The Community of Misfits

Chapter 1

"Amelia!" She awakened to her father's call. Instantly, she was wide awake.

She could hear his every step as he ambled down the hallway because of the specialized brace he wore on his left leg. His steps had a sort of clacking sound because the pieces of plastic that supported his leg and foot would tap together as he walked.

She jumped out of her bed swiftly and glanced at her sister's beds. They weren't there. Anxiety flooded her system, and she glanced at the door. She changed her clothes quickly. When she opened the sturdy oak door, she came face-to-face with the fifty-six year old man whom her mother had married. Her step-father, Dwight Edwardson.

As he peered down at her, her gut clenched. She had been having that reaction to him a lot lately for no reason. None that she could identify anyway.

"What's up?" Amelia asked casually, looking away as she brushed past him and stepped into the hall bathroom. She sighed, looking at the mirror, and was greeted with a frizzy mess of tangled hair. Knowing she had to begin the daily battle with her long golden hair, she picked up her brush and took the first swipe. Being that it was long, and thick, and curly, it was always extremely tangled in the morning after a full night's sleep.

"I thought you were asleep." The old man said. She almost thought she heard disappointment in his tone. She shook the thought away immediately.

"I woke up when the girls did." She lied, focusing on the knots in her hair so she wouldn't have to look him in the eyes.

"I haven't been feeling the greatest this morning." She paused for a moment, then added quickly, "I think I'm just nervous for today."

"I shut my eyes for a minute, and when they opened, I noticed the girls weren't in their beds." She laughed, "I thought for a moment that I was going to be late for school." She glanced back at him with a guilty smile before returning her eyes to her reflection.

"I've made breakfast for you kids!" He announced with a grin. Her chest tightened when he raised his hand, but he only clapped her shoulder. "I thought it would be a nice surprise since you're all starting at that new school today."

"You didn't have to wait for me, I would've been there in my own time." Amelia said, glancing at him. His face was relaxed, but something in his countenance made him seem tense. She looked away as another wave of anxiety flowed through her.

"I wanted us all to sit down and enjoy breakfast together." The silver-haired man replied sheepishly. "It's been a while since we've all sat down and had a meal as a family."

She responded with a strained smile. 

She had never liked family meals. They ended up staying at the table conversing for at least a whole hour after everyone had finished their food, and whenever she would try to disengage, she was called rude, or selfish, or impatient. All because she felt like her projects were more important than idle family chatter. The conversations were stale, always the same, over and over again, work stuff, school stuff, news stuff. Nothing that ever really mattered in the long run.

"Do we have the time for that today?" She asked, glancing at her wrist-watch, 7:20 A.M. "We've got to get to school by eight."

She shrugged off his hand, which had lingered a bit too long. The warmth of his hand raised goosebumps on her cool skin.

His brow furrowed at her actions, but his face cleared quickly. "We'll be fine, there's plenty of time for us to enjoy our breakfasts." He said breezily. He turned to leave and stopped short of his first step.

"Is that red blouse new?" He asked when she thought he was finally going to turn and leave.

"I don't think I've seen you wear it before." He commented nonchalantly, giving her a once over. "It looks really good on you."