The Storm Inside

Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER:  This is a first draft so pls excuse typos :)

"Papa! Papa!" I look all around me and all I see  is smoke and flames . All of a sudden a pair of arms wrap around me and lift me up to take me out of the house. I hear the scream of my mother  as I am dragged out of the house.

I wake up with a sudden jolt, I'm breathing heavy and dripping in sweat. It was all a dream... again. My parents have been dead for quite some time now. They died when i was around 6 in a fire, I am now 15 and living with an amazing family. My new family isn't perfect though, my father, (Mr. Marley) had some drinking issues. He started to become violent but mama was able to send him away.  Normally, on nights like this, I stay up and read my hopeless romance novels. I sort of believe in true love, my parents had it and they loved each other until their last dying breath.

Tomorrow is moving day, we are moving to a new town called Avonlea. I haven't been doing so well in class lately, I start fights (both physical and just to piss people off), I walk out on the teacher, and just last week I yelled at the Teacher Mr. Barlow, he had enough so I was expelled from the 3rd school. Mrs. Marley (mama) said that this is my last chance at being able to attend school. From what I've heard, Avonlea is a small quiet town. Thinking of a new life scares me but it also excites me, I quickly fall asleep in hope for a better day tomorrow.

...

I wake up and quickly get dressed 

  This is her dress but her's is navy:

7 hours later...

We had arrived in Avonlea and had just unpacked all of our belongings, it was about a 3 hour trip by horse carriage. My parents have left the house to go greet our neighbors the Gillis's, supposedly they have a daughter my age. It had only been a few minutes when I heard a knock at the door. I opened it to a man with dark skin and a boy who looked to be my age. Many people in town carry prejudice on people with darker skin tones, people who are from the islands like Trinidad. 

The man kindly introduced himself as Sebastian Lacroix, he had short curly black hair, a beard, and kind eyes. Next, the boy stepped forward, he had brown eyes that somehow offered comfort and ease, along with freckles that dotted all over his pale cheeks, and curly brown hair that needed a trimming. I also noticed that unlike most boys my age he was actually taller then me, I'm 5'9 and he had to be at least 5'11. He said his name was "Gilbert Blythe". We stood looking at each other for a while until Sebastian interrupted us. Did I feel something? a connection? no, I thought to myself, I can't afford to build any lasting relations here. 

"Blythe" Sebastian said in a thick accent.

"oh yeah sorry. This is for you and your family" Gilbert offered up a basket of apples, which was odd considering it was winter.

"thank you, please come in its freezing outside"

"oh we wouldn't want to intrude"

"don't worry about it, please come in, my parents won't be home until the end of the hour"

They hesitantly walked in and complimented the house, as was customary. I took their coats and we all sat by the fire.

"So Annabelle, will you be attending school?", Gilbert asked

"Yes, matter of fact I will be. I must warn you I don't really have the best track record with school though."

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. For the next hour or so we kept small talk and just before they headed out because of the time, my parents came home and begged them to stay because of how bad the weather was. After all, we did have 2 extra bedrooms, one right next to mine, and another on the other side of the house. After a while we all went to sleep, Gilbert next to my room and Sebastian on the other side of the house.

Yet again I wake up after another horrendous nightmare, this time I was screaming. Luckily I had been able to stop myself as soon as I woke up hoping no one heard me. A few minutes passed by and I still couldn't fall asleep so I crept down stairs, put my coat on and sat on the bench on the front porch. After a few minutes the front door creeks open and I see Gilbert.

"hey what happened are you okay?" he asked, very concerned

"oh yeah, I'm fine it was just a nightmare"

"I get them too, they suck"

"about what? if you don't mind me asking?"

"there about my family and I. You see my whole family died from scarlet fever, and I fear that I will die a just as painful death and die before I've had a chance to make an impact on this world.

"Oh, I'm sorry"

"It's okay, and if you don't mind me asking, what was your nightmare about?"

"um, well when I was around 6, my parents died in a fire. So almost every night I relive that horrible day and the moment where I was tore away from my house and how my parents were left in there."

"oh my gosh, I am so sorry, what a horrific experience" He put his hand over mine as a comforting gesture but instead it gave me the fuzzy feeling of butterflies as if I was an immature little girl. I needed to stop this right now.

"thank you" I said sweetly

"but I don't need your pity" I stood up and walked away leaving Gilbert by himself on the front porch.

I will try to update at least once weekly...    thx!!!        luv ya!! :))