Reborn

Chapter Three

When Lia closed the door of the bedroom she awoke in, she was in awe of her surroundings. The place was like a mansion; the walls were white with paintings hanging upon them, statues were placed in random spots, and candelabras were occupying the rich cabinets that lined the halls. It wasn't difficult for her to find the staircase which lead to wherever dinner was, as she heard a light chatter emerging from the floor below. She found herself at the entry of what seemed to be a dining hall.

And when she said hall, she meant hall. The room was glorious; it was splashed in golden light and filled with warm bodies and voices. There sat a long dining table in the center of the room, decorated with bowls full of fruit and plates of meat and vegetables. The 'feast' seemed to have already begun.

The room fell silent when everybody noticed that Lia was standing at the doors. She felt as if she were suddenly thrown back into her school hallways, when everybody went silent as they stared at the bruises on her face and her body. But this time, there were no bruises to be gawked at. Just a new girl, a stranger in this 5-star home.

Next came the whispers. People of all ages filled the chairs around the table, huddled in small groups of their own. There was a small amount of elderly and middle aged people. There were more teenagers and young adults than any, and there were about 10 children that seemed to be under the age of 12. It appeared that they were sorted by ages along the table. Closest to the door were the little kids, then the teenagers, then the younger adults and then the old people. And they all had their eyes on her. Every single one of them.

"Lia," greeted a familiar voice. Lucy stood up from the head of the table, her head held high as she toasted a glass of wine in Lia's direction. "Welcome."

"Hi," Lia squeaked.

Chuckles broke from the teenagers, causing Lia to become incredibly nervous. Lucy moved from her position at the table to meet Lia, holding out her hand to shake Lia's yet again.

She extended her palm, and she was lead to a seat amongst the older teenagers and young adults.

"We kept a seat unoccupied amongst our youth for you, Lia. And as for you lot – please, make her feel at home," Lucy smiled warmly at Lia as she spoke to the group sitting down. "I will make a speech before desert comes to welcome our newest member. Enjoy your meal, Lia."

And with that, Lucy was off to reclaim her seat at the head of the table.

Lia stood awkwardly for a moment, waiting for somebody to gesture for her to sit.

Finally, somebody spoke. "Lia, was it?"

She looked down to the person that acknowledged her. He was a big guy, and not the overweight kind. His muscles were huge. Was this guy even human?

"Yeah. I'm Lia."

"Awesome. My name is Alex. You gonna sit?"

She observed the way Alex presented himself. He seemed confident and well mannered. Perhaps he grew up in a rich family. He seemed to be the leader of the group of people sitting around him. The seat available was the one directly across from him. Figures.

Lia scoffed to herself and sat down, only to be washed over with a wave of anxiety. It felt like she was surrounded by her school peers, being judged and tormented all over again. Memories of the past flooded her mind, though she shook her head as if to abandon them.

"So, is your name short for something?" Alex asked her.

She hesitated, everybody watching her, waiting for an answer. She didn't want these people to know her full name. "No."

He nodded, returning to his meal, along with everybody else.

There was an empty plate sitting in front of her. It was white and porcelain, surrounded with all sorts of golden cutlery. Wait, hang on. Golden? How rich is this chick? Lia thought to herself. She began to pile her plate with food. Pork, chicken, beef, grapes, salads and a bread roll. Her stomach rumbled, and she dug into her food.

A light dinging interrupted the friendly chatter. Lia turned her head to discover where the noise was coming from. It was Lucy, holding a crystal glass in her hand, her nail tapping against it to request everybody's attention to her.

"As you all know, we have a newly found member among us tonight," Lucy began, hushing everybody's whispers. "This person has come from a very, very dark background. When I saw her in an alleyway a couple of nights ago, instinct kicked in. She was shivering, covered in bruises and blood. The day after, I kept an eye on her. Watched her go to school. Her injuries were invisible. Her hair became luscious. She became who she was meant to be,"

Everybody cheered. Lia didn't know what emotion she was meant to feel: irritation towards Lucy because was telling everyone about her life story, embarrassment because everyone knew it was about her, or relief because now she didn't have to explain who she was.

"Now, this girl's name is Lia. She is now a part of our family. I say that we show her what she deserves: a loving, loyal, protective and caring family. Please, everybody, welcome Lia!"

Applause erupted from the room, coming from all around her. She couldn't help but begin crying, but not of sadness. She cried of happiness. These people didn't even know her, but they welcomed her in her home with loving arms.

"Hey, hon," a slim arm wrapped around Lia's shoulders. "It's okay to cry. You've got us now."

Lia looked at the girl whose arm was around her. She was beautiful. "Thank you."

"You're welcome sweetie," the girl smiled. She had long, wavy white blonde hair and green eyes. Her skin was flawless; it had no markings, apart from sun kissed freckles here and there. And her accent was hard to decipher, but her voice was light and sweet. "I'm Alice. I'm Australian, if you're trying to figure out my accent."

Lia laughed nervously and nodded. "Yeah, you got me."

Alex chimed into the conversation. "And Alice, is my half sister. We've got different moms. Her mom was Australian, mine, American."

"And our dad is English. What a variety, eh?" Alice ogled.

"So... If you don't mind me asking... Which one is your dad with now?" Lia asked out of curiosity.

"Well, technically, none. They're both dead," a new voice became a part of the conversation.

"And that's my cue. I'm going for a run," Alice rolled her eyes and huffed, getting out of her chair.

The person who said the cruel words sat on the other side of Lia, not looking at any of the three speaking. "Break a leg."

Alice sneered at the girl. She walked away, exiting through the big wooden doors that Lia had arrived.

This girl had short, spiky black hair with blue dye in it. Black, ripped clothes draped over her body, concealing her long arms and legs. Lia wondered what was up with her, and why she so rudely interrupted what seemed to be a pleasant conversation.

"Don't mind Wendy, she's a hormonal teenager who's going through her emo phase," Alex explained.

"Screw you," Wendy exclaimed.

"Uh huh..." Lia frowned.

Desert arrived on the tables. Pavlova, ice cream, more fruit, and even chocolate fountains covered the tables. Lia's eyes widened in amazement, and her stomach growled for more food. Everybody began to dig in, Lia heading straight for the chocolate fountain. Strawberries covered in the creamy milk chocolate piled on Lia's plate, and she sat back down, shoveling the fruit into her mouth.

"I think you're gonna like it here," smiled Alex.

"Yeah," Lia agreed. "I think I will," Although, she couldn't resist wondering how her injuries disappeared, how she gained weight over night, and how her hair became healthy and thick.

Who are these people?