A Ship Without Sails

Chapter 4

She broke her own law of getting up at seven each morning. It wasn't that she simply had slept in later-- she was up at seven. She just stayed in her bed until 9:30, when everyone else was hustling around.

"Shayyyna," Daisy shouted from the top of the stairs, "Mom says you gotta come down."

"Mmf," was Shayna's muffled reply, buried under her blankets. After a few seconds, she threw off her covers and winced at the sunlight streaming in through the window. "Ugh," she groaned, slipping out of her bed, "I don't wanna go to this cookout."

The cookout was going to be at 2 PM, but the Blackburns would arrive early to help set up. Subconsciously aware that her sisters were dressing to impress, Shayna slipped into a tribal patterned sundress made of a light, summery fabric. It's bright pinks, purples, oranges, and yellows made her skin glow and her eyes brighter.

Dashing down the stairs, she finger-combed her hair and grabbed a toaster waffle from the freezer.

"What took you so long? Normally you're up at the crack of dawn," Kerry asked in a voice that stated she didn't really care.

"I was tired," Shayna lied, faking a yawn. In reality, she just hadn't wanted to see her sisters in a frenzy over something a lame as a cookout.

"Girls, help me make a shopping list for the food," Mr. Blackburn ordered, getting out a piece of paper. Shayna was the only one to obey him while Kerry and Daisy scurried away upstairs.

Mr. Blackburn sighed and said to Shayna, "Go on upstairs. You're always working harder."

"Thanks, Dad," Shayna replied, already turning away. She went up to her room, then hesitated at the doorway.

"Hey, Daisy, do you want help, like, getting ready?" Shayna entered her older sister's room with caution.

"Get out!" Daisy shrieked. Her wavy, dusty brown hair whipped around her face. Two pieces of it from the front were twirled and tied in the back, drawing them away from her face. Her hazy green eyes were lined with pitch black mascara and eyeliner, and her lips were a bright cranberry pink. She was standing in front of her bed, which was covered with dresses.

"Woah," Shayna breathed in awe, "I didn't even know you had this many dresses."

"Yeah, well, I can't find one. MOM," Daisy yelled, raising her voice, "WHERE'S THAT DRESS I WORE THE OTHER WEEK? THE LIGHT GREEN ONE?"

Shayna decided to leave her sister to sort it out. She ducked into Kerry's room.

"Hey, Kerry, can I help?" she asked slowly.

"Yeah, what do you think of this?" Kerry spun around, showing off the Kelly Green dress she was wearing. It brought more attention to her startlingly bright green eyes and curly brown hair's natural gold highlights than the striking features already did on their own. The dress was a simple one, with a flared skater skirt and the top like a tee-shirt, stretched tautly across her chest.

"Y-You look great," Shayna stammered. "You, uh, you sure that that's the best look for today?"

"What?" Kerry batted her thickly mascara-coated eyelashes coyly. She glanced at the length of the skirt and neckline. "Oh, whatever. It's kinda hot today."

"What's with you guys and green?" Shayna wondered aloud. "Both you and Daisy are wearing it."

Kerry's green eyes darkened with anger. "Oh, really? Well, maybe I should have a chat with her."

Kerry stomped across the hall into her sister's room, leaving Shayna alone. Sighing, she went back to her own room, resisting the urge to bury her face in her pillows and scream.

Instead, she read until her parents called her and her sisters down to go to Potomac Overlook. It was a stampede of perfume and makeup as Kerry and Daisy pushed and shoved to get to the car first.

Shayna sighed for the five hundredth time that morning. She glanced at herself in her mirror, finger combed her hair once more, then ran out.