Authors notes:
This is my first fic I've posted on this site. I hope that it is ok.
Chapter 1. The diary
I sat on the bed in my room. I had already done all my homework and cleaned up everything around the house. I had read all the books I owned several times. It was poring down rain outside and Charley was still at work.
I had nothing to do. This wasn't good, I did not need spare time on my hands. I started to think of something to do.
At first, nothing came to mind. But after a few minutes, I decided to clean my closet. It didn't really need it. In fact, it was already in perfect order. But it would at least be something to keep my mind of them.
Standing up, I made my way carefully over to my closet. Reaching it, I pulled the door open and began to organise everything inside it once again.
Just when I thought I'd cleaned up everything, my hand brushed across something. Reaching down, I picked it up and looked at it.
It was a small, leather bound book. Written across the dark-blue front cover was the word, "HOPE." I flipped the book over, looking at it.
There was a small, silver lock holding the book tightly shut. But besides that and the word on the front, there was nothing else.
It didn't take me long to figure out that this was a diary. But I wondered whose. I mean, the owner was most likely this Hope person. But who was she? And how had her diary gotten in my room?
For several long moments, I stared at the book. I wasn't quite sure what to do with it. I thought about waiting for Charlie to get home and showing it to him. But, for some strange reason, I didn't want to do that. It felt wrong, showing a girl's diary to my father. I should just put it right back where I found it and pretend that it didn't exist. But I didn't want to do that either
I didn't know why, but I had the weirdest urge to open the little book up and read it. But that wouldn't be right. I didn't keep a diary myself, but I knew that they were very personal things. It just wasn't right for me to read it. Besides that, it was locked and I didn't have the key
I fingered the small lock, tugging at it with out really realizing. And so it surprised me when the lock suddenly popped of in my hand. The booked flipped open to the first page.
A small gasp left my lips as I looked down at the now open diary. I knew what I was doing was sort of immoral, but I couldn't help myself. I looked down at the book in my lap and began to read.
On the first page, written in a small but beautiful handwriting, was the words, "Property of Hope Russell." and after that was the date, 1958.
I shouldn't be doing this. I was going to regret this later, but I flipped the page over and read the first entry.
September 11th, 1958
Dear Diary,
This is my first time keeping a diary. So, I'm not sure what to write. I asked Mommy what to do, and she told me to write about my day and how I feel. Oh yeah, yesterday was my tenth birthday! Mommy and Daddy gave me you!
I had lots of fun yesterday! Me, Mommy, Daddy, and Kenny, all had a pick nick! Mommy packed us a lunch and we hiked out into the woods. We found the prettiest little clearing to eat in! We played and danced, and Mommy sang! She sings really well!! It was getting dark when we left and Kenny carried me home on his back. Then, when we got home, Daddy, Mommy, and Kenny all helped to put me to bed.
Today has been really good too! Kenny and I played with Stripe this morning! Oh, Stripe is our dog. And Kenny is my big brother. His name is really Kenneth but I call him Kenny because Kenneth sounds to fancy.
Well, I'll write again later!
Good Bye,
Hope
It took me several long moments before I did anything. I just sat on my bed and stared at the diary. So, now I knew a lot more. The diary had belonged to a ten year old girl from the 1950s, named Hope Russell.
She must have lived here when she was little. That might explain her diary being in my room. I wondered what happened to her. Why did she leave her diary?
Or, maybe a better question might be, why did I care? I didn't get to think about this for long, because I heard Charlie's car pull into the driveway.
I had been so busy reading Hope's diary, that I had forgotten to cook Charlie's dinner. I quickly shoved the diary under my pillow and ran down the stairs.
But of course, me being me, I tripped on the third one from the bottom and landed at the bottom on my back. And it was at this exact time, that Charlie walked through the door.
He blinked several times before he finally managed to say anything.
"Isabella, what are you doing?"
I felt my cheeks go red, as I quickly got to my feet. I had long sensed asked everyone to stop calling me Bella. It reminded me to much of them.
"Nothing Dad, I just tripped."
"Oh, are you ok?"
Although he tried to sound worried, I could still hear the amusement in his loud voice.
"Yeah, I'm fine." "I was going to fast, and you know me." "I just fell over my own two feet."
He couldn't hold it in anymore. He burst out laughing. I waited a few moments before I told him why I was running.
"I was reading and I lost track of time." "I haven't cooked dinner yet." "Sorry."
"Oh, that's all right, Bells." "Why don't we just order a pizza?"
I opened my mouth to say that if he didn't mind waiting, I would cook something, but he was already ordering the pizza. I sighed, I couldn't do anything right.
The pizza came and we ate it in silence. I nibbled on my slice. I wasn't hungry.
By the time I was half way through with my first piece, Charlie was putting his plate in the sink, having already finished off five slices. I put mine down, I couldn't eat anymore. I took a sip of my Coke before tossing the rest of my piece of pizza in the trash and taking my plate to the sink. Charlie gave me a disapproving look before speaking.
"Bella, you really should eat more."
I gave him a smile, before saying something, I wasn't sure what exactly. What ever it was, he seemed to believe it because he made his way to the living room to watch a game.
I started to wash the dishes. Normally, I would focus only on what I was doing, but to night, I aloud my mind to go back to Hope's diary.
I still didn't know why I was so interested in the diary of someone I didn't even know. It wasn't even written very well. Maybe that was it. The way that the little girl viewed the world. I could tell, even though I'd only read the first entry, that she looked at the world with a child's innocence So maybe I was wanting to be able to do that. In the eyes of a child, the world was one or the other. Everything was either right or wrong. Everything was nice or it wasn't. Nothing could ever be both. Everything was for certain. Children knew when they were loved and when they were not.
At the thought of love, my heart gave a sharp throb and a fierce pain crashed through my chest. I had to bight down on my lip so that I wouldn't scream with the pain.
Quickly, I forced my mind to think of something else, anything else. The first thing I thought of, was unsurprisingly, Hope's diary. I decided to hurry and finish the dishes so that I could read some more of the diary.
Hastily, I cleaned the few dishes that Charlie and I had used. With that done, I said a quick good night to Charlie, before rushing back up to my room. This time, I made sure not to trip.