Guessing Sparkles (WA 2013)

Keep Calm And Write On

A/N: Okay, so here's the second chapter of Guessing Sparkles. I'm really happy to know that the novel is #34 in Chicklit. Wow, it's an achievement for me. Thank you to my amazing friends and readers. :)

Chapter Two: Keep Calm and Write On

The walk back home took me a little while, but I actually did that on purpose. Being inside that big house kind of made me feel sick. The Queen's presence was really hard for me to deal with, and all her rules were utterly terrible. So, I took this chance to breathe in some fresh air and to also be away from the stressful life I had with my family. Just this morning, my mother received a phone call from my sister, Katniss, who was based in Paris—saying she was going back to New York for three, long months. Mom and Dad were so happy to hear the news, but for me— I couldn't even consider it as a good news at all. Her going back to New York only  meant only trouble for me. She was such a pain in the ass. 

According to Mom, Katniss will be here in New York tomorrow afternoon. I guess, the odds were never in my favor at all and fate probably had an issue with me.  

Katniss was five years older than me. She moved to Paris last year, so she could pursue her dreams which was to be a fashion designer. And guess what? The odds had always been in her favor because her career was very successful. People in Paris loved her so much. Katniss inherited her looks from my parents, and she also got my mother's diva attitude. We used to have a close relationship when we were little, but everything suddenly changed for the two of us. She stopped playing at the tire swings with me, and even accused me of so many things I never really did. 

If I could just turn back the time, I'd definitely bring back our childhood days. The time when the world seemed so easy to handle and the only problem I had was what color to choose for my butterfly drawing. My life back then was simple— unlike now where everything was too complicated for me to handle. 

My mind was clouded with thoughts about Katniss that I didn't notice I was already standing on our doorstep. Yes, I never used the word 'home' because it didn't feel like that way for me. I opened the door and walked inside. The whole surrounding was so silent. I headed straight to the living room and found Tatiana, one of our maids and a close friend of mine too, sitting comfortably on the couch my mother considered as an off-limit for all of us. Yep, I was included on the  list alongside the names of our maids, drivers and gardeners. Tatiana jumped out of the couch immediately and her facial expression looked like she just saw a ghost. An awful ghost, if I might add. 

"I-I'm s-sorry, Miss Clarie," she said, stuttering. "Please d-don't tell Madam about this. She will fire me, and you know how much I need this job." 

I took a deep sigh and watched her looked down at her shoes. She was right, Mom would go ballistic and even fire her for breaking her 'nonsense' law. I smiled and took her hand. My heart was not horrible enough to fire a maid who had been there for the family through the years— just because she sat on the couch my mother owned. That, my friends, was very unreasonable. Who knows? She probably grew tired from cleaning the whole house, so she sat for awhile to gain back her energy. It just so happened that the nearest chair she could sit on was my mother's 'expensive' couch. 

"That's okay, dear Tatiana," I said and smiled. "This will be our little secret. Now, go back to the maid's quarter before the Queen arrives."

"Thank you so much, Miss Clarie," she said and returned the smile to me. "You've always been so nice to us."

"I told you to call me Clarie," I said and sighed. "Addressing me Miss Clarie won't even make me feel like I'm a part of this family at all."

"Oh, I'm very sorry," she said and smiled a little. "I'm getting old now, and my mind's not that sharp anymore. But don't worry, I'm pretty sure they love you too."