Chapter Two
2011
Emmaline sat in the very spot she'd sat years before, staring out the window. Instead of starting at the sky, as she normally did, she was staring at the house next door. The house that she'd been so fascinated with since she was a child. She'd attempted many times to try to go there, to visit the strange boy who lived there, but no such luck. Either Constance would catch her before she was out the front door, or Adelaide would tell on her.
Emmaline knew she wasn't like most people her age; her mother always told her she had an old soul. She'd prefer spending her weekends in her bedroom or in the backyard reading, rather than sniffing coke and going to raves like the other kids in her grade. She'd never even been to a school dance, but that was more her mother's choice than her own.
She felt as if her entire life was a huge mystery. She didn't know much about her family history, aside from the ones who lived in the house. Emmaline knew she had an older brother, Beau, but he died before she was born. She had another brother who died when she was one, but she couldn't even remember what either of them looked like. Her kept all the pictures packed up from when they moved into the house. She still didn't know anything about her father, and Constance was still as stubborn with giving her any information about him as she'd always been. That was one of the most frustrating things to Emmaline—all the secrets kept from her. Even Addy wouldn't spill any information about her father or her brothers, and she did not mind gossiping any chance she got.
There was a moving truck out front of the house, and the new family looked interesting. They looked like a stereotypical cookie-cutter type of family. A mom, a dad, a dog. And a girl. Emmaline couldn't understand the feelings that bubbled up in her stomach when she saw the girl. She looked to be around the same age she was, maybe a little older. She stood out of the way with her arms crossed as the movers did their job. Her long, sandy brown hair hung past her shoulders, and she wore layers of clothes despite it being the middle of April. Emmaline bit her lip and rose from the nook, exiting her bedroom and heading toward Addie's room. She poked her head in and saw her sister passed out on her bed, soft snores coming from her mouth. Her mother had left minutes before, to go get groceries and cigarettes, so she'd be gone for an hour or two.
Emmaline knew this was her chance. The only time she was ever out of the house without Constance or Adelaide was when she was at school. There were times where her mother would randomly vanish, only to return an hour or so later, but she left Adelaide standing guard to make sure Emmaline didn't leave the house. Her mother was constantly smothering her, always telling Emmaline she was her "sweet, perfect girl." She ran quietly down the staircase, and into the kitchen. She couldn't just show up there empty handed, so she opened the fridge to see what they had that would pass as a "welcome to the neighborhood." She settled for the casserole Constance had made the night before. She took the tin foil off and stuck the glass pan in the microwave until it was warm, and spread it out to look as if it hadn't been eaten out of. She put a fresh piece of foil and quickly walked out the front door, closing it quietly behind her. She wished she'd looked in a mirror before leaving the house, but she shook the thought from her head as she walked down the sidewalk toward the house. She was suddenly overwhelmed with a strange feeling that she couldn't explain. The family had already gone inside, and the door was wide open, so she knocked on the frame before letting herself in.
"Hello?" Emmaline called, looking around. She could see the movers walking back and forth, putting boxes in different rooms, all at the direction of the older woman, who she assumed was the mother of the younger girl.
"Hey," The girl who Emmaline had been staring at turned the corner, eyeing her speculatively.
"Uhm, hi. I'm Emmaline, I live next door." She smiled, trying to play it cool but there were butterflies erupting in the pit of her stomach. "I brought this for you guys, as like a…welcome to the neighborhood thing, I guess." Emmaline handed the dish over, and the girl motioned for her to follow her into the kitchen. Emmaline followed her, feeling like a lost puppy trailing after it's mother.
"Violet," She introduced herself, putting the dish on top of the stove, and turning to face the girl, leaning on the countertop. "This sucks." She mumbled under her breath.
"What does?" Emmaline asked, resting her hands on the cool countertop.
"Moving. Uprooting my entire life because my dad's a jackass."
"Oh," Emmaline wasn't sure what to say, or why she found herself so tongue-tied around a person she'd just met. The two seemed to be almost polar opposites. Violet had a darker vibe; the layered clothes, the 'don't care' attitude, and Emmaline noticed the marks on her wrists from fresh cuts, along with older scars. Violet must have noticed her looking, because she pulled her sleeves down to cover them. "Sorry," She apologized. Emmaline was more light; light colored clothing, light blonde hair, and more of a 'please everyone' attitude.
"It's cool," Violet opened her mouth to say something else, when they were interrupted.
"You're going to die in here," Emmaline cringed, turning around to face her sister, who'd apparently entered the house moments earlier.
Violet's mom entered the kitchen, dawning a confused look. "Who are you? And what are you doing in my house?" She asked.
"Sorry," Emmaline apologized, walking over to her sister. "I'm Emmaline, and this is my sister Adelaide."
"Mom's going to be so mad at you," Addy whispered to Emmaline, snickering deviously.
"We'll get out of your way," Emmaline apologized and headed toward the door.
"Wait," Violet called. "Mom, can I go next door and hang with Emmaline for a bit?"
"Don't be long," Her mother replied. "You have to unpack your room."
The butterflies in her stomach started feeling like a flock of pigeons. She turned her head to face Violet, who had a small smile on her face. "You don't mind, do you?" She asked.
"N-no, of course not." Emmaline answered. "Let's go, Adelaide." Addy was staring at Violet's mother, who obviously looked extremely uncomfortable.
"I'm coming." Addy turned around and walked out the front door, and Emmaline and Violet followed behind.
"I needed to get out of there," Violet admitted. "My mom's been driving me nuts since this morning."
"Glad I could help," Emmaline laughed quietly, as they walked up the front steps and into their house.
"Where the hell have you been?" Constance was standing a few feet from the front door, and though Emmaline and Adelaide had been gone, she was only starting at Emmaline. When she noticed Violet standing behind Emmaline, her demeanor changed, but only slightly.
"We just went to meet the family next door," Emmaline said gently, keeping her eyes on the floor.
Constance took a breath, before putting on the fakest smile Emmaline had ever seen on her mother's face. "Well, leave a note next time. Okay, darling? Addy, dear, why don't you into the living room and watch Dora the Explorer so Emmaline and I can talk."
"Can we do that later, mama? Violet wants to stay and hang out for a little while." She pleaded, giving her mother the best pouty look she could muster.
"Uh, it's alright." Violet awkwardly started backing out the front door. Panic sprung up in Emmaline's chest when she realized the horrible first impression Violet was getting of her mother. "I'd probably better go anyway; my mom will kill me if I don't get my room unpacked. But I can come back soon, if you want?" Emmaline thought she saw a glimmer of hope in Violet's eye, and she nodded—almost a little too enthusiastically. "See you later, Ems."
"Come back any time!" Constance's fake voice nearly made Emmaline vomit in her mouth.
Violet walked out the door, closing it behind her. Emmaline turned to face her mother, whose eyes were nearly glowing with rage. "Mama," She started. "I'm sorry."
Constance glowered at her child and turned around, walking into the kitchen. Emmaline sighed, following behind her. She really didn't want to fight with her mother. Constance sat down at the table, opening one of her packs of cigarettes and lighting one, taking a long drag. Emmaline sat at the table in the chair next to her, keeping her eyes down.
"I'm sorry, mama." Emmaline stated again, putting her hand on Constance's. Her mother looked her in the eyes, and it was a look she wasn't familiar with. She wasn't usually the type to go against her mother's word, and staying away from that house was her mother's main rule. "I just saw them moving in and I wanted to go say hello. That's all."
Constance continued silently smoking her cigarette, and the guilt Emmaline felt was almost eating her alive. She sighed and turned around, walking from the kitchen and up the stairs into her bedroom. She knew it'd probably be best to leave her mother alone until she calmed down—her mother had never been mad at her, but she'd seen how she'd gotten with Addy a few times, and that was something Emmaline preferred to avoid.
She closed her bedroom door and sat on her nook yet again, staring out her window. A movement in one of the upstairs windows caught her attention. A familiar face stared back at her, and Emmaline's eyes widened. The blonde boy smiled softly, waving at her from the other side of the glass.
