I pressed my face against the bus window, willing the recent memories to leave my mind.
"Goodbye, sweetie." My mom's voice sounded pained, like she was hurting from the fact that I was still mad at her.
"Sure. Have fun without me." I muttered, picking up Hugh's car seat and walking on the bus. I sat down in my seat, putting my brother beside me, and watched my parents wave goodbye as the bus pulled away. My mom had tears running down her face, and her eyes were full of hurt, as she forced a smiled and clutched my dad's arm.
I felt something shoot through me. Guilt, regret, remorse. I knew I shouldn't have been so mean to them. I just couldn't force myself to apologize. My pride, it was a big problem. I tried often to change that, but something inside me, some ugly quality, just wouldn't let me.
I sighed, and closed my eyes, blocking the view of the farmland that rushed past the window.
When I next opened my eyes, it was dark outside and the bus was pulling to a stop.
"Ma'am, I believe this is your stop." The driver turned to look at me, and I realized that I was the only person left on the bus.
"Oh, yes, sir." I nodded, trying to clear my head which was still foggy from sleeping. I picked up Hugh, who was sound asleep in his car seat, and followed the driver out the door. The old driver handed me my bags, and directed me to the small building where I could wait until my uncle arrived. I gave the driver a few dollars for a tip, my fare already paid, and proceeded with my brother and bags into the station.
Almost immediately after I had gotten myself situated on a bench next to an elderly woman, I saw my uncle walk through the door.
"Uncle Kirk!" I called out, waving to him. He smiled and walked toward me.
"How are you, Sam?" He asked in his British accent, grabbing my bags and leading me and Hugh out the door.
"Good." I lied. "You?"
"I'm wonderful. Maggie and I have been looking forward to your visit since your parents informed me of it last month." So they had been planning on telling me at the last possible moment. I thought, sighing to myself as I reached my uncle's beat up old pickup truck. We placed the bags in the back and, after the three of us were seated in the front, drove off down the dirt road.
The next morning I awoke at about ten.
"Whoa, I slept later than I should have." I said to myself, jumping out of bed and walking toward my suitcase.
After a few minutes of contemplating, I chose to wear my jeans, grey New Balances, and hooded FSU sweatshirt. I brushed my hair and pulled it back into a low ponytail.
On my way out the door, I stopped briefly in front of a wall mirror and looked myself over. I saw my reflection: a tall (5' 8" ½), average-sized (not super skinny, but not anywhere close to fat) girl with tan skin and dirty blonde hair. I wasn't pretty, although I wasn't ugly. Just average. And no, you might be thinking 'she is one of those girls who say they're not pretty when really they are like a model.' Nope, not me. The only people who ever told me I was pretty were my parents, who don't count because parents are always trying to boost their teen's self-confidence. I've never even had a boyfriend. Sure, I've had crushes on many boys, but not one of them has ever bothered to look twice in my direction.
There was one thing about myself that I really did like. My long legs. Not only did they look good (no, I'm not trying to be vain. As I've said, I'm not even close to pretty), but they were perfect for sparring people in Taekwondo. My Instructors were always telling me to use my long legs to my advantage, and other kids told me that it wasn't fair that I could kick them when they couldn't reach me.
I sighed at my image, wishing I could look more like some of the girls at my school, before shaking it off and reminding myself, This is how I was made. By God. The Perfect Artist. He wouldn't make trash. It sounded cheesy; although I knew it was true, so I left the room and headed downstairs.
"Good morning, Sam." Maggie, my uncle's large, friendly housekeeper, greeted me with a smile as I walked into the kitchen.
"Morning." I replied shortly. I wasn't mad at Maggie, but whenever I was upset about something, I had a bad habit of being rude to everyone around me. Maggie must have sensed my mood, because she handed me a plate of pancakes and went to tend to Hugh, who was eating in an old-fashioned highchair.
I sat down at the table, and stared down at my food. I knew I was hungry, but my feelings from the day before had made me lose my appetite at the moment. I noticed Maggie watching me with a worried expression, however, so I slowly poured syrup over the food and began to eat.
After breakfast (which I never really finished), and after I had made sure that Maggie was able to watch Hugh, I decided to explore the house. I had never been to this house before. The last two times I had seen Uncle Kirk, he had come to my house. All the other times before that, I had visited him at his house in England. I loved that old house, and I was disappointed when he moved here to Virginia for a teaching position at a local college. The house he bought, however, actually resembled the old English house greatly. And, since Uncle Kirk had kept all the same furniture from his old house, this new house looked very similar to what I remember visiting in my younger days.
Now, as I walked up the stairs to the second floor, where my room was located, I passed my uncle.
"Why, hello there, Sam." He looked up from a stack of paperwork and gave me a smile.
"Hey." I returned the greeting, forcing myself to forget about my problems for the moment, so that I could be cheerful.
"What are you up to?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Just exploring the house." I shrugged.
"Very well. I hope you enjoy it. Feel free to go wherever you please, except for one room on the third floor. I would very much appreciate it if you would stay clear of that room." Uncle Kirk met my eyes.
"Sure." I nodded, pretending I couldn't care less about the room, but deep inside the curiosity grew.
"It's the door with the 'Keep Out' sign on it. Not hard to miss." My uncle winked, smiling.
"Ok, thanks." I smiled back, and nonchalantly made my way down the hall. I pretended to be exploring a bedroom near mine, watching out of the corner of my eye to see when my uncle would continue downstairs.
As soon as his head turned the corner into the kitchen, I was quickly, yet quietly, making my way to the stairs that led to the third floor. I crept up them, wincing when one creaked loudly.
After I reached the top, I looked down the hallway for the forbidden room. My eyes caught sight of a white piece of paper tacked to the door at the end of the hall. I walked toward it and, sure enough, noticed that in bold black marker the sign read 'Keep Out'. I grinned to myself, the temptation irresistible. I glanced around and, seeing no one, let myself into the room, closing the door quietly behind me.
To my surprise, all that was in the large room was a piece of furniture covered up with a white sheet, up against the back wall. I approached the object, and reached up to pull the sheet off. I did and, because of my clumsiness, pulled the whole dusty cloth on top of me. Coughing and spluttering, I came out from under the sheet and brushed myself off. Idiot. I scolded myself, shaking my head.
When I finally remembered that I was trying to look at what as underneath the sheet, I saw in front of me a large, beautiful wardrobe. Carved into the dark wood were designs. I recognized a few of them. One appeared to be a tree, a different one, a lion, and yet another looked like an apple.
Checking once more to make sure I was alone, I slowly opened the door and peered inside. I saw many fur coats that looked like they were from a long time ago. Curious as to what might be hidden behind the coats that my uncle didn't want me to see, I stepped up into the wardrobe. I shut the door behind me, although not all the way, and began to push through the coats. I stuck my hand out in front of me, trying to find the back of the wardrobe, and was confused when it never reached my fingertips. How big is this thing? I wondered, turning and looking back the way I came. The thin ray of light from the empty room seemed a long way away. I began to back up, when suddenly, I tripped and fell backwards into snow.