Chapter 2.
I woke up in my bed with try tear trails down my face. I must have fallen asleep crying. I rolled over and yawned to find Emily cleaning off my walls. I wondered what she was doing and then it all came back to me. The fire. My parents. They were gone.
I choked back a sob, and that caught Emily's attention. She had fresh tears pouring down her face. "Hey", she said weakly placing a pile of brightly colored papers in a box on my white desk. My lime green walls were looking quite bare without all of my pictures and letters from various friends. My desk had also been cleaned up. I was so glad she had started cleaning everything off my walls for me. I wouldn't have been able to do it. She picked up a framed photo of my parents on their last vacation to Scotland. She placed it gently in the box and came to my bed. She sat down and began tracing the patterns on my quilt.
"There's really nothing we can do, is there?" she said in a soft, thick voice. You could tell she'd been crying.
"No, I don't think there is. It's not like I have anywhere to go other than with Taylor", I said sitting up and stretching.
She looked up from the quilt and gazed at me. "So, you're going to Britain?"
"What choice do I have?" I questioned. I got up and changed out of my day clothes. It was about 2 o' clock. I had been asleep for about 4 hours. I put on some fuzzy purple pajama shorts and a green camisole. I didn't plan on going anywhere today. I never wanted to go anywhere ever again.
"What's Taylor doing?" I asked listening out the door. I didn't hear anything, so I figured he was downstairs somewhere.
"He's cooking lunch. We figured you'd be hungry when you woke up" she said pulling her straight, blonde bangs back with bobby pins. Her bright blue eyes looked at me sadly. All of sudden, my stomach growled. I didn't see that one coming.
"Wow. That's getting a little creepy, you know", I said to her with a smile. I was referring to the fact that she and my brother knew me better than I knew myself. That was a major understatement, but I don't know how to put it any other way.
"Yeah, I know", she said with a quivering smile, "Come on, let's go eat."
We walked down the wide hallway. The white walls we're full of family pictures and the dark gray carpet was spotless. We walked down the stairs and turned right. We walked right into the living room. The television was on and I could hear a frying pan in the next room. We walked right through the homey living room into the country-style kitchen. The soft orange walls were welcoming and the wood floors we're gleaming. My mother was a very clean person. Was.
I sat at the dark orange island on a wooden bar stool. Emily sat right next to me. Taylor set out 2 plates and served up some grilled cheese. I practically swallowed it whole and he put another one on my plate. I tore into that one and was finished before Emily had even finished her first.
I looked up at Taylor and asked him the question that had been nagging in the back of my head. "So, how long until I leave?"
He looked back at me quickly from the sink, his light brown hair falling in his eyes. "We're leaving tomorrow".
My jaw dropped. I didn't expect it to be that quick. I wasn't prepared at all. "What about the house? We can't just leave it!" I protested.
"Emily and I got the dining room cleared out and we're most of the way done with Mom and Dad's room. I had decided to make lunch when she went in to start on your room. It's most of the way done. We'll be done by the end of the night. We'll sleep here, and Emily's staying too, and then we will Apparate to Britain in the morning. We will have a meeting with your new headmaster and we will get everything arranged for school this year. We're going to get everything done, so you can have as much time to adjust to Britain as possible before school starts."
"What about Emily? Can she come to Britain and help me adjust?" I asked with a pleading look.
"Sorry Adena. I don't think that will happen", said Taylor turning away from me.
I just sighed. I knew it was a useless attempt. Emily had to get ready for school this year and I knew it. Plus, I don't think Emily's mom, Kasey, would too happy if I decided to randomly go across seas with Emily. Unlike Emily, Kasey was a muggle. No one knows about Emily's dad.
Emily stood up and went upstairs. I knew she was packing my room. I don't think I would be able to do it, and it just made me appreciate her all that much more. I stood up and went into the living room, where Taylor conjured up some boxes. I began packing up the pictures of my parents, me and Taylor that were on the TV stand.
"What are we going to do with all of this stuff, Taylor?" I asked him.
"It's going to my house", he yelled through the wall.
"Taylor? Why don't you seem upset about them?" I asked in that blunt manor I tend to have.
He looked at me gravely. "I am, but you are more distressed, I'm sure. I need to stay strong to take care of you. Emily is doing the same thing. She cries, but she's holding in a lot."
I turned away, ashamed that they felt the need to be strong for me. I can take care of myself. I'll be alright. I just need my time.
We had the whole house packed in no time. We slept in some sleeping bags on the floor that Emily brought with her. We tried to have a good time with it being the last night in this house, but mostly we just ended up comforting each other. Well, that's what I would like to think. To be quite honest, they mostly just comforted me. For some reason, that really annoyed me. I just wanted to be unhappy for a minute and not be a burden to anyone.
After Emily and Taylor had fallen asleep, I quietly got up and went outside. I went to my backyard and sat on the swing set. I looked up at the stars and thought about how much my life had changed in the last 12 hours. I was moving to Britain, and I wasn't going to be right down the street from the most important person in my life anymore. My house was to be turned over to some lucky buyer. I just hoped whoever got it put it to good use. I know how wonderful this house can be when someone just puts the love and effort into it. It just has a homey quality about it. I hope whoever gets this place will keep that quality about it. That's what makes this house amazing. I was going to miss it so much.
And the grief I felt for my parents was too great to put it into words. I felt like half a person. I felt as if someone had come up and cut off my arm, or permanently blinded me. I didn't know how to carry on now. Who was I going to go to for advice? My mom can't help me now, where ever she's at. And who is going to comfort me and make me laugh when I'm upset over silly things? My dad certainly won't be able to make me smile anymore unless it is something he has done in the past. There will be no more happy holidays or family reunions without them.
I heard our backdoor open and shut and I looked up alarmed. Emily walked out and sat next to me. We sat in the quiet dark. I looked down at the plush grass tickling my bare feet. I looked up at the hard metal poles that were suspending my swing in the air. I smelled the sweet dew of the early morning. I relished this whole sanctuary of comforting factors. And my best friend in the whole world just made it that much better. I was going to miss her so much.
We sat outside for a while without speaking. It was almost as if we were communicating without words, simply because there were no words that could describe the situation we were in. Without uttering a single word, we got up and hugged each other. That was it. Like silently closing a deal that nothing would ever, ever come between us. Not even the Atlantic Ocean itself.