Burrow

California

I was sulking. I liked sulking. Sulking was my pastime.

Well, I hadn't been sulking twenty minutes ago. Those were the good times.

Confused? I'll start from twenty minutes ago.

I was chilling at Starbucks (call me basic, but that would be a lie) and enjoying my Trente sized coffee and huge muffin. I polished it off in three seconds flat and went for another. My friends, Jane and Gina, nibbled at their cake pops. I had skipped lunch, a bad mistake. I had pretty fast metabolism, so I got hungry easily.

I stood on line for what felt like years listening to the harmony that was Starbucks; grinding the beans, the light froth that filled hot cups; the clunky noises of the whisks, the man that sat down in a heavy trench coat that crinkled against the dark stained wood of the tall stools.

Finally, the barista took my order. She was fair skinned, with black eyeliner and lipstick to match.

"Can I have a blueberry muffin please?" I asked politely. She rolled her eyes, but got me one. As I took the crumbly treat, I noticed that her ears were oddly pointed. My parents would say she was an elf. And the sad part was that they wouldn't be kidding.

So, I sat back down with my friends, and Gina told us about how she was wearing a teal dress to the school end of year dance that was next week, and the pros and cons of wearing heels.

"Like, I want to get some height, but what if I tripped while dancing! What a nightmare! And flats are soooo comfortable, but heels make my legs super lean. What do you think, Nell?" She asked me.

"Go for the flats. Junior prom next year is when you really need to wear heels, and you have plenty of time to practice stuff like not falling before then. Plus, you have the cutest pair of flats anyways! They're so nice. Be comfortable." I advised. I hoped I would be there.

"What are you wearing?" Jane asked.

"I haven't gotten my dress yet. I looked everywhere, but I can't find anything! I don't want it to be too long or too short, but just right, you know? Like yellow makes me look so sallow, but red is like overkill. Ugh, so frustrating!" The truth was that I could have any dress I wanted. But I always got my dress the night before an event, because my family moved so much, that we never knew when we would have to pack our bags and leave.

I had been in California for the past eleven months, and this was the first place I had ever fit in. I had made friends. I had never stayed anywhere longer except Cincinnati and I had never been happier.

Why did my family move so much? Well, they would say it was a part of their trade.

"Omg, green would look awesome with your hair and skin. Get a green dress." Gushed Jane.

"No! I would look like a Christmas tree!" I gasped. My auburn hair had been the source of much disappointment in my life. My own mother hated it because the Karter family trademark was jet black locks. I had cursed recessive genes since I was ten and Taylor Torrelli bullied me on the playground.

"You wouldn't! Come on, Nelly!" Whined Jane. I really would. If Jane had seen my family picture from two years ago, she would have agreed with me.

BUZZ! BUZZ!

I fished around in my blue cross body bag for my sleek silver smart phone before it went to message. My bag was coated in tubes of lip gloss, sheets of homework and wrapped Luna bars. It was a on the final ring when I hit answer.

It was my mother.

"Hi, honey!" She said cheerfully. I groaned internally.

"Hey mom," I said casually.

"Nell, I have some great news! We have a lead-" but the connection went fuzzy, and the call ended abruptly.

"Who was that?" Gina asked.

"My mom, probably getting some magical dish cleaning fluid." Mom loved clean dishes. Our houses were always messy, but the dishes sparkled.

"Kay. Nelly, do you want to go shopping with us tomorrow for the dance? Maybe you'll find the perfect dress there! And shoes, and a clutch, and makeup! Omg there's so much to do, it's almost as stressful as finals!" Gina giggled. My muffin was finished, and I dumped the napkin in the recycling bin. If there is one thing I leaned from my Dad, it's that saving the environment helps us all.

BUZZ! BUZZ!

My phone went off again. I reluctantly answered it.

"Mom? I'm with friends." I told her.

"Honey, I have great news! I'm sorry that the line broke up before, but I wanted to tell you that your father and I have a real, solid lead! Isn't that wonderful? We haven't got one for quite some time, have we?"

"Mom, that's really cool! What is it?" Mom had dealt with a lot of crazy things in her life time, and most jobs didn't exactly pan out.

"Wood sprites, attacking an elderly mans tree! He lives off the grid though, so-"

"Wait, are you saying what I think you're saying? We're moving again? Can't this wait until after the dance? This is really important to me!" I snapped. I couldn't believe that right now, we had to leave California. I had friends here!

"Is that a problem? You know our job doesn't wait. If we don't move by Friday, someone else will snatch a job like this up in a minute!"

"Where are we moving? Please mom, please say that it's only two blocks from here and I can still go to the school and the dance and stuff. And it has to have a Starbucks. These are necessities. I can't move to a place without coffee." I informed her.

"It's Connecticut, and don't worry, we won't live in the woods. There's a Starbucks just a half hour away."

"Mom, we can't do this! Sometimes I want to be part of a normal family! Please!" I hung up, and said goodbye to my friends forever. We hugged and Gina sobbed.

"Bye guys." I managed to choke out.

"Oh, Nell, why do you have to move?!" Jane cried. I shook my head like I was incompetent. Now my eyes had sprung a leak.

No one questioned it when I ran out of Starbucks, leaving my half drunken coffee at the table, tears streaming down my face.

If my parents weren't the most famous paranormal activity chasers around, I wouldn't have been sulking at all.