Before the Ever Green (BTEG #1) ✔️

Chapter 14

Mom is cooking breakfast downstairs. I am attempting to draw a half decent drawing, since I wasn't able to make it to town this week. It looks like something a cat drew. I take that back, the cat probably did a better job. I am tempted to slam my head on the desk, and die. But, I don't instead, I go through the trunk at the end of my bed, trying to find a box of pictures Mom gave me a few years ago.

Bingo.

I head back to my desk with the box, and start cutting a few of the pictures to make a collage. I've never done this before, but it's looking pretty good. I add a few stickers and ribbons to it. I decide on cutting the paper into the shape of a heart, the same size as the square frame I have, so the heart will stand out. It's beautiful.

I head downstairs, with the frame in my hands, "Oh good, you're awake," Mom says, coming over to give me a hug, "What's this?" she asks, pointing to the frame in my hand.

"Oh, it's what I've been working on,"

"It's beautiful, and the first thing you've made with memories," she says, and I can't help but thinking, 'it's the first thing I've made at all'. She gives me another hug, before placing it on the couch end table, by the lamp. "It really is amazing, sweetie,"

"Thank you," I say, heading into the kitchen behind Mom. Omelets. Mom made omelets. She must want something, because I love omelets, and she never makes them. She says they are too hard. "What's going on?" I ask

She looks at me. Smiles. Takes a breathe, "I invited a guest,"she says, and I am confused. Who could she invite that would actually attend? Why would she invite anyone?

"Who?" I ask

"Well, I'm not sure if you've met him. He works a-" the door bell rings, interrupting her, "I'll get it, go change."

I glare at her, and she gives me the do it now, looks, so I do. I head up the creaky stairs, and into my room which is actually the attic. I go to my wardrobe, and pull out a white full length dress with no straps. Mom told me she thought it would look amazing on me, so she got it. I don't think anything can look good on me, but I figure if we are having a guest over for the first time in forever, I should probably wear something Mom likes. I wouldn't want to ruin it for her.

I slip on a the dress, along with a pair of silver flats. I quickly make my bed, and clean up any clutter around my room, because I really don't want to go down stairs. Cleaning my room didn't take as long as I thought, so I have no choice but to go down stairs. I mean I guess I could just read up here, and say I wasn't hungry, but that'd be rude, and who ever is down there would probably never want to come again.

I open the door, and trudge my way down the annoyingly creaky stairs, and into the kitchen. Mom is there, but there's no guest. I walk over to Mom, and look over her shoulder to see she's making biscuits. "You look nice," she says

"You picked out the dress," I point out, "Where's the guest?"

"In the big room," the big room was across from Mom's. When you walk in the door, on the right is the big room, in front of you is everything else, and to the left is Mom's room. It has a 'door' that is about 7 feet wide, and is really just a cut out in the wall. It has black floors, and Mom puts statues, things I've made, and a lot of mementos like pictures or baby clothes. I head to the big room, and find a man wearing jeans and a black jacket looking at the pictures of Mom and I, along with a few of Dad, though there aren't many, because Dad hated his picture being taken.

I am just standing there, because I feel like I know this person, but I can't put a name to the man. I wish I could. Maybe he's one of Mom's co-workers. I can't really tell anything when I am looking at the back of him, and apparently he doesn't know I am standing here, because he doesn't turn around until I finally take a step into the room, and step on a stupid creaky board. I can't move. I don't want to, because as he's turned around, I realize who it is. I see this beautiful person, and it's Everett. "Hi," I say

"Hi,"

"I didn't know you were coming for breakfast,"

He laughs a little, "You're Mom invited me. She goes to the grocery store a lot, so I've kind of gotten to know her. I didn't know she was your mom."

"I'm surprised...most people spread rumors about us that are hard to forget, especially those about my Mom,"

"I don't believe rumors, remember."

I smile and lead him to the table, where Mom has the plates set out. She has salt and pepper in the middle, along with 5 candles, like usual. Mom sits at the head of the table. I am to her left, and Everett is to her right. I try to focus on my food, but I can't help but wonder if Mom knew that I was 'friends' with Everett. I wonder even more if he actually knew my mom was my mom.

"I'm glad you could make it," Mom says

"Glad to be here," Everett says, and his voice is so sweet. I'm not quite sure how I feel, because I've never really had emotion. "Actually Addilyn and I go to school together,"

"Really?"

"Yeah," I say "He started Monday, I think." I don't explain the part where he helped me. How he stopped John from teasing me.

"Yep," Everett says, "It's a great school, I'm just sad I had to start 2 months late." School starts at the end of August, it's only the beginning of October, so it's more like one and a half months. He's not that far off, so I don't correct him. I don't want to be rude.

"So, where do you live?" Mom asks

He looks at me and then to Mom, "Um- I live in the forest. Close to it, I have a small house in there,"

"Really?" She asks, "It sounds lovely, but how'd you get the leaders to let you do it? They're strict about everything,"

"Oh," Everett says, "I didn't. They don't know where I live, and they haven't asked, so, I don't bother to tell them," Mom laughs. I do too, a little. I'm not quite sure the little noise I made counts as a laugh, but maybe it does. Maybe it doesn't.

"Aren't you smart?" She says

"Yep," I say, "Bright as a light." He's looking at me, now. I'm not sure why he's always looking at me, last time I checked, I'm not very visually appealing. Maybe it's like Mom says, I have a mop for hair, but emeralds for eyes. Though, I do notice he doesn't look at my eyes a lot. More at everything else: my nose, ears, mouth, eyebrows, arms, but never my eyes, and I don't know why.

"Not as bright as you," he says, taking me out of my thoughts, "Or so I've heard. You have all A's, and are the teachers pet."

"Yes, I have all A's, but, I am most certainly no teachers pet,"

"Oh?" Mom says, shocked, "I thought all your teachers liked you,"

"Mom, they do, but I'm not a teachers pet. I'm not there favorite." What I don't tell her is that I was lying. I am lying, because all the teachers wish I were more like Sara Jane. Sara the girl who has no brain, and wears clothes so reveling, all it would take for everything to show is for her to loose her posture for 5 seconds. And, they want me to be like that.

I refuse to be like Sara Jane, with her stupid curls, and makeup covered face. I refuse to have a boyfriend like John, who cusses every 5 seconds and acts like a dick to everyone. I refuse. I Addilyn Ember refuse to be anything like the stuck up horrible person Sara Jane is. And, I promise...I will never concede to what the teacher want. I will never be like Sara or anyone in her crew. I would rather be a no one in the crowd that everyone hates because of her mothers 'power', that anything close to Sara.

I don't want to be like Sara. I want to be like me. I want to know who my dad is. I want to know my mom's power. I want to know what my sickness is. I want to know what this emotion is I feel when I look at Everett. I want to know so many things, but I am too afraid to ask.

I want to know.