Alchemized (Michael Jackson Fan fiction)

Moving In

 Hello again! Thank you for your patience between updates. God Bless!

(Dawn)

"Thanks, Elijah. That box goes in the kitchen," I informed my father. I smiled as I watched him walk in the apartment and placed the large cardboard box on top of my kitchen counter.

After a month of working at Deorc Manor, I quickly made enough money to move out and get my first apartment with my cousin. Brie had been saving up for a long time to move out of her parents' place and technically could have done it over a year ago, but she had never been brave enough to venture out on her own. Which is why she's always been so insistent that we make this move together. And now, we finally were!

I inwardly squealed each time I ogled my new spacious kitchen. Well, technically, it was Brie's kitchen too but we both knew which one of us would be spending the most time in there. It wasn't as big as Katherine's at Deorc Manor, but it didn't matter. It was perfect. And I couldn't wait to break it in. I resisted rubbing my hands together in anticipation. The long ocean blue marble counter space stretched into a long "U" shape across most of the kitchen. In front of the sink sat a small bar top only big enough to seat two people. Brie and I will probably be eating most of our meals over there instead of on the massive dinner table Brielle's mom gifted us with yesterday.

It was a beautifully crafted cedar wood table designed for a family of six. I feared Brie and I would never be able to give it proper use on a regular basis. Perhaps it can be saved for special occasions. We had yet to bring it inside because of how heavy it was. Brielle's brother and father had to help Elijah load it in the U-Haul. Too bad they had a business flight to catch and didn't have to time to come over and help with anything else. That meant my father was the only form of muscle we had assisting us with the heavy stuff. Not to doubt Elijah's man strength or anything, but I was a little worried about him possibly throwing his back out. The good thing was Brie and I were moving in on the first floor of the apartment complex.

Elijah was mostly silent as he helped us unload boxes from one of the two U-Hauls we rented for the day. I knew this day would be hard for him, but I was so grateful for his support. Our relationship has clearly come a long way in such a short time. Go figure all we needed to do was communicate with each other more. In the past, the more I lied to keep Elijah in dark about my life, the angrier and more smothering he became. Talking things out had turned out to be a nice change of pace, even when he didn't necessarily agree with my decisions. Like now, with me moving out. When I first told him I wanted to be on my own, he wasn't exactly leaping for joy at the idea. But after an hour of sharing with him my reasons for leaving the nest, Elijah took another hour to consider my choice in silence, along with a sullen face. That hour of scowling silence nearly killed me. When he spoke again, his mood had softened. He told me that he was proud of me and knew I was responsible and smart enough to be on my own. He admitted that he feared the most for my safety. Then, we spent another hour carefully going over all the ways Brie and I needed to remain safe while living on our own. After that overly long and exhausting conversation, Elijah surprisingly gave me his approval.

As Elijah exited the apartment to bring in more things, I started unloading a few of my kitchen supplies. I was looking around for a good spot to put my springform pans, mixer, and bundt cake bowls when my father returned.

His back was to me as he carried one end of a semi-worn tan couch. It was a hand-me-down from my uncle, Brielle's father, that used to be in his office.

I stopped what I was doing to run over and help him. "Elijah, don't do that by yourself. You're going to hurt your back!" Although our relationship had improved, I wasn't quite ready to call him "father" yet.