Eternal Veil

Chapter 1

Arlington, VA
August 23, 2023

1 more day. A mere 24 hours before I leave behind everything I've ever known and move more than 4100 miles away to a place where I know nothing and no one. Tomorrow, I leave for the University of London to study journalism. Up until recently, this plan to attend school in England has been my ultimate dream. But now that it's becoming real, I'm not sure how to feel about it. Not only am I saying goodbye to Virginia, a place I've lived my whole life, but I'm also leaving behind my Aunt Lyndsey.

My aunt is practically an angel on earth, the closest thing to a parent figure that I've ever known. She took me in with open arms after mom died, becoming my sole provider and biggest supporter. She's never had any children, nor did she marry, so I'd like to think that my sudden company filled a gap in her heart that she may not have noticed she had.

So here I sit on my bedroom floor; 1 day before I leave, surrounded by empty boxes, clothes coating the floor, and my belongings scattered absolutely everywhere.

"Eleanor! You have someone here to see you!", my aunt shouted up at me.

I stand up and take one last look at the natural disaster that swept through my room; this is definitely a problem for later. I head down the carpeted stairs, feeling a strange nostalgia for their absence in my near future. I glance at the picture frames on the wall, all showcasing our little family of 2. Before I can turn the corner to the kitchen, Alice practically tackles me with a hug.

"Something to remember me by." She hands me a small box.

"Ali, I'm moving to London not to Outer Space." Even though it surely felt like that was where I was headed.

"Oh just shut up and open it!"

I untie the perfectly tied bow, open the box, and inside lay a golden locket with a cursive E engraved on the front. Inside, the clasps hold a picture of us from several summers ago at the Outer Banks, sprawled on the sand with our crispy ocean hair slicked back. Pure bliss.

I hold the locket close to my heart and smile.

"You have no idea how much this means to me."

She punches my arm and laughs saying, "Okay enough sappiness, what are we doing on our LAST night living 2 minutes away from each other?"

I think back to the disaster that is my room, but brush off that thought. A problem for later, right?

"I have a few ideas."

Driving down the freeway, I take in everything around me for one last time. Maybe I'm making this move too big of a deal. As I told Alice earlier, I'm just moving to London. But it's not the distance that's making me feel uneasy; it's the fact that I don't know when I'll be back home. Money is tight for my Aunt Lyndsey, so as much as she would love to, she can't afford to fly me back and forth from London for holidays, nor can she afford a plane ticket to visit me herself. When the responsibility of basically becoming my parent fell in her lap, she wasn't exactly in a financially sound place. Yet, she took me under her wing, found a job within days, and managed well ever since. Although money has gotten better, there just isn't enough in the budget for a flight back until next summer.

"Hello? Where are we going?"

I snap out of my inner dialogue and realize I took the wrong exit. "Shit, sorry."

"You good? You've been head-in-the-clouds all night."

I take a deep breath, but can feel the tears begin to well in my eyes. "I just- I'm not sure about this whole London thing anymore."

Alice looks over at me, concern etched on her face. "What do you mean?"

I pull into the nearest gas station lot and put the car in park. I attempt to steady my racing thoughts, but instead blurt out everything that has been brewing in my mind these past few days. "I don't want to leave you. I don't want to leave Lyndsey or my sisters. I don't want to pack up my entire life and move 4000 miles away from everyone and everything I love."

Alice remains silent, giving me the space to speak.

"I thought I wanted this," I continue, my voice breaking, "but now that it's becoming so real I don't know how to feel."

Alice takes both of my hands in hers. "It's scary El, I get it. But think of everything you're going to experience, think of how proud we all are of you for breaking out of this Virgina shell." She pauses, tears now forming in her own eyes. "How proud your mom would be."

I nod, desperately trying to fight back the tears threatening to spill over.

"Consider yourself lucky for moving, cause guess where I'm headed? The same place everyone else is going– along with you know who." She mimics a throwing up motion.

I let out a laugh, a few tears breaking free.

"Heard from him lately?", she asks, the mood noticeably shifting.

I shrug.

She narrows her eyes and raises an eyebrow at me. "So yes?"

I give her a defeated half-smile that tells her all she needs to know.

"He apologized." Alice scoffs. "But I never responded. I just can't."

"Well let's hope he takes the hint." I nod in agreement.

We sit quietly for a minute, not once feeling the crushing weight that's sometimes felt from silence, but rather a shared acknowledgment of one another. The fleeting time we have together.

Alice breaks the silence with a sigh."McNells?"

I put the car back in drive and we head towards our very favorite place: McNell's Ice Cream Parlor. 

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ah! first chapter done! next chapter will hopefully be out very soon and much longer <33333