Author's Note: I know this whole story is a far-fetched concept at best, but I hope you like it. Whether you love it or hate it, please review!
THE HOUSE OF TIME
CHAPTER TWO---THE PHOTOGRAPH
Cinder woke up to the sound of birds chirping outside the window. Well, this is certainly different, she thought. Back in Greenville, the noise of cars usually greeted her in the morning.
She rose from the couch and walked up the stairs to the bathroom. Still half asleep, she brushed her teeth and hair and prepared herself for a new day.
All of a sudden, she heard the loud beeping of the smoke alarm.
"What the hell?"
She ran downstairs to where the smoke came from. It was obviously from the kitchen.
"Fucking stove! You worthless, stupid piece of--- Cinder!" her mother exclaimed. "I didn't see you there."
"Hardly surprising with all the smoke in here," said Cinder as she waved an arm, trying to make the fumes go away. "What did you do?"
"I was trying to make you breakfast." It was then that Cinder noticed a pan containing what probably used to be eggs. "I suppose that didn't go too well."
"Not really."
"Oh well. Why don't we just go out and eat at the diner? Come on, it'll be my treat."
Cinder got to distinct feeling that she was going to be living off that diner for quite a while.
A few minutes later, they sat in a booth at Doris's Diner. A waitress came up to them with menus in her hand.
"Hello, my name is Abby, and I'll be your waitress today. Could I start you out with some drinks?"
Cinder's mother looked over the beverage section. "I'll have... coffee. Black."
Abby wrote the order down. "And for you?"
"I'll have iced-tea."
"Alright. I'll be back in a few minutes with your drinks."
"Thank you," said Cinder.
As soon as the waitress had left, her mother asked, "Why on earth would you have iced-tea for breakfast?"
Cinder shrugged. "It's the only thing I can drink in the morning without feeling sick."
Her mother shook her head. "It's not healthy. One of these days you're just going to have to get used to drinking milk or orange juice."
"Says the woman who drinks coffee all day long..."
"That's different. I'm an adult. I can choose to be unhealthy. You're still growing. You don't want bad decisions to bite you in the ass later on."
Cinder didn't respond.
It was obvious her mother didn't much care about the argument. Instead of waiting for some kind of reaction from Cinder, she quickly got distracted and exclaimed, "Oh look at those pictures!"
Cinder looked to where her mother was pointing. Hanging on the walls of the diner were photos donated by the Newbury Historical Society. All were in black and white and seemed to have been taken sometime in the early 1900's.
"Hey, there's one of our house!"
And there it was. Instead of being the decrepit house Cinder had awakened in earlier, it was in its prime. The walls were freshly painted and seemed to almost gleam in the sunlight. In front of the house stood a small gathering of people.
Cinder looked closer to make out the faces before her. The woman in the middle of the picture had a commanding air, demanding the attention of her observer. Her eyes shined evilly, and Cinder quickly looked away. Beside the woman stood two girls, neither one very pretty. Their smiles were overly sweet, and Cinder grimaced in disgust. When her eyes moved to the right, she froze.
"Oh my gosh, that girl looks exactly like you."
Truer words have never been spoken, thought Cinder. At first, she had thought that she'd been staring at her own reflection. The resemblance was uncanny.
"Here are your drinks."
Cinder broke visual contact with the picture and focused on the waitress.
After setting down the coffee and iced-tea, she said, "I see you've noticed the photographs."
"Oh yes," replied her mother. "There's a lovely one of our house."
The waitress seemed surprised. "Have you just moved here, then?"
"Sure have."
"Which house is yours, if you don't mind me asking?"
She pointed to the photograph. "That white one right there."
"The Stepp House?"
"Is that what it's called?"
The waitress nodded. "Pretty unusual house, if you ask me. There have been legends about it for years."
Cinder's mother seemed very interested. "Legends? What kind of legends?"
The waitress frowned. "Well, let's see... it's been a long time since I've heard any. There was one that my grandmother used to tell me about a girl appearing on the Stepp property out of thin air. The house was said to have magical powers."
"How fascinating!"
Cinder most definitely did not think so. She remembered the dingy room on the second floor. No, she certainly didn't think so.
"So, are you all set to order?"
I can't believe it took me almost a week to update. I'm so sorry! Thank you so much to ElvenSilver, panemonium, Losa, and Urazncandycane! Your reviews are what keep me going. So, please, keep on reviewing!