Silent Springs {GirlxGirl}

01: intro

{ "A simple rose can be my garden... A simple friend can be my world" - Leo Buscaglia }

Maeve Rivers; "the poor soul who almost lost her life in a shooting" .

Maeve starred at the glazed windows, watching the scenery fly by as the rented car sped through a flower valley. She couldn't help but pull out her professional camera and take a blurred picture of the view, she knew she was never going to share it with anyone or anything but the sketch pad wedged between her thighs.

"Are you excited for Colorado, dear?" her mother's light English voice pierced through the comfortable silence that had previously filled the car. Maeve starred at her mother momentarily then nodded, her thin lips stretching into a forced smile. She enjoyed silence, it wasn't necessarily an escape for her from reality, it was more of a consoler, to keep her company, though she would be alone, Maeve, as sadistic as it sounds, enjoyed the loneliness.

The young girl rested her friend on the frame of the car window and absentmindedly flipped through the pages of her sketch pad, almost all the pages were filled; some with little scribbles here and there, others with actual drawing and sketches that she had made. No one really knew about the girls undying love for art and photography other than her parents, her previous art teacher and her deceased best friend.

She didn't mind it though, she liked being able to have a hidden talent. She stopped at a page with two figures drawn in coal overlooking a darkened night sky. She let her slender fingers run around the outline of the two female silhouettes not minded the little marks of coal being dusted on her skin. One girl had her arm slung around the others shoulder as what seemed to be chatter escaped her dark lips. A small smile found it's way onto the girls lips as she remembered drawing it some months ago in her little bedroom back in London.

Maeve soon let her attention drift away from the book pressed against her jean clothed lap though. Soon enough, the van had stopped in front of a gate. She let her mind be brought back to reality as she read the sign and sighed quietly to herself. She felt a little hand rest on her arm and took it to be her older brother who had been sat next to her listening to music and sleeping the whole ride. The age difference between the two was a year, so they got on quiet well, not to mention how well Jamie knew his sister, there was a possiblitiy that he knew her better than she knew herself. She let her gaze land on his and she smiled warmly at him, silently reassuring him that she was okay. He soon lifted his hand from her arm, his dark green eyes, darkening slightly at her reassuring gesture.

Nothing was ever needed to be said when it came to conversation between the pair, Maeve's small gestures were enough for him. Maeve let her gaze wander around her new surrounding, the estate that she would soon be forced to register as her home, more than a thousand miles from her best friend's gravestone, the realisation caused the girl to sigh again, this time even deeper.

Maeve ran a hand through her thick blond hair as she pushed herself up from her seat and bounced out the car, stopping to take in a full view of her new home. She was soon greeted with a warm, appreciated hug, she slowly wrapped her long arms around the body that belonged to her father who had left London a week earlier than the rest to get everything sorted for the new house.

"You can head up to your room, love. I will bring your bags up for you. It's on the second floor on the first corridor to the right. Oh and your room door has your name on a post-it note on it, so it shouldn't be too hard to find" her father informed her, a soft smile on his lips.

Maeve smiled warmly at her father as she nodded, her right hand gripping tightly onto the leather handle of her satchel. She didn't move from her spot though, she took in the exterior of the house, she noticed how mordern the house seemed to be with white as the main outside wall coverings and stone effects dotted on the walls. The house reminded her of some designs she had seen in hollywood movies the only difference was the lack of palm trees in the neighbourhood. Vibrant plants dotted the walls of the house, she let her hand run over the closest plant as she started walking towards the door.

As she made her way deeper into the house, she could tell her mother had much to do with the choosing of the furniture as almost everything was either wooden or marble. The white walls enchanced the natural sun light that seeped in through the many french windows around the walls she had passed. Maeve couldn't help but let her gaze drop on the family pictures that lined the walls. She couldn't help but smile at a few of the memories. Maeve soon came up to a new corridor with the words 'Jamie and Maeve's room' with an arrow on a bit of paper. She followed the sign into the corridor and just like her dad her told her, she found a door with her name on it.

Her first impressions of her new room were neutral as she walked in, it reminded her much of her old room in London. White walls with a few drawings here and there, a bookshelf pressed against the wall beside her new bed. A white wardrobe with two full length mirrors on the door. At the corner of the room there was a table with the surface tilted upwards and a lavender lamp beside it and a little lavender bin on the other side of the table. A window was placed right above the table and the view from it were hills. Maeve also noticed how there was a couch placed before the wall mounted television in the room. The room was the remake of her old room in London, the only difference was the newer furniture.

Maeve silently dropped her bag on the ground, she carefully rested her sketch pad on an unoccupied part of the bookshelf then went over to the table and slipped her wornout converses off as she peacefully starred out the window, taking in the breath taking view of her back garden.

There was a soft knock on the door before it was pushed open revealing her older brother wearing a different outfit. "Hey" he greeted her casually as he took in her room. He took a step further into her room, two lavender suitcases in tow behind him, inside those suitcases were all her personal belongings from her most treasured art supplies to her favorite clothing items. She smiled at him momentarily before speaking up, "Where are you headed to?". Her soft but curious voice shocked him because he looked up at her before looking back at the mounted television.

"Mum and I are going to find a shop close to Asda, she said she needs some stuff" he informed her and she nodded her head in response. "I love how quiet this neighbourhood is" Maeve commented returning her gaze to the window.

"Yeah, me too. You might want to start on decorating the room. You only have a few more weeks before you have to start school" he informed her as he sauntered over to the spot beside her, letting his hands lazily rest upon the wooden table. Maeve didn't respond. "Don't be worried, love. You're going to do just fine. You literally just have a session left before you're out of high school completely. I know you'll survive, love" he added and squeezed her arm tightly before turning around an making his way towards the door he had entered through.

"What if I don't?" Maeve croaked, hesitation and pain present in her voice but her eyes held no emotion other than worry and desperation. An emotion she had only shown behind closed doors, and only to Jamie. "Well you will. You've been surviving for the past three years. And I am sure as hell not going to let you give up on yourself" he said firmly, seriousness laced in his voice and in his dimmed green eyes.

She turned to her older brother who quickly moved over to her and pressed her into a gentle hug. The duo stood, Jamie rubbing calming patterns into his little sisters back until her heavy breathing had calmed down, he finally spoke up; his voice serious but shaky, "That's what you are, Maeve. You're a survivor"

{ authors note: yes, there are going to be quotes at the beginning of each chapter, because I love searching for them. The end is shaky I know. I do hope this was a good first chapter, it might take a few more days or so before the next update, plotting and planning for this is well overdue, comment/like/fan; do whatever, just remember I love you and I have cupcakes weyhey right? }