The Governor's Wife

Scarlett

What's one thing you hate that parents do? For me, it's when everyone, and I mean EVERYONE in Elden compares me to my "pretty sister". They always say "Oh, Lani is so beautiful you should let her do your makeup." and "Lani is so smart I wish I could say the same for you." Like okay I know she's pretty she's the literal spitting image of my dad. Like they are twins. And she's so much like him "back in his days". But that's just one thing I hate parents do.

I just don't get why parents love comparing their kids to others without knowing that it's degrading and awkward for the other person. Last thing about her before I quite literally explode. She lives the perfect life. She has the perfect body, perfect grades, perfect health, perfect house, and...perfect boyfriend.

I, on the other hand, live underneath a rock and no one ever spells my name right. I have one close friend, I barely go out, I barely even leave my room unless it's to eat, and I'm in love with my sister's boyfriend. Wait, wait, wait. I know what you're thinking "Dreamgirl, how could you do something like that" or "Scarlett that's so horrendous." But let me state my case.

First, we need background information. I'm 16-year-old Scarlett Barlow. I live a pretty much ordinary life and nothing exciting ever happens to me, and I have really wavy hair, and I like to wear a bandage on my nose. I have an older sister named Lani, but all our close friends and family call her Mi sol. It means my sun in Spanish. Everyone started calling her that the day she was born because they said "She can brighten any area of the world with her presence". Love that for her. They call me dreamgirl, because "my head is always in the clouds dreaming about things I can never have." My mom died 2 years ago. I don't want to talk about that though. The day I lost her my grandma moved in she just showed up on the doorstep with a car full of stuff and mascara down her cheeks. Dad didn't fight because he knew he needed help with us since he's always working. He's kind of like the governor of this side of the town.

I grew up here in this little town and my whole family did generation after generation. It is a tradition at least one offspring has to stay here for the rest of their lives. But they can travel of course as long as they come back to Elden. There aren't many people here. Kind of like one of those everyone knows everyone type of places. My dad's childhood best friend from birth stayed to live in Elden with him. He has a family of four, his wife that is kind of like my back-up mom, and twin boys both 16 but about to turn 17, Latour and Lorenzo. We grew up together since birth. Dad and Ben (his best friend) always joked about how Lani and I would eventually marry one of them. I didn't take it seriously until I was ten. That's when I had a crush on Latour after he stood up for me when these boys pushed me off the bike.

After the years past my little crush turned into liking, then really liking, then I was in love. He is just everything perfect you know. I wanted to wait until I turned 15 to tell him how I've felt over the past 5 years. I was going to tell him at the annual Elden ball. When I went to find him he was in a hallway with Mi sol, so I ease dropped like any person would do. He asked her to be his girlfriend and she said yes, and I ran all the way home (it was only a ten-minute walk). I mean I knew he had always had a thing for her, but I always assumed he liked both of us since we were all super close. Like I don't think that Lani even liked him, she never told me that she did anyway.

And no she didn't know I liked him. I didn't tell anyone except for my best friend. They have been dating for the past 6 months. I mean yeah they're a cute couple, but he'd look so much better with them. I have a plan to steal him once summer comes in about a week. I'll write it down later. Besides, Mi Sol is always busy and barely has enough time for him. Anyways I've felt like the black sheep since mom has been gone. Like Mi Sol looks just like dad and I looked just like mom. Mom was the only one that ever paid me any attention. Dad was too busy working or training Lani for her soccer, swimming, and underwater sports games. And on top of it all, dad and Lani are both sirens. But they are mixed with half-human. The thing is though you are either born half siren half human or fully human. Mom was fully human both her parents are so am I. Lucky me right. I can barely even swim, and that's all dad and Lani do. I'm going to Sapphire's house in a bit so I should get ready. If it weren't for Sapphire, my best friend since third grade, and Grandma I'd be alone in this world. Toodles!