The August Project (H.S.)

Chapter One

author's note

welcome to chapter 1!! i'm really excited for this story but you'll have to bear with me as it's my first fic. this is also a bit of a filler chapter just to set the scene etc. the image above is how imagine their lake house, but with the drive leading right up to the house. i really hope you enjoy it and don't forget to vote and comment if you do! much love, bethany x

Augustine

The little white fiat chugged slowly up the drive towards the lake house in the late afternoon sun. With the windows down and radio on, the wind blew through Augustine's hair as she twisted the steering wheel round to guide her little car into the garage to the left of the driveway.

She took a deep breath as she switched off the ignition; she was alone. The last time she'd seen her mother was some months before, and after their argument she was grateful that she was not here at the house. After all, Augustine hadn't told her that she was coming - for all her mother knew, she was staying with Inez in their family's flat in Toulouse. Besides, even if she had told her about her imminent arrival, she doubted her mother would have come to see her anyway.

Inez, her best friend, had become family to Augustine over the past few years: in the wake of her father's death, Augustine's mother had become distant and their relationship strained. More and more of the holidays seemed to be spent on "business trips" all over Europe, but Augustine suspected she just wanted to get away from her daughter.

As she flicked off the radio and opened the car door, the full heat of the sun reached her and she felt herself begin to sweat. Gathering her luggage, she looked up at her family's sprawling lakeside mansion. Just south of Toulouse, the property was her father's pride and joy. Before his death, he and Augustine had spent long hours in the gardens, tending to the flowers and plants which she'd come to know and love.

Her old blue converse slap against the gravel drive as she slowly trudged towards the front door. She adjusted the bunch of keys in her hand to slot the correct key into the door, and as it slips open, the musty cool air of the family home hits her. Smiling softly to herself, she closed the door behind her and shut her eyes for a moment to enjoy the peace she finds in the old house.

Though she was not French herself, Augustine attended a French boarding school in the Aveyron with Inez. Without any siblings, she often felt quite lonely so spent most of her summers in the bustling city where her friend lived after her father's death. However, now she had finished school for the final time, she relished the peace and quiet provided by her childhood home. It would be nice to spend some time alone in the house, without the constant biting of her mother.

Dumping her suitcase and backpack in the hallway, she ran her fingertips along the wall  and climbed the stairs up to the second floor. Swallowing the lump in her throat, childhood memories flooded her mind as she padded across the landing to her bedroom door.

Her room was exactly as she had left it. Looking at herself in the mirror, she tucked her hair behind her ears - it was quite windswept from the journey. She'd always been self conscious about her appearance: he plain brown hair and eyes; her stomach, which point-blanc refused to comply to the beauty standards of those around her; her straight nose...her father had always told her how beautiful she was. But now he was gone, she realised that could never have been the truth. She was so plain and boring.

On the dresser, a faded photograph showed a much younger version of herself in her father's arms, grinning and waving at the camera in childhood joy. She missed those days.

Suddenly, she felt her phone begin to buzz in her back pocket, drawing her out of her trance. She pulled it out to reveal an incoming call from her best friend, Inez.

"Hey Auggie," her friend giggled down the phone, "how's life at the chateau?"

"Don't call me Auggie!" Augustine groaned down the phone, a smile spreading slowly across her cheeks. Inez never failed to make her laugh. "Anyway, the house is fine. I just arrived."

"Good, good," Inez replied, "I got a text from that douche James earlier. Says he wants you to call him. I told him to piss off."

Augustine audibly sighed. James, her ex, would not let her go despite the shitty way he had treated her all year.

"What will it take to get rid of him!" she fumed, pacing up and down her room, "I think I'll just block him at this point."

• • •

In the early hours of the evening, Augustine sat up from her bed and headed downstairs in search of something to eat. After a long phone call with Inez, she felt lighter and happier, excited for her time at the lake house.

In the kitchen, she gazed out the window over the lake. The sun was still high in the sky above the distant mountains and the reeds by the edge of the lake swayed gently in the afternoon breeze.

Rolling up her shirt sleeves, Augustine opened the fridge and surveyed in contents. Unsurprisingly, her mother's frequent absences had caused a lack of groceries and general food to be left behind while she was away, so she opted to grab a beer from one of the higher shelves and search in the freezer for a ready made pizza to cook in the oven.

A small part of her cursed herself for not telling her mother she was going to be staying at the house, but she guessed she could go grocery shopping tomorrow. What's more, she wasn't sure if she had the energy to cook anything more interesting than a ready meal anyway: it had been a good 2 hour drive from her boarding school and she had got up early to drop Inez at the train station in the neighbouring town.

When the pizza was ready, she headed back upstairs with her meal set out on a tray to eat in bed. Carefully placing the tray down on the end of the queen sized bed, she stepped over her kicked off shoes and opened the window wide.

She sat back and surveyed the lake from the comfort of her bed. She'd missed this more than she would care to admit. Moments like these made her think of her father and the night he died.

She shivered, pushing her memories back down to the back of her mind and took a swig of her beer. She needn't think of him. He was gone, and never coming back.

Taking a bite of her pizza, she flicked open her phone to see a new missed call from James. She sighed and clicked open messages to write a new one.

Augustine
It's been 2 months since I broke up with you James. You need to leave me alone now and get on with your life.

Enough was enough. He needed to let it go. Now school was over too, their lives were just beginning. James was a thing of the past.

Reaching into her backpack, she pulled out her laptop to start working on her pre-university project. Ever since she was small, all Augustine had ever wanted to do was draw. Draw, draw, draw. Earlier in the year, she had received early admission into Sorbonne University, and over the next month she had to complete an extended project or study of her choice.

Opening Pinterest, she scrolled down time after time in hope of some inspiration and ideas, but for once, she had nothing. She huffed in frustration, clenching her fists and snapping her laptop shut.

She sighed, leaning back on the headboard and reaching for tv remote. An idea would come to her, she was sure of it. For now, she just needed to relax and enjoy the privacy of the lake house.

Once she had finished her dinner, she changed into her lace pyjamas and climbed under the covers. Still stuck in her worries about her art project, she absentmindedly flicked through show after show on Netflix, before finally settling for one to watch.

While she had no ideas for what her time at the summer house would be like, she pushed her worries to the back of her mind. They were tomorrow's problems. For now, she just had to rest, and soon enough, she was falling asleep.

A/N

hope you enjoyed the first chapter! as i said, it's just a filler chapter to get started off really, but the next chapter should be much more interesting. i'm hoping to have it up by tomorrow! much love, bethany xx