Drifting Sunrise

Drifting Sunrise

1 Unexpected Expectations

What was I thinking. I'd just totally let someone take control of my already miserable life.

I sneaked a glance sideways towards my left. Maybe a little too sneaky. Even before I had even started to look at her, already her eyes focused on me.

How did she do that? Just suddenly know every move of mine. Some psycho best friend I have.

"You are a very terrible sneak, but I'm sure you already realized that."

"Just because I'm sneaky enough for you to notice, does not mean I'm a terrible one." I mumbled.

I had to admit, I am a sneak. An unusually, very, sneaky child. Or I should say, teenager. There's a difference.

Yesterday, I had decided to run away because of the fact that my mother decided to send me away because I was supposedly driving her nuts. I mean that wasn't even the worst part. It's a place I've never been to, it was far enough for me so I would not be able to run back home, and the most horrible thing is that, my own best friend planned this with her. Did they seriously think I needed to see some shrink or therapy? Please, it's because of them I'm going insane; I'd love for them to realize that.

Yeah, right, I'm a totally crazy sneak.

"May I ask, why you agreed with my mother about this?" I managed to ask.

"Simple, you need a life."

"What? What do you mean I need a life? What's the trigger to that?"

"Kiera Alice Stanton, you haven't been doing anything since your dad left three months ago. You're like the living dead around the house." She said in her matter-of-factly voice.

"So sending me to a far away land is supposed to give me a life. It'll be giving me death first. What, you need me to do some sort of tricks to entertain you or what. Jane Kathy Grover, I'm perfectly fine. I don't see what this has to do with my father," I tried to simply say, "he is way out of my life, and I'm moving on."

"Well you're not doing such a good job of it." She murmured.

"Well, so what? Where are you sending me anyway? Also, I still don't understand why you agreed about this."

"Define the question, "so what". Secondly, you'll find out where your destination is in about I should say," Jane flicked her eyes at the clock, "four minutes. As for your last question, I honestly agreed because I thought that you needed some time away from your mother, especially when she's all going sentimental about your father too, and partly because I think you should explore the outdoors, and make your life an adventure more than a death book."

Oh, so that was it? To have an "adventure" and give my mother some alone time to mourn about our dead father?

I admit that I've been a little too depressed to be around, and that I've been lazy to do anything lately, but it's not like I've got sick. It's an insult, for my mother and best friend to think I need some sort of therapy outside of home. I could just stay at another friend's house is I drove Jane crazy.

What struck me was the part when Jane said I needed to explore the outdoors. I mean, what's there to explore outside? There isn't much in Ohio except for a bunch of little cottages. I mean I live in what they call the urban area. City, lights, and cars everywhere.

I looked out the window and let out a few overdramatic sighs.

And that was what hit me.

A leg was hanging on the fence. I mean literally, it was just a leg, chopped I guess, hanging on a fence that we were driving by.

I looked at Jane horrified.

"Don't worry, it's just the spirit that is still alive." She said casually.

"Just? I'm looking at a chopped leg in front of me! What is this, are you sending me to some spooky haunted house?" I shut my eyes, frustrated.

"Calm down, they'll remove it. I also forgot to tell you that these people are Buddhist you know, they believe in spirits, and by the look of that moving leg, I'm sure you'd believe it too. They didn't want to scare you, so they'll remove all Buddhist artifacts and such. So calm it Kier."

Already, I've been scared to death, no wait. I didn't die because of it yet, so I guess I'm scared to half death, although I wished I would die right now. What was it doing there anyway?

I didn't realize that we've come to a complete stop when I decided to open my eyes again.

I opened the door lazily, not caring what I would see again, but there it was another of those little cottages. It wasn't a usual one. Which was quite surprising.

I have to admit, it was the most beautiful cottage I've ever see in Ohio. I couldn't even be sure if it even was a cottage. I mean it was three five bigger.

I looked at Jane, and she nodded. I guess it was a cottage that was resized five times its size.

The cottage was just one story, not too tall, but it was wide in length. Of course, where people live in cottages, they have fields. This field was huge. White daisies were scattered everywhere, about almost every step. I would have gotten lost which direction was which if it wasn't for the cottage that stood in the middle of it.

And lord, there were even birds. There are hardly any nature life here, and let alone humming birds and blue jays? I felt as if I had just entered Snow White's fairytale. It seriously seemed like it, except that the cottage was a little oversized for Snow White.

The cottage was covered in flowers, as if it was made of flowers. Which I bet it was, but when I stepped closer, it seemed the inside was all wood. There was a gate in front, intertwined with the flower vines.

Behind the field, and the cottage, there was a forest. I mean it wasn't scary looking, but it looked beautiful, just like everything else. It was dark green, with a few patches of light shining in here and there.

I saw black crows flying overhead in a V formation, and a wolf stood perched in the forest.

That was interesting. It looked more like a dog. But why is everything so beautiful? I could swear, I was dreaming. I mean, even the wolf or dog, or whatever it was, looked so beautiful. It's like everything here was made to be here. The creature was pure white. Its fur looked so delicate. As if it was made of pillow feathers. It had purple eyes, but it didn't creep me out. They looked very welcoming…

I never even knew such a beautiful and exotic place could exist. But of course, I'm an urban girl.

Jane urged me forward, giving me the look of reassurance and to not be afraid.

"Do you know these people that live here?" I asked looking up. Jane was about three inches taller than me, I'm pretty short for my height.

"Actually, they are my great grandpa's relatives, I've never met them, but for some reason they know me," She said happily.

This was bizarre. My best friend is Buddhist? Even talk about her relatives living in cottages. Jane was a thousand times worse than me in language, and dressing style. She always wore the shortest shorts, and high tanks, and the newest jewelry. There was no way these were her relatives. That also explained why she was so casual about that dead, moving, chopped, leg hanging in the middle of the road fence.

"I know what you're thinking, and don't even go there." Jane said staring at me.

That is exactly what I mean, it's like she knew my thoughts.

"You're not that hard to read, you've got everything I need to know on your face, idiot." Again, Jane reading my mind. It's probably true that I'm obvious with my feelings, but I didn't want to think Jane was physic, even though I'd believe just about anything right now.

For some reason, I felt like I was having a big game, in the bathroom, warming up. Nervous, unsure, and scared.

But as I always do before a game, I take a breath, and followed Jane into the house. I think house is a better word for the overly large cottage.

2 Guest

When I was in the house, I didn't smell anything. Nothing, but flowers. Its smell was so overwhelming it was addicting. I was starting to get dizzy, which is quite pathetic if the reason was because of smelling too much flower fragrance.

The first thing I saw when I walked in was an isle, with rooms on the side. Similar to a dorm.

Jane went to the second room down the isle.

On the right was the living room, it was almost the same size as mine, which is not normal at all for a cottage, but this of course, was an exception. I sat down on a nearby chair in the living room. There were three chairs in a triangle shape by the fireplace.

On the left, was the kitchen. Stoves, knives, pans, pots, hanged still from the top of the hooks attached to the top of the cabinets. And then the dinner table stood in the other living room by the kitchen. It looked bare because the dinner table seemed to small for the space in the kitchen. By the kitchen, was a door, I guessed it was a door to the outside.

A few seconds later, Jane came back with an old lady. Who was in quite good shape compare to other elders. She had her hair in a bun. But for some odd reason, her hair had not gone completely gray. It was still very black. She wore a long gown, patched with apples on them, and her eyes were dark green, exactly like the color of the forest.

Everything and everyone were really made for each other here, no doubt.

There weren't any wrinkles anywhere except by her eyes, but I was sure that it was just from lack of sleep.

She quickly noticed me sitting in the living room on the burgundy velvet chair, and walked to sit next to the one beside me.

Jane sat in the last one, closest to the fire place.

"Hello, dear, you must be Kiera. Jane has told me a lot about you." She said in such a formal way that I was afraid that I'd be rude if I spoke normally.

"Oh, first, may I ask, would you like anything to drink, food perhaps? Please do not worry, the food here is delicious as any other food in the urban areas, and water is crystal clear, and even tastes better, if you'd like to try." She smiled such a heart warming smile that I had to accept her request.

"Very well darling, please wait a few, I'll be back in a jiffy." She got up so fast I didn't even see her doing it, and then she walked gracefully to the kitchen. It seemed so far away because the house was just so long.

There was a wheezing shout that came from my throat and nose at the same time that I didn't expect it coming.

"Bless you Kier." Jane said.

"Thanks, I think I'm going to go outside for a bit. Call me in when you need me, and if," I glanced at the old lady, "who is she?" I suddenly asked before I could say anything more.

"She is my great grandpa's niece which is practically my very far away cousin." She said thoughtfully.

"What's her name anyway?" I asked curiously.

"Oh it's Lisa, but I'm sure you can just call her Nan, like everyone else does. I don't know why they call her that, but even I do. And she's my cousin," she made a sour face, "but of course she's much older than me, so I'm okay with that."

"Oh well anyways, tell Nan that I'll be outside, the fragrance here is making me unconscious." I told Jane.

Jane chuckled and I looked at her with curiosity.

"It's the perfume that Nan wears, it's intoxicating at times," she laughed again.

"Oh." I said blankly.

It was just her perfume? Wow, to me, it smelled good, but it smelled too good that it was addicting, and when things appeal addicting to me, I get a little unstable.

I finally rose from my chair and walked outside.

There was rug on the floor that said, "If you have your heart with you at all times, you are always home."

I walked over it and mumbled to myself, "I wish this was my home."

I walked into the green fields. They seemed so stunning when the sun was shining all over it. The daisies swayed back and forth in all directions like children in a play.

I had a strong desire to go and touch every flower I could get my hands on.

I walked deeper in to the fields, and stretched my hand out, and walked.

The flowers brushed my hands, just like a duster being swiped over my hands.

They bent over as I hit them, and snapped back in position when I had moved onto the next flower. The sun heat felt so good on my stretched out arm that I suddenly stopped abruptly.

I let all the feelings just pour into me. The heat of the sun, the soft whistling wind blowing and ruffling my hair, the feel of moist snow daisies…

"Hello there." A deep perfect voice said somewhere nowhere in sight.

3 I Have Figured Out the Meaning of Beautiful

I turned around so fast the world was a blur. I was breathing so hard, it was a miracle that I couldn't hear my heart beat clearly.

I wasn't breathing because I was scared, I was breathing because of what I was looking at.

There stood in front of me, was the most handsome man I have ever seen in all my years in my entire life.

I could not use words to describe him, and before this dream was over, I tried to memorize every feature of face that he had.

He had a light sand colored skin, almost pale, but not quite. Just a very light colored sand color.

He had the most extraordinary eyes I have ever seen too. They were in between light blue and dark red, almost a mix of purple, but more blue. It seemed as if they were made of glass because I could see the reflection of the field behind me. Even thought I might have imagined me, I could even see the traces of the wind behind his eyes.

He smiled at me, and despite how warming it was, it made me shiver, even under the heating sun.

His skin was just so smooth. If someone ran their fingers with their eyes closed over his skin, they would probably think that they were touching glass rather than skin.

His fair was slight disheveled because of the blowing wind, but it seemed so shiny in the sun, jet black, slightly on the right.

"Are you alright there?" His perfectly voice asked. It was as if he was an English teacher, English extremely perfect.

Unexpectedly, he lifted his hand to my chin and tilted it up. I had not noticed that my mouth was hanging open. Embarrassed, I shifted away from his touch.

Wow. His skin was just so warm. It felt good against my skin. I felt my face turn a blush of pink, it really felt like I was on fire.

"I'm, fine." I squeaked.

He chuckled and said, "I'm Riley," he smiled his perfect white shining teeth, the ones that looked like they were photo shopped in picture commercials, "Riley Daevid." He smiled again.

Either he was purposely trying to make me blush, or I just have a bad sense of control in my feelings when I am attracted towards other people, or should I say gender.