A/N - Great responses from the first chapter, so I put this up as soon as I could. Enjoy.
Disclaimer - I don't own Twilight or any recognisable characters.
2: Isle of Palms
I wasn't sure what I was doing, I'd never 'bedazzled' anything before in my life. I'd bought Maddie the kit for her birthday, but I suppose we'd never got around to testing the thing out before. We'd gotten around to it now, Madison was sitting next to me, going away at mom's favourite skirt with the beads as if she was on sugar rush. Don't worry, I didn't let my three year old little sister get on sugar rush at 7pm, I'm not that stupid...or masochistic.
"Your doing it wrong..." Maddie told me, well she lisped me. Her green eyes were twinkling as she continued with her work and I only glanced down at mine, knowing she was right and that I was doing it wrong.
We were sitting in what was supposedly my bedroom, though I still wasn't sure. Basically, there were only two bedrooms, one being Lewis and mom's and the other one was the size of a cupboard, so that was now Maddie's nursery and I had what I think was the attic. It wasn't that big up here either, and there was only one window in the form of a large skylight. I knew it was raining heavily, even without looking up because I could hear the constant drumming on the glass - that would get annoying after a while. Lewis had set up a bed in the corner, and there was an old desk up here, but nothing that screamed 'this is an adolescents room'. My duffels were slumped onto the bed and I had two boxes with the rest of my shit in them. Mom and Lewis were round at his sister's house, having their own little welcoming party. I'd refused to go with them, feigning stomach ache and sadly I was now stuck babysitting and bedazzling.
"I'm ungwee," She told me, pushing the skirt aside. I raised an eyebrow at her, how could she be hungry? We'd just had take out!
"Are you serious?" She nodded, not even reacting to my skeptic tone. It was times like these when I wish she didn't have the metabolism of an Olympic athlete. "Well...it's past your bed time anyw-" She grabbed my sleeve frantically and looked up at me with that puppy-dog look.
"Pwease!!!" She was on the verge of tears, but I knew she was just being melodramatic.
"I'll see what I can do - stay right here." She let go and grabbed the skirt again. As she went back to ruini- I mean editing mom's skirt, I got up and went to the staircase. Each floorboard creaked under my feet and I knew that would get annoying too. I'd never liked creaking floorboards, they always freaked me out and after watching too many horror films I'm sure I've become paranoid about people walking behind me discreetly. I had to remind myself there were no psychopaths in this house...that I'd seen. I took the stairs two at a time and before I knew it I found myself in the kitchen, not knowing what appliances to use or even where things were kept. Great.
I opened what I'd guessed was a built-in refrigerator and found I'd been correct, I skimmed it's contents over before tugging out a loaf of bread and jar of crunchy peanut butter. I don't like to brag, but I am the best sandwich maker in the world...or I was in Charleston at least. Maybe I would have some competition here? Maybe.
I spread the pb evenly and then put the other slice on top, and after looking in several cupboards I found a plate and put the sandwich on it. Maddie was calling me from upstairs, so I switched the kitchen light off and stumbled back up the first staircase. Halfway up though there was a knock on the door.
"Who the hell..." I muttered under my breath, leaving the plate on the step and then hopping back down. Out of habit, I looked through the peep-hole to see...a very tall girl standing in the downpour. Frowning, I opened the door and she turned her measuring gaze down to me, a fake smile slowly spread across her face. "Err...hello?"
"You must be Annie." She said, running a hand through her short black hair and shaking out the drops of rain. It was almost like a boys, cropped and shaggy. She was insanely beautiful and instead of smelling of perfume like most insanely beautiful girls I knew, she smelled...sort of woodsy.
"Anna." I corrected and mimicked her fake smile, "Seeing as you know who I am, am I supposed to know who you are?"
She laughed and said, "I'm Leah Clearwater - your step-cousin." It was then I noticed that she was only wearing a soaked yellow polo-shirt (the arms were torn off!) and denim shorts, I frowned even deeper and she just laughed more.
"Aren't you cold or wet?" I questioned and she just shook her head, "Well, not to be rude but why the hell are you here?"
"Your mom said you weren't feeling well and since I wasn't in the partying mood I offered to come and check up on you and Marilyn." She explained, coming inside without needing to be asked. I didn't miss the opportunity to shut the door though, the cool breeze had been chilling me. Leah folded her arms across her chest and raised a perfectly plucked brow at me, as if waiting for me to talk.
"Umm, her name's Madison." The brow dropped and she shrugged, "Do you want to come upstairs?" She shrugged again and I started back up the steps, retrieving Maddie's sandwich. Leah followed me eventually, but didn't talk as we climbed the stairs. It surprised me when we entered my attic-room and she actually smiled at Madison who had now moved on to bedazzling her teddy-bear.
"Whose that?" She asked, sizing Leah up.
"Leah..." I muttered and perched myself on the end of the bed, "Here's your food." I gave her the plate and she looked at it for a moment then pouted and put it aside before going back to her work. I glared at her before collapsing backwards on the mattress.
"Bedazzling?" Leah mused and I groaned inwardly, "Claire used to have one of those...but Embry stepped on it," I didn't know who she was talking about and I didn't really care.
"You wanna twy?" Maddie asked her and I heard Leah sit down on the floor with a soft thud. At least Leah could keep the kid occupied for a bit and I could rest. The time change was killing me.
"I have to go now, my...shift's about to start," Leah told me after we'd finally got Maddie to bed. It was about 8:30 and I knew mom would kill me when Madison bragged about staying up late tomorrow morning, oh well I would take whatever she threw at me with a smile on my face, then I'd find her key to the liqour bar I'd seen in the dining room.
"You have graveyard shift?" She laughed and nodded, reluctantly I opened the door for her and she left, sending me a genuine smile as she headed towards the line of trees. I took a look around the drive, Lewis's car still wasn't back and I sighed. This would be a long night.
----------
I was back on the Isle of Palms with my friends, we were on the beach just soaking in the sun. I could see out across the pacific, to the small sandy strips of lands that lay a mile into the water. Monica and Amber were giggling over some hot boy that'd just passed us, only I hadn't seen him. I smiled to myself, wishing desperately that this dream wouldn't end. Only it did.
"ANNA?!" Mom's tone was angry, amazed and amused, though more the first. I blinked open my eyes to find her standing over me, arms on hips. Dim sunlight poured in through the skylight and it took me a few seconds to remember where I was, then at the realization I groaned. Mom continued shaking me though till in the end I sat up. "It's 1 in the afternoon and you're still asleep???"
"Well, I was..." I muttered and she just rolled her eyes.
"Get up, we're going to Sue's for lunch." I groaned again and swung my legs off the mattress and onto the cold wooden floor. A shiver ran up my spine and mom marched back to the staircase, "And don't even think about going back to sleep," I stuck my tongue out at her as she disappeared.
Lunch was a prospect at least and my stomach growled in agreement, food was the reason why I forced myself to my bags and grabbed some sweats and an old tank-top. I retrieved my deoderant and hairbrush too and got ready, then decided it was way too cold for just a tank. I tugged out an old grey sweater and put it on, then looked at myself in my small hand mirror. My eyes were no longer bloodshot, the hazel and blue still hazed by sleepiness though. My bangs were escaping from the twist I'd put my hair in but I just brushed them aside and stumbled downstairs.
Mom, Lewis and Maddie were in the living rooms. Lewis was hiding her skirt behind his back and winked at me as I came in, perhaps he was good for some things. It didn't surprise me that Madison was wearing her dress-up tiara, it also didn't surprise me that mom was trying to get the tiara.
"Morning sleepyhead...well good afternoon," Lewis said to me and I glared at him.
"Lets get going then!" Mom said, picking Maddie up. With one arm she ushered us back out of the living room and then out the front door. It wasn't raining, in fact the sun was peaking through the clouds still, however it was still very cold and as mom passed Madison to me I sprinted to the Mercedes. She giggled all the while as I buckled her in and asked me not to let mommy take her tiara.
"I won't." I kissed her on the forehead and slid into the seat next to her. Mom and Lewis got in and within a five minutes we were actually outside Sue Clearwater's house, these people seriously liked to keep family close...
I was stuck with holding Madison as we walked to their front door, I wasn't looking forward to meeting 'the family' but with lunch included, it couldn't be so bad right? Lewis knocked confidently on the door and a few seconds later a tall boy with cropped hair opened the door. I could see the resembelence between him and Leah immediately though as ours eyes locked I realized they didn't share the same dark brown irises, his were much darker and deeper than hers, but now I found that I somehow couldn't look away.