Finding Annaliegh: Chapter 1

The story beings and you get to know Analeigh and the people around her. You meet 6 characters (Analeigh, Cassie, Tobin, Analeigh's Mom, Debra, and you are introduced to the idea of Analeigh's dad). Thnx for reading!

I

placed my shiny-jeweled crown inside of a glass case. It reflected light through out the dining room and kitchen like a disco ball.

“ I think that’s the biggest one yet,” Mom said looking over my shoulder.

I nodded in response and twiddled my thumbs. There was an awkward silence.

    “ The Miss Rhode Island one will be bigger though,” she said eyeing the empty top shelf of the trophy case.

    “Mom, I’m not going to win, don’t get your hopes up,” I said walking away from the case.

    “ How will you know if you don’t try,” she said rearranging my old sashes.

    “ Whatever mom.” I rolled my eyes at her and walked into the living room. Tobin was sitting on the couch playing video games. As soon as he sat down he glared at me.

“ Can you please move that shiny hunk of medal you call a crown, the glare is messing up my game,” he said not looking up from the TV. I rolled my eyes at him.

    “  Annaliegh, come here,” my mother, yelled from the kitchen. I sighed and stood up slowly.

      I walked into the kitchen; my mom was hunched over the granite counter with the phone in her hand.

    “ What?” I asked her, tapping my foot impatiently.

    “ We’re going over to the McClain’s house,” she said grabbing her keys off the counter.

    “ Are you serious, you’re not going to make me hang out with Cassie are you? She’s the most annoying person I’ve ever met,” I snapped.

    “Well yes, it’s best you get on her and her mothers good side, she’s a judge this year,” she replied calmly.

    “Does everything have to be about pageants,” I asked her.

She stared at me harshly for a couple of seconds. I gave her a questioning look, I already knew the answer to the question but I wanted her to say it.

“ I expect to see you in the car in two and a half minutes,” she said bleakly and sashayed out of the room.

I groaned. Cassie McClain was a nightmare. She was a petty freshman who was always having drama with some one. If it wasn’t for her mom being a pageant judge I wouldn’t have ever given her the time of day, but now I had to kiss up and be nice to her whenever I could. Cassie would boss me around and I would always have to listen.

 

 

Approximately four minutes later I got in the car and sat next to my mother in the passengers seat.

“ You’re one and a half minutes late,” she said pulling out of the driveway.

“ Sorry,” I said with a little too much edge in my voice.

“ You need to stop being so sullen and malicious with me,” She said in a coarse tone.

“You’re the one who’s being malicious, you’re making me spend time with Cassie. That’s cruel and unusual punishment,” I snapped.

“ I’m sure Cassie’s a delightful girl, and do you really think I want spend time with her mother Debra. She is rude and cruel. I’m doing this all for you,” she said turning onto Cassie’s Street.

I rolled my eyes. I knew exactly what I wanted to say. I never wanted to start pageants, or hang out with people like Cassie. She said she did it for me but she was doing what she wished she had done when she was younger. But I also knew I couldn’t say that, she wouldn’t listen and all it would do was hurt her feelings.

 

Our car pulled into the McClain’s driveway. Their Victorian Mansion sat on hill. It was probably the largest house in West Greenwich and Debra and her daughter knew it. Debra was always going on about one of her tennis courts, or the indoor and outdoor pools, and of course how hard it is so manage the 20-matnience staff.

 

I opened the car door, and I could immediately hear Debra’s Chihuahua barking. Debra soon there after appeared at the door. She was wearing a pink tracksuit and had her deafening dog in her arms.

 

My mother and I walked up to their porch. Debra handed the dog to a woman wearing a t-shirt with a large picture of a dog on the front. I raised my eyes at the woman and gave Debra a puzzled look.

“ She’s the dog nanny, of course. Anyone who’s anyone has one,” she said in a condescending tone.

“ Of course,” I said sardonically.

Debra opened the door, and ushered us in. The inside of the house had the same feel as the outside. It had an open floor plan and was so spotless I could see every detail of myself in the glowing hardwood floors.

“ It nice to see you to again,” Debra said without enthusiasm.

“ Yes, it seems so long,” My mother said anxiously. Debra didn’t respond.

“ Anyways, Cassie is in the loft, Emily lets go to the sitting room,” she said turning around. My mother followed her across the hardwood floors.

I had unfortunately been to the McClain’s house so many timed I knew exactly were the loft was. I walked down the hall to a small spiral staircase. I placed my hand on the cold railing and walked up slowly. I could hear the upbeat pop music Cassie was playing from all the way downstairs. I got to the top of the stairs and could see her in a pink tracksuit (identical to her mothers) at her computer desk. From the looks of the screen she was Instant messaging someone. She had her pink Razor® cell phone plastered to her ear.

“ Hi,” I said quietly.

She turned around quickly and smiled. The smile was part excitement and part pure evil.

“I’ve got to go, she’s here,” Cassie said into her phone before she hung it up and threw it across her bed. Cassie had honey colored hair and big green eyes. She looked innocent, but any one who had met her would know that’s as far as it went. Over the mere four months of school she had caused lonely Emma Newhannan to transfer schools.

“So I see you’re mom still doesn’t think you have a talent to win the pageant without trying to suck up to the judges,” Cassie said pulling out a tray from under her bed. It was filled with around twenty bottles of nail polish in assorted colors.

“I guess so,” I said in a tired sarcastic voice.

“Well, you can start now,” she ordered in a small voice. She handed me two toe separators and a bottle of ruby red polish. I saw a small trace of a smile when I got down on my knees and started painting her nails. I could tell that Cassie thought she was way worse then she thought she was, no one really took her seriously. She thought she was one of those girls in a cheesy high school movie that everyone loved to hate. But she wasn’t, no one cared what she did (aside from the other self loathing social climbing freshman). Cassie thought that if she treated me like dirt, if she made me do ridiculous things that I would care, that I would spend my time thinking about how much I wanted to be her. But she didn’t realize that everyone had bigger and better things to worry about.

“Are you done yet, it should not take you this long,” Cassie said flipping through her magazine.

“Yes Cassie, I’m done,” I said in an overdone fake tone.

She looked up at me and thought for a second.

“Leave,” she sighed as she turned a page in her magazine.

            I stood up and left without turning around to look at her. I speedily walked down the spiral stairs and into the sitting room.

Debra was sitting across from my mother as a woman in a white and blue maids uniform refilled a porcelain cup with tea. I purposely made my movements loud and sloppy so they would notice my presence.

“Hello Annaliegh, I didn’t see you there. Bethany, get a cup of tea for Annaliegh” Debra said, giving the girl in the maid’s outfit a demanding stare.

“That won’t be necessary, my mother and I are late for Tobin’s lacrosse practice,” I said, knowing that we never went to Tobin’s practices because he had one almost every day and they were around four and a half hours long. At first my mother raised her eyebrow in confusion, but then she caught on.

“Thanks for reminding me, Tobin would have been so disappointed,” she lied.

I nodded in agreement and turned to Debra.

    “ I’m sorry we have to leave so soon, but we should do this again,” I said.

“Of course, of course,” Debra said sipping her tea and looking out the window.

 

     ************************************************************************

 

    Tobin sat down next to me as I twirled my broccoli around on my plate.

He was attacking a mountain of mashed potatoes with his mouth, and he smelled like sweat and grass.  

“You are disgusting, and you smell like wet dog” I said starring at the glob of potato dangling from his mouth.

    “You know what, just leave me alone. I’m tired of you always criticizing me, “ He half shouted as he slammed his fork onto his plate.

    “Whatever,” I said picking up a piece of bread from the middle of the table.

Everyone began eating in silence again and all you could was that clanking of silver wear and the crickets outside.

    “ So, who are you taking to the formal,” my mom said to Tobin.

    “ Gina,” he said raising his eyebrows.

    “ Gina, why would you take her? You should ask Cassie,” My mother said putting a spoon full of mashed potatoes on her plate.

    “ Mom I’ve been going out with Gina for 3 years, and you’ve met her a thousand times. Why would I go with a girl I’ve met once or twice, ” he snapped.

    “Gina’s so plain…and it would really help your sister’s chances of winning the-.”

    “Don’t dare say pageant. You do have two kids you know, you can try to live Annaliegh’s life all you want, but you won’t live mine,” Tobin yelled, he pushed his chair away from the table and stormed out of the dining room.

    “Well, he certainly is temperamental,” My mother said calmly.

    I widened my eyes at her. She looked at me with same emotionless face.

    “Are you serious, do you honestly not see what you’re doing?”

    “What do you mean Anna?” She asked with her same cold expression, using my childhood nickname.

I shook my head at my mother in disappointment. Then I stormed up the stairs to my room. I collapsed on my bed, my mother yelled my name from downstairs but I didn’t answer. Then I heard a soft whimper from my brother’s room. I stood up slowly and walked to the door of his room.

    “Tobin,” I said softly. He didn’t answer. I leaned against his door and could hear heavy breathing.

    “ Tobin I’m sorry, are you okay?” I asked again.

    “Go away,” said a muffled voice from inside.

     I ignored him and opened the door. He was sitting on his bed with his head in his hands.

     Tobin was annoying and disgusting and we didn’t always get along. But he was my twin brother, and that counted for something. I walked overt to him and sat on his bed.

“I know you don’t want to talk to me right now but I mean it’s not my fault. Mom is just high strung,” I said putting my hand on his shoulder.

He looked up at me with watery eyes, his expression was cold, and he reminded me of our mother so much it startled me.

“Its not just her fault, its your fault Annaliegh. You can’t stand up to her and you let her control your life. You don’t even care what it does to everyone else. Mom would have stopped if you had a backbone. You just ruin everything. I understand why dad left. He didn’t need to “take a brake” from us he needed to get away from you.” Tobin sneered, looking me dead in the eye the whole time.

I felt my face drop as he tuned away from me.

“Ok, Tobin,” Were the only words I could say. I walked out of his room as hot tears swam down my face. I should have been crying because of what he said. But I was crying because it was all true.

 

    I stumbled into my room, tears clouding my eyes. I stood in front of my dresser. I traced the out line of each of the multicolored drawers. When my fingers touched the blue drawer it stooped. I opened the drawer cautiously, knowing that what I was about to do was what I shouldn’t.

Inside the drawer laid a small box. I opened it slowly and a silvery razor stared back at me. I placed they blade on my arm. The cold metal felt familiar in my trembling hand. I dug the blade into my arm and pulled. Blood dripped from the blade and he from my arm. As the blood drained from me I felt tension and pain leave with it. I dabbed my arm with a nearby towel. And placed the blade back in the box it came from. I slipped into my pajamas and crept into my bed.

 *************************************************************************************

The sunlight bled through the curtain. I unplugged my clock radio across the room and stood up. My brown hair was matted on my head. I stumbled into the bathroom and grabbed my brush and began my hour and a half hour morning routine. Take a shower, brush hair, straighten Hair, style hair, Wash Hair, Conceal, Foundation, Eye make up, blush, pick out outfit. It was pretty unnecessary but in order for me to “Have the right friends” as my mom would say, you had to look the part.

    I walked down the stairs. Tobin sat at the counter eating a brand muffin. I stopped and took a deep breath. I would just have be extra nice to him today and ignore everything he said.

    I walked past the table swiftly to the fridge. I pulled out a carton of orange juice and two glasses.

    “ You want?” I asked looking to Tobin. He looked up at me blankly.

    “ Sure,” He mumbled.

I poured him a glass and handed it to him with an overly friendly smile.  When I placed the glass on the table my arm extended causing my sleeve to ride up, exposing a long red scar. I instantly tried to pull my arm back, but I was too slow, Tobin held my arm and looked up into my eyes fiercely.

    “Please tell me this is not fresh,” He said is a harsh tone.

    “It’s not, you know I don’t do that anymore, I have no reason to. I’m perfectly happy,” I said with fake smile. I prayed he didn’t see through my lie.

    “Oh come on, don’t give me that crap. You can’t stand the attention being on someone other than you. This is just another way for you to make drama and complicate things. You need to stop, no one needs this right now, okay,” He yelled. He picked up his backpack and stormed out the door.

    I darted my eyes back and forth. I couldn’t believe how wrong he was about this. He often seemed to know me inside and out, he had seen threw my lie after all, but he was different now. He started changing after Dad left. His familiar green eyes, kind and understanding, were now filled with anger and darkness.

    I sighed; I knew I couldn’t think about this now. It was time to go to school, were I would pretend to be happy and carefree for six hours.

**************************************************************************************

The school day was pretty uneventful, full of gossiping girls and cafeteria corn dogs. The only remotely memorable thing happened was when I was “skipping” sixth hour.

I was sitting in my AP history. The teacher was going on about King Henry VII; I couldn’t take it anymore. She was just so boring. I raised my hand.

“ Yes Annaliegh?” She asked, shifting her weight to her desk.

“ Mrs. Vazcez may I go to the bathroom,” I asked in my most prim and proper voice.  She paused for a brief moment.

“ Of course, you are one of my best students, I believe you did an extra credit project on this last semester,” She said picking up the basket filled with passes off her desk.

“Yes, I do believe so” I said flashing a big white smile.

“You just take as long as you want, you’ve earned it,” she said placing the hall pass in my hands. I thanked her, and sensed the rest of the class roll their eyes.

“Suck up,” someone coughed.

If they only new I thought, if they only new.

 

            After stopping at the bathroom (yes I did actually have to go) I headed towards the school courtyard. This is where most of the burnouts hung out; I didn’t care it was just such a nice day.

I opened the big metal doors that lead to outside. The sweet fall air tingled on my nose. I walked over to the wall nearest the corner and sighed. I really needed to cut right then. But I couldn’t do that again, especially not here. So instead I closed my eyes and held my breath. The screaming of my lungs was different and not as intense as the blood leaving my veins. But I still started to feel light headed. I opened my mouth and took a deep breath, but I chocked. The before pleasant air was now dirty, tainting the walls of my throat. I coughed and opened my eyes. A boy stood in front of me. He had shoulder length jet-black hair and there was a lit cigarette in his hand, he somehow was familiar. He smiled; he had definitely been blowing smoke in my face.

            “So I guess you don’t want a smoke,” he said slightly laughing at my wheezing.

“I don’t smoke,” I said sliding to the left, his face was too close to mine and I was up against a wall. He leaned against the wall besides me.

“Typical,” he said blankly as he touched the smoking cigarette to his lips.

            “ What do you mean typical, you’ve never even spoken to me,” I said almost humored by his comment, if he only new how good I really wasn’t. He blew a swirl of smoke into the sky and tilted his head back.

“You really don’t remember me at all do you, I was like best friends with your brother until freshman year,” He said a little to loudly. I looked into his eyes; I did remember him.

“Tyler Canz, people said you moved to Austria,” I said with excitement. At one point in sixth grade we had even gone out, he looked completely different now. He had traded in his preppy boy look for a harder punk rock one.

“People lie.” His voice was hushed again and his cigarette dangled from his fingertips.

            “You still talk to Tobin?” I asked curiously.

“Ehhm, on AIM mostly, he doesn’t really want to be seen with me.”

            “Doesn’t that bother you?”

            “Nah, I wouldn’t want to be seen with me either, that’s why I like you better, you’re brave,” He said with a mocking smile.

            I chuckled a little, noticing that there was none else around us. And me, brave, not at all. I ran from ladybugs. There was another silence.

            “Your brother says your crazy,” He said after about a minute of quietness. I didn’t want to defend my self, I probably was crazy, and it didn't feel right lying to him.

I shrugged. There was another moment of silence; this was starting to feel like an episode The Hills.  I closed my eyes again and held my breath; I didn’t care if he saw, for once I felt like being real.

“It’s okay that you’re crazy…I like that,” I heard him say while me eyes were still closed, I felt him blowing another puff of toxic smoke in my face.

             I opened my eyes and stared into his. They were the same hazel color. He still somehow looked the same, even with the cigarette hanging from his lips. For the longest time I had wanted him to “move back from Austria”. Even with his old look he was different from the rest of his friends. I leaned into him, almost touching his face. I paused, and snatched the disgusting cigarette from his mouth, threw it on the concrete; ground it with the tip of my shoe. The black ashes lay in a pile in front of him.

            “ You shouldn’t smoke.”

And that was that, I walked away. They person who I had wanted for so long, the only one who I could talk to, I walked away from.

 


 

 

 

 

Author's Note

ignore grammar problems, I wont really edit it until the whole thing is done. But if something is spelled wrong tell me.

Reviews

[fallendemonofmercy]

I saw a small trace of a smile when I got down on my kneed and started painting her nails.
" Gina, why would you take her? You should ask Cassie," My mother said putting a spoon dull of mashed potatoes on her plate.
I felt my face drop as he tuned a way from me.
The sunlight blead through the curtain.

[JuliePetunia]

I personally don't like it, its something that I read at least a thousand times
over, same plot, scenario, etc. etc.
Well, lets say I did like it. I like that the brother is the only one who has sense
but the cutting herself part? That takes it to an extreme.

[fallendemonofmercy]

this character seems weak and has a need to please people and hopefullyshe'll fight through them in the end

[Mercy]

wow its really really good, hope you continue

[deeps]

A Very intersting write, it holds the attention of the reader. Your plot sticks toegther as well, well put together.