A Thist For Trouble

Chapter One

Changes can be like fairytale characters: some changes are beautiful, perfect, and dreamlike, while some changes are wicked, cruel, and heartbreaking.
       But, some evil characters can evolve into something more beautiful than ever before. 

I'm not ready. But then again, when is anyone ready for a change bigger than life itself?
A change to life itself?

    I step out into the walkway out of gate 13B, my blue eyes darting frantically, taking in all of my surroundings.
I glance down at my ticket to see if I got the right flight and time;
Lia Stylark, gate 13B.
From: Lexington, Kentucky
To: Trixor, Colorado.
     I scoff in amusement. It seems as if my hometown is giving me away to a whole other place as a gift. I mean, I would, too.
Unless the clock on the wall and the signs in the pickup area are wrong, I got the right flight and time. So where is the beloved family friend, Rob?
    I look around and see a man wearing a black suit and tie, with blonde hair and deep purple eyes striding towards me. I look around, trying to find a place to run when the man laughs.
"It's okay, Lia," the man chuckles. "It's me, Uncle Rob."
I sigh in relief as my presumed "uncle" wraps me in a hug, trying to ease his laughter. He's not actually my uncle, but he's close enough to be considered one.
"Did you have a good flight?" he asks, smiling down at me.
I nod, tucking a stray strand of my black hair behind my ear.
"Yeah, it was fine."
  Uncle Rob smiles gingerly. "Quinn and Cami wanted to come, but they had some last-minute things to take care of before school started up."
    I remember the last time I saw them. It was when we were about ten or eleven. I wonder how much they've changed since then. "How are they?" I ask.
Uncle Rob sighs. "Well, they're teenagers. I don't even know these days," he chuckles. "Let's go grab your luggage."
I don't bother telling Uncle Rob that I barely have anything anymore or reminding him why. I just follow him through the airport, looking around at my surroundings.
    The place is nicer than I thought a Colorado airport would be like. The floors are nice and shiny, and the benches are clean, too. The small restaurants are lively with customers, the sound of the P.A. crackling in and out.
        We come up to the luggage conveyor belt and wait for my suitcase to come around.
Once I see it, I grab my zebra print bag and set it up to roll out.
"The car's out in the lot," Uncle Rob says.
I smile up at him and follow out into the little city outside.
        
       
        I stare out the window of Uncle Rob's three-year old black Volvo, my head leaning back against the beige leather seats as the car speeds down the highway. Uncle Rob looks at me from the rearview mirror with those purple contacts of his. I don't know why he chooses purple of all colors for his contacts, but I don't think about it too much.
"You okay, kiddo?" Uncle Rob asks.
I turn my head ever to look at him, my black hair falling softly over my shoulders. I look at him, my blue eyes scanning every tiny feature of his complexion. His blonde hair, his purple eyes, his faint wrinkles, and nod.
"Yeah. I'm alright."
  Uncle Rob smiles and turns his attention back to the road.
I turn back to look out the window and see a small herd of deer on the side of the road. Five of them. I feel a lump in my throat and a tear run down my cheek as the car swooshes past the herd of deer.
    
      After about half an hour of driving later, the only sound coming from the faint Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" playing on the radio, Uncle Rob pulls into the roundabout driveway of what seems to be a castle. Large oakwood trees blow in the cool late July breeze in the front yard, a forest forms a wall-like formation in the distance of the very large fenced in backyard, with a large blue-gray stable with a black roof, a round-pen, two more pastures lined up against the trees, fencing in a few different horses, who picked up their heads from grazing to watch the approaching vehicle.
        I stare out the window at the castle. It has stairs at the front leading up to large oak doors, stone walls, and large stained and regular glass windows everywhere. Must get a lot of sunlight then.
    Uncle Rob parks the Volvo and turns in his seat to look at me.
"Welcome," he says, smiling. "To your new home, Lia."
So this is Uncle Rob's estate then. Very fancy. Very big. It's much bigger than my old home in Kentucky.
I raise my eyebrows in surprise. "This is your house?" I say, gaping.
I had been told that Uncle Rob owned two online shopping sites, but I hadn't expected this.
         Uncle Rob seemed to appear out of thin air as he opens my door, closing it once I'm out of the Volvo.
"No," he says, which makes me concerned, at least until he smiles and says, "it's your home now, too."
I smile.
         Uncle Rob makes his way to the trunk and starts to unload my very little luggage. I, not wanting him to have the privilege of taking all of my bags at once, grab what was left out of the trunk.
Uncle Rob follows me up the stairs leading to the doors and opens them for me as I make my way up.
     
          Looking at the inside of Uncle Rob's mansion, I immediately feel small.
I feel like a damn mouse in a forest. Smaller than my surroundings, vulnerable. The inside is so much nicer than the outside. Two wooden staircases lead into an arch above a hallway up ahead, and red carpet covers the staircases. The walls are a warm, welcoming buttercup yellow, an enormous crystal chandelier hangs from the ceiling, large, clear floor-to-ceiling windows cover the wall on each side of the doors that my uncle and I just walked through.
          Seeing Uncle Rob walk up one of the glossy wooden staircases, I scramble up to follow suit, not wanting to get lost.
I take note of all my surroundings, taking in every beautiful detail. There's tapestries of all different kinds of predators lining the walls; lions, tigers, bears, wolves, foxes, and all sorts of big cats and predators.
      As I follow Uncle Rob into one of the many hallways, I gaze at the suits of armor lining the walls. Stained glass floor-to-ceiling windows let in so much sunlight, I'm considering tanning in the hallways. A deep red carpet runs along the floor, making me feel like a model.       Large red curtains are pulled back, letting the sunlight in through the windows. The glossy chestnut floorboards are so clean that I see my reflection and paintings of knights and their horses, castles, kings and queens, and other royalty themes line the walls.
        Eventually, Uncle Rob stops in front of an oakwood door. It has a plaque reading: Lia Stylark in fine script font. In gold.
"This is your room. I hope it's alright," says my uncle.
I peek into my new...room?
It doesn't seem like a room at all. In fact, it's so huge, I think Uncle Rob had made a mistake and showed me one of his master bedrooms.
"Are you sure?"
     I wait for him to realize, but he just smiles down at me. I realize that this is actually my room. It has my name on it, anyway. It's very large. It's twice the size of my living room back home. The walls are a light sky blue, with canvases of beautiful art lining along them, built in white shelves cover what isn't already covered in a canvas, more floor-to-ceiling windows, a balcony outside through a large sliding glass door, and the king size four-poster bed has a Capri blue satin duvet and sheets, comforter, and dark blue curtains hanging from all four posters. I widen my eyes in shock. This is my room? I carry my bag into the room and run my hand through the silky bedding. Double doors are across from my bed, and I open them to find a huge walk-in closet with shelves of shoes like Sneakers, high heels, ballet flats, slippers, pumps, and boots.
        Two dressers have a plaque above them, one reading Pajamas and the other reading Clothes, with plaques on each drawer reading things like shirts, jeans, leggings, pajama tops, pajama bottoms, socks, underwear, bras. Thankfully, the last two drawers are empty. I turn to Uncle Rob, who has suddenly become interested in the door handle, face tomato red. I laugh.
      Dresses hang up throughout the closet along with many different skirts. My eyes widen for what feels like the thousandth time today. Uncle Rob appears beside me.
"Um, Lucy picked out the dresses and skirts. I can take them back if you'd like," he says, scratching his head.
"I love them," I say, feeling the smooth material in my fingers.
     I walk out of the closet to another set of double doors that lead into a large suite bathroom. It has a large bathtub with jets and a double sink with copper faucets. A large shower with a built-in seat and shelf with shampoo, conditioner, body, and face wash is tucked into the corner of the bathroom, and large toiletry cabinets line the wall with mirrors built into them.
      I walk back into my room to see Uncle Rob in the doorway, eyes searching for anything that indicates that I hate it. I love it. I look at Uncle Rob. "Thank you," I say, and I feel a lump in my throat as I walk up to him and give him a hug, tears rolling down my cheeks. Uncle Rob strokes my hair. "No," he says, squeezing me. "No. Don't cry, Lia. Don't cry. It's the very least I could do."
     I pull back and wipe my nose. Uncle Rob wipes the tears off my face and kisses my forehead. I sniffle and wipe my nose again. He looks so happy that I like the room.
He lets me go and looks around, scratching his head. "I'll, um, let you get settled in, then," he says, setting my suitcase in my closet. I nod my thanks again. Uncle Rob smiles at me once more before he closes the door behind him.
     I look at my bed and decide to try it out. I kick off my black and white Converse and lay down in the bed, sighing as my body touches with the smooth material. I sit up and perch against my pillows. I live here now. It's been so long since I last visited. I was only eight years old. 
Now, seven years later, I begin to remember everything. I used to always slide down the glossy floorboards on my socks and watch My Little Pony in the theater with Cami, I used to go deer-searching in the woods with Quinn and my parents, and Uncle Rob took me and my siblings to the large creek to swim with him and Cami and Quinn.
A lump forms in my throat as the last thought comes to my head. I miss them. If only they hadn't been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I wipe a tear from my eyes before I break again.
       I get up and begin to unpack my suitcase and put my clothes away.
I sift through my little belongings, finding a picture of me and my best friends, Roxy and Penny. Roxy's reddish-brown hair gleams in the sunlight, her freckles seeming to dance around her gorgeous green eyes. Penny's blue eyes reflect the sun, her long blonde hair blowing in the wind. I let a tear drip down my cheek, just this once, before I put the framed photo on top of my white nightstand.
    
      
     Once I'm finished, I head downstairs to find my uncle. I look at all of the paintings on my way as well as the tapestries. I wonder why my uncle loves the royal stuff so much. I make a mental note to ask him later as I head down the stairs.
    I peer into the dining room. The long table reminds me of a Hogwarts House table.
Not here.
     I walk down the hallway into the living room. My, it's large. It's ten times the size of my old living room, with two L-shaped couches in the corners to my right and three straight couches on the wall in front of me. A very large flat-screen is mounted on the wall, with a just as large fireplace beneath. Gaming consoles like Xbox and PlayStation sit on the mantel, controllers lined on top of their rightful console.
   Not here, either.
I walk out, and a door slightly open catches my attention. I make my way over and peer inside. There, my uncle is typing what seems to be a registration form on his three screen monitor. I knock.
     Uncle Rob swivels around in his chair, a startled look on his face. He blinks, and the look disappears as soon as it comes, replaced by a warm one.
"Hey, Lia," he says, smiling. I wave.
"I just registered you for school. You're in the ninth grade, right?"
I nod. "Yeah. Same as Cami."
My uncle smiles. "Good. Because I can't take it back if I was wrong."
"That," I say, laughing. "would be bad."
Uncle Rob nods, laughing.
     I look around the office. There are mahogany hutches with trophies lined along the wall to my left, a black desk where my uncle now sits at the back of the spacious room, and a few windows looking out at a pond at the side of the house to my left.
     "So," I say, playing with my hair. "Where's Quinn and Cami?"
Uncle Rob smiles. "They're upstairs in their rooms. They're on the floor above yours."
I nod. "Thanks!" I call behind my shoulder as I dash back up the stairs.