WARNING: SLIGHT ABUSE AND CUSSING IN THIS CHAPTER! You've been warned!
*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*
Aislinn groaned and turned away from her alarm clock.
"Once!" she mumbled, half-asleep. "Make it shut-up!"
*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*
Aislinn wanted to scream in frustration.
"Once-ler!" she snapped, turning over to glare at Once-ler. "I said make the alarm clock shut-up!"
When Aislinn turned over, she didn't see the black haired boy, but instead she saw a blonde haired, sapphire eyed girl, who was sitting and staring at Aislinn with a smirk on her face.
Aislinn screamed and shot-up in her bed.
"Melody!" she shouted. "What are you doing?!"
The blonde girl frowned, reaching and turning off the alarm clock.
"Why are you shouting?" the girl hissed. "Dad just got home a few hours ago! You know he hasn't slept off all his alcohol yet!"
Aislinn immediately had her hand over her mouth. Melody and Aislinn sat there in silence, listening closely to see if their father woke up. Luckily, they never heard a sound.
Aislinn sighed and looked at Melody.
"Why were you in my room staring at me?" she asked.
"Because that's what little sister's do," Melody smirked, standing up and walking towards Aislinn's door.
Aislinn frowned, and then looked around her room. It had pale pink walls, which were as barren as Truffula Valley was after Once-ler chopped all the trees down. Aislinn glanced at Melody. Her 16 year old little sister had gotten all the beauty of their mother. Melody was around 5'4", had mid-back length blonde hair, and had eyes the color of sapphires. She also had the pretty hourglass shape that many women, including Aislinn, would kill for.
"What's today? Aislinn asked, as Melody opened the door.
Melody turned and raised an eyebrow at her older sister.
"You're kidding right?" Melody questioned.
"I'm still half-asleep," Aislinn argued. "Don't expect miracles right now."
"It's our last day here," Melody said slowly. "Remember? You graduate high school tonight, then our Mother's Mom, you remember we call her Gran, is going to pick us up and we're going to live with her. Today's our last day in this hell hole."
Aislinn blinked. So the Lorax had sent her back about two and a half years? She remembered today, she would graduate but instead of living with Gran, Aislinn would move out. Then about a year later she would begin working for Once-ler.
"Ais?" Melody asked. "Are you ok? I can see smoke coming out of your ears."
Aislinn glared at her sister, then picked up a pillow and threw it at her. Melody closed the door before the pillow hit her and laughed. Aislinn heard Melody walk away and Aislinn looked around her room again. She remembered that this room was her safe haven from her awful father. She shivered at the thought of her father.
Aislinn got out of bed and walked to her closet and grabbed some faded jeans and a hot pink, short sleeve top with black roses on it. She then grabbed her black tennis shoes and went to her bathroom, closed the door, and took a shower. After getting out of the shower, Aislinn dried her hair and got dressed and started brushing her teeth.
Aislinn wondered why the Lorax brought her back to the day she graduated high school. Was there something she needed to change?
Aislinn rinsed her mouth with water and spit the water into the sink.
She began to wonder if Once-ler was awake yet. Aislinn felt tears spring to her eyes. She bet that Once-ler would hate her, scratch that, she knew he would hate her.
Suddenly, she heard a rustling at the door to her bathroom. Aislinn turned toward it, with the glass that she had rinsed her mouth with still in her hand. There on the floor, was a piece of folded up paper that had been stuffed under the door. Aislinn picked up the paper and unfolded it with her free hand. It was a map of Truffula Valley. She saw there was a 'X' marked right in the middle of the valley near the river. Aislinn was confused. Then she glanced in the upper right hand corner of the map and saw there was a note written there. It read 'He's waiting for you.' Aislinn blinked. Who was waiting for her? Once-ler? But the Lorax said he would tell Once-ler that Aislinn wouldn't remember him and he would never see her again.
Suddenly, the wheels in Aislinn's brain started to turn.
She could remember Once-ler! She remembered the Lorax and the valley! She remembered everything!
The glass in Aislinn's hand fell and shattered on the floor.
"Aislinn?!"
Melody opened the door to Aislinn's bathroom and looked at her. Aislinn blinked and scrambled to clean up the glass, as she stuffed the Truffula Valley map in her pocket.
"I'm sorry!" Aislinn said. "I thought I saw a mouse and dropped the glass."
They quickly cleaned up the glass, but they heard steps coming toward Aislinn's room.
"What the hell is going on?!"
Aislinn and Melody flinched and stood up and walked into Aislinn's room. There they were met by an angry tall, dark brown haired man with green eyes.
"I broke a glass," Aislinn said, standing slightly in front of Melody. "I saw a mouse and dropped it out of panic."
*SLAP*
Aislinn's head was violently turned to the side by the force of the man's hand slapping her cheek. Aislinn blinked back the tears and turned to face the man.
"I said I was sorry Dad," she said.
She heard Melody whimper. Her father, Gale, glared at Aislinn.
"You better be glad I'm hung-over!" he said, pointing a finger at the girls. "Or I would put you in the hospital again!"
With that, Gale turned and left Aislinn's room. The girls stood still, till they heard the door to Gale's room slam shut.
The girls quickly and quietly left for school. School was the only place Aislinn and Melody could escape their abusive, alcoholic father completely. As the girls walked into the school they greeted their friends and tried to act normal. Everyone though could see the mark on Aislinn's cheek, but they never questioned it. The whole town knew that after the girl's mother, Alexia, died, that Gale became an alcoholic. That, in turn, made him into an abusive parent. The girls had only been 12 and 10 when their mother had died. They had tried over the last six years to leave, but they had to wait till Melody was 16, which was the legal adult age. They would finally leave their horrible home with their Gran tonight. Aislinn would get Gran to drop her off at the river in Truffula Valley, since it was on the way to Gran's house. Then Aislinn would follow the river till she found Once-ler. Then she would kiss him senseless. Aislinn blushed at that last thought as she closed her now empty locker.
It was already the end of the day and Aislinn was dressed in her purple gown and purple cap with a purple and gold tassel. In less than an hour, she would be graduated, away from her father, and hopefully in Once-ler's arms again by the time her head hit the pillow. Aislinn lined up with the rest of her class and walked out onto the open field behind the school. The rest of graduation was a blur; she got her diploma, took some pictures with her friends, then got Melody and walked home.
When they got home, they quietly walked in and grabbed their things. Aislinn walked into her room, and threw the few clothes she hadn't packed yet into her suitcase. All she had was the clothes she put on this morning (which she was still wearing), what was in her medium sized brown suitcase, and what she could fit in a medium sized, pale pink duffle bag. Aislinn grabbed the suitcase and duffle bag and walked outside to the curb. Melody was already sitting on the curb with her large brown suitcase sitting next to her. Aislinn put her things down and joined her sister.
"You ready?" Aislinn asked.
"Yes I am!" Melody grinned.
"Now you know I won't be going with you to Gran's right?" Aislinn said, glancing over at Melody.
Melody frowned and looked at her older sister.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"I'm going to move in with a friend," Aislinn said, smiling a little. "I'm going to help him start his business and make sure he doesn't screw it up."
Melody smiled.
"He?" she smirked.
Aislinn blushed.
"Yes my friend is a 'he'," she stammered.
"His name wouldn't happen to be the name you were calling out this morning, would it?" Melody smirked, nudging Aislinn in the ribs.
Aislinn's face turned red.
But before Aislinn could respond a car pulled up. The girls stood up and saw it was their Gran. Their Gran was a slender woman with silver shoulder length hair and sapphire eyes.
"There are my girls!" she said, rolling down the window.
"Hey Gran!" Melody said, waving and opening up the back door of Gran's silver little car.
"Pop the trunk Gran," Aislinn said, grabbing her suitcase, duffle bag, and Melody's suitcase.
Gran popped the trunk and Aislinn put their stuff in it. Melody got in the back seat and buckled up, as Aislinn got in the front seat.
"Do you have everything?" Gran asked.
The girls nodded, ready to leave this place.
Suddenly, Aislinn remembered that she had forgotten her only picture of her mother, herself, and Melody.
"Wait!" Aislinn exclaimed. "I forgot Mom's picture!"
Before either Melody or Gran could say anything, Aislinn was out of the car and running back into the house. She ran into her room and grabbed the picture off the nightstand beside her bed. Aislinn quickly made her way back to the front door when she was grabbed and pulled back. Aislinn yelped and turned to see Gale gripping her left arm so tight, that his knuckles were turning white. This wasn't how Aislinn remembered her graduation night. Her father wasn't home when they left with Gran.
"You were going to leave without saying good-bye?" he slurred.
Aislinn could smell the alcohol radiating from him.
"I asked you a question you little bitch!" Gale shouted, gripping her arm tighter.
Aislinn yelped again.
"Yes!" she said, looking at Gale. "We were leaving without saying good-bye! We aren't coming back either! And we are going to make something of ourselves!"
"HA!" Gale laughed. "You won't amount to anything!"
Aislinn pulled her arm trying to get away.
"We will!" she said.
"And you're going to leave your father behind?" Gale sneered.
Aislinn had had enough.
"Father?" Aislinn snapped. "You aren't our father! Our father died the day Mom did! The person standing in front of me is a dead-beat, no good, alcoholic, abusive, worthless piece of trash! Why our Mother ever married you, is beyond me!"
Gale's eyes twitched. Aislinn knew she had said too much. The next thing she knew, Gale's left fist was coming into contact with her right cheek. The punch had so much force behind it, that it sent Aislinn crashing into a wall. She whimpered and slid down to the floor. Gale towered over her. He glanced down and saw the picture Aislinn had come back for. Aislinn saw this and tried to grab the picture, but her father stepped on her outstretched hand. Aislinn cried out and tried pulling her hand out from under Gale's foot. Gale picked the picture up and sneered at it.
"So you love your Mother more than me?" he said, pressing harder on Aislinn's hand. "You'll leave your father but won't leave without a picture of your dead Mother!"
Gale smashed the picture against Aislinn's head. Aislinn screamed as pain radiated throughout her head.
She was use to pain. She had barely felt the slap to her face this morning, she had felt a little bit of the punch and crashing into the wall and her hand being stepped on, but this was new pain to her. Aislinn felt the glass from the picture cut her and the wooden frame breaking against her skull.
Gale backed away from his daughter smirking.
"Now you'll have something to remember your father by," he cackled, as he walked toward his room.
Aislinn stood up on shaky legs. She bent down and got the picture out of the broken frame. Her head was throbbing and she felt blood running down the left side of her face, and she also felt blood running down her right cheek. Aislinn guessed that Gale's wedding ring had cut her cheek when he punched her. She glanced at her arm and saw that she already had a bruise forming in the shape of a hand and fingers. Speaking of hand, her left hand was beginning to throb as well. Aislinn stumbled out to Gran's car and got in.
"Drive!" Aislinn hissed.
Gran stepped on the gas and drove away. Aislinn explained what had happened in the house with Gale and she saw Gran's face grow pale and heard Melody whimper. Aislinn then explained that she needed to be dropped off at the river in Truffula Valley. Her Gran had questioned and protested her choice, but Aislinn convinced her to let Aislinn make the decision. Gran finally agreed on the condition that Aislinn write and visit when she could. Aislinn happily agreed.
The two hour ride to Truffula Valley was pretty quiet, except from Gran and Melody talking. Aislinn was exhausted and slept most of the way to the valley. Gran woke her up when they reached the river. Aislinn got out of the car and enjoyed a smell she hadn't smelt in what felt like forever. The valley smelt of butterfly's milk. Melody grabbed her sister's suitcase and duffle bag from the trunk and gave them to Aislinn. The sister's cried, hugged, and promised to write and visit each other soon. Gran then hugged Aislinn, told her to be careful, told her that she loved her, and told her that she was always welcome at her house. Then Gran and Melody got back in the car waved one last time and drove away. Aislinn waved at them till she could no longer see their tail-lights in the calm night.
Aislinn pulled out her map of Truffula Valley, and found where she was. She then looked at her watch and saw it was only nine o'clock. She guessed it might be an hour before she reached where Once-ler was. Aislinn then picked up her suitcase and duffle bag, winching as her hand and arm protested, and began following the river to Once-ler.
Author's Note:
I don't own The Lorax or The Once-ler
I DO OWN Aislinn!
Sorry if it wasn't that good! :( Only small things like grammar and word changes, have been what I've edited so far. But the next chapter has more written than the one on DeviantArt.
Till next time guys!
PEACE