3. Brooke

It wasn’t the loud splattering of heavy raindrops on the window that woke Brooke Summers up from her sleep.  It was a sudden, unusual buzzing that echoed in her ears.  Her unique, green eyes searched desperately for the source of the sound.

“What’s wrong Brooke?”  Diane Summers glanced at her daughter from the rearview mirror of the mini van.

Brooke shrugged, looking back at her mother.  “Nothing.”  She ran a hand through her unevenly-colored hair.  She sighed at her reflection.  Her hair’s natural honey color was showing.  She knew she had to have it dyed again, soon.

Sitting upright, she stared out of the window.  There were trees all framing the sides and the road was getting noticeably bumpy as they continued uphill.  “Where are we?”

“We’re almost at your Uncle Alex’s.”

Brooke rolled her eyes.  “Oh that’s right.  You signed me up for a stupid summer job or something.”

Diane shot a glare at the rearview mirror.  “It’s not a job.  It’s a vacation.”

“I’m obliged to help him with chores.  How is that a vacation?”

Diane let out an exasperated sigh as she drove into a wide clearing.  She pulled over near the front door and killed the van’s engine.  “Grab an umbrella and take a bag,” she instructed Brooke.

Brooke unwillingly followed her mother.  She took the umbrella lying underneath the seat and grabbed one of the two bags sitting in the passenger seat containing her clothes.  She opened the door and stepped out into the rain.  The end of her tight, flared jeans was instantly soaked.

“Oh, s**t,” she muttered under her breath as she ran towards Diane, who was standing by the broken archway of the front door.

Diane rang the door bell twice, desperately trying not to get wet as the wind blew the rain towards their direction.

A tall maid in uniform answered the door.  She stepped aside to allow them in without even asking who they were.  She closed the door after Brooke went inside and extended a hand towards the dripping bags they were holding.

“Thank you.”  Diane grabbed the one in Brooke’s hand and handed both bags to the maid.

Another maid led Diane and Brooke into the receiving area of the mansion.

Brooke concealed her surprise as soon as she realized how big the old mansion was.  The receiving area alone was big enough to hold a party of about forty people.  Her mom had told her that her ‘Uncle Alex’ lived in a big, old mansion.  But staring at the carpeted floor and the expensive furniture, she noted it wasn’t really as archaic as she thought it would be.

“Diane, you’re finally here.”  Alex placed his nth cup of coffee down on the short, glass table.  “Helen left half-an-hour ago.  She said she had a flight to catch.”

Diane took a seat at the chair beside him.  “I guess it couldn’t be help.”  It did not seem to be that big of a deal.  She turned to Erin and smiled.  “Erin.  It’s been a long time.  How are you?”

Erin returned the smile, a little less enthusiastically than how she had smiled upon seeing Helen Ramirez.  “Good.  How about you?  I see you kept your blond hair.”

“Oh, you know me.  I still hate the feel of chemicals on my head.”

Kristen and Erika quietly eyed the newcomers.  The older one had long, dirty-blond hair and dark brown eyes.  She wore a simple, cotton skirt, a blouse, and sandals.  The younger one had messy, unevenly-colored hair that stopped before her shoulders and green eyes.  The natural, honey color of her hair was starting to show itself.  Unlike her mother, she wore tight, flared jeans, a tight, black top that had fishnet as long sleeves, and black sneakers.  She also had two piercings on her left ear and three on her right.  Her nails were painted black and she wore dark eyeliner under her eyes.

Great.  A rebel in the house, Kristen complained to herself.  She only wished the girl would leave her alone.

Erika, on the other hand, rolled her eyes at the sight.  She despised girls like Brooke.  To her, a chance on life was only wasted on people like her.  She only hoped Brooke wasn’t going to stay with them during the summer, that she wasn’t the ‘Diane’s ‘daughter’ they were talking about.  Although, she knew that wouldn’t be the case.

“Uh, this is my daughter, Brooke.”  Diane spoke the very words Erika was hoping she wouldn’t say.  “Brooke, this is your Uncle Alex.  The one I told you about.”

Brooke smirked and shook the hand that Alex offered.  She didn’t care if Alex was her uncle.  She only cared that he was hot.

“Please, just call me Alex.”  His white, perfect teeth showed when he smiled.

“Brooke.”  She casually took a seat beside Kristen, who made sure there remained a good distance between them.

“Ah, Diane, Brooke, this is my daughter, Kristen.”  Erin looked like this time, she was only forcing herself to smile, like it was more out of necessity than freewill.

Kristen forced her lips to curve into a smile.  “Hi.”

“And this is Helen’s daughter, Erika.”

Erika didn’t even bother to look pleased.  She simply nodded her head and gave Brooke a quick, distasteful glance.

“This is Diane Summers.  She’s a friend of mine and Helen’s.”

Diane smiled.  “Hello Kristen.  Erika.”

“Hello.”  Kristen wasn’t sure if what she saw reflecting in Diane Summer’s eyes was loathing or something far worse.  She forced another smile anyway.

Erika, on the other hand, failed to notice the shadow in the woman’s dark brown eyes.  She nodded her head in acknowledgement again.  This time, her lips curved slightly upward.

Observing how other people acted had been sort of a hobby of Brooke’s for as long as she could remember.  And for the few minutes she had been sitting beside Kristen, she already figured out that Erika hated her and Kristen just didn’t want anything to do with her.

The night went on with Erin and Diane chatting continuously.  It wasn’t as animated as when Erin and Helen were talking.  Every now and then, Diane would give a reply where Erin would sip her coffee with sudden awkwardness and then start another conversation.

Brooke tried to follow the conversation, but she still couldn’t seem to understand why Erin felt uneasy after such ordinary replies like: “Yeah, just like how it was eighteen years ago.”  She assumed Erin simply didn’t want to talk about her past, or something.

Besides Diane and Erin, Brooke was also keeping an eye on her so-called ‘Uncle’ Alex.  Although, she wouldn’t say she didn’t enjoy ‘keeping an eye’ on him, ‘cause she definitely did.

Alex sat quietly, staring at the two women talking.  Ever so often, his face would darken and he would shoot what Brooke guessed was a warning glare, at her mother, who would instantly shut up for a few minutes.  Then, she would start talking again until the next time Alex gave her a look.

Brooke thought the whole scenario was like one of those scenes from the cheesy soap operas her mother liked to watch where the antagonist would plan something mischievous in his or her head to lure a dark past from someone which would cause the leading actor or actress angry or shamed.  It was annoying. 

To her, if you want to say something, just spit it out.  Why go through such a complicated process when it’s not really necessary?

After a few more minutes, the rain became mere drizzle and Diane stood up.  “I think I’ll go now, while the rain’s not pouring.”

Erin also stood up, smoothing the invisible creases on her shirt.  “Ah, me too.”  She turned to Kristen and gave her a tight hug.  “Don’t stay up too late, okay?  And don’t miss a meal.”

Kristen was caught off-guard by her mother’s firm embrace.  It was like she wanted to say something but couldn’t.  “Okay, mom.  I’m not a child anymore, you know?”

“I know.  I know.”  With a deep sigh, she let go.  A sad smile dangled on her lips.

Alex stood up and escorted the two women out of the house.

Kristen, Erika, and Brooke glanced at each other in silence until Brooke broke it with a low chuckle.

Erika glared at her openly.

“You guys are so stiff.”  Her lips formed a mischievous grin.  “Loosen up a bit, will you?”  She leaned towards Kristen who slumped into the couch in surprise.

“Back off, reject.”  There was venom seeping out of Erika’s every word.  The hatred she tried to conceal earlier reflected in her eyes.

Brooke only laughed at her.  “Man, you’re definitely one of those popular, rich girls, aren’t you?”

Kristen pushed Brooke away from her.  “Stop acting like a b***h, Brooke.”

Brooke glared.

“If we’re gonna live together for the rest of the summer, we gotta have to learn how to compromise.”

Brooke laughed again.  “And you’re a class president, I presume?”

Erika rolled her eyes.  “Don’t bother, Kris.  I don’t think she’s capable of having a normal conversation.”

A possible catfight was about to start when a small, soft voice interrupted them.  “Excuse me.”

They all turned to the door where a thin girl with white-blond hair and smoky-gray eyes stood.  Her hair was long, wavy and cluttered.  She wore a long white skirt, a pale-blue blouse, and house slippers.  Her pale skin seemed almost transparent under the fluorescent lighting of the room.

Rain started to pour down again, and hard.  Lightning struck, causing the lights to go off.  A loud, heart-stopping thunder followed.

For a second, the young woman’s face was covered in shadows.  Her eyes seemed to glow from the lightning, dancing on the clouds.  It was like looking into the eyes of a beautiful, heart-broken spirit.

For some reason, Kristen, Erika, and Brooke all felt like screaming.

 

Reviews

[Moonlight]

Wow.Your writing is really very good and perfectly executed. Just one suggestion, though, maybe you could change this line -

Brooke thought the whole scenario was weird.

Change the last word into a more describing adjective, something different.
I like the last line a lot too. Very subtle but conveys your message well. Perfect!I also enjoyed your description of the spirit.

[Dawn]

Hope you get to writing the next chapter soon!!!
Can't wait till then,
Dawn.

[Dawn]

I absolutely adore what you've written..its amazing!! I love the ending...please continue to write, I cant wait to read more!