Hello! I've been working hard on the story, and wanted to share with you the first chapter. Let me know your thoughts. Happy reading!
Ch. 1
Flowers lie.
There have been so many times my father brought home a bouquet for my mother to apologize for the fight the night before. He’ll promise to be better. She’ll promise to be better. Then the flowers sit gloating on the table in the same sickly green vase, the orange and yellow petals clashing against the glass. But without fail, just as the leaves are about to turn brown, a new set replaces them.
I inspected the most recent set on the table, tapping my pencil against the rim of the vase. These flowers had started wilting already. After a few days of quiet in the house I knew a fight was around the corner. Either my parents managed to go longer without an argument this time, or these flowers were on their way out early to begin with.
The soft toll of the church’s clock tower in town rang at the top of the hour. Three in the afternoon and I still had not done any of my admissions essays I didn’t even know what to go to college for. A decision had to be made before the end of the month, before graduation. Somehow I thought this would be easier. I groaned and let my head fall on the table. I had no motivation and my brain hurt.
The front door whipped open and my mother came barreling in like a wild storm.
"Really, Melissa, I can't help her," she said into her phone pinned between her shoulder and cheek. "She needs to go through her own documents and then submit them the right way. There's a whole system for a reason!...No, I'm home now. Well she'll have to manage until Monday morning when I get back in."
She opened her arms and let her files fall to the table, the cell phone dropping on top. My mom tapped the screen and sighed, easing into the chair across from me.
"Honestly! Everything is the end of the world with her!"
"Hmm," I acknowledged and went back to my notebook, still blank.
"Has your father been home yet?"
"No, been just me and the cat all day."
"Okay."
We were quiet. I could feel she wanted to say something but she didn't speak for a long time. My efforts to focus on anything were in vain due to how thick the tension was.
"How's your essay coming?"
"Slow…"
More silence. The only sound throughout the house was her tapping her bright red fingernails rapidly on the table.
“What’s your topic again?”
“‘Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others’,” I sighed.
“Oh, I see,” her brow furrowed. “Have you thought about what you want to study? You’d make a great lawyer.”
“Mom, I don’t know.”
"Lily," my mother said, "there's something your father and I want to talk to you about."
"What?"
She paused. "Well--"
The door flung open again and this time my father barreled in, yelling into his phone. I tuned out what he was shouting and dragged my hands down my face. It was no use today.
"John, can you come into the dining room?" my mom called.
He shouted at the phone one more time and then came over to us. His phone made a resounding thud as he slammed it on the table.
"I'm so sick of the nurses messing with my patients! If I order a test, there's a reason! God!"
My mother cleared her throat. He ran his hands through his graying hair and turned to me.
"Sorry, Lily," he sat down at the end of the table then glanced at my mom. "Now, Sarah?"
She nodded and both of them looked at me. I pursed my lips and sat forward, waiting for them to speak.
"Lily," she started, "you’ll be going to college soon--”
“For whatever you finally decide,” my father interrupted.
“So,” she continued with a glare at him, “you’ll be away and won’t need us as much. And, well this isn't easy...but your father and I, well…"
"We're getting a divorce," he finished quickly. "Just rip the band-aid off Sarah. She's almost eighteen for God's sake."
"It's a delicate matter, John!"
"She probably knew it was going to happen. She's not an idiot."
"Was that all?" I interjected. My heart was sinking but I tried to keep a straight face. I had known. I just didn't want it to happen.
They both looked at me slowly, my mother's eyes sad.
"Yes, dear."
I was quiet. In all honesty I can't say I was surprised. A divorce was bound to happen, it was just a matter of when, and that didn’t change the fact that I still had secretly hoped it wouldn’t.
“Honey,” my mom reached to put her hand on top of mine. I pulled it away. “Lily, it’s for the best, really. We just aren’t in love anymore, and you’re growing up.”
“Focus on school,” my father said. “Graduation is in a week, then you’ll go to school to be a doctor.”
“No,” she said, “to be a lawyer.”
“Have either of you considered that I don’t want to be a doctor or lawyer?” I snapped.
“Then what would you be?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” I huffed.
“You’re too smart not to be something important,” he said. “Put some more thought into this. You only have a week.”
"I'll go to my room for the rest of the evening," I stood and gathered my things. I fought back the tears as I passed them and bounded towards the stairs.
Instead of going to my room, I headed up the stairs at the end of the hall that led to the finished attic. I crossed to the large window on the far side of the room. The wide sill had a worn cushion top with a dent in the middle from me sitting there so often. My copy of Shakespeare’s complete works was waiting for me off to the side, open upside down to mark my current page. The pages were worn at the edges, the spine starting to separate. A Midsummer Night’s Dream greeted me as I gingerly turned the book over. As my favorite of the plays, it was the part of the book with the most wear.
I shifted my gaze to the string of trees behind the house. The wind was picking up and the sky was turning gray. I recalled the news mentioning a storm passing through tonight. Through the floors I could hear the faint shouting of my parents from the living room. Of the countless times I imagined being a fairy when I was younger, contemplating living among the trees and being away from my parents, tonight had the deepest tug on my heart.
Morning brought the smell of coffee, burnt toast, and slamming doors with a sprinkling of curses from my father. I rolled over and grabbed my phone. It was still charging on the frayed cord, so I put it back on my bedside table. I was reluctant to get up but needed to be somewhere other than in this house. I decided to go for a walk while I waited for my phone to finish charging, then figure out where to go.
A strong breeze greeted me as I stepped outside. The air was damp and had the kind of smell that signaled rain. As if on cue, a drop fell on my forehead, and it began to pour. The empty driveway quickly turned charcoal black and I went back inside. I grabbed my raincoat and slipped on my boots. Walking helped me think and I wasn’t going to let the rain stop me.
The wind yanked the storm door from my hand as I opened it. It was a stronger wind than I expected. Branches fell from the old oak in our front yard, and pieces of loose bark blew off. I held on to the door as another gust whipped by. Then the rain lightened and the wind stopped. New England weather was so unpredictable.
The sun started to peek through the clouds and a glimmer on the ground caught the corner of my eye. There was something shiny a couple feet away from me. I maneuvered through the fallen branches and picked up what looked like a small mirror. It was about the size of my hand and had a small ornate gold key in the center. I took the key out and flipped the mirror over, the back resembled the bark. I quickly turned to the tree and saw an exposed section of mirror the same size as the piece in my hand. Moving closer, I saw what looked like a keyhole in the center. My heart started racing. What was this? All my instincts said to run away from it, but maybe this was my chance to leave. Maybe it was my wish actually coming true. Or it could be some kind of trap and I'll get kidnapped.
My curiosity got the better of me and I inserted the key and turned it. The tree started to tremble and the bark separated like an elevator door. Inside I saw my reflection staring back at me, the shock plastered on my face. After regaining my composure, I grabbed the key and carefully stepped inside. The whole thing was a giant tube of mirror that stopped three feet above me with a mirror ceiling. I shook my head and decided it was better to get out. As I turned to leave, the tree doors closed.
"Hey!" I banged on my reflection and tried to find the seam to pull it back open. There was a violent shaking that made me fall back before I could find anything. After a minute, the shaking stopped. The mirror behind me slowly parted and I scooted to the opposite side.
The light coming in was bright, and all I saw was green. I stood and cautiously peered outside. It was a forest with budding trees and lush grass. The air was warmer and smelt like spring, that earthy fresh aroma after the snow melts. I stepped out, more confused than I had ever been before. My house was gone and anything I recognized seemed to disappear. I saw only this small meadow outlined with a thick wall of trees.
There was another shaking behind me and I turned in time to watch the tree close again.
"No, no, no, no!" I scrambled to hold it open but it was no use. I ran my hands along the bark looking for loose pieces. There had to be another key hole, it would only make sense right? I placed the key in my pocket and moved around the tree, my hands running up as high as I could reach and down to the roots. After finding nothing I rested my forehead on the tree and tried not to panic. My raincoat was becoming too warm now, so I frantically shed it to the ground and rolled up my sleeves.
"Holy crap," I muttered. I should have left well enough alone. Always trust your gut, I could hear my mom saying in my head. I sighed and stood up straight. As I turned, I came face to face with the tip of an arrow an inch from my nose.