Newyork city. The crowded air, the busy people, the rush of euphoria. We drove into the gates of Greenville estates at almost 5pm. Palms could be spotted on each block. The sunset gave the environment a golden shimmer . It was a quiet place and oddly it smelled like home, well as if I knew what home smelt like. It all seemed familiar, even though we were just moving in. Mom and Dad had been divorced for three years, they never got along, it was like they were born in two different worlds, Mom got custody of me and Jack. Dad came visiting whenever he could, more like whenever Mom would let him. We moved a lot cause of reasons I’m yet to understand. I guess Newyork is one of many cities we’d soon move out from.
“We’re here” Mom said. It was a nicely built crib, well it looked like the other neighboring houses. I got out of the car, took a breath “Home sweet home” I sarcastically said.
“Oh don’t start Ella” mom said.
“Well, we’d still move out soon enough”
“This ones gonna be different”
“Now you, don’t start Mom” I rolled my eyes.
I walked off briskly to the door and opened it. The sitting room was fully furnished. Mom was getting the luggage out of the car. “ I’m taking the big room!” Jack raced passed me, climbing up the stairs next to the sitting room. “Oh you wouldn’t dare” I raced after him. “Keep it down guys” mom called. Well obviously after a bit of war, I got the slightly big room while Mom got the bigger room. I put my things in place starting from my wardrobe. I didn’t have much clothes so my wardrobe was half empty. My room wasn’t the typical teenage girl room. I had no Barbie dolls, I hated pink, and I wasn’t obsessed about boy bands or neither did I have any posters of cute guys on my room wall. And most importantly I firmly didn’t believe in happy endings, Mom and Dad proved me right on that. Something I would want to blame one of them for not giving me the perfect family, but then again is there a perfect family. Having a boyfriend never crossed my mind, I had no friends cause we hardly stayed. So there I laid on my bed counting the tiny stars on the celling, my mind drifting through thoughts “Elle!...Dinners ready” hyperactive Jack screamed. I made my way down to the sitting room and into the kitchen. Mom was still making Lasagnas.
“Thought you said dinner was ready” I asked Jack. There was no reply he just stood there smiling mischievously at himself. “You little ….” I raged at him. “Elle, you could help set the table” Mom cut in, giving Jack time to retreat to the sitting room. I was mad at Mom for so many reasons, they were so many that pointing out one seemed almost impossible. Silently I set the table and soon the food was dished. We all ate, silently pondering through our own thoughts. For me it was more of rage, someone could easily sense the tension in the air.
“So guys, how do like the new place” mom finally broke the silence that struck us
“It’s okay Mom” replied Jack. Mom smiled appreciatively at him, placing her hand on his. Jack was always the one who tried to please Mom even at his inconvenience.
“How 'bout you Elle” she turned to me
“Does it really matter what I think, we’re going to move out soon anyway”
“Of course it does matter”
“Like anything matters to you” I said quietly but loud enough for her to hear.
“Elle…” she cleared her throat. “Lets just eat”.
“Oh I’m sorry, was I wrong?”
“Elle, please stop” she said in a strange calm voice.
“Well sorry if I stated a fact”
“Ok Elle I’ve had it with your attitude” she snapped
“My Attitude?” I snapped back “You’re the one who always wants us to move, and I don’t get why. You care less about how I feel? Do you even care if…”
“Well of course, I do care”
“Well you’re doing a great job at it. Sometimes I wish Dad was here”
“Now that’s enough” she angrily banged on the table.
“You never tell me why we have to move, it’s like you just wake up one morning and then you decide to move to a whole different city. It’s crazy mom, it’s exhausting” I said trying hard not to blur up my eyes with tear.
“Go to your room…now!”
“Go to my room?” I smirked biting my lips, clinging my fists.
“Elle let’s not do this in front of Jack. Go to your room” she said in an awfully brisk face. I glanced at Jack and smirked and rolled my eyes as I paced out to my room and banged the door so hard that I thought the hinges would come off. I threw myself on my bed and shot my fists on my pillow. “I hate her” I repeatedly sobbed those words. I’ve never been this mad at my mom. I was glad that I poured out some of my feelings to her, feelings that I tend to bottle up. Good for you by Selena Gomez quietly played on my loud speaker and in minutes I was asleep.
It was a dream but it seemed more like reality. I was somewhat lost or would I say trapped in a forest. A forest so thick that the sun struggled to meet the ground. It was so silent you would think the dead walked through it, all I could hear was the flipping wings of forest bats. “Mom?” funny how she was the first person I called out to. There was no reply. “Mom…I’m sorry”. Now fear began creeping under my skin. “Hello…….” My voice echoed long. Soon it became foggy, fogs so thick they could be mistaken for clouds. Gallops, I could hear galloping from a distance, like a horse approaching. Shock struck my spine, all I could think of was to run. My body acted faster than my mind. I ran, but the gallops drew closer, I grasped for air. Now I could see a huge Black Horse rapidly coming from a distance and another from the opposite direction. I was trapped. The two horses were coming right at me, with a speed almost as fast as lightening. I stood there in the middle, frozen, my cheeks cold as ice, my heart speedily race. They drew closer…closer…closer so close they were could pounce on me , and in a spilt second, I woke.
Soaked in sweat, catching for breath, It was almost like I couldn’t breathe. My heart was pounding out of my chest. Lots of thoughts rushed through my mind, I’ve never had memorable dreams much less a nightmare “Thank God it was a nightmare” I said in relief, pressing my hands against my chest. It was 3am in the morning and I couldn’t sleep no more. I made haste to the kitchen to make coffee. After a while I heard a sound coming from the back door. For a second I was gripped with fear, I just came out of a horrible nightmare, but I drew forward and opened up, there I saw a puppy, a Golden Retriever. It was pale and all wet. “hey little guy” I carried him up, he was so small. “Where’s your mama?” It held on to me.
“What’s your name?”
“I’d call you Max”
“I guess I’d keep you, until your mama comes home okay” it licked my fingers and I smiled at myself. I took him to my room and covered him up with some blankets to keep him a bit warm. After a while it felt comfortable enough to get some shut eye. Flashes of my nightmare came up again, I shoved them away. I knew I wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep and today was going to be my first day of school. I dreaded first days cause I was always treated like a leech on someone’s arm. It was almost 4am. I put on my headphones and decided to have a little room party of my own to pass time, dancing to the beats of Lady Gaga's Bad Romance I felt an unusual thrill of Joy.
