstairs. She noticed the hallway had a "New House" smell lingering in the air, which was instantly disrupted by the small bear like creature barreling up the stairs.
The tan and white pit bull halted in front of Alaina, plopping down and looking up at her expectantly, and she raised her eyebrows at the yellow splattered over his back. A quick sniff identified the substance as mustard. Alaina sighed "Maman must have dropped the mustard bottle again" and began opening the doors in the hallway, searching for the bathroom.
When she located it, she grabbed the pale blue washcloth already by the marble sink and held it under the faucet, thoroughly soaking it. Alaina shook her head at her mother's klutziness, kneeling down in front of her dog, who had followed her into the bathroom, tail wagging eagerly, she ran the wash cloth over the length of his back. When she brought her hand up, it would hit the collar around his neck, causing the tag that read "Cairo" to bounce and jingle, making the light reflect off it and hit Alaina in the face.
Cairo joined the family when Alaina was eleven; his name means "The Vanquisher" or "The Conqueror", which is why Laure and Tristian chose the name. Cairo was a normal pit bull, extremely friendly, but aggressive towards threats. He never actually snapped at anyone, and that changed Laure's perspective on pit bulls, because before Tristian adopted him, she believed in the stereotypes that came with the breed.
Alaina allowed Cairo to follow her down the hallway, still opening every door on the way, disappointed when it was usually revealed that behind the door lay another closet. On the wall at the end of the hallway, there lay a white door.
Normally, this wouldn't have been strange in the slightest, but what had peaked Alaina's attention was the old-fashioned keyhole right above the glass doorknob. She rested her hand on the door, leaning into it and peeking through the small keyhole, her blue eyes meeting blackness.
Curiosity got the better of her, and she reached for the doorknob, the glass feeling cool under her fingertips, and turned it, releasing after a half turn. The door slowly opened, a long drawn out creaking noise sending shivers up Alaina's spine. Behind the door, there was a staircase.
Shrugging, she tested the first step with her foot, pressing some of her weight on it, wondering if the wood had rotted over the years. It seemed okay, so she slowly advanced up the stairs. "Most haunted town in America, huh? Let's see if it lives up to that name." she thought. Her grip on the leather bound book in her hand tightened as she reached the top of the stairs.
Alaina glanced around the attic, her eyes darting over the abandoned bed frames, dressers, boxes, mirrors, bookcases, and other things of the sort, stuff people put in their attics. A musty stench hung in the air, making Alaina wrinkle her nose and cough a bit. She began to fear of the spiders that were no doubt waiting in their hiding places to jump out and eat her, and the cockroaches that just plain terrified her.
The dust in the air was stinging her eyes, and she screwed them shut, rubbing at them furiously for a moment, before exploring further into the attic. She walked past the moutians of forgotton, broken, and unwanted junk, wondering just who lived there before her, and before them, and before them. The list goes on. Cairo had opted out of coming up to the attic, instead he had guarded the door own the steps. Without his presence, Alaina felt somewhat lonely.
She stood in front of a window, coated in dust, so much so that you couldn't really even see out of it. She plopped down into a chair next to it, a cloud of dust rising and sending her into a coughing fit, she figured she deserved that.
She fingered the strap holding the book in her hands closed, before undoing the clasp, and it fell open in her palms. Its contents revealed years of writing, Alaina's journal held everything. It spoke of her frustrations, her memories, and her pain. No one had ever seen what was written inside, only her. Alaina's therapist was the one who gave her the idea, promising it'd help her cope with everything. At the time, she hadn't believed her. "Now…" she thought, "I just might."
She removed the fuzzy pen from its holder and began writing on the first available page.
June 16, 2012
We've arrived in this humid, boiling, historic town, and I don't think I like it.
I don't know why I don't like it, it's not like I miss the city all that much. Yeah, the shopping was fun, but that was about it.
I had to leave my piano behind. It's a bummer, really. Even if I wasn't exactly a good piano player, I still enjoyed it.
Maman seems sad, which is understandable. She's lived in New York ever since emigrating from France with Papa. I'm not sure if it's leaving the city that upsets her, or leaving Papa. Probably Papa, I didn't want to leave; now I'll probably never see him again.
Maman was the one who made us leave without saying goodbye, she said a clean break was what's best for all of us, and we couldn't do that in the city.
Cairo seems to enjoy it here, he hated the ride over. Which I completely get, because spending all those hours in a cramped moving van drove us all temporarily insane, and Gabriel was crying most of the time because he didn't want to leave his friends behind. Thankfully, I didn't have that problem.
The house is nice, it's kind of old, but that's okay. I've been hoping that there's some sort of secret passageway hidden behind a wall, so I can act like I'm Nancy Drew and be nosy.
I'm in the attic. It's really creepy, and probably infested with spiders, so I'm not sure why I'm still here. But I feel like it's where I'm supposed to be right now, you know?
No, of course you don't, you're just a book, aren't you? Books don't know anything.
Alaina Page
Alaina sighed and slid the pen back into its place, shutting the journal softly, letting her gaze drift around the room.
It was drawn to the corner in front of her, where there was a rather large desk, sitting there collecting dust. It was a beautiful desk, and looked like it was hand carved. Delicate designs were grooved into the legs, reminding Alaina of the wind.
Under the desk, pushed up against the wall, there was a big, old, dust covered (much like everything else in the attic) book.
Alaina furrowed her eyebrows, as every fiber of her being urged her to inspect the book closer. She stood from her seat and knelt in front of the desk, her fingers tingling. One part of her mind screamed at her to just grab it, while the other was more hesitant, worried about the potential bug that could have made the book it's home over the years.
She ended up giving in to the former encouragement, reaching out and snatching the book from its place on the floor, where it may have sat for centuries. She quickly lifted it and set it down on the desk, coughing violently from inhaling the dust it expelled.
The cover was completely coated with the particles that had been bothering Alaina ever since entering the dreaded place, and she quickly dusted the book off, understandably surprised upon discovering that under the layers of dust, the book cover appeared brand new.
It was a warm, light brown with delicate gold lining around the edges, each line curling slightly at the end. In the center of the cover, there was a picture of the Earth. They say that curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back, so Alaina figured there was no harm in flipping through the book, because she was genuinely wondering what its contents would reveal.
She slid her fingers in between the pages in about the middle of the book, and gently heaved it open, not wanting to tear the binding.
It's safe to say that she almost immediately regretted it.
"Hi!"
Alaina jumped almost a foot in the air, and spun around, her eyes wide with fear and her mouth open in a silent scream.
Behind her stood a tall man, with bright blue eyes hiding behind wire rimmed glasses, short blonde hair, and an important aura surrounding him. Not to mention the giant smile on his face.
His grin lit up his features, making him appear friendly, but not quenching the fear Alaina felt for the stranger that appeared out of nowhere.
"I'm America! I'm a Cancer; I enjoy movie dates, McDonald's, video games, food, horses, and reality television!" He cried out loudly, resting his hands on his hips, and laughing, the sound bouncing off the bare walls of the attic. He watched Alaina with interested eyes, waiting for her to speak.
All Alaina could do was curse mentally, "What the hell is going on?" her hands began to shake and she balled them into fists at her side, backing into the desk, never taking her eyes off the self proclaimed country in front of her.
America's smile dropped, and he leaned forward, his face only inches from Alaina's, causing her to shudder and practically crawl backwards over the desk, lifting herself onto it and backing up to the wall. He studied her with curious eyes. "C'mon kid, what's your name?"
Alaina bit the inside of her lip, slowly raising her shivering hand, showing America her hand, which she had forcibly relaxed so she could show America. Her four fingers were touching the bottom of her hand, and her thumb sticking straight up, then quickly formed an "L" with her pointer finger and thumb. She backtracked to the first sign before raising her pinkie.
Before she could continue, America interrupted her. "OMG, you're deaf? That's so tragic! Hold that thought, don't go anywhere!"
He stepped back from Alaina, her eyes still glued to him, and she realized she could now see through his once solid body. Through his bomber jacket, Alaina's eyes caught on her journal that she left in the chair before picking up the book.
She stared at him, not believing what she was seeing, until his form was no more, and she was once again alone in the attic.
Alaina let out the breath she had been holding, passing the whole incident off as her being tired, as she hadn't had a good night's sleep in what seemed like weeks. What with her constant paranoia and the move, her and sleep hadn't been on good terms. Whenever she was lucky enough to fall asleep, she would always wake up at insane times, never being able to return to sleeping, and she would just lie there in bed and stare at the ceiling, until the sun rose that morning.
Cairo had probably sensed Alaina's distress, as he came padding up to her, his tail going a mile a minute, expecting to be at least scratched behind his ears for his effort in trying to protect her. She obliged, realizing she was still on the desk, and made a move to slide off the desk, while not knocking the book off it.
Once her feet were firmly on the ground she looked up to see the appearing figure of America, and someone beside him.
"It's just like when the TARDIS appears…" she thought fearfully, wishing this was just a dream, and that she somehow fell asleep while writing up here. America blinked, adjusting himself for a moment, before smiling, showing off his perfectly white teeth. He clapped the newcomer on the back.
"Italy! You understand sign language, right? What's she saying?" he asked, pointing to me. I inhaled sharply and Cairo began to growl at the strange duo.
The small boy America had called "Italy" shirked back from Cairo, "Ve! America! That puppy's going to hurt me!" He clutched the sleeve of America's jacket, cowering behind him.
America knelt down, staring Cairo in the eye for a second before affectionately ruffling him behind the ears. Cairo immediately quieted, and he tail resumed its normal pace of wagging so quickly it looked as if it might fly off.
"Traitor." Alaina thought to her dog bitterly, leaning back as Italy stepped towards her.
He was a cute boy, his hair a light auburn with a strange curl poking out from one side, his eyes were closed, so Alaina was unable to identify their color, but his presence had a calming effect on her, which surprised her, as she hadn't felt like this around a stranger in five years. His eyelashes were longer then her's, which she was a bit upset about, but pushed it to the back of her mind as he started speaking to her.
"Ve~ Ciao, bella!" he said in a thick Italian accent.
I replied by hesitantly putting my hand up to my forehead, mimicking a salute, and moving it downward.
Hello.
His smile only grew wider, and his hands flew in a flurry of motion, giving Alaina barely enough time to register what he was signing.
I'm Italy! What's your name?
She blinked at him, spelling her name out with her hand as she had tried to do with America, tacking some words on at the end afterwards.
Alaina. I'm not deaf, just mute. You can speak, I'll understand.
She always tried to keep my signing to a minimum, to save herself time, and so she didn't confuse the other party with all of the hand symbols.
Italy turned to America, "This is Alaina~ She's not deaf, just can't use her voice~"
America made a noise of understanding, slapping his forehead in acknowledgement. "Of course!"
Alaina tapped her finger on the desk, drawing Italy's attention back to her; signing a quick question that it was vital she learned the answer to.
How and why are you in my house?
Italy translated for America, and he answered in the simplest way he could, "We're here because you opened that book!"
Alaina narrowed her eyes. This wasn't just something she was going to accept happened, because it was just too absurd to be real.
How?
Italy dropped his smile, and looked at her as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. "Magic, silly!"
Alaina snorted, "Yeah," she thought, "like I'm going to believe that. Nice try." she dropped the smile she had obtained when thinking about the insane—almost comical, really—situation she was in.
Oh, how wrong she was about the phrase, "Curiosity killed the cat".
New story! That I will hopefully finish!~
Everything else is on hiatus, because of the purge going on right now, it could all be taken down for various reasons. So yeah.
First chapter is slow, but I've got the whole story planned out, which makes me happy :D
Sorry if my sign language is wrong, it's been forever since I've taken a class o.o
I would have made the chapter longer, but my writing ability starts to suck after 3 AM. I'm at my best between 11 p.m - 2:30 a.m, which is why if the writing style changes a bit in different parts it's because I wrote a lot of the first half at four in the morning, most of the chapter two hours ago, and finished it up at 3:10.
So yeah.
~Ayai
I hold reviewers very near and dear to my heart, and they make me happy