01; Update Wardrobe
"Emily Marie Rose get your butt downstairs and out the door or you'll be late!"
"Coming Mom!"
Emily let out a groan as she looked in the mirror trying to rearrange the mess that was her golden locks. She tried to put it up into cute space buns, but they made her look younger than she actually was. Her chocolate brown eyes stared at the plain jeans and hoodie that covered her average frame in an attempt to be stylish. She would have put more effort into her outfit, but decided high school wasn't worth getting up extra early to be cute.
She gingerly touched the antique locket laying on her neck and smiled. It was the only thing stylish about her outfit as a whole. The beautifully aged silver on the oval locket was engraved with roses on both sides and seemed to shimmer with mystery as she held it in her palm. When she opened the locket, on the left side was a picture of her two best friends, Sienna and Kayla, while on the right was a picture of her family.
Closing the locket the blonde looked around her room and the state it was in. It was a cluttered mess no matter how she looked at it. Clothes and shoes littered the floor, along with the occasional college pamphlet, and she felt herself internally wince at the overflowing laundry basket. Emily knew she was due for a major clean up and made a mental note to keep her door closed to avoid her mother's wrath.
Margo Rose hated when her daughter's room descended into unorganized chaos. It is why Emily and her friends have taken to calling her 'Mama Clean'. They swore Margo could see a speck of dust from a mile away. There was no cheating Emily's mother when she wanted the house to be spotless.
Emily grabbed her book bag and threw together what she needed before she swung the bag over her shoulder. She made her way downstairs to the kitchen and grabbed a piece of toast before placing a chaste kiss to her mom's cheek. She ruffled up her brother's hair before flying out the door to meet up with her friends .
Sienna Thomas was the first to greet Emily with her lopsided grin and fiery red hair. Her brilliant blue eyes shone with mischief as she flashed a new crop top and sweatpants with her old shredded red converses. She kept one hand firmly on her duffel bag containing dance gear while keeping her one inch binder at her side. She looked ready to conquer the day with her hydro flask and chai tea latte from Starbucks.
Beside her stood Kayla Jones who looked ready to fall asleep as she cradled an extra large cup of coffee. Her dark brown hair was pulled into a lazy bun with her reading glasses holding her baby hairs in place. She was dressed in an oversized sweater and vintage skirt with a checkered pattern. She carried the biggest bag out of the three and it was a wonder how the bag hadn't unraveled with the amount of books stuffed inside.
Kayla was four years younger than Emily and Sienna, but she was a fair bit smarter than the two put together. Sienna was most definitely not what people call "academic smart" but she did know her away around social events better than Kayla. Emily was a good combination of the two, but wouldn't admit it to either of her friends. Together they balanced each other out well and have been the best of friends for as long as Emily could remember.
Sienna flexed her biceps as Emily let out a large yawn, "Morning M&M."
"Good morning Sia." Emily replied as she stuck her tongue out at the athlete.
The red head rolled her eyes before jabbing her thumb at Kayla, "Well at least you're not as tired as Miss KK over here."
Kayla rubbed her eyes and sent a glare in her friend's direction, "I was up studying for the pop quiz today on The Crucible."
Emily let out a sigh shifting her bag as they walked, "I never liked that book and never will."
"It wasn't that bad, Emmy." Kayla said.
Sienna snorted, "You're too nice for your own good. I just enjoyed the innuendos that the football players made when the atmosphere in the classroom became too serious."
"Amen to that."
The three continued their walk in content silence as they made their way to their respective schools. The cold winter breeze of December was like a slap to the face as the trees lay barren around them. The California girls knew that for the weather to be considered "cold" it had to be thirty degrees or below outside, but to them sixty five was freezing. Sienna and Emily waved to Kayla as she trudged off toward Westwood Middle School with an irritated look. While the others let out synchronized groans as they entered Northridge High School just next door.
Home of the knights and the bane of every student's existence it was an okay school. If one didn't mind the bathrooms smelling like drugs every once in a while. Sienna led the way to their first period after making a quick stop at the locker room to drop off her gym bag. Emily dropped off her own supplies in the art room before following her in a sluggish manner. Together the two entered the classroom with equal looks of sleepiness and irritation.
"Who thought it was a good idea to force teenagers to learn Calculus in the morning?" Emily asked as she took her seat in the back alongside Sienna.
"I don't know but they are going to meet one angry mob of teenagers if they claim it was their idea." Sienna replied.
"At least it's Friday!" Emily sang before laying her head down on the desk just as the final bell rang.
The school day flew by relatively quickly and Emily wasted no time in racing home to a warm cup of tea. Her suburban home was modest in size with peeling white paint and struggling flowers in a dead garden. The building looked ready to fall apart with a rickety staircase and faded green shutters hanging off its hinges.
Emily entered the front door to her home and stopped to take in her parent's eclectic taste in décor. It looked like the Victorian era and an old western film had made a love child with a surfer. It was chaotic. Nothing looked like it belonged and that was the beauty of the design. The Rose family had a habit of picking up stray miscellaneous items and giving them a new home.
"I'm home!" Emily yelled before dashing up the stairs, tripping on her brother's clothes in the process, to avoid doing the dishes.
She knew she would eventually be forced to do her chores, but she wanted some downtime first. When she opened the door to her bedroom Emily found cleaning supplies sitting at the foot of her bed along with a note. She realized downtime would have to wait as she read the note from her mom. She would be by to inspect it later on that afternoon.
Emily groaned at the thought of manual labor, but did as her mother wanted. Before getting started Emily made sure to plug her phone into the old speakers she had on her desk. No good cleaning session began without a good set of tunes to listen to.
Time passed slowly as Emily began stuffing dirty clothes into her already overflowing hamper and shoved her sneakers into the closet. She sprayed for dust and had just begun to rearrange her desk when she heard someone knock on her door. She yelled for them to come as she paused her music.
The intruder was none other than Margo who stood with her white gloved hand raised, "Are you ready for me?"
Emily shrugged, "I'm sure you'll have me clean it again so I'm just not going to answer that."
Margo seemed to accept her daughter's logic before proceeding to wipe her gloved hand on every surface. Emily watched with vague fascination as her mother rearranged some items on her dresser before finishing up with the closet. The teen waited with an irritated look to see if she had passed or not and was surprised to receive the thumbs up.
"You'll want to spray everything down in the morning and I'll take your laundry now. However, it should look presentable to Sienna and Kayla when they come over tomorrow."
"Thanks Momma."
"I'll see you at six o'clock for dinner."
Emily closed the door behind her mother and let out a long sigh. She was glad her room passed the test, and walked over to her bed allowing her body to relax as she flopped on the starry night sheets. She curled up underneath the thousands of pillows and suddenly had the urge to take a nap, but a knock at the door stopped her. Emily knew without having to bat an eye that it was her brother, Joseph.
"Did mom give you the green light?"
Emily peeked out from under her covers, her brown eyes meeting his hazel one's, "Would I be laying in bed if she had?"
"Good point."
Emily sighed knowing she wasn't going to be able to nap. She patted to an open space beside her and Joseph came to join her. Despite their six years age difference the two had a strong bond and that only strengthened over the years. Emily had originally wished for a little sister when her parents had announced they were expecting their second child, but was overjoyed to meet her brother instead.
"How was school?" Emily asked, fixing the pillows on her bed.
"Same as always." Joseph answered, while playing with one of Emily's stuffed animals.
"Did Jackson bully you again? If you want I can give the guy a piece of my mind."
Joseph laughed, "As entertaining as that would be I need to find my own way of handling him."
"Alright. The offer still stands though. Just name the time and place."
Joseph nodded before hopping off the bed to make his way to Emily's desk. Among all the brushes and paints was a half done painting of a statue surrounded by various trees and roses in a palace courtyard. It was Emily's first attempt at drawing a wider landscape and she was pleasantly surprised at the outcome.
"This looks really good."
"Thanks buddy."
Joseph stared at it for a little while longer before leaving his sister alone. Emily took this last hour before dinner to continue the painting her brother had been so fixated on. It wasn't as good as she wanted, but she was still learning. The hour seemed to pass by quickly and before she knew it Emily could hear the familiar sound of her dad's beat up old truck pulling into the driveway.
Emily felt her lip quirk as she set her brush down and raced out of the room. Her brother was hot on her heels, but she had always been faster. The two came bounding down the stairs as fast as they could right into their Dad's open arms.
It was a game the siblings had played when Joseph had become old enough to walk. Whenever they heard their father's truck they would race to see who could hug him first. The loser had to do the dishes after dinner. The odds were always favored Emily, but Joseph never gave up. Margo never complained about the tradition as it meant the dishes were always done.
"Hey sunshine! How was school?" Wesley Rose asked as he placed a kiss on his daughter's head.
"Same thing as always, boring!" Emily answered with a smile.
Wesley returned the smile before letting go and catching Joseph in a hug. Emily watched her dad and brother hug and couldn't get over how funny the height difference was between her family members. Her brother was short for his age, but everyone knew it was only a matter of time before he would shoot up like a tree.
"I win!" Emily sang while she pumped her hands up in the air.
"Not fair!" Joseph argued with a huff.
Wesley let out another chuckle before putting both children in a headlock, "Come on you too."
Wesley led his children into the kitchen where Margo had begun to flip through the mail. Emily smiled when her father released his children to give his wife a quick kiss before wrapping her up in his arms from behind. Emily envied their love, and wanted so much for a love like theirs in the future.
Joseph scrunched up his nose in clear disgust, "Gross!"
"You know that will be you someday right?" Emily teased winking at him.
Joseph just shook his head and stomped his foot like a two year old, "I'm never getting married!"
The family shared looks of amusement before bursting out into joyous laughter. It was moments like this that made Emily grateful to have such a lovely home environment. She knew not everyone was so lucky. They meant everything to her and she cherished each memory she had with them.
The Rose family's laughter died down as Wesley pulled out the keys to the truck and shook them causing everyone to look at him. Emily knew he only did that when he was getting ready to go somewhere. It was a little quirk of his.
"Where are you going?" Margo asked with confusion written on her face.
"I actually got something new in the store and wanted to show all of you. I also thought maybe Emily might want to have it in her room." Wesley answered, sending Emily a wink.
Emily squealed like a five year old on Christmas, "What is it?"
"You'll have to wait and see!" Wesley called as he raced towards the door.
Emily quickly went to grab a jacket and shoes before heading out to the car, where her dad waited. The family drove twenty minutes down the road to where their family antique shop was located.
The shop looked more like a cottage than an actual store with its aged stone and faded blue shutters. Although it was small in size, Emily knew it was full of interesting treasures just waiting to be found. Leading the way Wesley opened the shop and altogether the family of four stepped inside, letting the warm air envelop them.
Emily bounced on her toes in anticipation, barely containing the excitement that threatened to take over, "Where is it? Come on show me! It's cruel to keep your only daughter waiting!"
Wesley chuckled at his daughter's obvious excitement and pointed towards the back of the shop, "It's over here."
Emily followed him until he stopped in front of what looked like a giant wardrobe. When she took a closer look she realized the wardrobe was actually a rare treasure. The wood was a dark maple color with brass handles and detailed carvings of a lion, tree, crown, and even a castle. It looked like something out of one of her paintings.
"It's beautiful!" Margo exclaimed with a soft smile.
"It's alright." Joseph said, wiping off some of the dust.
"The guy that brought it to us said it had been in his family for a very long time. The family first purchased it in 1949 after the end of World War II."
Wesley explained the history of the wardrobe but Emily wasn't paying attention. She was too busy admiring the wardrobe in all its glory. It reminded her of the vanishing cabinet from Harry Potter, yet it didn't have an evil look to it. Instead it had a fantasy like quality to it that seemed to call her name.
"Emily?"
Margo waved her hand in front of her daughter successfully snapping Emily back to reality. "Do you want this in your room?"
"Yes! Yes! YES!" Emily cried in excitement hugging her parents.
"Alright let me call Sean and see if he'll help me with getting this to your room tonight." Wesley replied before walking away and putting his phone to his ear.
Emily smiled before turning back to look at the magnificent wardrobe again. It was a work of art and Emily could only guess at the history it had seen.
The wardrobe looked even bigger in size once it was in Emily's room. It dwarfed many of her other furniture, but at the same time added to the cozy vibe she had going. It looked so regal and grand as she finished hanging up her formal dresses and large winter coats inside. It was truly one of a kind. Emily stopped admiring the piece of furniture when she heard a knock at the door. She turned to find her parents standing together in the doorway.
"How's it coming, honey?" Margo asked, moving to sit on Emily's bed.
"It looks amazing! Thank you so much!" Emily answered hugging both her parents.
"We are glad to hear that you like, sunshine." Wesley responded, ruffling her smooth hair.
"Daddy!" Emily cried trying to flatten it. "You know my hair gets tangled really easily!"
Wesley chuckled, "My little Rapunzel."
Margo and Wesley kissed their daughters' head before leaving the room, but not before Mama Clean added, "Don't stay up too late!"
"It's Friday!" Emily exclaimed looking over at her mom with mock disbelief.
Margo just laughed and told her she was joking before finally leaving the room. Emily giggled at her mom's tease before she changed into her pajamas. The ensemble consisted of grey and white checkered pajama pants with a short sleeve white t-shirt that had the phrase 'Not a morning person' on it.
The teen crawled into bed and snuggled up under the covers before beginning to read the next chapter of the Harry Potter book that had caught her fancy. Emily immersed herself in the book for over an hour before her eyes became heavy with drowsiness. She placed the book down on the bedside table before snuggling up once more to preserve what little warmth she had obtained.
Emily shivered from the slight draft in her room as she pulled her sheets up to her chin. She clutched her locket in her hand before looking at the wardrobe one last time. As Emily slowly drifted off into the land of dreams she swore she heard somebody whisper three strange, but comforting words.
"Close your eyes."