10 Years Later
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Cape May, New Jersey
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September 9th, 2013
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Ten long years have passed at the old Victorian house, and the grand house showed signs of time's wrath. The paint was chipping, the grass was slightly yellowed, and the certain whimsical air the house once had, was gone.
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Many things can happen in the span of ten years, and in this old house, many things did.
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The sounds of childish laughter no longer resounded in the halls, there weren't three small beds residing in the nursery, and the hardwood floors were bare of toys. But the biggest change of all was the absence of Margaret. She could no longer be found in the kitchen, humming along to the radio while she cooked. Nor was she tending to her precious rose bushes in the back garden. Sadly, the old house hasn't seen her motherly presence in a very long time.
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After that night in the nursery, oh so very long ago, Margaret began to feel tired and dizzy more often and she wasn't able to do much of anything before she had to sit down and rest. After a while, it got to the point where she could barely get out of bed. Eventually, her husband Benjamin couldn't stand to watch her suffer any longer and rushed her to the hospital. Doctors performed every test they could think of on Margaret, but found nothing wrong. Margaret knew that she was dying, she didn't need a doctor to tell her that, but for the sake of her children she refused to show how sick she had become.
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During her stay in the hospital, John, Michael, and Wendy became almost permanent fixtures in her room. While Michael was too young to understand what was going on, John and Wendy could tell that something was terribly wrong with their mother. With that in mind, the three children made it their goal everyday to make their mother smile and laugh. And it worked…for a while. After being in the hospital for three weeks, Margaret began to take a turn for the worse. She wouldn't eat, she couldn't sleep and she would lapse into horrible fits of coughing. But out of her entire time in the hospital, Margaret finally had one good day. She ate the food that was given to her, she played and read stories to her kids, and she genuinely smiled for the first time since being admitted. By the time visiting hours had ended, and Benjamin and the children had said their goodbyes, Margaret had fallen asleep for the first time in days.
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Sadly, Margaret never woke up the next morning. The doctors explained to Benjamin that she went peacefully, that she just slipped away into the night. But even so, Death had stripped three children of a mother, and Benjamin of his wife. A funeral was held soon after, just as the crisp air of fall blew over the Earth. This was the day that Benjamin's heart became as cold as ice. Heartbroken, Benjamin buried himself in work. By locking himself in his office and going on extensive business trips, he tried to forget the pain. But his selfish actions left his children neglected and they would often be in the care of their grandmother, Jane.
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Over the years, Benjamin's business trips became longer and longer, until he barely came home at all. At first John, Michael, and Wendy missed their father, but over time they learned that he wasn't going to come back. Jane took care of her grandchildren for six years, but she soon became too old to keep up with them. Seeing that his brother and sister needed someone, John decided that he would be the one to take care of them; and he did.
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These three children have seen and been through so much over those past ten years, but none of that could prepare them for what they were about to face.
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~ Wendy ~
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I sighed as I stood before the antique mirror hanging on my wall. My hair was long and wavy, and almost reached the small of my back. I had pretty good skin for a teenager, just a few freckles here and there. At first glance I seem like any other normal high schooler. That is until people notice my eyes. My mom used to tell me that my eyes reminded her of two emeralds that were always shining with burning curiosity. I glanced over at a picture of her and I on the dresser, the two of us smiling widely at the camera lens. I let out another soft sigh as I turned back to the mirror and looked over my outfit for the first day of sophomore year.
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I had on dark blue skinny jeans, a purple and black striped shirt with a black waist coat, combat boots and silver bird earrings that my grandma Jane gave me for my sixteenth birthday. I pursed my lips, and fiddled with the bottom of my shirt. Even though it's my second year of high school, I felt a strange uneasiness settle over me. I don't know why, but I have a gut feeling that today isn't going to be a regular day at school. I jumped when I heard my younger brother, Michael yell up the stairs. "Wendy! Come on, we're gonna be late for school!"
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"Alright Mikey, I'm coming!" I yelled back, smiling at his eagerness. I took one final glance in the mirror, before I turned and grabbed my black school bag and favorite book, The Maze Runner by James Dashner and scrambled out of the room. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, I saw Michael and John in the hallway. John was helping Michael tie his sneakers, as he still hadn't gotten the hang of it yet. After he finished, John glanced at me and stood up, a small smirk gracing his face.
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"Well it took you long enough Wen." John stated, his blue eyes shining in amusement. John had changed greatly in the past ten years. He had to grow up and be like a parent to me and Mikey, since our dad was never around. John is only eighteen but the years have aged him. I scoffed and stuck my tongue out at him. John just chuckled at me and went to grab his bag and car keys. I smiled at the two of them. With his blue eyes, tall stature and black-brown hair, John greatly resembled our father. Michael on the other hand, with his blue eyes and brown-blonde hair, was a mixture of both of our parents.
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After John had retrieved his things, we filed out of the house and headed for John's old car. It took almost five minutes for the beat-up car to start, once it did, John carefully pulled out of the drive way and headed to town. Michael was dropped off first, as the elementary school was closer than the high school. I helped him out of the car, made sure he had everything, and kissed him goodbye. Then, being the worry wart I am, I waited until he was safely inside the building before I got back into the car. All too soon, John pulled up in front of the high school. "Remember, I'm picking you up at three." John said, as I got out of the car.
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"Got it. Study hard, and try not to get into any fights with your med team." I told him as I shut the car door. I stood on the sidewalk and watched as he drove off to the local Nursing School where he was training. Once his car was out of sight, I let out a sigh and started to trudge up the quad, ignoring the glares and snickers that were sent my way.
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High School was like nothing that I had ever experienced before. Even though it's only my second year, it still surprises me how alone I felt in a building full of people. I had always been the odd one out. Even when I was little I always kept to myself. At first, the kids in school would just call me mean names, but as we got older, the name calling turned into full on exclusion from the entire teenage society. They still call names every once in a while. But for the most part I'm ignored, like I'm invisible.
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I remember when I was little, I would often come home countless times crying to John about how nobody liked me. Nowadays, I could care less about what other people thought of me. I like how everyone leaves me alone, but there are some times that I just want someone besides my brothers that I could talk to.
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I had just about reached the doors of the school, when I felt a sudden chill go down my spine. You know that feeling you get when you think someone is watching you? Well that's what it feels like. I scanned the quad, when my eyes landed on a boy that I had never seen before. I felt my shoulders tense up in nervousness as I looked at him. He had almost a bad boy look to him, with his leather jacket and his wild hair, but that wasn't what was causing the goose bumps on my arms. What unsettled me was that he was looking straight at me.
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I probably would've stood there frozen the whole day, if the bell hadn't rung. I quickly snapped out of it, and hurried through the halls to advisory. After the schedules were handed out, the bell signaling first period rang.
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I was the first one in the classroom, like usual. I headed straight to the desk near the window. Not long after I had sat down, the rest of the class and the teacher entered the room. The first period English class was twenty minutes in and my teacher, Ms. Rigby, had just passed out our syllabus for the year when someone knocked on the door. One of the office aids stepped through the door and started conversing with Ms. Rigby in hushed tones. I saw the teacher nod, and the aid go back to the door. Ms. Rigby then cleared her throat and addressed the class.
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"Students, your attention please." Ms. Rigby said. She waited for the room to quiet before continuing. "It seems that we have a late student joining our class."
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The office aid entered again with a boy. But not just any boy…it was the same boy from outside. The one who was staring at me like a creeper. "Class this is Peter Barrie, his family just moved here from England. I hope you'll make him feel welcome here." Ms. Rigby then began to search the crowded room for an empty seat.
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"Uh, Peter you can seat next to Gwendolyn over by the window. Gwendolyn, could you raise your hand please?"
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I timidly raised my hand and quickly put it back down, keeping my eyes locked on the desk. Then I heard someone slide into the seat next to me, and Ms. Rigby continued with the lesson. I could feel his eyes on me, and I tried my best to ignore him. He shifted in his seat, but I kept my focus on the teacher.
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"Hi, I'm Peter. Your name's Gwendolyn right?" A deep British voice asked.
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I slowly turned around, and got a good look at him. He had messy auburn hair, greenish-blue eyes and a light tan. He had an air of wildness about him with his combat boots, dark jeans and black leather jacket. It actually took me a few seconds to finally answer him. "Wendy." I stated quietly.
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"Pardon?" Peter asked, sounding slightly bewildered.
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"My name is Gwendolyn, but I prefer Wendy." I answered before turning my attention back to Ms. Rigby.
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A moment of silence passed over us before Peter asked, "You don't talk much do you?"
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I shook my head, hoping that he would leave me alone like everybody else did.
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"Hey, do you think you could show me around? Since I'm new here and all?" Peter asked, his face looked hopeful.
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"Uh, don't know. Sure I guess." I answered. I don't know what the hell is wrong with me, but even with his dark clothes and intense gaze I felt like I could trust him. It almost like I had known him from somewhere before, I can't remember where.
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Peter gave me a big smile, and turned back towards the front. I quietly sighed and shook my head. I had only known this Peter kid for like ten minutes, and I could tell that underneath his bad boy exterior he was hiding something.
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And one thing is for certain, as soon as my curiosity is sparked, nothing can put it out.
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Thanks for reading :)
