A U D R I C
There was no denial in the fact that I felt more at home in these past forty eight hours than I ever did in the seventeen years of my life.
I squinted my eyes as I tried to adjust my blurred vision. As my gaze ran over my surroundings, an automatic smile invaded my lips. I rolled lazily on my bed until I could see the landscape of heaven and just like that there was ecstasy back in my system. The window offered me a piece of the blue sky and the meticulous beauty of nature as I observed the rows of tall trees traveling a far as my eyes could see.
The scent of pine and grass filled my senses. I found myself breathing more deeply.
Preparing myself to kick out the remnants of sleep and start a new day at my new home, I turn to my room to find the soothing white walls holding memories. Memories, my family has been able to capture at the sweetest of moments. Mom must have put them up after I slept early yesterday out of complete exhaustion.
Being the microscopic woman my mother was, the pictures were arranged in a chronological order starting from left progressing towards right with time. There was one from the time I was in a crib, another from the first day of my kindergarten where I looked like I had been deprived of sleep with eyes droopy and face groggy, another one showing off my cycling skills, the next of me with my mouth open as I sang for the annual song competition. The pictures continued reminiscing of my lifetime and the latest one was of me with my old classmates.
I got up from my bed and walked towards the wall noticing the remaining framed photographs sitting on my desk, stacked neatly. I pulled out the larger one which was my favorite. After removing a few unwanted and unnecessary pictures of my not-so-intresting childhood, I hung the larger picture exactly in the middle of the wall, which had a brighter lusture than any other picture.
It was a family portrait. One that I've grown to love profusely. A candid click in which my mom seemed to be the centre of attention of the males all around her. I was grinning at her, sporting the most goofy expression, my dad smiled while silently watching her.
My mother looked like an angel. Waking up to this every morning would simply make my days brighter and more cheerful.
Stretching my arms over my head and letting out a last yawn, I walked across the newly built wooden floor and went out the room determined to make the most of this beautiful day.
It was a little too early for my parents to be awake and working so I wasn't surprised to find the house silent. I jogged out the back door and greeted the fresh, soothing air with open arms. The cool air felt pleasant on my skin and the sun wasn't that harsh yet. Opening the garage shutter I sighed in delight at the sight. My tools stood upright against the wall waiting to be put in action.
Excitement climbed up my spine and being the restless freak I am, I hurriedly scooped up my implements and ran back to the never ending expanse of land which was my backyard. I carefully placed my belongings on the ground and looked up at the green carpet in front of me.
Time to get my ass working!
Gardening. It's more than just a hobby for me. It gives me immense happiness and satisfies my soul everytime I nurture a sapling, water it, talk to it like old friends, take care of it, watch it grow each day. It makes me feel closer to nature.
Ploughing the soft silt carefully, I spray water droplets making it a little firm and ready to bear lives. I had a packet of fertilizer from my old home back in Aspchester, I drizzle them across the patch.
After countless laps covering the entire area, my legs felt like jelly. Swear collected on my eyebrows and back, my T-shirt clung to me making it sticky and hot, yet I could not bring myself to stop my work. I continued digging my shovel in the land, breaking it's hardness and silting it.
I would start sowing seeds of the plants I want to have in my backyard probably after my visit to Winborne. Apparently, Erebus doesn't have a nursery where I could find the desired seeds so the best option dad gave me was Winborne,one hundred fifty kilometer away. A days trip there and I would have my garage full with all my necessities.
Thoughts of my old and new life suddenly bombard me and I found myself staring at the brown patch of my newly ploughed soil. I grew up in Aspchester, the famous city and that was my address until three days ago. Now I reside in a lone house on the outskirts of a small town called Erebus. It was a collective decision where my parents made sure they weren't compromising with my education or desire.
I had voiced out my approval when dad, a few months ago, suggested we move back to my grandfather's town some six hundred kilometers away. Reasons being very clear, first I would get a chance to be with my pal almost all the time, and second was Denver academy. A school and university I would be joining this year.
Denver academy made its way to the list of top eight schools in the nation and it wasn't exactly a piece of cake to get admission in there. My teachers back in Aspchester told us how only few students from across the country manage to secure a seat in its university, most of the population of Denver academy came from Erebus and Irkdale, the regionals. So I was quite surprised when my application for the senior year at their high school was accepted. Denver Academy was a ten minute walk from my house and a twenty minute one from the heart of Erebus.
My dad, James Fletcher, managed to get a job in Erebus, details of which are still unknown to me, so along with our suitcases we traveled through valleys and mountains to this beautiful place to start a life as good as new.
New
New place, new house, new school, new people and most probably new neighbors as well. The closest neighbour I had was bouncing just a few meters away from me. I looked over at the squirrels and chuckled.
It's a new beginning for me here, making friends all from the start. There was a little flutter in my heart at these possibilities with some excitement, anxiety and anticipation for what will come next.
I stared at the ground and realised I had been tiling the same patch for over ten minutes now. Shaking my head, I groan at the ache building in my back and I was about to get up when a deep voice sounded exactly behind me.
"Isn't it too early for you to be up?"
I tripped over my own feet and stumbled behind, landing on the brown floor with a 'oomph'. I groaned loudly making it clear the pain that came with my clumsiness and someone's sneakiness.
"Senpaaa" I winced as I watched him peer down at me with a minimal smirk. He stretched out his large hand for me and I was hauled up in a second, standing upright.
"What was the need for such stealth? " I questioned narrowing my eyes at him. Although being in his late sixties, he gave out an impression that he was just cruising forty.
He attempted to roll his eyes. "Keep your ears open, kid. "
This old man was Carsen Fletcher, my grandfather and the person who had innumerable times beaten my ass at video games and subsided my chances with girls after triumphantly winning over them because of his marvelous flirting. He visited me every two months without fail all these years and we would spend each minute with merry smiles and bouts of craziness like he had just got his teen years back. Obviously, I was over the moon at the thought of moving into his town.
Senpa -Carsen+pa- lived with uncle Elias, my father's step brother, and I didn't know why but the two brothers weren't even on talking terms. As a child I had asked Senpa why he didn't live with us if he liked me so much, he looked away and never replied.
All these years I never saw Uncle Elias, not even in holidays or Christmas, neither did he come to our house nor did we ever come to Erebus. I just saw his picture in an old album.
"You shouldn't be up so early," he looked into his watch, "it's hardly eight in the morning." he said scrunching his face a bit.
I gave him a blank look, "why? "I asked totally confused.
"Isn't your summer vacation going on? You should be in your bed snoring away and dreaming about Scarlett Johannson." He huffs out, looking at me with disappointment.
What a lovely grandfather I have.
I spurrted out a small laugh and placed my arm across his broad shoulder. "Don't worry, senpa, I have young blood, I can manage some early morning work out."
His face remains neutral and he begins walking towards the house with me hooking onto him. The house is painted in white and all the windows were made wider than before letting in lots of air and sunlight. The only open window right now in the house was of my bedroom.
"How come you're up so early?" I question back looking up at him. His smooth skin is almost glowing under the white sunlight and I find myself wishing genetics has been good enough to let it pass in my DNA. He looks at me with his sky blue eyes and gives a light smile.
"Since your mother is a heavy sleeper, I though I might come by and give you people a wake up call as you know your parent's special guests are coming home today.
Oh yes! Guests who are so special, my mother was squealing in delight at the news of their coming yesterday. The Raleigh's.
My father grew up in this town, studied, graduated, married, had me and then went to Aspchester for his job. Elliott Raleigh was his bestfriend all throughout his stay at Erebus. He wasn't his only bestfriend from childhood but atleast he stuck with him till the very last. Soon after my father left Erebus, Uncle Elliot too shifted to a bigger city. Now that we've returned back and his daughter has also been accepted at Denver academy, they are coming home to visit is and drop their daughter off.
Mom had said that she would ask them to stay a few days with us. The first floor where my bedroom is located has another four bedrooms with an extra living room. Yeah, our new house was huge.
I had a thought of converting some of the extra space and one bedroom into a secret library. That would be so cool.
Senpa would definitely say a yes to such an idea. I decided to ask him about that at a suitable time. Strolling into the house like a pair of unseperable buddies, we were surprised to find mom walking out of her bedroom. She was tying her long black hair into a bun above her head. As she gazed at both males, a distant look on her face as she looked over at her father in law.
I hated to admit it but my parents weren't that close with Senpa as I was with him. In fact they always seemed stiff around him, being very formal in their behavior and careful of how and what they spoke. I hadn't tried to know the depths of it all and I hadn't even tried to bring them closer, after all they were elder to me.
"Father" My mom spoke with utmost respect bowing her head a little. A fragrance of lillies wafted across the room and I smiled, it was my mother's favorite perfume and she always smelt like it any time of the day.
"Amity" Came the curt reply and I tried my best not to frown at that. A moment later, my father marched out immediately catching everyone's attention. Even at this age, my father owned a phenomenal body and looked not a day older than twenty five. I guess it runs in the family. Senpa with his well maintained body and then my father with an equally amazing physique.
My mother was no less in that matter. She was often mistook as my elder sister. The only reason people didn't address her as Ms. Fletcher was because she avoided wearing figure hugging clothes.
I don't know why she does that, not flattering her figure.
One can call me Jon Snow since I know nothing.
My father's eyes glued to Senpa and they seemed to be talking through looks alone. Senpa's face hardened while my father pressed his lips together locking his jaw.
"Now that everyone is up, It's better I leave" Senpa announced and I watched as both my parents lower their eyes. An icy look crossed his face and then heurned on his heels and started walking briskly out of the house. I stayed rooted in my spot watching his retreating figure. I had thought coming to Erebus would finally help improve the relations between him and my parents but he looked so stubborn while he walked out the door that I felt disappointment gnawing my insides.
I crossed my hands and huffed out. Turning to my father I raised my eyebrows and watched his impassive face. He stood next to mom, his hand circling her waist and both of them silently started at me.
"You know someday I would really like to know why both of you don't behave like a father and son should."
In reply he breathed deeply and turned around, both of them walking into the kitchen. Shaking my head and walking back in the other direction, I mentally cursed.
Why did both of them have to be so cold towards each other? Why couldn't they ever put whatever happened between them in the past behind? Why couldn't they-
I suddenly felt a chilling whip of air lash at me. I stepped outside and a sound similar to rustling of leaves echoed in my ears and I hastily looked in all directions. Suddenly, faint and foreign whisperings crawled into my ears.
'Alpha...'
Baffeled by the unusual event, I walked towards my ground unsteadily and started collecting the equipments when again the sounds filled my ears.
'Alpha...'
A trembling breath escaped my mouth as I sat still on the ground. My ears felt cold, my brain hazy and confusion mingling my thoughts.
'You need to know, Alpha...'
Hoping it was just fatigue playing such haphazard tricks, I quickened my movements and stood up at once, walking at an alarming pace back towards the house.
'You need to know the truth, Alpha Audric.'
My blood felt icy cold as I my hands let go of the shovels, I heard its faint landing on the earth beneath me. My eyes widened and fear started building inside me.
'Seek for the truth, Alpha...'
Something within me stirred, stretching and expanding for control and everything suddenly made me restless, that eerie voice in my ears and the coldness that surrounded me like a blanket. I didn't feel like myself.
Wanting to tear away from this web, I sprinted inside without stopping and as I sped through my surroundings, another cold and frightening warning filled my ears.
'Try not to run from the truth...Alpha...;