Note: Chapter updates for this story will be done regularly twice a week on Sundays and Wednesdays unless something comes up that prevents me from being able to post the update.
When my father died I was sent to live with my Aunt Liz. I was technically old enough to live on my own, but I didn't have a job or any money to my name. Her daughter Caroline—my cousin—was more than thrilled to have me stay with them. And to be completely honest, I was kind of excited to get to see them more. I've been living in an empty house for a couple of weeks and needed some family in my life.
As I was waiting for Liz and Caroline to show up, I looked around my room to make sure I didn't miss anything. I caught a glimmer in the corner of my left eye. The sun was shining on a bracelet my mother gave me when I was four. She passed away only a few months later, so this was my last physical memory of her. I put the bracelet on my wrist and smiled gently to myself.
A few minutes later the doorbell rang. I rushed down the stairs to greet Caroline, gorgeous as ever. I wish I had her golden goddess hair, but instead my hair was a dull mud brown. She ran up to me and gave me a huge hug.
"I am so sorry, Jessa. We would've been here sooner, but my mom couldn't get away from the station. It'll be a quick trip back to Mystic Falls, though, I promise."
"It's totally fine, Care. I liked having the extra time here. I almost forgot my mom's bracelet," I said.
"Well that's great that you found it. Now, let me help you with some of your bags. Packing must have taken forever!"
From what I remembered, Caroline was always a cheery person, but this was something else. It's like she was trying to distract me. It was awful considerate of her, but I was a lot more okay than she thinks. My father had been sick for a couple of years now, so I knew this was coming. I was just glad he didn't have to suffer anymore. The past couple of months he couldn't even get out of bed on his own.
"Thanks, Caroline," I smiled.
Even though I was a year older than Caroline, she always acted like an older sister. She was more outgoing than I was, and every time I visited when I was younger she would introduce me to her friends. And now her and her mom were taking me in. So I guess it would be like we're sisters now.
We brought the last of my bags to the car and finally got on the road. And it wasn't long before we made it to Mystic Falls either. Only a couple of hours. But the hours flew by. We spent the car ride catching up with each other. She told me about Elena's back and forth between two brothers, which didn't entirely surprise me for some reason.
After we brought all of my bags into the house Caroline immediately brought me up to my room. She was so excited to show it to me. It was originally their guest room, and I had stayed in it before, but this time it both looked and felt different. Perhaps it was because now I wasn't just staying overnight. I was living here. When I was here last I was twelve years old. The walls were peeling wallpaper, the bed was an old log one, and the floors creaked. But now the wallpaper was replaced with a cream coloured paint, the floors a new laminate flooring, and the bed a more modern, metal frame bed. It was nothing familiar to me.
"Now, I'm sure you probably want to unpack your things, so I'll leave you alone for a bit and call you downstairs when dinner is ready." Caroline smiled and left the room.
I began to unpack; first my bedding, a light purple comforter and pillowcases to match. Then I put out some of my books onto my desk, and put up a couple of posters. They were just paper prints of some paintings from the Renaissance that I liked. A couple from Raphael and one from Paolo Varonese. I admired their works and strive to paint like them one day.
After I had finished unpacking and finished eating dinner, I went back up to my room to lie down. I just needed a second to think without anything else going on. The day was exhausting and I wondered what I would do with my life from this point on. I was in a different town without my friends, I was already done high school, and it was almost summer. College was an option, and it would be a good way to adjust to being here. All I had to do was figure out what I want to do; figure out what I want to be.
Art was a passion of mine, but I was nowhere near the right skill level to go to school for it. I had so much to learn. Maybe I could take an arts history and work as a curator. I knew plenty about art already, and history was my best class in high school, so perhaps a combination of the two would be the right choice. In the morning I could get Caroline to look things over with me. After all, she was going to college in the fall too. We could tour the school, and Caroline and I could be roommates. Suddenly things were starting to look up for me. I was excited to see what was in store for me in the weeks to come, because I already had a good feeling about them.