Vivian stood in front of the closed door of her room, taking deep breaths. Okay, alright. Yes, Vivian, you can do it. You won't mess it up this time. It's fine. She said to herself again, and again. But mustering a brave and small smile, before opening the door. This time, she will not allow herself to sink into darkness, but rather face everything coming in her way bravely and with confidence.
And with that thought, she stepped forward, only to strumble on the carpet. This stupid carpet! Are you trying to jinx my very new start?! She thought to herself, as she glared hatefully at the non living thing down there. Anyways, composing herself back into character, she mustered up a smile, and walked downstairs.
When she reached downstairs, she saw that everyone was present at the breakfast table. Her father, Jacob Johnson, her mother, Hera Johnson, her grandmother, and her young aunt, Jasmine Jacob.
And the second, she saw her family, the way it had been twelve years ago, her heart shivered. And all the memories of how her family had turned before she died surfaced back in her mind. And she froze in her tracks. Horror started filling her very heart. Vivian had thought had she would be able to face the reality, but it seems she was still scared.
"Vivi, you are you standing there, child. Come over!" Just when she heard her grandmother, she came back to her senses looking up at her. The old woman was probably in her mid sixties. And she loved her granddaughter a lot. But mind it, when she said, 'Granddaughter'. The day, they found out that she was not related to them by blood, and the way, the children were swaped, her behaviour towards her had started to change. And coupled with the fact that, their real granddaughter had been a sweet girl, and later her own evil antics coming up to life, helped a lot for them to push her even away.
Vivian nodded her head, as she slowly walked towards the table, and sat on the chair next to her mother. The family members looked at Vivian, with a small frown on her forehead, and then looked at each other in confusion. What is wrong with her today? Was something wrong with her?
Normally, Vivian was a very cheerful girl, who liked to play around and squeal. Everyday, whenever she would come downstairs, she would happily come skipping. But today, she seemed so different. She was quiet and composed.
Jasmine, looked at her niece, who was sitting opposite to her at the table, and asked, "Vivi, what is wrong? Are you sad about something? Did something happen? Just yesterday, you were so excited about your middle school starting today." Vivian said with a kind smile.
Vivian raised her head to look at her aunty, and her pupils shook. No, no, she wasn't so brave yet to face her. Jasmine was a pretty young girl. And Vivian could swear that she was one of the most kindest girls, she had met in her last life. She was younger than her father. And currently, she was in her last year of senior high school.
The more Vivian looked at her aunty, the more her heart shook, and the next second, before she knew, a tear slipped from her eyes and flowed down her cheek.
The family was horrified seeing this, and they got concerned. Her mother, Hera, at one held her and asked, "Vivi, what's wrong? What happen? Why are you crying? Are you hurt somewhere, darling?"
"My child, did somebody say something mean to you? Tell me, who dared to make my granddaughter cry!" Vivian's grandmother, Rosetta, said with concern.
Jasmine too furrowed her eyebrows and asked softly, "Vivi, did I say something wrong?"
Vivian got a little overwhelmed on getting so much attention from these people from whom she had almost forgotten what it was like, and she hurriedly shook her head. With a soft voice, she said, "N- No, it is nothing like that. I was just thinking about something."
Hera frowned, as she softly caressed her daughter's head, and asked, "What happen, darling? What are you thinking that made you cry?"
Vivian, shortly raised her head to meet the concerned women's face, smiling a little and she softly said, "I was thinking about how lucky I am to be a part of this family."