Before I begin, I want you all to know that this story is in 3rd person and told from two points of view. This chapter is from one character's point of you and Chapter 2 will be from someone else. I hope you enjoy! Please let me know if you read it!
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Chapter 1:
In the beginning, everything seemed so normal for Damian Rockwell. He hated every moment of high school, every girl he met was the same as the last, and life altogether just seemed rather bland. He just lived his life day to day, never knowing what to expect from the future. He had always been an attractive guy, but he had never been one of those guys that pounced on every girl that gave him “the look”.
Lately, he had been far too caught up in his parents’ tragic accident to even think about anything else. He had to set up the funeral arrangements and make sure that everything was taken care of.
He spent the night alone in the ominous empty house of his late parents, hoping for some type of closure. He was lying silently on the sofa, gazing at a recent photograph of his parents and himself standing outside of the gorgeous home, when a startling knock came at the door.
“What now” He said to the empty house, as he forced his body out of the chair he had planted himself in.
In spite of the slowly mounting depression he was feeling, looking out the window to see his aunt Neveya’s sparkling Lincoln sitting there gave him a sudden jolt of joy. He practically sprinted to the door and had his arms around his aunt’s neck before it was even fully opened.
“I am so happy to see you!” he exclaimed, with a sweet smile on his face “Please, come in!”
“Oh, Damian, are you alright? When I heard you were sitting here all alone, in your parents’ house of all places, I just had to come by.” Neveya said as tears began to well up in her eyes.
They walked together into the stunningly beautiful living room. It used to seem so bright and full of life, but Damian realized it would never feel the same way again. They took a seat on the oversized white leather couch and held onto each other.
“I’m okay, Neveya. I just wanted to spend a little time in the house before it gets sold. I have so many good memories in this place; I’m really going to miss it. And, if I sit quietly for long enough, I swear that I can still hear them walking around upstairs.”
Neveya looked at him, skepticism shining in her eyes, as if he were telling her of a dream he had.
“I know you’re still hurting, Sweetheart, but you can’t just sit in here dwelling on what has happened. It will only drag you to a place that you don’t want to go. Trust me.”
As Neveya tried to pull him back to the real world, Damian merely sat there. He was drowning in thoughts of what he was going to do without his parents’ love and support. All he knew was that he needed a little bit longer in the house, a few more minutes of their lingering spirits. The scent of his mother’s perfume and the sound of his father humming nothing in particular in the kitchen, made him want to stay there forever.
“It’s time to let go.” He heard Neveya whispering to him. He sat up and said “Okay, I’m ready.”
As Damian and his aunt slowly exited the beautiful two-story home, he savored everything in his sight. Damian locked the door and they walked away for the last time.
“I think you should follow me to my house and stay the night. I already have the guest room ready for you.” Neveya said, as if there was no way she would take no for an answer. All Damian could do was nod his head and say, “Yes, Ma’am.” He could never say no to her, because she had a certain way of making it impossible. Then again, every time he took the path she suggested, it turned out perfectly.
Damian walked slowly down the driveway to his beat up, ancient looking Corolla. The paint was beginning to peel, and it was missing both side-view mirrors. He couldn’t stand the thought of using the money that his parent’s had left him to fix his car. It felt wrong to him, so he continued to tell himself that it would last him a little longer.
He opened the car door which protested loudly and jumped inside. He cranked the engine and set off toward Neveya’s house.
After driving about forty-five minutes, they finally arrived. He could never understand why she wanted to stay in that house. It was located in the middle of a forest and completely secluded. He couldn’t complain about the privacy though. It was exactly what he needed after a day full of people in his face, asking way too many sensitive questions. His parents' house was in the forest as well, but not nearly as deep as his aunt's.
Neveya pulled in first and parked her car under a blossoming weeping cherry tree that seemed endless when you looked up from underneath it. Almost all the homes he had seen in the area had these growing all around them. Damian could remember many times in his childhood lounging underneath the tree, imagining what it would be like to climb up the pink-flowered branches and step off onto a fluffy cloud. He was thankful for all the good memories he had to help him through this time.
As he reminisced, he continued to creep his way into Neveya’s driveway. When he finally reached the end of the dirt road, he saw not only Neveya’s vehicle, but also one that he was sure belonged to his grandparents. He had a crawling feeling of suspicion. He strongly felt a family intervention coming on.
“This definitely is not what I need right now,” he said to himself as he slowly gathered his things from the car that he would need for the night, and headed anxiously toward the steps.
Neveya waited for him on her antique wooden swing that was placed on her spacious wrap-around porch. “Don’t have a fit,” she said as he sat down beside her. “They only want to see you again before they leave.”
“You know me way too well, Nay-Nay.” Damian laughed. Sometimes it seemed like she could look inside him and see his every emotion.
“Well, I just know that you need some privacy, and trust me, that time will come. For now, I need you to be strong for your grandparents. They are really worried about you and I think it would be good to give them some peace.”
Damian let out a hefty sigh and said, “I know, and you know that I’ll do my best. They don’t need any more stress than they’ve already got.”
Neveya gave him a simple nod and a smile, but in that single gesture he knew it was time to take that step. |
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