This is something I'm working on.. It's the first long piece I've attempted. People often told me I'm too good at imagery and description to write anything short. Perhaps I use too much imagery? I'm curious about what you guys think.
I already know it's a bit shakey at some parts. I still need to do some revising. I revise every time I finish reading a book. I feel each book teaches me more and more about writing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Welcome to Birchmoss
preview
(This was just a part of my planning and organization. It is subject to change)
Violet kept her skeletons right where they belonged. Hidden away in her closet… but with no access to a key to lock it. The fear of their escape tormented her every single day. When Violet moved to Birchmoss, Iowa, she only hopes she can make friends and not make a fool out of herself.
Luckily, she met Aiden almost immediately. Violet was relieved to find out they would be in most of the same classes together when school resumes session. He immediately introduced her to all his friends. Some, warm and welcoming, while others gave her cold and discouraging looks. Over time, Violet eventually made great friends, and a few acquaintances whom which she made an agreement to disagree with. She was finally settled in and happy with her life, until one dark day, tragedy reunited Violet with her tormenting past.
As Violet uncovers secret after secret, she makes a decision that it’s finally time to grow up and to step completely out of her element and stand up for herself and the ones she loves the most… Take charge of her life and confront the elements from her past that she tries so desperately to shield from her new life. As she comes out of her shell, she finds it easier to trust others and to finally let her friends inside, to see the true Violet. Now, her greatest hope is that the new Violet will bring her closer to people and not scare them off.
CHAPTER 1 -
“WELCOME TO BIRCHMOSS”, read the large purple letters on the green sign placed at the boarder of my new home. “Why did we have to leave, anyways?” I whined to my mother.
“Well, you didn’t want to stay, did you, Violet?”
“Yes…”
“Why?”
“Because I was happy where we were.” Where we belonged.
“No you weren’t.”
“I was content.” I said, leaning the side of my head against the passenger car window, slightly shocked at how cold it felt, but not caring enough to pull away.
“Well”, my mom replied, clearly growing frustrated, “we’re here now, so you’re just going to have to deal with it. Just look around. It’s so beautiful. It’s snowing and the grass is still green! If that’s not a good sign, then I don’t know what is.”
Neither of us was used to seeing snow or green grass. We just made the long and excruciating seventeen hour long journey from Texas all the way to Birchmoss, Iowa. I softly groaned and lifted myself from the cool glass to look out at the scenery. Of course, when my mom looks out the window, she sees the pure and fresh whiteness of the snow when I only see the cold and distant, blinding winter. She sees nature’s hope and growth as the grass peeks through, and all I see constriction. She sees the purple tint of the dead, dried out trees as a sign of sophistication, but I see it as a bruised and forbidding warning.
After only a few minutes of glairing out the window at everything I was now forced to live with, I saw our new home come into view. It’s not very large. Not large at all. As we pulled past the white picket fence to the door off the single car garage, I reached to the back seat for my indulgent stack of books. I reluctantly stepped out of the car, slammed the door behind me, took a deep breath, and glanced over the house. I took in its sparkling white horizontal paneling. I looked intently as I shuddered at the freezing cold, but failed to notice a speck of mud, dirt, peeling paint, an insect splatter, anything! My eyes involuntarily shifted upward to marvel at the snow sprinkled, smoky grey roof. Shingles all perfectly aligned.
I took another deep breath. “Here we go.” I muttered to myself as I bravely marched forward. As I reached the dark blue, wooden door, I reluctantly paused to admire the dark brown doorbell, encased in a golden, floral molding. I tear myself away and gently push the door and let it swing on its silent hinges. My muscles immediately relaxed at the slightly warmer temperature, but that slight relief soon vanished as I noticed the obnoxiously bright and peachy walls. Then the spotless, light beige carpeting. As I made my way down the hallway, I noticed familiar framed pictures and works of art propped up against the walls. I guessed my mother already made her rounds for the preliminary decor. I shortly reached the last door at the end of the hallway. Cautiously, I opened the door and recognize my purple curtains over the large window. Luckily, the walls in this room were painted white. At least I wouldn’t be forced to be cheery all the time by my bright, peachy, new home.
As I ventured further into my room, I stopped in front of the only piece of furniture there. An old, faded, brown, and chipped bookcase. I placed my books on the middle shelf and felt a tingle in my fingers. I held my hand up and watched them quickly change from white to its natural, fleshy red. I hadn't realized I was gripping them so tightly. I glanced over to my purple curtains again through the corner of my eye and quickly turned my head to get a better look. Suddenly bursting into tears, I ran over to them and plopped down onto the window sill and wrapped myself in the warm scent of my Texas home. My only home. After a few minutes, the tears faded and I could see clearly again. I took a bit of the soft, thin fabric between my fingers, examining it, desperately trying to find traces of my old life trapped in its stitches. Finding only bits of lint, I turned to the window and finally released a sigh of defeat. It's a beautiful view of the neighborhood. Quaint and simple, but not too vacant. There were grade school children playing basketball in the driveway across the street. How could they possibly stand the cold? And so early in the morning? The snow was beginning to melt due to the rising sun, but I imagine the driveway would still be too slippery for walking, let alone running and jumping. There was also a guy in a deep red track suit jogging along the sidewalk. Just as he passed thedriveway with the three boys, one of them approached the basket for a lay-up, but bounced the ball off the rim. It flew over their heads as the three boys blindly launched their arms up, hoping to catch the ball before it bounces off into the street. Just as it was about to cross the boundary between the street and the sidewalk, the jogger launched and caught the ball in his palm and smoothly catapulted it up and over, landing right through the basket.
“Wow... This place really is as picture perfect as my mom said”. She lived here in Birchmoss briefly after moving out of her parents' house, immediately following graduation. It was only for about a month, but she said it was the simplest, quietest, and most wonderful place she has ever visited. “The perfect place to run to when desperately trying to escape”, she called it. Like an incubator, blocking out all the germs and harmful bacteria, and keeping everything sterile and lovingly encased inside. It's difficult to imagine anyone having a bad day in...
"We better get out there."
"What! Why!" I gasped, startled by my mother's unnoticed entrance.
"That's our truck out there." she answered, pointing and nodding toward the window.
"Oh, right." I looked out the window at a large moving truck then stood up and trudged after my mother to venture out into the cold once again.
As we got outside, I was even more surprised to see the three boys still effortlessly playing across the street in their jerseys and shorts, even though it felt like it had to be at least twenty degrees out. I stepped to the back of the truck as my mother opened it. We both gaze at the overwhelming mountain of boxes and bins, and, in unison, groan with anticipating agony. I was first to hop into the trailer and squeeze my way to the back, hoping to start this tedious workout light.
"Welcome to Birchmoss, ladies." greeted what sounded like a young man's voice. I spun around to see who our visitor was and saw the basketball guy with the track suit through the stacks of boxes. "It looks like you could use a little help."
"Oh, yes please, if you don't mind." pleaded my mother.
"Of course I don't mind. I always love to help out a new neighbor.” I could only see the back of his head, but he seemed quite cheery, considering the time and temperature.
"I‘m not about to argue with that. Just take these boxes and put them anywhere in the living room.
"Yes ma'am" he agreed as he hopped into the truck. I then lowered my head and saw a box of my clothes. I took out a couple jackets and layered them over my sweaters "Hi there. My name's Aiden. Welcome to Birchmoss."
"Hello and thank you. I'm Violet.” I practically whispered, barely lifting my eyes to meet his. They're a deep brown color with what looked like a mixture of golden caramel. He's about six feet tall with short, dark brown, neatly trimmed hair that flipped up slightly in the front. He had a lean, but muscular built that made me think he could easily lift most of these boxes without much hassle. At least this hard labor wouldn't be much of a burden on him.
"Nice to meet you, Violet. That's a very lovely name." he complimented as he lifted a large box.
"It's nice to meet you too." I responded as I lift a light box and make my way out the truck and onto the patchy snow covered driveway. It crunched between the concrete and the bottom of my shoes. I could hear Aiden following close behind.
"Let me get that for you.” he said as we reached the front door. It, again, swung silently on its hinges and I flashed a thank-you-smile his way. We both dropped our boxes on the living room floor at the same time. We then proceeded to walk back out to the truck to finish unloading.
Aiden and I hardly spoke a word to each other besides the cordial thank-yous and you're-welcomes. I was too busy getting lost in the memories triggered by the endless boxes of daily treasures and others filled with items I hadn't seen in years and had completely forgotten about. I picked up one box filled with many. A bracelet I’ve been looking for for ages, with various gazelle charms my uncle gave me for my tenth birthday was clasped quite snuggly around the neck of the stuffed lion my father gave me for my eleventh birthday. I found that a little curious since I don’t think I would have ever dressed any of my toys in such a violent way. Everything in this box was incredibly dusty. I'm sure my mother forgot about these things also. She normally kept everything clean and dust free. I looked over my shoulder to see my mother and Aiden heaving the last two boxes from the truck. I quickly dashed into the house and down the hallway into my room. I frantically look around to find a place to stash the box. Again, realizing I only have one piece of furniture, I push the bookcase against the wall and slide the box in a newly formed corner. I took one of my four layers of jackets off and draped over the box, then rushed back into the living room as my mother and Aiden walked through the door.
"Well, that didn't take long. Thank you so much... um, I never got your name." my mom inquired to Aiden.
"I'm Aiden." He answered, offering his hand.
"Oh, pleasure to meet you, Aiden." she said, taking his hand to shake it, then walked into the kitchen. "Would you like to join us for coffee?"
"Sure, if it's no bother."
"None at all. Come sit." She said, gesturing toward the kitchen table.
"Thank you." Aiden said taking a seat in one of the dining chairs he unloaded.
"I don't want any coffee.” I said as I slowly backed into the hallway. I was eager to get back to my box of disregarded memories.
"No, sit down, you need some caffeine." My mother demanded, "You've had a long day. I'm sure you're exhausted already. It's not even... Say, do you happen to have the time, Aiden? I'm positive it's still pretty early."
"Yes ma'am." Aiden looked down at his wrist. "It's only a quarter past ten."
"There, you see Violet? You look so tired. Coffee is just what you need."
"Okay okay." I surrendered. I figured a nap would do more good, but since my bed was still dismantled on the living room floor, this was the next best alternative. Not that I actually intended to nap, even if my bed was intact.
“So Aiden, how old are you?” My mother asked as I scooted my chair to the table and she poured water into the coffee maker.
“I turned seventeen two weeks ago.”
“That’s interesting.” She replied smugly, “Violet just turned seventeen also. Are you a junior in high school too?”
“Yes, I am.”
“That’s great! See, Violet? You thought you wouldn’t make any friends, and within about an hour, you have a nice and very handsome young man sitting across from you at the kitchen table.”
I shot a quick glance at Aiden to see that he, too, was blushing. I always thought my mother could be a little too controlling and straight forward at times. I always found it easier to just agree with the demands and embarrassing outbursts rather than challenge them.
“I can introduce you to all my friends, Violet,” Aiden looked at me, cautiously,” if you would like that...”
“Well, umm…”
“Of course she would”, my mother answered, cutting me off. “Wouldn’t you, Violet?” She got up to retrieve the steaming coffee pot.
“Yeah, okay, I guess.” I answered both of them.
“Then it’s settled. You can take Violet out whenever you want. I’ll be fine unpacking myself.” She directed toward Aiden, pouring the steaming liquid into his mug.
“Umm, okay. Thank you, Misses…”
“Miss Greene.” Greene? … Since when does my mother go by her maiden name?
“Miss Greene.” He continued. Then he directed his attention toward me. “We’re all supposed to meet up for lunch this afternoon.”
“Okay. That sounds fine.” I agreed with my eyes fixed of the coffee being poured into my cup.
“So around noon?” asked my mom as she say and joined us with her own coffee.
“Yeah, around then. I just need to go home to shower, change, and all that. I live right next door, so it shouldn’t take too long.”, he said, looking kind of nervous.
“Oh really?” My mother said with enthusiastic interest. “That’s real nice. So can we expect to see you around often?”
“I wouldn’t object,” Aiden said, finishing the last of his coffee. “But with school starting back up again soon, I need to get myself resituated again. I’ve felt myself getting a little oafish over the winter break. I’ll be spending most of my free time reviewing all my notes again.”
A scholarly fellow... I guess that’s something we both had in common. I loved school and always felt the need to study and review at the end of a long break.
“Oh, well you do what you need to do.” My mother said as she got up to take everyone’s empty cups to the kitchen sink.
“Thank you. I’d better get going.” He said standing up and turned to me. “So I’ll see you at noon, Violet?”
“Yeah. Noon is good.” I said, getting up also to walk him to the door.
My mom turned on the faucet and started washing the coffee mugs as she shouted over her shoulder “I guess we’ll see you soon, Aiden. It was nice talking to you.”
“Thank you. The pleasure was all mine.” He said as he and I proceeded toward the front door. “Hey,” he said, placing his hand on my shoulder. “Don’t be nervous. My friends are all pretty cool. I know they’ll like you. Don’t worry about it.” His eyes showed true concern.
I nodded nervously and smiled.
“I’ll be back soon. Nice sweater, by the way.” He said as he closed the front door behind him. I looked down at my plain green knit sweater and shrugged.
“Violet, can you come in here for a minute.” My mother called from the kitchen, in a worried voice. “I need to say a few things before you go out this afternoon.” I wearily walked into the kitchen wondering what was on her mind. “Have a seat, Violet.” She said drying her hands and pulling out a chair for me. “There are a few rules we need to lay out.”
“Okay... I’m listening.” I said as I sat down.
“You noticed I told Aiden to call me Miss. Greene, right?”
I nodded
“Well, we’re starting a new life here in Birchmoss, and with a new life come a new name. We’re not going by Strauss anymore. That name belongs to your father. Not us. I want you to be sure to not let anyone know of your real name. I had to go through great and very dangerous lengths to change our names. I had to go down a few dark alleys and talk to a few sketchy people, Violet.” My eyes widened in concerned terror. I never knew my mother was capable of anything even similar to fabricating legal documents. “All our government papers, school records, absolutely everything are under the name Greene now. It’s really important you keep this secret, okay Violet? Do you understand?”
I nodded again. This time with a flushed and terrified face.
“Oh please, Violet,” she almost pleaded. “Don’t be so nervous. I can tell from your eyes. Just act natural. If you’re so jumpy about your last name, someone’s bound to become suspicious. Please Violet, I’m depending on you.”
That did it. I took a deep breath and released all the butterflies from deep in my stomach. “Okay, Mom,” I nodded. “I promise I won’t tell a soul.”
“Oh, thank you, Violet!” she sighed in relief. She leaned forward and hugged me tightly. “I’m sorry for piling this on you all at once, but there’s one more thing. Nobody can know what happened with your father. Nobody can know that you even have a father. This might be difficult. I know you love him, but you need to let everyone believe that your father died when you were very young and you have no memory of him. Okay, Violet? Tell them it’s just been you and me your whole life.”
“Okay.” I agreed. A sharp twinge of guilt found its way deep into my gut, and brought a few of the butterflies back with it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bleh.. I'm horrible at endinng anything.
I already know it's a bit shakey at some parts. I still need to do some revising. I revise every time I finish reading a book. I feel each book teaches me more and more about writing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Welcome to Birchmoss
preview
(This was just a part of my planning and organization. It is subject to change)
Violet kept her skeletons right where they belonged. Hidden away in her closet… but with no access to a key to lock it. The fear of their escape tormented her every single day. When Violet moved to Birchmoss, Iowa, she only hopes she can make friends and not make a fool out of herself.
Luckily, she met Aiden almost immediately. Violet was relieved to find out they would be in most of the same classes together when school resumes session. He immediately introduced her to all his friends. Some, warm and welcoming, while others gave her cold and discouraging looks. Over time, Violet eventually made great friends, and a few acquaintances whom which she made an agreement to disagree with. She was finally settled in and happy with her life, until one dark day, tragedy reunited Violet with her tormenting past.
As Violet uncovers secret after secret, she makes a decision that it’s finally time to grow up and to step completely out of her element and stand up for herself and the ones she loves the most… Take charge of her life and confront the elements from her past that she tries so desperately to shield from her new life. As she comes out of her shell, she finds it easier to trust others and to finally let her friends inside, to see the true Violet. Now, her greatest hope is that the new Violet will bring her closer to people and not scare them off.
CHAPTER 1 -
“WELCOME TO BIRCHMOSS”, read the large purple letters on the green sign placed at the boarder of my new home. “Why did we have to leave, anyways?” I whined to my mother.
“Well, you didn’t want to stay, did you, Violet?”
“Yes…”
“Why?”
“Because I was happy where we were.” Where we belonged.
“No you weren’t.”
“I was content.” I said, leaning the side of my head against the passenger car window, slightly shocked at how cold it felt, but not caring enough to pull away.
“Well”, my mom replied, clearly growing frustrated, “we’re here now, so you’re just going to have to deal with it. Just look around. It’s so beautiful. It’s snowing and the grass is still green! If that’s not a good sign, then I don’t know what is.”
Neither of us was used to seeing snow or green grass. We just made the long and excruciating seventeen hour long journey from Texas all the way to Birchmoss, Iowa. I softly groaned and lifted myself from the cool glass to look out at the scenery. Of course, when my mom looks out the window, she sees the pure and fresh whiteness of the snow when I only see the cold and distant, blinding winter. She sees nature’s hope and growth as the grass peeks through, and all I see constriction. She sees the purple tint of the dead, dried out trees as a sign of sophistication, but I see it as a bruised and forbidding warning.
After only a few minutes of glairing out the window at everything I was now forced to live with, I saw our new home come into view. It’s not very large. Not large at all. As we pulled past the white picket fence to the door off the single car garage, I reached to the back seat for my indulgent stack of books. I reluctantly stepped out of the car, slammed the door behind me, took a deep breath, and glanced over the house. I took in its sparkling white horizontal paneling. I looked intently as I shuddered at the freezing cold, but failed to notice a speck of mud, dirt, peeling paint, an insect splatter, anything! My eyes involuntarily shifted upward to marvel at the snow sprinkled, smoky grey roof. Shingles all perfectly aligned.
I took another deep breath. “Here we go.” I muttered to myself as I bravely marched forward. As I reached the dark blue, wooden door, I reluctantly paused to admire the dark brown doorbell, encased in a golden, floral molding. I tear myself away and gently push the door and let it swing on its silent hinges. My muscles immediately relaxed at the slightly warmer temperature, but that slight relief soon vanished as I noticed the obnoxiously bright and peachy walls. Then the spotless, light beige carpeting. As I made my way down the hallway, I noticed familiar framed pictures and works of art propped up against the walls. I guessed my mother already made her rounds for the preliminary decor. I shortly reached the last door at the end of the hallway. Cautiously, I opened the door and recognize my purple curtains over the large window. Luckily, the walls in this room were painted white. At least I wouldn’t be forced to be cheery all the time by my bright, peachy, new home.
As I ventured further into my room, I stopped in front of the only piece of furniture there. An old, faded, brown, and chipped bookcase. I placed my books on the middle shelf and felt a tingle in my fingers. I held my hand up and watched them quickly change from white to its natural, fleshy red. I hadn't realized I was gripping them so tightly. I glanced over to my purple curtains again through the corner of my eye and quickly turned my head to get a better look. Suddenly bursting into tears, I ran over to them and plopped down onto the window sill and wrapped myself in the warm scent of my Texas home. My only home. After a few minutes, the tears faded and I could see clearly again. I took a bit of the soft, thin fabric between my fingers, examining it, desperately trying to find traces of my old life trapped in its stitches. Finding only bits of lint, I turned to the window and finally released a sigh of defeat. It's a beautiful view of the neighborhood. Quaint and simple, but not too vacant. There were grade school children playing basketball in the driveway across the street. How could they possibly stand the cold? And so early in the morning? The snow was beginning to melt due to the rising sun, but I imagine the driveway would still be too slippery for walking, let alone running and jumping. There was also a guy in a deep red track suit jogging along the sidewalk. Just as he passed thedriveway with the three boys, one of them approached the basket for a lay-up, but bounced the ball off the rim. It flew over their heads as the three boys blindly launched their arms up, hoping to catch the ball before it bounces off into the street. Just as it was about to cross the boundary between the street and the sidewalk, the jogger launched and caught the ball in his palm and smoothly catapulted it up and over, landing right through the basket.
“Wow... This place really is as picture perfect as my mom said”. She lived here in Birchmoss briefly after moving out of her parents' house, immediately following graduation. It was only for about a month, but she said it was the simplest, quietest, and most wonderful place she has ever visited. “The perfect place to run to when desperately trying to escape”, she called it. Like an incubator, blocking out all the germs and harmful bacteria, and keeping everything sterile and lovingly encased inside. It's difficult to imagine anyone having a bad day in...
"We better get out there."
"What! Why!" I gasped, startled by my mother's unnoticed entrance.
"That's our truck out there." she answered, pointing and nodding toward the window.
"Oh, right." I looked out the window at a large moving truck then stood up and trudged after my mother to venture out into the cold once again.
As we got outside, I was even more surprised to see the three boys still effortlessly playing across the street in their jerseys and shorts, even though it felt like it had to be at least twenty degrees out. I stepped to the back of the truck as my mother opened it. We both gaze at the overwhelming mountain of boxes and bins, and, in unison, groan with anticipating agony. I was first to hop into the trailer and squeeze my way to the back, hoping to start this tedious workout light.
"Welcome to Birchmoss, ladies." greeted what sounded like a young man's voice. I spun around to see who our visitor was and saw the basketball guy with the track suit through the stacks of boxes. "It looks like you could use a little help."
"Oh, yes please, if you don't mind." pleaded my mother.
"Of course I don't mind. I always love to help out a new neighbor.” I could only see the back of his head, but he seemed quite cheery, considering the time and temperature.
"I‘m not about to argue with that. Just take these boxes and put them anywhere in the living room.
"Yes ma'am" he agreed as he hopped into the truck. I then lowered my head and saw a box of my clothes. I took out a couple jackets and layered them over my sweaters "Hi there. My name's Aiden. Welcome to Birchmoss."
"Hello and thank you. I'm Violet.” I practically whispered, barely lifting my eyes to meet his. They're a deep brown color with what looked like a mixture of golden caramel. He's about six feet tall with short, dark brown, neatly trimmed hair that flipped up slightly in the front. He had a lean, but muscular built that made me think he could easily lift most of these boxes without much hassle. At least this hard labor wouldn't be much of a burden on him.
"Nice to meet you, Violet. That's a very lovely name." he complimented as he lifted a large box.
"It's nice to meet you too." I responded as I lift a light box and make my way out the truck and onto the patchy snow covered driveway. It crunched between the concrete and the bottom of my shoes. I could hear Aiden following close behind.
"Let me get that for you.” he said as we reached the front door. It, again, swung silently on its hinges and I flashed a thank-you-smile his way. We both dropped our boxes on the living room floor at the same time. We then proceeded to walk back out to the truck to finish unloading.
Aiden and I hardly spoke a word to each other besides the cordial thank-yous and you're-welcomes. I was too busy getting lost in the memories triggered by the endless boxes of daily treasures and others filled with items I hadn't seen in years and had completely forgotten about. I picked up one box filled with many. A bracelet I’ve been looking for for ages, with various gazelle charms my uncle gave me for my tenth birthday was clasped quite snuggly around the neck of the stuffed lion my father gave me for my eleventh birthday. I found that a little curious since I don’t think I would have ever dressed any of my toys in such a violent way. Everything in this box was incredibly dusty. I'm sure my mother forgot about these things also. She normally kept everything clean and dust free. I looked over my shoulder to see my mother and Aiden heaving the last two boxes from the truck. I quickly dashed into the house and down the hallway into my room. I frantically look around to find a place to stash the box. Again, realizing I only have one piece of furniture, I push the bookcase against the wall and slide the box in a newly formed corner. I took one of my four layers of jackets off and draped over the box, then rushed back into the living room as my mother and Aiden walked through the door.
"Well, that didn't take long. Thank you so much... um, I never got your name." my mom inquired to Aiden.
"I'm Aiden." He answered, offering his hand.
"Oh, pleasure to meet you, Aiden." she said, taking his hand to shake it, then walked into the kitchen. "Would you like to join us for coffee?"
"Sure, if it's no bother."
"None at all. Come sit." She said, gesturing toward the kitchen table.
"Thank you." Aiden said taking a seat in one of the dining chairs he unloaded.
"I don't want any coffee.” I said as I slowly backed into the hallway. I was eager to get back to my box of disregarded memories.
"No, sit down, you need some caffeine." My mother demanded, "You've had a long day. I'm sure you're exhausted already. It's not even... Say, do you happen to have the time, Aiden? I'm positive it's still pretty early."
"Yes ma'am." Aiden looked down at his wrist. "It's only a quarter past ten."
"There, you see Violet? You look so tired. Coffee is just what you need."
"Okay okay." I surrendered. I figured a nap would do more good, but since my bed was still dismantled on the living room floor, this was the next best alternative. Not that I actually intended to nap, even if my bed was intact.
“So Aiden, how old are you?” My mother asked as I scooted my chair to the table and she poured water into the coffee maker.
“I turned seventeen two weeks ago.”
“That’s interesting.” She replied smugly, “Violet just turned seventeen also. Are you a junior in high school too?”
“Yes, I am.”
“That’s great! See, Violet? You thought you wouldn’t make any friends, and within about an hour, you have a nice and very handsome young man sitting across from you at the kitchen table.”
I shot a quick glance at Aiden to see that he, too, was blushing. I always thought my mother could be a little too controlling and straight forward at times. I always found it easier to just agree with the demands and embarrassing outbursts rather than challenge them.
“I can introduce you to all my friends, Violet,” Aiden looked at me, cautiously,” if you would like that...”
“Well, umm…”
“Of course she would”, my mother answered, cutting me off. “Wouldn’t you, Violet?” She got up to retrieve the steaming coffee pot.
“Yeah, okay, I guess.” I answered both of them.
“Then it’s settled. You can take Violet out whenever you want. I’ll be fine unpacking myself.” She directed toward Aiden, pouring the steaming liquid into his mug.
“Umm, okay. Thank you, Misses…”
“Miss Greene.” Greene? … Since when does my mother go by her maiden name?
“Miss Greene.” He continued. Then he directed his attention toward me. “We’re all supposed to meet up for lunch this afternoon.”
“Okay. That sounds fine.” I agreed with my eyes fixed of the coffee being poured into my cup.
“So around noon?” asked my mom as she say and joined us with her own coffee.
“Yeah, around then. I just need to go home to shower, change, and all that. I live right next door, so it shouldn’t take too long.”, he said, looking kind of nervous.
“Oh really?” My mother said with enthusiastic interest. “That’s real nice. So can we expect to see you around often?”
“I wouldn’t object,” Aiden said, finishing the last of his coffee. “But with school starting back up again soon, I need to get myself resituated again. I’ve felt myself getting a little oafish over the winter break. I’ll be spending most of my free time reviewing all my notes again.”
A scholarly fellow... I guess that’s something we both had in common. I loved school and always felt the need to study and review at the end of a long break.
“Oh, well you do what you need to do.” My mother said as she got up to take everyone’s empty cups to the kitchen sink.
“Thank you. I’d better get going.” He said standing up and turned to me. “So I’ll see you at noon, Violet?”
“Yeah. Noon is good.” I said, getting up also to walk him to the door.
My mom turned on the faucet and started washing the coffee mugs as she shouted over her shoulder “I guess we’ll see you soon, Aiden. It was nice talking to you.”
“Thank you. The pleasure was all mine.” He said as he and I proceeded toward the front door. “Hey,” he said, placing his hand on my shoulder. “Don’t be nervous. My friends are all pretty cool. I know they’ll like you. Don’t worry about it.” His eyes showed true concern.
I nodded nervously and smiled.
“I’ll be back soon. Nice sweater, by the way.” He said as he closed the front door behind him. I looked down at my plain green knit sweater and shrugged.
“Violet, can you come in here for a minute.” My mother called from the kitchen, in a worried voice. “I need to say a few things before you go out this afternoon.” I wearily walked into the kitchen wondering what was on her mind. “Have a seat, Violet.” She said drying her hands and pulling out a chair for me. “There are a few rules we need to lay out.”
“Okay... I’m listening.” I said as I sat down.
“You noticed I told Aiden to call me Miss. Greene, right?”
I nodded
“Well, we’re starting a new life here in Birchmoss, and with a new life come a new name. We’re not going by Strauss anymore. That name belongs to your father. Not us. I want you to be sure to not let anyone know of your real name. I had to go through great and very dangerous lengths to change our names. I had to go down a few dark alleys and talk to a few sketchy people, Violet.” My eyes widened in concerned terror. I never knew my mother was capable of anything even similar to fabricating legal documents. “All our government papers, school records, absolutely everything are under the name Greene now. It’s really important you keep this secret, okay Violet? Do you understand?”
I nodded again. This time with a flushed and terrified face.
“Oh please, Violet,” she almost pleaded. “Don’t be so nervous. I can tell from your eyes. Just act natural. If you’re so jumpy about your last name, someone’s bound to become suspicious. Please Violet, I’m depending on you.”
That did it. I took a deep breath and released all the butterflies from deep in my stomach. “Okay, Mom,” I nodded. “I promise I won’t tell a soul.”
“Oh, thank you, Violet!” she sighed in relief. She leaned forward and hugged me tightly. “I’m sorry for piling this on you all at once, but there’s one more thing. Nobody can know what happened with your father. Nobody can know that you even have a father. This might be difficult. I know you love him, but you need to let everyone believe that your father died when you were very young and you have no memory of him. Okay, Violet? Tell them it’s just been you and me your whole life.”
“Okay.” I agreed. A sharp twinge of guilt found its way deep into my gut, and brought a few of the butterflies back with it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bleh.. I'm horrible at endinng anything.
I wrote this is five minutes. Not that good, I know.
It's in the point of view of a fire.
It's in a fireplace in a living room.
Hope you enjoy.
Read to the rhythym you would
'The Night Before Christmas'
I flickered and jumped
and sat on the logs
and watched as the human
kicked off his clogs.
The dog soon followed
and sat by his side
and they soon were asleep
and my flame soon died.
But a flicker did linger
and I wondered a bit.
When would be the next time
that I would be lit?
-starwarsfangirl
5/4/10
It's in the point of view of a fire.
It's in a fireplace in a living room.
Hope you enjoy.
Read to the rhythym you would
'The Night Before Christmas'
I flickered and jumped
and sat on the logs
and watched as the human
kicked off his clogs.
The dog soon followed
and sat by his side
and they soon were asleep
and my flame soon died.
But a flicker did linger
and I wondered a bit.
When would be the next time
that I would be lit?
-starwarsfangirl
5/4/10
I am bored with love
and it's passionless limbs
that drape over my bed
in a lethargic state of impotence
while wearing the same red heart
my soul picked up hitchhiking
off highway serendipity
Now here we are
alone in togetherness
trying to build dreams
with two by fours and glue,
but even a home
won't tie us together
when our hearts live alone
Poetic vows cliched
into nothingness
like all words do, eventually
and we allowed our bodies to become another pair of hollow shadows that make love to a wall
instead of each other
and we wonder why
the roses are dying
and it's passionless limbs
that drape over my bed
in a lethargic state of impotence
while wearing the same red heart
my soul picked up hitchhiking
off highway serendipity
Now here we are
alone in togetherness
trying to build dreams
with two by fours and glue,
but even a home
won't tie us together
when our hearts live alone
Poetic vows cliched
into nothingness
like all words do, eventually
and we allowed our bodies to become another pair of hollow shadows that make love to a wall
instead of each other
and we wonder why
the roses are dying
jamie is a beautiful girl. she has long ,blond hair,she has a pink shirt and dark blue jeans. she was the cousin of lindsey.
she was walking her dog,sweetie,when,jamie tripped on a rock. she thn fell into the arms of trent.
'hell," he said.
"thnks for saving me,abd hi."
"you okay?"
"yeah,but,i,need to rest,and my house is pretty far from here.
"you can com,e over. i live across."
"thanks,um,"
"trent."
"trent."
they went to trents house,and they went up to his rom
"and this is my room."
i had a gray wall,with gutiar poster,and a bed.closet,drawers and other things.
"wow,thats a cool room."
"thanks."
"listen,do you have a girlfreind?"
"no,why?'
"i dont,do you wanna go out?"
"okay."
"so.."
then trent kissed jamie,and thats hat went on for the rest of the day.
she was walking her dog,sweetie,when,jamie tripped on a rock. she thn fell into the arms of trent.
'hell," he said.
"thnks for saving me,abd hi."
"you okay?"
"yeah,but,i,need to rest,and my house is pretty far from here.
"you can com,e over. i live across."
"thanks,um,"
"trent."
"trent."
they went to trents house,and they went up to his rom
"and this is my room."
i had a gray wall,with gutiar poster,and a bed.closet,drawers and other things.
"wow,thats a cool room."
"thanks."
"listen,do you have a girlfreind?"
"no,why?'
"i dont,do you wanna go out?"
"okay."
"so.."
then trent kissed jamie,and thats hat went on for the rest of the day.
i dindnt say anything for a minute,then i spoke.
'do you know why?"
'well,she said something about an old friend in texas." izzy told me.
"you dont think.."
"maybe.where else could she have gone?"
"come by my house after school,i have plan."
After school,izzy came over.We went to my room.
"what are we gonna do?"izzy asked,as soon as she walked in the room.
"wee gonig to find aslee" i siad,trying to sound as serious as possible.
"youre kidding,right? i mean,where are we gonna go?"izzy said.
"texas"
she stared at me.Blankly.Not saying a thing.As if she was gonna drop dead.
"izzy?"i asked,trying to get her back to reality.
"you must be on drugs," she said
"what?"
"youve got to be joking me.i mean,your mom is not gonig to take us,my mom is dead,and theres no way ere gonna..wait...your not saying?
"yep,wee going to texas"
'do you know why?"
'well,she said something about an old friend in texas." izzy told me.
"you dont think.."
"maybe.where else could she have gone?"
"come by my house after school,i have plan."
After school,izzy came over.We went to my room.
"what are we gonna do?"izzy asked,as soon as she walked in the room.
"wee gonig to find aslee" i siad,trying to sound as serious as possible.
"youre kidding,right? i mean,where are we gonna go?"izzy said.
"texas"
she stared at me.Blankly.Not saying a thing.As if she was gonna drop dead.
"izzy?"i asked,trying to get her back to reality.
"you must be on drugs," she said
"what?"
"youve got to be joking me.i mean,your mom is not gonig to take us,my mom is dead,and theres no way ere gonna..wait...your not saying?
"yep,wee going to texas"
poem 1:the world
the sun shines bright
there's day,and there's night
both are beautiful sights
this is the world
Winter,spring,summer,and fall
is a magical season
so there is no reason
for you to hate
seasons so great
we are all one
we need the sun
we need the air
we all care
about the world
poem 2:love
there is something above
we cant see it
we cant bee it
but we all know what it is
it is love
love is what we need
to live,to breath
to be what we can be
we all need love
love is power
love is strong.
thats why love songs
are so very strong
Poem 3:run (this one isnt all that good)
in the sun
is where i run
away from here
ill not be near
Something that will kill me
something that can be
so deadly and strong
and can kill me with a song
thats why i run
in the sun
i still remember you hum.
im sorry i must run.
the sun shines bright
there's day,and there's night
both are beautiful sights
this is the world
Winter,spring,summer,and fall
is a magical season
so there is no reason
for you to hate
seasons so great
we are all one
we need the sun
we need the air
we all care
about the world
poem 2:love
there is something above
we cant see it
we cant bee it
but we all know what it is
it is love
love is what we need
to live,to breath
to be what we can be
we all need love
love is power
love is strong.
thats why love songs
are so very strong
Poem 3:run (this one isnt all that good)
in the sun
is where i run
away from here
ill not be near
Something that will kill me
something that can be
so deadly and strong
and can kill me with a song
thats why i run
in the sun
i still remember you hum.
im sorry i must run.
I remember the times of the i love you's
and times when it was i hate you.
But you come back begging at me feet.
And when my pity defeated me.
and the sweet seranades, in our matching shades.
My rose collection, evidence of your effection.
The sheets unmade, from the nights you stayed.
The child in me, from the times you loved me.
The debt you owe, from using the word borrow.
The times i was scared, was the time you spared.
And this dress i wear, in which are people become aware, that you are gone, and withdrawn.
The memories i hold, they are written in bold.
my broken heart, from when you apart.
so rest now my love, up now from above.
and times when it was i hate you.
But you come back begging at me feet.
And when my pity defeated me.
and the sweet seranades, in our matching shades.
My rose collection, evidence of your effection.
The sheets unmade, from the nights you stayed.
The child in me, from the times you loved me.
The debt you owe, from using the word borrow.
The times i was scared, was the time you spared.
And this dress i wear, in which are people become aware, that you are gone, and withdrawn.
The memories i hold, they are written in bold.
my broken heart, from when you apart.
so rest now my love, up now from above.