Alyssa sighed as she and Charles walked aimlessly around the small town, the money shoved in her pocket with no use at the moment.
As they walked, random people they knew waved at them, obviously wondering why they weren't at school but didn't say anything.
Eventually, they passed a toy store and Alyssa turned to Charles to ask, "Wanna go in and find a new stuffed animal to add to the Pile?" The Pile was all of the stuffed animals they owned since they were kids, and they were all somehow related. It had turned into a cute little tradition that the family had.
Charles shrugged, which Alyssa took as yes, and they walked inside. The toy store was fairly large and cool, which was nice compared to the warm morning outside. They looked around for a little bit before hearing a woman and the manager quietly talking at the counter. Curious, the two teenagers walked over and peeked around one of the displays to see the woman and man trying to debate something.
They realized quickly that the woman was their "aunt"-meaning one of Elise's oldest friends that they have just always called their aunt-that was always traveling and rarely visited. She stood there in her favorite flowy t-shirt with a unicorn on it, random-print leggings, bubblegum pink converse, and long brown hair that was slightly tattered from all the constant change in weather and such. She pushed her square black glasses up on her nose as he firmly debated whatever she strongly believed.
As they watched, Charles's hand accidentally slipped and pushed a weird metal yo-yo off the display, making a loud noise as it hit the floor. The noise caused the two adults arguing turn their attention quickly to them. They both looked shocked while looking at the two siblings.
After a minute of staring in silence, the woman smiled wide and walked over to hug them. "Lyssie! Charlie!" She said happily as the manager went back to the Employees-Only room.
"Hey, Aunt Lacey," Alyssa said, still in shock to see her in the tiny town. "What're you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in Europe writing for the magazine?"
The woman, Lacey, blushed and nodded. "Well, yeah, but I wanted to come visit you!!" She said before pausing and saying quietly, "And I kinda sorta got fired and ran out of money and I planned to crash with you guys."
This time, Charles spoke up. "Um, right now isn't a good time," he said uncertainly.
"Why not?" Lacey asked. She looked at the two quickly before asking, "And shouldn't you two be in school?"
Alyssa shrugged and replied, "It's a log story. Let's take you home and we'll tell you everything we can."
YOU ARE READING
What If It Was Like This
FantasyA group of friends wished they had a different life, wished they weren't just the little nerds at a big high school. One day, as they were messing around and dreaming, they learned to be careful what you wish for. What happens to them? Read on to f...
