White Lies and Music Notes

Chapter Three

Waking up the next morning gave me the biggest fright of my life. I had never had a dog before and being woken by one that was covering your face in drool, wasn't very appealing to me. Neither was seeing a stuffed moose head screwed to the wall just above my head, looking like it would fall in any second.

I rolled out of bed and slipped my feet into my soft warm slippers. I took in a deep breath, smelling my new surroundings. I smelled wood. Paint. I think I also smelled a hint of some cinnamon or something that reminded me of Christmas. And I smelled pancakes.

Pancakes! I LOVE PANCAKES!

I jumped up and ran out the door, running to get some pancakes, but I stopped dead in my tracks as I saw the maze of doors and corridors in front of me. What the actual hell? How was I meant to find the kitchen from here? I looked out of the window. I was at least two floors high. Find the stairs, I told myself. Find the stairs.

After about five minutes of wandering around the house, I walked into a room. I think it was a study as there was a computer and loads of paper-work. There where pictures on the mantelpiece, and I went to investigate. I gasped when I realised what the pictures were of.

Me.

I know. I guess it isn't such a big deal. But seriously? My Aunt has never ONCE in her life spoken to me, and yet, all this time she had - what - ten, twenty, thirty pictures of me right from when I was a baby, to my 14th Birthday. But the worst part was - she was on one of them. She was there in the picture of me on my 3rd Birthday. She was there. And yet I didn't ever remember. How weird is that?

So much for 'not knowing I existed'. I can't believe I actually believed her when she told me she didn't know she had a niece and that she was so happy to have finally met me. Gaaaa! To think she was lying to me all this time.

I finally found the kitchen in a foul mood. Not only had I woken up with dog slobber over my face, but I took twenty minutes to find the kitchen and I found out that she has been in my life this whole time and I didn't even know! I felt such a fool. Even Pancakes couldn't cheer me up.

"Oh dear. Who's in a bad mood today?" Aunt Caroline said.

"Well who do you think?" I said. "The moon?"

"Yep, definitely needs cheering up. Want a pancake?" I nodded in agreement. "Chocolate spread, jam or cinnamon?"

"Cinnamon." I grumbled.

"Cinnamon, PLEASE." She corrected me while finishing the pancake. "After breakfast I have to give you a tour of the house, I would have done it last night, but you were asleep so I just carried you to your room." That explains why I don't remember this place at all!

"Yeah," I yawned, "That would be nice. I got a little lost coming down this morning."

"I thought you might. So did Nemo wake you up?"

"Huh?" Who was Nemo.

"My dog?" She said gesturing to the big German Shepard sitting next to the aga.

"Ah right. Yes, he did." Nemo. What a cute name!

"She." That made me laugh.

"Oh right, sorry." I giggled. How the hell did she cheer me up so quickly. It wasn't like she'd said anything remarkably clever of funny, was it?

"And tomorrow you've got to repack all your stuff to get ready for school. Remember, I will see you every weekend, but apart from that, your alone!" I shivered. Images of midnight feasts and movie nights filled my mind.

Wichita Mountain Boarding School, here I come!