A/N - Heys! :)
Yes! 11 reviews! *Happy dance* Okay, so let me ask this one favor: can we make it 20 reviews for chapter 5? Hope so...:)
So I am very very sorry it took me about THREE whole months (Yes, yes, I know. Shame on me!) but I do have my reasons. #1 - I was busy. Lame but true. With graduation and such, drama, rumors and gossip, and all the hype surrounding The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (It was AWESOME, let me tell ya! ;D) I was constantly booked for hours on end. *Sigh* Eclipse was definitely the best movie in the saga, and you know what? I absolutely ADORED it! And FYI - Taylor Lautner's packs are still there! He hasn't lost 'em! :)
Off topic...
My second reason for this horrible delay is that I had a very heavy writer's block sitting on the creative part of my noggin. I asked around for ideas but - eh! - no one bothered to lend me some... So it isn't all my fault, is it? :( So I am sorry (again) for the wait. And I'm also very apologetic about cutting this chapter shorter than I intended it to be...*tear*
Review and more apologies after the chapter...='(
(Sorry for such a long wait...and the babble.)
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...CRACK!
The sound of rain mixed in with waves of strong winds crashed upon my bedroom window, causing the branch of the tree in the front yard to bang against the glass pane and me to roll restlessly in my fitful sleep.
My eyes fluttered several times and I woke up with a startling sense of shock that came along with realization.
I'm in Forks, not in Phoenix anymore. I'm not the same person I was in Phoenix either… I thought sadly with resignation, knowing all too well that I couldn't do anything about being a witch. There was no way to reverse it, no way to cure it, no way to escape it. No way to be completely normal.
I sighed and stared up at the ceiling of my lavender room from my super-sized bed below. A buzzing sound bounced around the room and I lifted my head from my pillow enough to see it was my cell. I left it on vibrate, which was partially good because then otherwise I'd have more rest, but it didn't really matter anyway. The weather here wasn't as serene as I'd hoped and it ruined any chances of having a good night's sleep.
Rolling onto my side, I checked my phone. 3 missed calls, 7 unread messages.
It must've been Chad. I promised him back in Phoenix that I would reply to each and every message and call and whatever he sent me, but this was simply ridiculous. Soon my fingers would blister by just replying to the first week's worth of texts. And no, I didn't want that to happen to my fingers, so I sent my dad a simple text back in reply to all his other messages.
Dad, next time could U msg me less? U know I wouldn't B able 2 answer all of them once…K? Luv, Gabby.
Once I put down the cellular, it vibrated. Again. I could picture Chad sitting on a chair next to a table with his phone on it, watching it intently until a reply from me came.
Chad's text read: Ok Gabby. As long as U msg me once in a while, then I'll B fine. Missin U, Dad.
I knew I didn't have to reply to this, but the sudden urge to comfort my father became overwhelming. I watched as my fingers moved without any conscious demand or effort.
I miss U 2 Dad. And yeah, I will txt U maybe…once a week? Is that ok? It's really early rite now and I wanna get some ZZZ. Luv, Gabby.
I turned off my cell and flopped back onto the bed. Closing my eyes, I tried to blank out my mind to let rest catch me once again. Only this time, sleep didn't come.
Reality made me restless, and it eliminated all possibilities of sleep. So instead of sleeping, I began preparing for my first day of school.
As I sat up, I snuck a quick glance around my room. There were three white wooden doors situated around the room. I suspected that one of those doors led out of the room into the hallway and one of those doors to a closet.
My gaze fell upon a small blue LED digital clock on the nightstand where I had put my cell. 5:00 AM. That was two whole hours before the alarm was set to go off. With a groan, I let my feet drop onto the floor and steadied myself. The floor creaked slightly under my weight as I slowly crept my way into one of the mystery rooms that one of the white doors harboured.
Frantically, I slid my hand around the wall of the dark room, trying to find a light switch before I injured myself. Once my palm found the switch, bright light closed in around me, glinting off the sink and mirrors, a bath tub and a walk-in showering area. The bathroom was huge, probably three-quarters the size of my bedroom. Lights were fixed in multiple spots in the white ceiling, creating a clean look upon the neutral and green paint and tile shades. I bet the look the interior designers were aiming for here was an "earthly" atmosphere. I just hoped that the materials and fixtures they used here were "earth-friendly", else I'd have to complain.
I looked around the bathroom, taking in all the new things and things that stayed the same. Hardly anything stayed the same, in fact.
When I was walking past one of the many mirrors plastered on the walls, I caught my reflection. My hair was all messy and frizzy, sticking out in bundles and tangles. I hated to admit it, but I resembled Medusa in the morning.
My eyes began to itch and I knew it was time for me to take out the contacts. The public eye recognized me as Gabriella Fox, a girl with ordinary yet strange brown eyes. Strange because they knew the brown in my eyes looked unnatural or odd. But if they noticed, they didn't mind or care nevertheless. The only reason Chad and I wore the contacts were to cover our real eye colour. If we didn't cover them, then people would recognize us instantly, just by looking into our eyes. Which, I take as a bad thing.
I turned on the glossy faucet to wash my hands and face. Then I took out the contacts and started searching in the cupboards below for a place to put them in. The cupboards were full of products – hair products, face products, nail products, body products. It was literally stocked to no return. It seemed as though if one more thing were to fit in there, all the contents of the shelf would come tumbling down onto the pristine tiles. The value of the products also seemed pretty big; it had all the big salon names and several quantities of them too.
I dug carefully within the stacks of shampoo and curling irons, making sure I didn't topple anything over, until I finally found a tiny box that could have been used for storing contact lenses in. It would have to do for now.
Facing my reflection once again, I looked warily at the girl's eyes. Hazel surrounded the outer rings of the irises, and more inwards toward the pupil, there was lavender. Purple surrounded the pupil, hazel surrounded the purple – that's what made Chad and I stand out in a crowd if we ever had to take out our lenses. It would only attract attention, which was why we chose to wear contacts in the first place. To blend in. Too bad for me – I would never be able to 'blend' in now that I've learned my true heritage. I can't just ignore the truth and I shouldn't always believe the lie.
The girl's eyes were troubled and sorrowful when they looked back at me. Her skin also seemed to take on a greenish tint – was that because of the room itself or the trees beyond the window? Well, her skin looked paler and greener, compared to the bright, creamy tones she had back in Phoenix. She had purplish bruises under her eyes – a clear sign that she hadn't had enough sleep lately. Her rose lips were trembling, slightly pouting. The girl in the mirror looked unhealthier than she once did: her limbs seemed frail, joints more pronounced, skin more pasty, and eyes sad and purple.
Yes. That's me. The REAL me. Not the Gabriella Fox fans and fame has come to love. This is the Briella Fox who is a witch now living in a town named after silverware…
A quiet pitter-patter shoved me out of my gloomy situation. I turned to the noise and saw Salem sitting silently at the bathroom entrance.
"Morning, Salem." I muttered sadly, leaving the 'Good' out of 'Good Morning' on purpose.
"As well to you, Gabriella." Salem's gentle voice said. She paused and came closer to me until she was seated on the tile next to my sock-covered foot. "Joyce forgot many things to tell you yesterday. I thought I might tell you instead, seeing as she might not be back for quite some time."
I searched through the shelves for a towel as she carried on.
"First of all, we know you want to keep your fame a secret. So we have registered you at Forks High School as Gabriella Harman."
Confused, I stopped my search momentarily to shoot Salem a look of misunderstanding, then turned back towards the shelf and resumed looking. "Why Harman? Why not some other name? Some name more…common, maybe."
"Harman because that is the surname of our line of witches. It originally means 'Hearth Woman' but I guess they shortened it."
With a shrug, the black cat jumped onto the white stone countertop closest to me. I didn't mean to, but I jumped in surprise and then fell flat on my butt. Which hurt a lot. And I blamed it on my lack of balance.
"Are you alright, my dear?"
"Yeah, I guess. But I think that's going to leave a bruise. A really purple one. Good thing my favourite colour is purple, or else who knows what my reaction to a bruise would be." I said with a sigh, as I groped the counter for assistance.
"Alright, then I shall continue. You are to go sign in as Gabriella Harman. But before you leave for school, I think I should show you a few extra things you aren't currently aware of."
"Hmm. Can you wait for, like, ten minutes? Please? I really want to get a shower in first." Aha, I finally found the perfect towel. Purple, small, soft and clean. But what I really wanted was to get clean and relax. I felt all grimy because I haven't done much hygienic things since I arrived here in…Forks.
Sighing, I randomly picked out a shampoo and conditioner bottle out from under the sink, smiling when I saw the label. Lavender Blend. Just my luck. I stuck my hand under the sink once more to grab a bottle of body wash and wasn't as lucky. Vanilla Smoothie. Maybe I wasn't as lucky as I thought, but still, it would have to do.
Now was the hard part. A shower or bath?
I spun myself around with closed eyes, stopping only when I became a tad bit dizzy. Opening my eyes, I found myself facing the walk-in shower.
Shower it is then.
Quickly undressing and showering, I found little relaxation I was hoping for. The hot water spitting out of the shower heads – I still couldn't find out why people needed more than one shower head to take a simple shower – calmed my body while I was in the shower, but when I came out and dried myself in the warm, moistened air, my body became all tensed and stiff.
So much for relaxation.
When I was cocooned inside a fuzzy bathrobe, I slipped on a pair of pink bunny slippers I found lying around in the cabinet where I found the towel. I looked around the misty bathroom for Salem, but it seemed as if she disappeared.
"Salem?" I called out.
No answer.
I knew it was irrational, but I started to panic. I shuffled around the huge tiled space, keeping an eye out for a black little cat, but I found nothing.
One glance at the door crushed my suspicions.
The door was closed, meaning Salem had closed it, which also meant that Salem must be on the other side of that door. And that Salem was in no harm.
Gosh, sometimes my imagination was out of control! I scolded myself over and over again for thinking something bad could've happened to Salem, but in truth, Salem was perfectly safe. It should stay that way, too. I shouldn't come up with dangerous life-threatening situations just for the heck of it. My imagination was deadly – probably one of my most threatening assets.
I opened the white door to find Salem sitting on the country-sized bed, emerald eyes staring contentedly out the window.
"Salem? I think you can show me whatever you want to now…I guess…" I trailed off, panic still working its way out of my system.
"Good. Go to the bureau to your right and open the smallest drawer to your left. You will find a sleeping mask. I have tried to get a blindfold but this will have the same purpose, I suppose. Put the mask on so you cannot see a thing and sit on the bed."
I did what Salem asked me, but with a little more caution than usual. Didn't they know I had no balance? Didn't they know that putting me in this scenario would only endanger my health even more?
I guess I'll just have to endure it for the time being…
Once I was sitting cross-legged on my unmade bed, I waited for more instructions and carefully obeyed the directions given. Stand up. Turn right. Grab the bed for support and guidance. Take twelve paces forward. Now take a step to your right. Pretty basic but it helped me from falling or tripping over the area rug. More instructions were fired at me by my cat until she told me to reach for a door knob and open a door.
Since my sense of touch was being controlled by Salem, my sense of sight has been temporarily taken away, and there was nothing much to hear or taste, I relied on my nose to sniff out my hiding place.
Smells like…cotton? New clothes? Jeans? Oh.
Now I knew.
I was in my closet.
I just prayed that when I saw it, that it was no bigger than the bathroom…
Salem directed me more steps until I faced what felt like a bunch of flimsy, light dresses. Since when did I wear dresses? Well, not formally of course. But I never wore dresses just for fun or casual occasion.
She told me to push through all the racks of clothing until I reached a door, which conveniently, there was. From there, Salem led me through a narrow staircase going upwards – so narrow that if I had to stretch my arms out to their full length, both of my palms would be laid flat against the cold walls.
At last, when I was at the top of the stairs and out of breath, the little black cat told me I could take off the sleeping mask.
And I did.
I looked around with wonder burning hot within me. It was a much smaller room than my bedroom below, but nevertheless, the room was spacious. In the middle of the room, a white grand piano stood tall and brilliant, stealing all the attention away from the dark room. It seemed to me as if this room was the opposite of the piano room downstairs – the room downstairs I didn't really mind, but this room definitely had more privacy. Downstairs, the piano was black in a white room; in here, the piano stood bright and white against the black backdrop and red carpeting, only to be lit by some sconces along the room and – a bonus – the skylight directly overhead of the white baby grand. I could picture myself in this room more often than others, seeking comfort and silence to figure out all the problems my life has yet to offer.
"Wow." I breathed.
I took it all in once more, this time taking in all the small details. Like the single red rose in a crystal vase lying on top of the piano.
"Do you like it?" Salem asked gently.
"Absolutely…" I trailed off, still struck with awe.
"Joyce insisted more rooms like these – hidden rooms and passageways. I thought I had better to give you a heads up. Now, would you play for me? You play the piano effortlessly well, I see."
"Um…well…okay, sure." I said as I dusted off my hands and pulled out the bench. Velvet yet again. I started off with my techniques, but only stopped at the F major scales because I thought I shouldn't dwell too much on warm-ups. I sat on the bench for a while, contemplating what song I should have my fingers play. Moonlight Sonata Movement 1 by Beethoven seemed like a good choice. It seemed like a sad and depressing song, emphasized by the change in dynamics.
Once I mentally went over the notes, I began playing.
And playing.
I didn't stop for what seemed an hour, but I should have stopped about six minutes into the sonata, since it was originally composed for approximately six minutes. But my fingers had a mind of their own. They wove an intricate melody, adding on to the already beautiful composition, creating a collection of moods and secrets. I paid absolutely no mind to my hands, as my mind was wandering off to other topics of interest – like school.
Will they like me? Will they recognize me? What is it like – to be taught by different teachers, to be in the same room as other students? Will I have P.E? I hope not…
Unconsciously, I heard the emotional notes come quietly to an end. I slumped over the piano, gazing up at the skylight that displayed a dull grey canvas of clouds. I stroked the ivory keys, making another gloomy melody with my right hand.
Lazily, I turned towards my furry friend. "Hmm…Salem?"
Salem sauntered over to me and perched on the velvet piano bench.
"Is there anything else you have to show me?"
She nodded once. "Many more things but some will have to be put off for now."
I groaned. I wondered if part of those "things" included more gigantic and expensive rooms. Which reminded me…
"Salem? How big is my closet?" I'd really like it way smaller than the picture my imagination is zooming in on…I pleaded in my thoughts.
Salem grunted as she jumped off the bench and pawed her way back to the staircase. "Follow me and you will find out for yourself."
Sighing, I carefully trailed after Salem, going at a dreadfully slow pace in my bunny slippers and bathrobe. I gripped the stair railings tightly as I took one step, then another, gradually going down until I reached the door at the bottom.
"I think perhaps now you should open that door, my dear."
My fear grew and grew and I had a gut feeling that I wasn't going to like what I saw. Either the room was really big or was stuffed with pricey brand names. I prayed for the former, and hoped the latter wasn't correct. Worst case scenario: the closet was huge and was stocked with expensive articles or clothing, jewellery, etc.
I opened the door with a small creak, and peeked through the racks of dresses. I never imagined luck hated me with this much passion.
Turns out that the closet was – in my perspective – bigger than my bedroom itself, and unfortunately stocked in every corner imaginable. Drawers and shelves lined one wall, and pants and dresses on another. Then there was a vanity on yet another wall with a bunch of jewellery and accessories being shown off on the counter. From the looks of it, you could've run a whole shop in here and make tons of money at it, too.
There was only one person I knew who could – and would – be capable of achieving this torturous glam-room.
"Penelope." I hissed, inwardly slapping myself for not suspecting it was her all along, after all. Besides, she was the fashion-forward person in our little family back in Phoenix – she picked out most of my clothes, accessories, gowns for awards, and concert costumes. She even rallied with costume designers and make-up artists on the set of one of my tours or movies just because she wanted me to be her personal Barbie doll or who knows what she was thinking. Penelope thought fashion was some sort of religion – I didn't. I didn't see much sense in buying designer things either, I mean, they cost a lot yet served the same purpose as the clothes from Wal-Mart would.
I shook my head in disgust. It revolted me to think of how much money goes to waste on things like beauty. Money could be used in better ways, like charities or cures to life-threatening illnesses! I saw no point in wasting money that could've been used for something better, for something useful. Plus, I felt bad when people spent perfectly good cash on me for things like gifts and such. I owed them and they shouldn't take money for granted. Many other people out in the world don't even have enough clean water to survive!
"I suggest you should get ready for school, Gabriella. Because it is quite early, I shall not fear for you being late." Salem said while making her way back to my bedroom, leaving me alone in the monster-closet.
I sighed. I shrugged off my robe and slippers as I stumbled my way around the room, grabbing a pair of black jeans that – to my despair – hugged my curves, making them way more pronounced than I would've liked. Conveniently, I found a white tank top with the words "It's Complicated" printed across the torso. That pretty much summed up my life. I slipped on the tank and found a light blue blouse to go overtop of it. When I looked in the full-length mirror situated in the closet, you couldn't even see the words the tank top showed off – unless you had x-ray vision, which was very unlikely. Finally, I searched the monster closet for a comfy pair of shoes, but one pair wasn't all I found. I found a whole lot more shoes, probably enough to fill a small shoe store.
Groaning, I decided to take a better look at the shoes. Boots, sandals, slippers, running shoes, flats, stilettos…the selection was virtually unlimited. After a couple minutes of browsing, I picked out a pair of red Converse. I smirked at the colour choice, but the smirk was slowly replaced by a grimace when I thought of something else that was the colour red. Blood.
Shaking off the thought, I passed my room back into the bathroom to finish up.
Better put the contacts back in…I don't want to blow my cover.
Once my artificial eyes were back on my pale face, and my thick brown hair was tamed considerably, I made my slow retreat back to the bedroom. I risked a glance at the LED clock – 7:12 AM. I only spent about two hours? It seemed a lot much longer than that…
Salem was once again sitting on my massive bed, waiting. She nodded once at me in acknowledgement and scampered down, through the door that led to the exit, and was gone.
I took one step to follow Salem out the door when the obvious hit me.
Am I dreaming?
A/N - So what do you think of the chappy? Good? Bad? Tell me by REVIEWING!
My dearest apologies for not including her high school experience in here but I thought I should save that for the next chapter...since this chapter (in my opinion) is long enough. Don't agree with me? Then review and you might get the next chappy faster! :)
Remember: the golden number is 20! Which means all I want is that puny number of 9 reviews to make chappy 5 up and running! And EDWARD *teen fangirl scream* will PROBABLY be in the upcoming chapter! What do you say? Do you want the "probably" to turn into a "undoubtedly"? REVIEW! ;)
I send many e-apology cards to my readers...for the wait AND the lack of . :( Do you all forgive moi? And along with those apology letters, I bring along "Thank You" cards and party favours. :) For reviewing of course! I should ask Alice to plan a party and invite you all but *sigh* she's "unavailable" at the moment. But you can see (if you can't see, then "read between the lines"!) that I'm thoroughly grateful for those reviews and little bursts of motivation! ^_^
But yes, my brain is as fried as the delicious little drumsticks sold at KFC...although not as tasty. So that probably explains my un-enthusiasm at the moment. *groans painfully*
Magic cure to writer's block: REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! Please? :p
How MANY reviews? Well, let's boost the review count up to 20! Hoorah for the next chapter! ;)
Ronnie - who is typing with powdery fingers from sugared doughnuts. WARNING: Do NOT give that gal sugar at all costs. Unless you WANT to lose your insanity along with her. Ronnie is now screaming "REVIEW!" to the computer screen uselessly. As if the computer can magically grant her wishes. Right.
