Chapter One: Introductions First, Curiosity Later
I sighed lightly as an uneasy feeling of unwelcome settled deep within me as I set my bag down beside me and stared up at the plain, tan shaded house before me. Funny how just yesterday I was home and everything was so perfect. Amazing how my life could crash down upon me in just a split second.
The door opened, revealing a darkened figure standing sternly in the door frame, unfamiliar to me. I felt as if I were lost in a time where nothing made sense and everyone around me was nothing more than my imagination playing tricks on me. I remained standing perfectly still, my bag that included everything I owned beside me.
"Trey," the voice was soft, feminine by all means, but trailed off as if saying my name was a heavy burden that was too hard for any mortal mind to hold. Oddly enough, in the midst of this uneasy and awkward feeling, I felt a comfort from being remembered enough by name. It was a comfort that was close enough to making me feel as welcome as I would get since I'd left what I'd called my home.
"Please, come in. Let me get your bag," she spoke softly, almost painfully, as she reached for my bag. Before she could even get within reach of the school backpack I had shoved all of my belongings into, I had it slung over my shoulder protectively. No one would take what I had left from me, if I could help it. I felt like it was the only part of me I hadn't lost yet.
I followed her in slowly, taking in my surroundings. The kitchen was plain, yet oddly filled with a cluttered arrangement of simply dropped things that shouldn't be there. The living room, huge by all means, contained two off white couches facing what appeared to be a flat screen television playing some modern day version of an old western. My father sat on the biggest couch, eyes glued to the movie as if it were his life. My uncle Ron sat on the other couch, watching as if he were in another world, his mind in another place.
My eyes wandered, and I found myself staring into the eyes of a younger girl, obviously familiar in every way. She smirked, giving me the typical snobby upturned nose and glanced down at the single bag I held. "What, are you only staying a week? Fine by me," she concluded, turning and walking back to her room. Sighing, her name came to mind the second she spoke. Karen, my aunt's youngest daughter of 14, could definitely cause a problem while I was here.
"Don't mind her," my aunt spoke, smiling in my direction. I nodded, doing all I could do to seem comfortable in this unfamiliar place. My uncle Ron made his way from the couch, reaching out his hand towards me. I reached my own out, smiling awkwardly, and shook his hand firmly. "We're glad you could make it."
Trying my best not to seem too nervous and out of place, I smiled and shook hands with everyone who offered. My aunt Lisa had sat down at the kitchen table and offered for me to sit and talk with her, so I accepted and began talking to her as if I had known her my whole life, when really I had just come to meet them not even a year ago.
"I'll be back tomorrow," a different voice found its way into the crowd, catching my attention. Female, of course, but much different than the others that occupied the house. This voice held a calm sense of being, as if it simply melded in wherever it pleased and always seemed to fit right in without a problem. I found myself searching for the owner of the contently spoken words, eyes glancing around the living room with no luck. As if giving up, I focused my eyes towards the kitchen, actually hoping to see that it was still light outside and hadn't yet faded to darkness, and instead, meeting the hazel colored eyes of an unknown person. Small in stature, she didn't fail to hold herself higher than the others, giving off a collected sense of self assurance, proving that without even knowing her, you could tell she was extremely laid back in every aspect, giving off a cool aura that seemed to make the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
The nervousness found its way into my being again, as I realized that she owned the show, and wasn't going to let just anyone take it from her. The calm, subtle look she held while not focusing on much of anything, revealed her stern nature and tough will. Feeling as if I was reading her like a book, my breath caught in my throat when she returned my glance, if only for a second, and seemed to look straight into my soul.
And just like that, with a simple few words and a glance, she was gone. No hesitation, no trail of belonging. I glanced back towards my aunt once more, bringing the conversation back up that the young girl had shot down with just four small words. Without catching my curiousness, she continued speaking to me long into the night, but failed to pull my thought process from the girl that had seemed to stop time itself.
"So, Trey," my father approached me from the side, patting my shoulder intently. It left me to wonder just what his intentions were. "Finally made it down here with the rest of us, eh?" he smiled, giving me his I told you so look. I wanted to scowl in response, showing him just how uncomfortable I really was around here, hoping that he would take his words and swallow them. Instead, in a respectful manner, I decided it would be best to simply smile as much as I possibly could and just nod my reply.
Seeing he was content with just that, I stood from my chair, not failing to grab the bag at my feet protectively. "Is there any way you could show me where I'm staying?" I asked my aunt carefully, not wanting to make her feel like she was being forced. I didn't want to be rude, of course.
Smiling in return, she stood from the table and pointed down the hall. "You'll be staying over here. In Brianna's old room," she spoke, leading me down the hallway and into the very last door at the end. Upon entering the room, a strong scent of incense hit me like a freight train, causing me to close my eyes and breathe in a little deeper than before. Though the smell was strong, it wasn't a bother. More so, it soothed and calmed my nervousness that had been threatening to make me panic.
Realizing my mistake, I thanked my aunt politely and set my bag down on the floor. After she had gone, I reached over and shut the door quietly, not wanting it to sound too intentional. Feeling a little more at peace, I sat down on the bed, the dark forest green bed set matching the ash grey walls in an odd sort of fashion. I'd heard that you could tell a lot from a person by the organization of their room, but this room seemed to be difficult to decipher.
I glanced around, taking in my surroundings cautiously, trying to find any sign of how this Brianna might have been. I wondered to myself who she even was. I hadn't heard anything of her before, and no one seemed to mention her name until my aunt mentioned that this was her room. So who exactly was this girl?
I scanned the walls, noticing that there was nothing on them. No posters, no scratches, no pictures. Nothing but lightly colored grey paint. How much was I supposed to learn from just the color of the walls? Sighing, I gave up for the day. It was getting late anyways, I assumed. Laying back on the bed, realizing it was actually more comfortable than I had anticipated, I closed my eyes and drifted off into an easy slumber.