Hey everyone... I'm so sorry for the extremely late update. To be honest, I was running out of ideas, until I came across the initial outline that I had made long time ago. Re-reading it, I got some new inspirations and new ideas. *wink* ;) I am going to have my final exams for my semester soon, so I would only be updating after mid-July. Ah well. This is life.
But don't keep your ideas to yourself. If anything, if you all have any suggestions, do LET ME KNOW! Sharing is caring! :D
Onward, people!~ :)
"So, Mum… when's my first day of school? Dare I ask?"
"Hmmm, starts next week. I see no point with you going to high school on a Friday, and now is almost mid-noon. But if you like, you can take a walk around the city or look at your new school. I'm needed right now in a meeting and I have an appointment later so it is vital that I need to be out of here now. You want me to drop you off anywhere though?" Susan asked.
"Wow! You're giving me a ride? Oh my gosh! My mother whose favourite phrase of 'You're grounded' is finally gone!" Will exclaimed.
"Ahem.. what do you mean by that? Am I really that strict? And back to the question!"
"Yes, yes, you are. And um.. But no, it's okay. I want to take a walk instead. Good for my eyes to see, my legs to walk and my mind to be cleared." Will giggled as she saw her mother rolled her eyes.
"Fine, well, your choice. I really have to run now, and remember, be back early okay! I'm worried for your safety... keep the phone with you on at all times. Now, bye!" Susan called.
"OK, well... goodbye!"
With that, she heard her mother's car engine roared to life. Standing by the window, she watched as her mother drive away. She smiled gleefully and raced upstairs. She put on some of her casual clothes and a pair of thick jeans and sneakers. She took her jacket, scarf, beanie and gloves then ran down the stairs. She grabbed the keys and rushed out of the door. Will locked it in a hurry and skipped off giddily on the clean stepping stones to the main gate. The snow was falling gently, and like many girls, she reacted well to it by laughing and jumping around. She stopped squealing when she saw a few people staring at her. Putting on her beanie, she quickly made her way on the streets. It was cold, she had to admit. Will walked straight ahead from her home, and took the left turn from the fork in front of her. She walked calmly and she realized that she had reached a garden. It was beautiful, with a beautiful blanket of white. It was fortunate that the season had not gone very cold, and she found the temperature bearable for her. She walked on the snow-flaked path and glanced around her surroundings. It was serene. Peaceful. Quiet.
As she continued walking around the park, she realized something different. There were two girls walking too; but they seemed different. They were unlike what she considered her friends. They seemed to walk happily, skipping and laughing giddily as they chatted to each other without a care in the world. At first glance, they may look opposite each other, but Will began to realize that maybe, just maybe... it was the difference that has bought the two of them together. There was a blonde haired girl with a sharp deep-set almond shaped eyes. They were blue in colour and seems to twinkle when she laugh. She had a white top and is covered by a bolero, and wore a flared pleated elegant skirt. She hanged a jacket at her arms along with a bag. That was when Will noticed the other things she wore. She had a pair of light pink gloves on her as well as a beige knitted scarf. As for the other girl, she was... different in other sense. She had beautiful aesthetic features as well, identical to the blonde girl but with some differences as well. Her eyes were large and of a darker hint of blue, and she appeared to be kinder. She had strawberry-blonde hair that is light in colour. Her lips were small and her nose was as cute as a button. She had a few tops worn underneath the layer of jacket that she wore and had a lace-y skirt with a little bit of ruffles and frills. Her gloves were light brown in colour and she wore a colourful beanie in rainbow colours. She watched as they walkeed around the park for two rounds. And another. And another. She finally decided to take a breather and sat by a chair. As she saw them pass by her, she could hear a flurry of their excited conversation:
"... said he thought you were cute!"
"No, he didn't!"
"Yes, he did! I was picking up the keys I dropped by the bushes at Saint Street Park when I heard his voice talking to another guy!"
"Oh, God... You have got to be SO kidding me! Ellie, I know you have the best ears around and that you have the world of gossip at a standstill with your sneaky crafty mind. And talk about eavesdropping! Someone was SO against it when I ACCIDENTALLY heard what Rudolph the red nose spoke about the exam results and the top scorers! But..."
She was cut by her friend's indignant reply.
"Oh no, Corny! I'm not lying about this! And the eavesdropping issue... In this case, you have to make an exception! I'm... helping you plan a better future by 'empowering' you with whatever knowledge those guys think about you! And you know perfectly well how all they swoon over you! You gotta admit that you have commercial-worthy hair, beautiful lips and perfect straight white teeth, sparkly eyes, nice eyebrows, good fashion taste... and the list goes on and on!"
"Hmm, well, thank you! That's the most flattering thing anyone has ever said to me!" And with a quick flick of her head, she swished her long blonde hair and posed.
"Talk about vain!" Will could hear the sweet girl exclaiming and the loud laughter of the two good friends. The long blonde-haired girl, 'Corny', she assumed; hit her friend playfully at her back. Will wished that she could hear the rest of their conversation but she knew that it wasn't good to eavesdrop. Will had to admit, they got along pretty well. She kicked the pavement and that was when she looked down. She saw a purse lying idly on the pavement and picked it up.
I wonder, whose could this be? Will thought silently.
She opened it up and saw a huge stack of 10's, 5's and some 50-dollar notes.
Wow. Talk about rich.
Will continued to look through and she saw a tiny album in the purse. There were pictures of a family; a tiny girl no older than 6, a father and a mother who was clad in expensive attire. And then she saw another picture.
'Friendship', it read. Will paused for a moment. It was the same girl that walked past her just now. It was a picture of the two friends, who were talking cheerily to each other.
Without a second thought, she walked up towards them. She saw 'Corny' fumbling in her bag, pulling out a hand phone and speaking softly. Then, the two girls pointed at a signboard saying 'Shops: 100m away' and walking out of the park.
Will hurriedly walked towards them and called out loudly.
"Excuse me! Hey, you! Wait!" she waved and called madly to attract their attention.
It worked. They turned back and looked at her. Will gave them a sheepish smile and walked towards them.
"Here, this must be one of yours. You dropped it way back there, when you were discussing about keys and commercial thingy."
"Oh. Well, Corny, it's yours. See, this is what happened when you try to hit a friend. And talk about buying me a treat! Without money, how're ya gonna do that huh?" And with that, she looked back at Will. "Thank you, er..."
"Oh, er.. Will. My name is Will. It, it's okay. None of a big deal. I mean, it's something you or she would do too if I dropped my stuff."
"Well, she's busy rummaging her stuff now, but let's just ignore it for the time being. And my name is Elyon! It's nice to meet you! She may seem a little cold as Ice Queen at first, but if she knows you, it's all OK. Hey! Corny, why am I always the one who's doing the talking? It's your item, go thank her! There's no need to act shy!" Elyon said with a grin as she looked at Will.
"Shy? Pfft. You have to so get over it Ellie! And you're the one who's doing all the chatting... no one asked you to do so! Now wait first."
"Is everything in there?" Will couldn't help but ask.
She answered after a few seconds.
"Erm… yes. Thank you, Will. And it's nice to meet you. My name's Cornelia."
"Yea, well. No problem. Well, at least now I know where that nickname come from."
"Well, you must have been spending too much time with..." Cornelia pointed directly to Elyon, "that girl over there. She's a real joker and actress if you must know. She can fool you easily with her pranks and beautiful drama. My advice? Do the same."
"You know, you've got some really beautiful photos in there. They look really nice!"
"Thanks!" Cornelia replied.
After a moment... "Wait, you went through my stuff?"
'Shit! What have I gotten myself into now?' Will asked herself silently.
"I was just trying to find out who own the purse, that's all. And that comment was more of a compliment!"Will squeaked.
"Oh, come on, Corny. If there was no proper name on it, the other option and only way to find who lost their purse is through the photos right? Come to think about it; or actually, no thinking required, you owe her! So you should stop acting a bit like an ice queen now although it's winter and have a proper chat!" Elyon chimed in.
There was a slight silence for a moment.
"OK, hello again. I'm sorry if I'm a bit... edgy just now, and I hope we can forget about it."
"Sure, no problem." Will said happily. They started walking a little at the snowy grounds.
"Come to think about it, I don't think I've ever seen you here in this area of neighborhood before. Are you new here?" Cornelia asked.
"Yes, I just shifted here not too long ago. Actually, more like two days ago. It's good to finally come out and have some bit of fresh air!"
"You mean cold air here, and hot air by her!" Elyon chimed in, giggling.
"Hey! Who do you mean hot air huh? More like yourself, Ellie! Since you wanted to exercise before this, you deserved it!" And with that, Cornelia took a ball of snow off the ground and smacked it over Elyon's top and face.
"Brrr... Isn't it just SO COLDDD?" Cornelia grinned.
"Oh, nooo. Why not you take one to warm yourself then? You'll need it, Ice-Queen!" And a ball of snow hit Cornelia square in her face.
Will was laughing. It wasn't too long before she saw them looking at her and got snow-balled. There were shouts and laughter as they got hit by the snow they tossed to each other. After some time running around dodging and sending random snowballs flying around, they collapsed to the floor, laughing, to take a breather.
"You two are going to Sheffield's Institute, aren't you? Because, I've been hoping that you two are. It would be so sad to go to school not knowing anybody."
"Well, to tell you the truth, we do not don't go to Sheffield Institute." Elyon replied.
Will's face fell.
"In basic terms, it means we do go to the same school, Will." Cornelia laughed. "You're pure evil, Ellie. Maybe you were a witch in your previous life or something that you just get the kick of torturing people!"
"Oh, nooo. That was so not funny. I was like, Awwww, no! Now I've gotta make new friends all over again. Just when I found some people who are so nice!" Will retorted.
"Wow, she called us nice. See, I'm a nice witch. Like the white witch in The Wizard of Oz. How nice, Dorothy/Will." Elyon gave Cornelia and Will a high-5. "Nice!" she laughed.
"Ok, I think it's time for us to take a look around, Will. You're new here, right? So you should want to know where the school is, the landmarks here or the famous areas here. Oh, by the way. Where do you live?"
"At the main street at Ninth Avenue. What about you guys?"
"Hey, that's a really nice place! I've seen the homes there, and they're so classy! You're so lucky to be able to live in such a nice home!" Elyon said with a nodding Cornelia.
"Thanks. But I'm sure your homes are not that bad! Maybe even better than mine!"
"Well, I live in an apartment by Leanne's Road, about 500m away from here. You know the one with the big building by the shops in the city? Yep, that's my place. It's pretty serene and in some ways, weird to me. That area by my place is usually noisy and congested but the apartment is quiet and peaceful with lots and lots of greenery there."
"And someone forgot to mention that the apartment she lives in has all the facilities that you could ever wish for. Olympic-sized swimming pool, gymnasiums, game courts, barbecue areas and more. And not to mention a private garden and flowering area for the people there. My humble abode is a bungalow by the greenery and is low density. It's located at Brend Street." Elyon replied friendly.
"Wow... you two stay in such luxurious places! Is it very far? I mean, the area here to where you are all staying. Because it sounds like you live in another part of the city just now!" Will said.
"Actually, we're only a five to ten-minute walk away from where we stay. Our homes are quite nearby if you ask me. You know, I've been born and bred here through out my life. It seems like there are changes; but this town, it just seems to have a mysterious aura around here. It's like, like..."
"Magic?" Will laughed.
"Erm.. kind of in a way... but I don't really know how to say. Sometimes I don't feel like I belong here, but I don't know why. Strange huh, for a person who has lived here her entire life?" Elyon laughed.
"Well, not exactly. Sometimes, maybe you just feel related to your past or something? You know, previous life?" Will asked.
"Hmmph, then I must not have had any luck in here since my previous life." Cornelia smiled. "I have been in this town here since I was four. At that time, my father and mother was still working. And then, my dad got a huge promotion and he was transferred here. He hopped from a simple branch manager to a CEO of the company. So, he got to work at Heatherfield, and the rest is history. Well, my Mum retired. Obviously, when you have a husband who brings home a huge amount of sum every month, you get to enjoy and relax for the rest of your life. Still, I don't know why he wants to work in the banking and finance industry. The smell of the money can be SO intoxicating sometimes."
"Maybe because it's his passion? Well, it's his job, you know. We're only fourteen and well, adults always say that whatever they do is right. So, we shouldn't question them. Just four more years till we're going to be in college. How cool could that be?" Elyon replied with a huge grin on her face.
"Hah! Keep reminding me of that! It just melts my heart to think of it. Freedom... cash... clothes..."
"And let's not forget BOYS." Elyon laughed. "Typical Corny, she dreams of those. Isn't it PATHETIC?" Elyon sneered.
"Only a person who could think of those are the ones expecting such an outcome. Sun-Tzu's Art of War. Hah, beat that!" Cornelia replied.
"Hmm.. you two are this close to winning the 'argument', only that we've reached the shops here. And there's like, a huge galore of food to put an end to this joy. What do you say?" Will replied with a huge smile on her face.
"I say, you're right. We wanted to get some hot cocoa and a popcorn; but we're thinking of a heavy black pepper chicken and rice. Mmm, yummy." Elyon licked her lips.
"Oh-kay. So now you two are salivating already... And where do you assume we get that?"
"Easy Will. At the small store by that corner." Will looked back and saw a sign "Hot food".
"And now, to warm up our stomachs, let the walk begin!" Elyon said.
It was an interesting walk and they had a brilliant time chatting with each other as well. There were many clothes, accessories and tit-bits on sale in the area. They went shop-hopping from one store to another. The three girls did try on some new clothes, and they spent a long time trying out the items one after another. The clothes were taken off the racks many times and they went into the changing room many times. Cornelia and Elyon did walk out with a few pieces, but not Will.
"I don't have money on me. And I don't really wear those clothes. Heh, I'm not much of those girly feminine stylista."
"Well, Will. Your lunch is on me. Just as a small token of appreciation to what you've done. Now let's get eating!" Cornelia said.
They went in the restaurant and sat by the windowsill. Beautiful light filtered in and there was peaceful music emanating from the speakers of the restaurant. They felt warmth the moment they entered and was Will was pleasantly surprised by the interior decor.
"Wow. Nice place it is."
"It sure is. Now, let's have a quick browse and make a selection."
As usual, Elyon and Cornelia had black pepper chicken with rice. Will was having a tough time deciding. At long last...
"Ok, I will order whatever they ordered. But with the set."
"Wow. You spent fifteen minutes looking at the menu and made the same choices as us. But it's nice! I bet you'll love the food here."
The next ten minutes they started talking about their interest and hobbies. It turned out that Elyon liked music and singing, while Cornelia was a figure-skater who had won many championships. Will, on the other hand, loved swimming and frogs. She had admitted to having a huge collection of frogs and winning a few championships in the swimming competitions.
When their food arrived, they ate it slowly and kept having their casual banter. Will had to admit, the food was nice and her two companions were beyond nice. She had found some friends, and deep inside her heart, she felt that they were one of those friends that you can keep for a long time. It had been half an hour but they barely realized that time had flown. They paid the bill and left the restaurant. It was just a matter of time before Will stopped by and looked at one of the stores.
"Oh my God! Look at those quaint items! They're so cute! I must get them one day!" Will exclaimed, holding a figurine.
It was a figurine of a ballerina princess hugging a frog. What Will didn't know was that Cornelia and Elyon had seen her reaction. They looked at each other and..
"Will, look at those things over there! Frogs!"
With an instant, she zoomed over to the other store to look at the frogs. The two girls quickly made their purchase just in time, before they saw Will coming back looking forlorn.
"It was nothing nice there. The prices were a complete rip-off!"
They continued walking and reached to the roundabout where Elyon and Cornelia had insisted to following her home as they were afraid that she may not know the way home. When they finally reached Will's house, they were invited inside. After ten minutes and a quick cup of tea, Elyon and Cornelia decided to leave. However, just before they left...
"Will, we have something for you."
"For me? You don't have to get anything. Seriously. The lunch was good enough!"
Elyon handed her the figurine she had admired.
"Thanks Will." Cornelia said.
"No, you two. Thank you! I barely know you all for 4 hours and you all get me something! You know, you are so different..." Will almost started tearing up but she managed to blink back her tears.
"Oh, well. It's what friends are for. Oh, you have a handphone number or something? Seeing that we already got acquainted, we could spend some time over the phone!" Elyon suggsted with a nodding Cornelia.
"OK." They exchanged numbers and Will watched as they walked out.
Will watched as the snow tumbled and she continued looking outside. After a short while, she made a hot cup of cocoa and went upstairs to her room and stood by the balcony. There, she sat by and admired the view as she read a book and listening to the soft sounds of music. Everything was perfect.
But what she didn't know, was how long perfection could last. Far across, a venomous whisper came.
"She's one of them. Get her. And do not disappoint me."
Ok, I hoped that you all enjoyed this story line. And don't worry, I will NOT dump my story half-way unfinished. I promise that I will complete it. Constructive criticism is much appreciated, so do give me your comments!
