The Unlucky One

Chapter 1

After the seven hour drive my family and I had endured, we finally reached our destination. We had successfully moved all of our belongings from Northern California to Southern California. This doesn't seem like a big deal, but it is for us.

"We're here!" My mom exclaimed, maybe a bit too cheerfully. Even for a Friday. She parked in front of a large, two story house that seemed as if it were made for a celebrity... or even a god for that matter.

"I wanna see! I wanna see!" My sister, Emma cried, frantically pushing at the buttons in her car seat. I swiveled my body out of the car and stretched, feeling my tired muscles pop as tension released. I opened the back car door, unbuckling Emma and lifting her into my arms. She giggled as I shut the door.

"You sure this is the one?" I asked sarcastically. This house was significantly larger than our old one in NorCal. We were not used to living in the lap of luxury, and now we had our chance to do so.

"Oh Ellie. Of course it is! Uncle Bill and I have packed everything inside. There's nothing to worry about, all your belongings from your room are in your new one. I wouldn't worry too much, you'll be moving out in a about a year." She finished, grinning wildly in my direction. She was talking about college, but that's another story for another time.

"Go check it out, I'm going to make a call." She stated dryly. I knew that tone. And I knew exactly who she was about to call. Her eyes glossed over and my chest instinctively tightened up in anger as I watched her fingers tap on the numbers that belonged to someone I had memorized them for years ago. Someone who used to be in our lives, who isn't anymore. Again, another story for another time.

"Come one Ellie! Let's go inside!" The wiggle worm in my arms yelled happily. I had become so caught up in the past that it didn't occur where I was for a second. I shot my sister a smile and walked up to the door, turning the knob and marveling at our new house. Tall, cream colored walls with pleasing decor covered the room. The living room was complete with, what I suppose to be, extremely expensive upholstery. Mom is never going to let anybody sit on those.

I was abruptly ripped out of my day dream by Emma, impatiently wiggling in my arms. "Upstairs!" Moving on from the living room we hastily booked it up the stairs, adding a little extra bounce in my step and earning a few giggles in return from Emma. As we entered the hallway she leaped from my arms, having noticed the door with the words "Emma" pinned onto it. She bounced through the door, squealing with excitement as she ran around the room.

Her room was adorable, perfect for a four year old. The walls were a light pink, the carpet was white and fuzzy and she had her own little bed, complete with all of her favorite stuffed animals. She even had all of her clothes folded away into drawers. My mom really outdid herself.

Emma then ran straight for her toys and started playing with them, so I decided to shut the door slightly and let her settle in. As I entered my room I was more than happy with what I saw. My walls were light blue, my favorite color. I had wooden floors, score! I had a queen sized bed with a gorgeous bed spread. One look and I knew that I was going to spend hours on end in my bed watching movies and reading books. All of my books were stacked neatly in my book shelf, near a workspace for me to do homework and study. A not-so-ladylike squeal escaped beyond my lips as I saw that I had a balcony. I opened the two doors to see that my room looks out of the backyard, and is high enough to peak over other houses and see the rest of the city.

Fingers attacked my sides and I yelped, turning around to face my mom who had a happy expression across her face. "So, how do you like it?" She asked, already familiar with my answer. I smiled, pulling her short frame to me and squeezing her into a hug. I was a lot taller than her.