As It Begins

Raegan has a long journey ahead of her, but here it shall begin.

Without family, there is no love. Without love, there is no family. I never thought I had any of it. Until the day that I did.

I sat on the green hilltop, writing to my heart’s content. It was the only thing relatively, well, normal, that I could bring to myself in this world of hatred and evil. A sigh let lose through my lips and I set my pen and journal beside me. I looked up at the sky and watched the clouds roll by on wisps of the winds. Ever changing. The sun was nearing the horizon and I knew it was time to go back to the place I called home. Although, I wasn’t entirely sure it was my home. There was something else out there. A far better fit for me. Somewhere deep down inside me, there was another place, another life calling my name. I brushed it off as a running of my imagination and began my journey back down the hill.
The skirts of my baby blue dress flowed behind me as the wind touched my face. The warmth of the sun fading slowly as night began to take over. I could see the glow of the candles that dwelled within the windows of the modest house. It sat on a small piece of land just outside of town. Rolling hills accompanied the view on one side with the sea on the other. And right in between the gorgeous view, was the city in all its small town glory. I am pretty certain that I will never grow accustomed to the smell of salt in the air. Every bit of the day, the smell seemed to change. In the morning, it was fresh and delicate. When the sun reached its highest point in the day, the smell of sea salt seemed to hover in the air, thick and heavy. But when the evening came and the sun began to set, it almost seemed indescribable. It wasn’t delicate like the morning, nor did it stick to everything it came upon like it did midday. It was something in between.
I neared the house and I could here the faint noises of life just on the other side of the red door. I was pretty certain my brother was teasing my sister about her newest infatuation as I heard her yells and his care-free laughter. Opening the door confirmed my suspicions. At the other end of the hallway that lead out of the foyer, my sister, Anita, was red as a radish with fists curled at her hips and her nostrils flared out like a bull. She had always been very… put together, if you will. But when she became angry, there was nothing stopping that rage. Especially when it came to our family. I couldn’t help the smile that danced across my lips as I caught a glimpse of my brother, Will, with his arms folded over his stomach and his head thrown back laughing like a hyena. He looked as if he had just come back from town. His black boots and matching pants were muddy from the horse ride back home. His green shirt, still wet from what I assumed to be sweat as it had been the middle of summer and hot as ever outside.
“Did I miss the joke?” I asked, raising an eyebrow as I strode over to them.
“Yes,” Will answered, wiping the tears from his eyes. Whatever joke it was, it had to be good if he was laughing that hard.
“No!” Anita shouted as she stomped away to another room in the house.
“She’s just mad because I caught her reading a love letter from her new lover. And being the good brother I am, I just had to take a peak.” Will shook his head and continued quietly. “It was a little…risqué if you ask me. So, of course I had to tease her about it.” Words failed me and I just shook my head. Maybe there were some things I just didn’t need to hear about.
“You are awful,” was all I managed to get out before turning around to head up the stairs to set my things down in my room.
“Glad to see you’re home tonight, Raegan.” Without turning, I knew exactly who it was that spoke to me.
“Where else would I be, father?” The question came out a little more sarcastically than I had wanted. But it was too late now. I could feel his rage from where he was standing in the hallway. He never cared for his children. At least not like a father should. I had heard stories from my mother that suggested he never even wanted kids. He was more of a free spirit. I suppose I have him to thank for that bit of me.
“Dinner will be ready shortly. Wash up.” His footsteps were heavy on the wood floors as he walked away.
Everyone was just making their way into the dining area when I made my way down the stairs. My mother, beautiful as always, was just setting down the last platter of food on the table. Even though she had probably spent a good part of her day preparing for this meal, she looked as if she had just waltzed in from an evening stroll. Not a hair out of place, what little make-up she normally wore was pristine, and even the apron she wore around her simple, pink dress didn’t look as though she had just come from the kitchen. Something I would always admire about my mother. I always wondered what she saw in my father, but I am certain things such as these were exactly what he saw in her.
“Come, come, children. Sit and eat. I didn’t make all this food for you all to stare and drool like fools.” Mother certainly never lacked for appetite. It was a wonder she kept a slim figure all these years. Not to mention, having three kids on top of that. I’m certain there were many women throughout the town that were plenty jealous. I took my seat on one end of the table with my sister next to me, Will and my mother on the opposite side, and my father took his place at the head of the table.
“I have some business to attend to tomorrow morning. If anyone needs to go into town, I suggest you make your preparations tonight after dinner.” Everything was business with my father. However, I suppose I didn’t want to stay cooped up in this house forever.
“I’ll go. I would like to take a walk through the market tomorrow anyway.”I took a bite of the food I had piled onto my plate. Nothing was more delicious than my mother’s roast. Or any of her cooking for that matter. As a child, I had often encouraged her to open up her own restaurant in town. To this day, I’m certain she would love it. She had mentioned to me many years ago, her dream was to be a chef. Why she never got around to it, I will never know.
“I’ll go too. We don’t need Rae getting lost in the crowd,” Anita commented with a smug sip of wine from her glass.
“Oh yes, because I’m the one who got lost last time.” Surprisingly, Will sat silent. He always loved to get in on the teasing. He smiled as he looked right at me as if he was just waiting for the right moment. “I’m pretty sure, I don’t remember being the one that wandered off into a shop because something shiny caught my eye.” A wicked smile drifted on my lips as I knew I was about to get a nice tongue lashing from such a statement.
“Was it that nice man’s sword that flashed in the sun, or was it the jewelry that time?” Will chimed in. I had almost begun to wonder what was brewing in that head of his. He had been much to quiet. On any given night, he was always the one who spoke first. Although, tonight, it seemed as though he was to busy stuffing his mouth with the food that, piled any higher, might reach the ceiling.

Author's Note

This is just the beginnings of a new story. There's not much going on here, but there will be soon enough!

Reviews

[MelGo30~]

Nice start, looking forward to the next piece.

[Ballpark Frank]

I like the beginnings and these ideas. I'm sure this will round out. I would suggest you hit you return button much more often. That would space the text out and make it easier to really absorb your words here.