Hi there. I have a sort-of schedule now. Updates will come every Saturday, for sure. There might be one or two in the middle of the week this next week 'cause it's Spring Break. Thank Nuggan! Reviewww! :D
And enjoy ;)
"Max, wake up," I heard someone say distantly. "Max, seriously. I know you're awake." I felt my leg move, and heard the same voice, but louder. "OUCH! Max! Get up, you goober! MOM! Max won't get up!" I opened one eye, and was met with…another eye.
"Aah!" I yelled, and Ella rolled her eyes, straightening up from where she had startled me. "What the heck, Ells! Your nose was practically in my eye!"
"Well, you kicked me!" She said indignantly.
"Well, you woke me up!" I mocked her. She glared at me. "Hey, why did you wake me up?"
"Maybe if you opened both your eyes, I wouldn't have to spell everything out for you." Ella had opened the passenger side door of the van and was peering in, arms crossed. I still had my seatbelt on, and discreetly wiped away a bit of drool from my chin with the sleeve of my hoodie.
I pried the other eye open and looked past Ella. And boy, what I saw was not what I had expected. I turned back to my sister, making my eyes huge. Hoping I looked alarmed, I said, "Ells. There's something I think you should know." She looked taken aback.
"What?"
I widened my eyes even further and prayed that my eyelids had a good grip on them.
"I don't think we're in Tucson anymore."
She made a face at me, sticking out her tongue.
"Careful, Elly-Belly. If the wind changes your face will stick like that."
"What wind?" Huh. She was right. There wasn't any. It was really nice outside: a blue sky, a few fluffy clouds…my glaring sister…
Just then, Mom came out of a small office building about three doors down from where the car was parked. "Glad to see you're awake, Max."
"I knew you would be," I yawned. "So what now? Do we get to see our new abode?"
"Yep," My mom replied. "I just had to finish some extra paperwork at the office. We're good to go."
"Well, then," Ella said, voicing my thoughts, "What are we waiting for?"
"Dibs on first pick!" I whooped, slamming the door of the van and sprinting towards the new house. It was beige, and really big. Too big for the three of us, but I wasn't complaining.
"No fair!" Ella howled from somewhere behind me. "I didn't even have my seatbelt unbuckled yet!"
"You snooze, you lose!" I hollered back. I raced up the driveway and rammed the key Mom had given me into the front door's lock. It turned, and I found myself standing in the largest entryway I had ever been in. To my right was a long, long staircase, and to my left, a hallway. "Jeez," I murmured; a loud voice seemed like it would echo forever. Panting, Ella arrived at the front door. She took a step inside and immediately stopped.
"Wow," She said quietly. "This is crazy."
"I know," I replied, matching her tone. Then, remembering what I was here for in the first place, I gave a loud whoop and began to dash up the stairs.
"Max, chill! You win, okay? There's no way I'm racing you up all those stairs," Ella called after me.
"You just don't want to race 'cause you know you'll lose!" I shouted back down. She yelled something back but I didn't hear it. I was standing in the nicest room I had ever seen, let alone been in. It felt weird breathing air in there. Like my jeans and ratty Converse were incredibly out of place to the extent that they should be thrown away toot sweet. "Okay, definitely not," I said under my breath, backing out of the room. Something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. A smaller door at the end of the hall. It looked like it was asking to be opened. I walked to it and put my hand on the knob, and turned it. The door swung open with a little protest, like it was saying, yeah, okay, you can open me, I guess.
The walls were blue. That was the first thing I noticed. There was a large window on the fair wall, and it was much, much smaller than the first room, but not small in the least. Much better. I smiled to myself. Perfect.
Ella had arrived at the top of the staircase. "Hey, did you pick? Max? Where are you?" She walked into the first room I had been in, and after a second I heard a long, high whistle. She walked out shaking her head. "Definitely not." Ella and I were often on the same wavelength.
"That's what I said!" I yelled down the hall. She turned towards me and half-jogged down the hall to see the room, her ponytail swinging.
"Aw, man, I want this room."
"I called it," I told her. "Besides, there's millions to pick from."
"There's four," She told me pointedly.
"Well, whatever. Same difference," I waved her off. "Now shoo. My room and I have some planning to do." She stuck her tongue out at me before heading back down the hallway. I turned back towards the room that was now mine, feeling only a slight twang for our old house and my familiar room there. Not to mention my old friends and—get a grip, Max. What you feel doesn't do any good. Not now. Not—
"Now," I said aloud to the room, feeling sort of better, "What am I going to do with you?"