Life Isn't What It Use To Be

Summer is near and Mysteri has the chance to escape her past and go towards a new future, the only thing stopping her is 1000 hours of community service and her coworker Riley Valor

Chapter 1

My pencil tapped my notebook impatiently, as I awaited the teacher to call my name and hand me my ticket of freedom. The thing that would either give me a thousand hours of hard labour or only 40-100. Thankfully all the places were away from the s**t hole of a town I call home. Any place was better then where I live. It’s either incredibly hot in the summer or wet as a bog. I was waiting to get away from the intolerable people who can’t even remember my name. Not that it’s hard I don’t even have a last name. My name is a type of novel; it is used to describe an unsolvable case. If you haven’t already guessed it’s…

“Mystery you alive in that little nut shell o’ yours?” My twit teacher

Mr. Karter said in a southern drawl even though he was a Yankee. Loser. He just liked talking like he was a somebody who came from a popular town down south which just wasn’t recorded on any map, GPS or the earth for that matter. I got up from my desk a blush raiding my face as girls snickered and gossiped about how out of it I was. Or the guys who laughed out loud, I felt like telling them to shut up and go die in a ditch near a highway them burn in the flames of hell, but it didn’t seem like the right time. I snatched the paper from my teacher and walked back to my desk. I pushed up my large, circular, geeky glasses and prepared my self for the worst

 

I unfolded my sheet and sucked in a sharp breath. I felt like choking. My hands trembled and my glasses fell to the edge of my nose. I read the numbers to myself.

“1000 h-ours.” 2 months of hard labour doing odd jobs, 41 days in total of volunteer work. I looked at the job location. It was a place called Angles Lake. It was a good 12 hours away from the school. A guy named Riley Valor was picking me up. He was also helping the land lord during the summer. The place I had to do odd jobs at was a lodge in the middle of the lake. The lake being 15 miles in length and width. I sighed heavily. I know it sounds impractical put the place’s where we were being sent were on a list we had to research. I was the only one who actually did the work.

“Oh and Mystery if your wondering why you are gettin’ 1000 hours. It’s cause I think you need t’a learn responsibility.” My hand rose to smack him upside the head even though he was a good 7 feet away. I lowered my hand and looked back at the sheet. I needed a parent signature. That would be a problem. I didn’t have a parent or parents for that matter. I lived in an orphanage with 37 other kids. We recently received a new keeper because the old one died of unfortunate incidents. All of us kids never liked her, she was abusive. It sounds exaggerated but it’s the truth. She would whip us with a horse whip. She told us that she saw children as animals. Untamed wild beasts that either listen or they don’t.  If you were like me and a few of the boys you recently had your back in a cold bath or loaded with frozen vegetables.

 

The last bell rang letting us leave for summer break. Well for some people anyway. I walked across the hall to my locker and collected my summer homework. I stuffed my text books into my bag and closed the locker. I headed out of the school and walked briefly to the bus stop and waited for the bus by shoving my face into a romance novel. It was just getting juicy when the bus arrived and stopped to let people off and others on. I flashed my bus pass and continued down the isle to the back of the bus. I opened my book and clouded myself in a veil exiting the real world and entered my own; where highlanders ruled with an iron fist. Where woman were dazzled with biceps and muscular bodies and a romantic man that would bend time and space for them. Ever since entering high school I had always wanted a boyfriend. I wanted some one who was kind, protective, and handsome. Maybe not like a highlander but pretty damn close would be good. Big step but still a nice fantasy.

 The bus finally stopped at my stop and let me off at a deserted area with run down house’s and broken glass all over the grass. At the end of the deserted street there was an old large mansion. It was behind by a large fence  about 6 feet tall and went around the perimeter of the building. Vine’s snaked up the ancient walls and into cracks. I walked up to a large iron door and pushed it open. The smells of the old engulfed me as well as the shouts and cheers of the kids playing inside the large mansion.

I walked up the pathway leading to the run down building and reached the double doors in no time flat. I opened the doors and was immediately greeted by at least 12 of the girls and boys who lived there.

“Madam Mystery may I take your bag to your room.” A smiled danced across my lips as thirteen year old Jeremy walked up. He bowed like a gentleman and let his hand fall in front of me.

“Jeremy you don’t need to do this every time I come home. Besides I can take care of myself .” He had a crush on me. Ever since he was 10 he was always timid but I helped him get through all of that. I taught him how to respect woman. Unfortunately girls think he’s a f*g because he’s so courteous and boys constantly make fun of him because they think he’s gay. I for one think it’s charming but him being 12 and me being 16 doesn’t really help. Jeremy rose from his bowing position.

“So are you going to let me take your stuff?” I bent down slightly and gave a peck on his cheek and handed him my back pack.

“Why thank you Sir Jeremy.” I walked by him, leaving a blush across his face. I entered the near by kitchen and saw Rose cleaning the wide table while trying to cook dinner. I took the rag from her hands and started cleaning the table from lunch. Two of the toddlers that were dropped off had been sick and couldn’t go to preschool. So Rose had to take care of them and there little puke fests.

The smell was over whelming as I rinsed the dirty cloths.

“Thanks Mystery, can you go help the kids with their summer homework while I finish making dinner?” I sighed and nodded. I took the steps up to the girls’ dorm 2 at a time. Each dorm was separated by the stair case and Rose’s room. No funny business ever happened every child except a few obeyed the rules because of Rose’s generosity. We never wanted another keeper like Miss Odell again. She was harsh and had no respect for anyone but her self.

I finished helping everyone one with at least 1 subject by dinner. Yet I still hadn’t done any of my own or get Rose to sign the form so I could start my volunteer work. I picked up a sick toddler and took him to the kitchen. We were having celery, cut apples, crackers, and chicken noodle soup. We weren’t the richest orphanage but we got by. The government paid for our living conditions and covered our food cost’s, we just didn’t have cable or computers. No fine luxury.

We all sat down to eat, and eat we did.  The meal finished too quickly and left me alone with Rose in a kitchen stacked with dishes of 39 people. Lots of spoons bowl’s all ready to be cleaned. I started to work as Rose put the smaller kids to bed. Mainly newborn’s to 9 year olds. Then it was from 10 to 13 and then me who pretty much stayed up till I was finished chores and what ever else needed to be done. Rose walked into the kitchen and wiped her forehead with her arm. Her delicate face was pale and her silver/blonde hair was in a messy bun. I always thought she could be the grandma I never had. She was small but very sturdy and she almost looked like a ballerina with her posture. In my eyes she was an angel.
            “Taking care of 37 kids is un healthy.” I smiled

“Well in two years, scratch that in one year, you’ll only have 36 to worry about.” Rose fell into a chair and sighed heavily.

“There’s no way we’ll get by if you leave. I’ll die of exhaustion.” I never really did well with guilt trips, now I felt bad. If I’m gone for two months imagine a year, or even more. I had to do it I told my self.

“Rose I need to talk to you about something.” Her head snapped up and looked at me.

“Is it about the birds and the bees cause I’m 39 and still a virgin.” I said nothing for two reasons. One it was scary and two it was sad a woman like her had never gotten laid. 

“Um no I just need you to sign this form so that I can get involved in the community.” Rose’s eyebrow cocked.

“How long?” I laughed nervously.

“About 2 months.” She erupted in a coughing fit. She breathed slowly after the last cough.

“I don’t know. I just might have to start drinking if your gone that long.” Rose had just quit drinking. At the end of everyday she’d pull the whisky from behind the bran cereal out and have exactly two shots before sitting in her chair and reading her people magazine.

“Please, …. I know Tyler is on break why not call him. The kids love him and they’ll listen to him.”  She gave me a serious look.

“Where’s the sheet?’ A smile escaped her serious look and I hugged her.

“You’re the best, you’re the best, I love you Rose, your amazing.” She raised a hand to signal silence.

“Only if you do two months of cleaning in the cellar, I want to make that into a play room.” I nodded happily. I took out the sheet from my back pocket and handed it over to her with a pen in the other pocket.

“I see you came prepared.” I laughed, “Yea I guess so.” She finished signing the form and handed it back to me.

“Thanks Rose.” She smiled and turned to go up stairs when I felt her hand clasp around my wrist, keeping me from going any further. What can I say, the woman was strong.

“Don’t think that just because you’re going away for the summer you get to skip out on your studies, I want you to work hard. I want you to grow into the person you’ll never be if you always stay here.” I nodded steadily and she let go off my wrist. I rushed up the stairs onto the second floor landing and could make out Stephanie’s CD player booming the preteen idol, Hannah Montana crapola and walked swiftly down the boys’ wing to another set of stairs that led to the attic. Each step creaked under my weight, which made my self-esteem drop even more. I reached the top and looked into my old, dusty bedroom. The remaining sunlight lit the room giving it an old movie time feel. I let my light jacket fall the floor and I fell face first onto the twin bed. In one day I would heading off to the middle of no where with just me a landlord/landlady, some guy named Riley, who was probably going to be a total football jock and a gaggle of Cheerleaders from California. What culture I’ll be experiencing. I can’t wait to shoot myself in the head.

I took out all my clothes, including my very fashionable overalls and a nice white t shirt, along with a pair of sneakers, and packed what I had into my suitcase. I packed my books into my backpack along with my diary, novels and my song notebook. I wrote songs for the school choir, and myself. I took out my 6 string guitar and made a small tune. I hummed a light tune then added some words.

 

Every move that I make

Every breath that I take

Sets me back ten years

When I was a little girl

 

Took a while for me to brake

What life was like beyond all the fake

I could look up and see the sun shining brightly

And I’d wish

Yea I’d wish that  

 

I could break free from the chains

that bind me to the cell I’m in

And I wish that I could spread my

wings and fly to the sky

Then again it’s only a wish

 

I walk down these lonely roads

That only I know

Can’t help but scream from the inside looking out

 

Sometimes I feel so lonely and I start to cry

But then I hide those tears

From every one around me

I wish that

I could

 

I could break free from the chains

that bind me to the cell I’m in

And I wish that I could spread my

wings and fly to the sky

Then again it’s only a wish

 

And now looking back

I see what I’ve got

And now I know that

I shouldn’t take it for granted so

I wish that

Yea now I know that -

 

“Wow that was really good Mystery did you write that you’re self?” I looked up and saw Stephanie standing in my door way.

“That was almost as good as Hannah Montana.” I took that as an insult more than a compliment.

“How come you never sing in front of anyone? Everyone would really like it.” Her blonde hair shone gold in the fading sunlight. She looked like an angel. It was sad because her mother had died in a car crash while she had survived and her father was a hopeless drunk who couldn’t support her. I put my guitar down and patted the seat beside me. She sat in front of me as I braided her waist length hair.

“I have stage fright. I can’t sing in front of people without my throat blocking up and me sounding like a dying cow.”

“You sang in front of me.”

“I didn’t know you were there.” I finished braiding her hair and she stood up.

“I heard that if you eat a banana before performing it calms your nerves.” I’d have to think about that one. I smiled and packed up my song book again and my guitar.

“Get going to bed, it’s 9 o’ clock.” She rolled her eyes and headed down stairs. I changed into my PJ’s; A sports bra, I don’t know why I had it I don’t do well in sports, and a pair of drawstring sweat pants. I jumped into my bed and pulled the covers up to my chin and drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

Author's Note

tell me if you see anything that bugs you