A deep sigh escaped from the disgruntled teenager lying on the bed. Rose was completely and uttered bored. Only two days had elapsed since her parents' car had rolled out of the driveway leaving her stranded with her grandmother, and yet it felt like an eternity.
Malibu…what was there to do in Malibu? She missed L.A. She missed the thrill of the city and the company of her friends.
Rose knew that she was being a brat about the entire situation, pouting and acting miserable because she didn't want to waste the summer at her grandmother's house. However, at the moment Rose was so upset she couldn't care less.
"Rooooooseeee!" The teenager scowled as Robbie's whiny voice reached her ears. Having an annoying brother almost a decade younger certainly didn't help her already horrible situation.
The blonde boy stumbled into the room, and upon spotting his adored older sister pounced on the bed excitedly, "Rose! I'm borrreddd, can we play a game?"
"Robbie, I just need my alone time right now." Rose muttered tightly as she began putting her headphones on.
Robbie stuck out his lower lip as far it would go and squealed, "Pullllleaze!"
"Robbie…" Even though he was bothersome, Rose had to admit that her younger brother was adorable. His shaggy blonde hair flopped over his face and his deep brown eyes grew as wide as saucers. The puppy dog face…it was Robbie's secret weapon.
Rose tried to look away and crank her iPod, but her brother's lovable pout proved to be too much.
"Uhh fine! I'll play." Rose groaned as she harshly yanked out the white earbuds.
"Saweet!" Robbie shouted as he fist pumped the air.
"But," Rose added, looking sternly at the younger boy, "I'll only play hide and go seek…and you have to be it."
Robbie gave a disappointed grunt at his sister's conditions, he much preferred hiding over seeking, but nodded all the same.
Rose smirked. Hide and go seek was a perfect way for her to get some peace and quiet. She only needed to find the perfect hiding place…
"Alright, count to a hundred. Ready?" Robbie nodded excitedly, "Go!" Rose sprinted out of the room pausing slightly to glance up and down the long hallway.
Robbie's voice sounded distant behind her, "One…two…three…fifteen…twenty-seven…"
Rose tapped her foot anxiously as she analyzed her options. The guest rooms were too easy, she wasn't allowed in her grandma's room, and there were no quality hiding spots in the living room.
"Fifty-three…seventy...."
"Shit," Rose muttered as she jogged a little further down the hall, searching desperately for an adequate hiding spot.
"Ninety-nine…One hundred! Ready or not, here I come!" Jake's shrill voice was instantly followed by quick footsteps. Panicking, Rose yanked open the nearest closet door and threw herself inside.
In the complete dark of the closet Rose reached around expecting to feel fur coats or linens and instead…felt nothing. Confused, the teenager stepped forward only to trip suddenly, landing on her knee painfully.
Rose bit down harshly on her lower lip to keep from shouting.
Rose looked down to find that she had tripped on a narrow staircase leading up to the next level.
Curiosity twinkled in the teenager's dark blue eyes. Cautious yet determined she slowly made her way upstairs. At the top, Rose reached a small wooden door with bits of light seeping from the edges.
Creaking the door open, Rose timidly peaked her head through the doorway before stepping all the way inside.
"The attic?"
The room was small yet cozy with a low slanted ceiling. A large bay window provided a significant amount of light as well as a beautiful view of the ocean.
A tiny cot was nestled in the corner, and the rest of the room was filled with…stuff. Boxes, clothes, and every imaginable form of clutter were crammed into every available space. Even the walls were crowded with pictures, awards, and posters.
Rose glanced at some of the pictures closest to her. They were all in black and white and some were beginning to fade. One was of a beautiful blonde woman dressed in a bright sparkling dress posing alongside an imposing man in a suit. The man seemed familiar. Rose examined the picture closer and noticed a scrawled signature in the bottom right corner.
"John F. Kennedy…" she read aloud. "Oh my god, that's the president!" Who was this girl?! And how did she get the opportunity to meet the president?
Glancing at other pictures, Rose noticed that the glamorous blonde was in all of them. However, even more startling than the mystery woman was the people she appeared to be acquainted with.
Elvis, astronauts, Jimmy Hendrix…it was incredible. Finally turning her attention away the wall, Rose began to carefully maneuver her way around. She moved slowly, both to take in her surroundings and terrified of accidentally breaking some precious family heirloom.
Reaching a small clothing rack, Rose began rifling through the assorted garments. There were fur coats, stunning dresses, and silk tops. Despite the smell of mothballs and obvious aging, all of the outfits were gorgeous and, Rose could tell, expensive.
Growing more and more astounded, Rose turned sharply and yanked open the nearest box.
"Shoes!" Patent leather heels, bejeweled sandals, trendy peep-toes, and fierce stilettos. Pair after pair, piled endlessly on top of each other. Rose quickly shut the box in shock.
"What's going on here!" Rose was beside herself. Where did all of it come from! Was there something she didn't know about her grandmother? About her family history? The girl stumbled over to the small cot in the corner and exhaustedly threw herself upon it.
As initial surprise of her discovery was beginning to fade, Rose noticed a small box nestled directly beneath cot.
"What's this?" Balancing herself carefully, she reached her arms under and retrieved the curious chest.
It looked similar to a jewelry box. Rose smirked to herself; at this point she wouldn't be surprised if it were filled with precious jewels and diamonds.
Licking her lips in anticipation, Rose hastily threw the lid of the box open.
"AHHHH!" The girl shrieked as a giant cloud of dust was thrown in the air, blinding and choking her. Rose jumped off the bed, hacking profusely. It took a few minutes, but finally the dust had settled and Rose had gathered herself once more.
Steeling all of her courage, the teenager leaned over and peered into the dark box.
Her eyes grew wide as saucers at what they saw. It was another picture, but it wasn't a picture of just anyone.
It was her.
Rose gently lifted the picture closer to her face. There was no mistaking it. The gently wavy hair, the striking blue eyes, even the gently sloping nose all clearly belonged to her.
However, the dress…She had never seen the dress before. And the lips weren't quite right. Her hair was a bit shorter as well. Most of all, why was it in black and white?
Then it hit her. This wasn't a picture of herself at all!
"Grandma…" It had to be. Who else would it be? The picture was too old to be her mother at that age.
Rose swallowed in astonishment. The resemblance was uncanny. The younger version of her grandmother looked almost exactly like her.
Setting the picture aside on the cot, Rose glanced back inside the box. It was filled to the brim with pictures.
Grasping the top handful of photos, Rose couldn't seem to quench her growing curiosity.
Another picture of her grandma, this time with a man whom she assumed was her great-grandfather. He seemed nice enough. He was tall, handsome, and had really good hair.
She flipped through several more family photos, until reaching one picture that particularly grabbed her interest. It was of her grandmother and another girl around the same age. The other girl was blonde.
Rose's initial thought was that this blonde girl was the mystery woman on all of the walls. However, upon closer inspection, Rose saw that the two blondes couldn't be any more different.
The blonde on the walls was glamorous, always dressed in the most exquisite clothing, and a bit on the flashy side. Not only that but her hair was stick straight with bangs.
The girl in the picture appeared to be clad in common clothing, not flashy in the least. She had an easy confident smile, and her hair was naturally wavy.
Rose noticed how attached her grandmother and this girl appeared. In the picture, they held each other close as they laughed carelessly.
It was an ordinary photo, just two teenage girls, nothing special. Nevertheless, something about the picture drew Rose in. It piqued her interest even more than the plaques and astounding pictures on the wall. Even more than the rack full of designer clothing. Even more than the astounding box of shoes.
Rose's mind was set. She carefully placed all the pictures back in the box then tucked the box safely underneath her arm as she moved back to the stairway.
Shutting the door behind her, Rose hurried down the stairs. She was anxious to find out her grandmother, anxious to find out who the girl in the picture was.