“So what do you think?” Sara Lawrence asked her daughter as she stepped out of car.
“It’s uh, great mom.” Claire forced a smile as she stared into her mother’s dark blue eyes. “Honey, I know you miss the city, but we needed change.” Sara took her sunglasses off and shoved them into her pocket. She ran her bright red fingernails through her dark brown hair.
“Sure...” Claire opened the car door and almost coughed on the fresh air.
“Do you smell that?” Sara took a deep breath as she looked around the large front yard.
“Yeah, it smells like cow crap.” She plugged her nose with her finger tips.
“Claire!” Sara was desperately trying to lift Claire’s spirit. She wished they didn’t have to move as much as they did, but Sara had no choice in the matter.
“Sorry...” She lied. She looked up at the small house they were moving into. It was two stories and painted a bright sunny yellow, with white trim. There were pink rose bushes and three large oak trees in the front yard. It had a u shaped driveway and a two car garage. It was so different from the small, stuffy apartment they had occupied in New York City. Claire’s ears rang from the silence around them. She was used to hearing cars drive by, and planes fly overhead. She had grown accustomed to sirens, and car alarms blaring twenty-four-seven.
“Dorothy you’re not in Kansas anymore...” She muttered as she grabbed a box out of the back of the car.
“Claire, I know this is hard for you, I really do. I just...”
“Save it.” Claire slammed the trunk of the car. “I’m going to find my room.” Claire stalked toward the house. She pushed open the door and stepped in. The smell of Pine Sol attacked her nostrils. She noticed the gleaming hardwood floors, and the clean white walls of the entry hall. There were stairs to the right, and she took them two at a time. She came to a long hall, with fluffy white carpet, and light blue walls. She found a bathroom, a tiny office, and a decent sized bedroom. She dropped the box on the floor.
The room was painted yellow, almost the same color as the outside of the house. The carpet was gray speckled with white. There was a window seat with a large bay window looking out at the neighborhood. She sat down and twirled her light blonde hair around her finger. Her eyes filled with tears as homesickness washed over her.
Claire had moved so many times in her seventeen years she’d lost track. She’d lived in just about every major city around the country. They’d go to a new place, stay two maybe three months and then pick everything up and move. Claire had loved New York the most, and they’d stayed almost a year. But then her mother had come home one day and said the words Claire always dreaded.
“I think it’s time for change.” Her mother would say.
“But why?” Claire always asked.
“Things just don’t seem to be working here.” Her mother would reply and immediately begin packing. Claire had learned eventually never to grow attached to one place. She almost liked it here in Montana. She liked the quiet, and liked the thought that she’d be able to walk down the street without having to worry about drive by shootings, or getting kidnapped. But if she started to like it here, they would move in the blink of an eye.
“Claire the moving truck is here!” Her mother called up the stairs. Claire looked out the window, and sure enough the bright orange U-haul truck sat in the driveway.
“Coming!” She stood, and headed down the stairs. Maybe, She told herself, This time will be different.
“Just grab a box, the moving guys are going to take your furniture up to your room.” Sara said as she walked through the front door.
“Okay,” Claire sighed as she bounced down the steps toward the truck. She grabbed two boxes from the back, and turned heading toward the house. Suddenly time stopped, and the world around her spun. She screamed as a loud roaring filled her ears. Wind whirled passed her, the smell of burnt rubber filled her nose, and it quickly changed to the smell of fresh spring water. She opened her eyes to see the roaring was a huge waterfall tumbling down a cliff to a river below. What was wrong with her. Why was this happening? Fear filled the pit of her stomach. She tried to take a step forward and was suddenly ripped back to Montana.
“Claire?” Her mother asked her eyes filled with worry. Her hands were shaking as she touched Claire’s shoulder. Her face was drained of it’s usually tan coloring.
“W...what?” She noticed that the two boxes she had been carrying were lying on their sides on the ground, she must’ve dropped them.
“You screamed, Claire are you all right?” Fear filled Sara. This scene was so familiar to her. A memory tugged at her mind. She couldn’t shake off the de-ja-vou.
“I...I...” She shook her head, breaking the stupor that had enveloped her. “I’ll be all right.” She picked the boxes up, and took a step forward. Dizziness engulfed her, and she staggered backward dropping the boxes again. She hit the ground with a thud, and lay still on her back.
“Claire!” Her mother screamed.
“M...m...mom...” She moaned. Suddenly a wave of nausea washed over her. She felt the bag of Doritos she’d eaten a few hours ago rising in her throat. A headache pounded behind her eyes. The sun glared angrily down at her, and she put her hand up as a shield. She could hardly see her mother, her vision was blurring together. “M...mom...” She moaned. Her head rolled back onto her shoulder, and everything went black.
Hey everyone, this story is in an early stage, but I just wanted to know what you guys think about this chapter. I hope you can give me some good feedback! Thanks for reading it!
And yeah the plot hasn't really formed yet in this chapter, but hmm... a prologue is a good idea. I'll have to think about that.
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