Words that had potential to be spoken lingered in the air. What was supposed to happen amongst the three? A genuine greeting would have been nice, instead of one that sounded so rehearsed, that even the echo of her voice seemed tired of the repetition of words. I stood there, not wanting to sit on the very old and fragile looking furniture, the possible chance that I would break something in the process. I felt useless, just standing there taking up space while the two women exchanged words in a hushed tone. How could they possibly take this whole situation lightly? I tried to listen to their murmurs and fragmented words and attempt to put them together, but it didn't make sense. It was as if they were speaking a foreign language…or maybe I was just the foreigner. I twiddled my fingers and played with the hem of my dress, the one my mother forced me to wear, and kept my distance away from them.

I casually looked around, admiring the high walls that eventually protruded out into three large balconies. The view just from standing in the living room was magnificent. I didn't dare touch a thing, knowing that it would have probably been worth more than my entire house. Portraits of old family members hung proudly on the white walls that were trimmed with gold. A landscape that was painted of this very house was nailed above the dark, sinister looking fireplace. I must have been grinning like an idiot because silence suddenly overtook the house, and the two women who stood a couple feet away from me were looking at me strangely. I quickly darted my eyes back down at my hands. The elder one chuckled, which sent shivers down my spine. It sounded so dry, so...twisted. My mother gave me a reassuring smile, which I just rolled my eyes at and crossed my arms. This was just unbelievable.

"Come now child, let me show you the rest of the house." She croaked. I slowly dragged my feet across the floor towards her. She attempted to reach out and place her hand on my shoulder, which I immediately backed away from. Her eyes feigned hurt and disappointment, but it seemed like it was all for show. If anyone knew better, it was me. I wore a mask everyday to school, so I was familiar with the works of fake smiles and sadness. It must run in the family.

The elderly woman took the lead, while my mother followed behind her, leaving me trailing behind. She showed us room after room. There were endless hallways that had numerous doors that opened to a room, and then inside that room there would be another door that led elsewhere. It was all so confusing. I grabbed my head, feeling a migraine slowly approaching. We finally had reached to what I assumed to be a study room, the last door on the long, never ending hallway. The second the door was opened, bright sunrays hit my face. It was probably the brightest room in the entire house. I smiled for the first time, knowing that I could probably come into here for when I want to write. The study room had a window that stretched an entire wall, with the view of the front yard. While the two women stared and talked about the old pictures and knickknacks on the shelves, I moved the window curtain just a bit to get a better glance. While marveling at the site, two figures caught my eye. Narrowing my eyes, I realized it was two teenage boys around my age. The one on the left was riding a bike. He had light brown hair covered with a navy blue beanie, and his facial features seemed to be soft, unlike the boy on the right. The other boy was dressed completely in black, matching his dark hair. He continually flipped his hair out of his eyes, while he rode a skateboard. Even from my view, I could see his piercing green eyes. His appearance was mysterious. He was simply breathtaking.

Exiting my trance, I suddenly realized both of the boys were looking in my direction. I scurried behind the curtain with blush creeping onto my cheeks, feeling embarrassed. I hoped that they didn't notice me staring at them the whole time. I quickly glanced out the window again, only to see that they continued their way down the street. My mother must have noticed my eagerness to see people my age and nudged her head towards the door.

"Go." She simply stated with a playful smile. I smiled back at her for the first time in awhile, almost thanking her for the sudden freedom.

The moment I left the room, I felt confused once again. I tried to find my way out of this maze, but failed every attempt. My feet seemed to have a mind of their own, taking me every which way and that. Stopping for moment, I collected my thoughts and let my mind take over. I let out a sigh of relief when I finally found the living room, which led to the front door. Closing the door behind me, I felt the warm summer breeze. It felt nice to be outside again. Looking down the street, I luckily still saw the two boys from before within walking distance. I suddenly felt awkward, not knowing how to approach them. Eventually I had made my way passed them, and saw a park coming into view. However when I did, the boy on the bike had stopped me.

"Hey, you're the new girl who just moved into that huge ass house, right?" He asked. Before I could answer, the other boy slapped his arm.

"The correct term is mansion, smartass."

"Thanks, Doctor Doom."

I giggled at their little banter. "To answer your question, yes, I did just move into that mansion…but it's not mine. I'm just moving in with my…grandmother. I'm Clare by the way." It felt weird to call her my grandmother. She was never really in my life, so why even consider her a family member?

"Cool. I'm Adam." Said the boy with the beanie clad head.

"I'm Elijah, Eli for short."

I couldn't help but gasp at his eyes this close. He caught me staring, and I felt my face burning red. Adam seemed to have noticed and started to break the awkward tension. "Uh, hey Clare we were planning on going to the park, would you like to join us?"

"Yeah, sure. I could use some friends, being new and all." I replied.

"Who said we would be your friends?" Eli questioned. I felt my face fall a little.

"Just kidding." He looked at me and smirked, and I couldn't help but smirk back.

A/N: Yes I know, it's been awhile. My plan was originally to update every Saturday/Sunday, but that clearly didn't work out. I want you guys to know that if I don't update a lot, it's not because I forgot about fanfiction. Midterms are coming up, and the amount of homework and studying I have almost every day is ridiculous. I am also trying to make these chapters longer..which I think I still failed at :/

I am also trying to balance the updates with this story and "Love is Game." So next week (hopefully) I will have a new chapter for that story. Until next time!

And feel free to message me on Twitter ForeverD3grassi