Don't be Chicken (on hold)

Four; Part of the Family

               The guest bedroom was surprisingly very comfy, even when my body couldn't find sleep after hours of searching. It just laid there like a bump on a log. The new area was deadly silent with a occasional swish of tree branches outside or the scratching of dogs walking about the house.  But still, the bed didn't fail to rest my tired limbs. My mind was driving in tiny circles for the silence of everything was deafening.

After talking with Dusty more I was able to recover more information about Noah. His last name was Horner, and he lived in the red barn vertical from my right side window.  He was the farm help Dusty had said. She described his living space as inviting, like she'd been there before. There was a kitchen, Bed, Shower - everything you needed to make an everyday life. It all seemed to piece together in some weird way. 

For dinner we had Steak, frozen and cooked from last year. It was quite good, the taste of it was very savoring. It reminded me of dinner at home, although we defiantly didn't gather around the table every night to converse about our day. It was soothing, like warm milk when you can't sleep or you're so sick you can't breath through your nose.

When I saw the first sign of the horizon I rolled out of bed, my hair was wrapped around my face like a twisted tornado. I slipped on my favorite pair of bunny slippers and got up to look at my appearance in the smudged mirror. The wooden floor creaked under my light steps.  I breathed in the fresh air that came from my open window, I felt so refreshed even when I barely got any shut-eye.

                  I changed into clothes that I thought looked presentable while following my mothers golden rule - Never wear anything you wouldn't want your Grandma to see you in.  Especially when she was right downstairs and you needed to create a new first impression. A lot can happen in 7 years.

Finger-tip length shorts and a tye-dyed tee with the logo of my favorite amusement park - Kennywood, seemed presentable enough to me, although my hair had to fend for itself today. I brushed it out, letting my hair touch my mid back in messy waves. 

I was a girl. There were days when my confidence levels were higher than Justin Bieber - There were days when they were lower than Carson's grades. That was how it worked, but today I felt especially self-conscious knowing that Noah was practically no more than a mile away from me at all times.

                    I was kind of lucky at the same time, my natural hair wasn't all that bad. I could leave it down without bothering to straighten it or attempt to fix it. I just let it flow like a ribbon flying through the air, I just liked being myself.          

     My favorite things were very simple, My favorite things consisted of stuff that made my smile shimmer. Pineapples, Volleyball, Sunsets, Dogs, Disney, and Breakfast.

Once I stepped foot downstairs the smell of bacon grease inflamed my nostrils. A plate of pancakes, sausage, bacon and scrambled eggs were scattered around the table. My mouth started to water by looking at all of these yummy foods and freshly squeezed orange juice.

Around the table sat people I hadn't seen in ages. Among my Grandparents and Dusty sat my two other cousins who happened to be years older than me - Victor and Phil.  Victor had a look about him, his beard was fully grown and raggy. He looked kind of like a caveman - they both did.

Then there was Noah. His hair was as messy as mine, although he could actually make it look good. His shirt was still covered in dirt like yesterday and he sat at the table with a eager look. He talked with Paps and Victor - I assumed they were talking about today's activities.

I was starved.

I shoveled food in mouth like a mad woman, my stomach was quickly filling up to the point I thought it would burst.  I wiped my chin with a napkin in fear left-over food remained. Grandma set her fork down abruptly to drown out all the chatter, the room grew as silent as last night was. 

                       "As y'all have noticed, Karman is visiting us for the summer." She said, Phil and Victor nodded their heads as if to acknowledge me. "However, I would like to make her feel at home here, She is family" Grandma finished heart fully. My grinned stretched from ear-to-ear as I fumbled with my feet under the table.  "In order to do so we have to treat her like family. Which means yes, Karman will help around with the chores" Dusty's smile brightened at Grandmas statement.  I was no less affected.

Grandma continued. "Up there is a chart which is changed everyday. It tells you your chores for that day and I expect them done by noon - All of you" She said while pointing her finger around the table.  I glanced up at the chalkboard she was talking about, I could just barely see my name with chicken scratch written underneath it. She directed towards me again, "If there's anything you need help with, Noah would be glad to help you. " Grandma smiled a large grin while I was silently buzzing with energy.  "You know Karman, right?" She asked Noah.
Noah nodded.

        "We met yesterday afternoon" He informed with a smile that showed his dimples.  My heart started to speed up quickly like I was running a marathon.

        "Good" Grandma said happily. "Breakfasts dismissed" And then chairs were abruptly pushed out and people left the table, I scrambled to follow Dusty up the creaky steps.   I glanced at the picture frames as I passed, viewing this life in recent years.

I only caught up to Dusty when we were standing on the landing in front of her bedroom door. She turned around with a forced smile as she walked inside her blue wallpapered room.   Her hair bounced in her pony-tail as she walked, That's when I noticed a big, large bloodsucker pimple right on her chin.

She started tossing dresses and shoes around wildly, I suddenly became very aware of a high-heel that came whirling at me - taking a place in the wall beside my head.

              "What are you doing?" I asked, unable to hide my curiosity any longer. Dusty grabbed her straightener from the closet and plugged it in - only then did she make eye-contact with my confused self.

                 "Hunter invited me to a all-day party thing. I need you to cover for me. Could you do my chores? I'll be back by midnight" She said while she tested the straightener to see if it was hot. She applied generous amounts of makeup that made her look like a monster high doll.

"What - What am I suppose to tell Grandma?" I asked. I couldn't even imagine the thought of lying - that's how I was raised. I was raised to never tell a lie no matter how small.

"Psh, just tell her I went to Carly's house" She waved her palm like it was no big deal and continued to straighten her hair roughly. "Go finish the chores, it's almost noon" She said instructively. I was too frustrated to argue, instead I did what she said and exited the blue room to the chalkboard down stairs.

As I walked down the steps I looked at the pictures closer and the last one caught my eye. It was a picture of me and Dusty with our pigtails in and our blue ribbons. We didn't have a care in the world.

I made a mission - to prove I was worthy enough to live here and that I wasn't just a girl from the North.

•*•*•*

Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it wasn't as interesting as last chapter but trust me, this is a key essential to the main story plot  : )

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