Such a Beautiful Massacre ✔

Chapter 1

Three months earlier...

It was mid-January. The weather was clear, crisp, and sunny with not a single cloud in sight. The temperature had reached seventy degrees, which made it a t-shirt and shorts kind of day. Not uncommon weather in South Florida, for sure.
My 14-year-old sister Felicity and I made our way home from a sweet sixteen celebration held at an upscale Marriott located in Sarasota. We hadn’t technically been invited. The daughter’s parents hired me as a photographer. I was supposed to go alone, but Fliss wanted to come with me since our parents had to stay late at the hospital where they worked. So, after picking her up from volleyball practice, I let her tag along.
Of course, the parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wright, weren’t thrilled I brought company, but they didn’t turn us away.
Aside from the occasional questions of how long I would be or if I were finished yet, Fliss hadn’t been a pain. She’d stayed by my side as the Wrights instructed me on the pictures they wanted me to take. Fliss had never understood my passion for photography.
“All you’re doing is taking pictures of people, places, and other things,” she’d argue.
I supposed that was true, but I viewed photos as memories. Magical memories of the past that could be relived in the present. I tried explaining this concept to my sister more than my fingers could count, but she was completely hopeless.
“When do you need to give the Wright’s the birthday pictures, Anna?” Fliss asked suddenly on the way home.
It had been the first time she’d spoken since leaving Sarasota. Both of us remained silent the whole ride home. We’d left at eleven in the morning, driven an hour to Sarasota, spent five long hours at the celebration, then driven back to Tampa—eight hours, gone. Exhaustion had begun to creep up on us.
“I have to mail the photo album and video slideshow by February 1st,” I replied with a sigh. “I’ll be busy for a while.”
I slowed the car to a stop and waited at a traffic light for what felt like an eternity. When it flashed the green arrow, I made a left hand turn onto Tampa Gardens, the neighborhood we lived in. I drove straight on Shiloh Drive.
“Do you want me to make dinner?” I asked.
“It’s okay, I can make my own food,” she replied.
“Don’t be silly. I’m never too busy to cook. You want pasta?”
She smirked. “Sure…as long as you don’t let it turn to charcoal like the last time.”
I rolled my eyes. “We’re not gonna start that again, are we?”
“Yeah, you burnt it to a savory crisp with the ultimate smoky flavor.”
“My mind was elsewhere that day, okay?”
We laughed.
“Relax, I’m messing with you, Anna,” Fliss said in between giggles.
I stopped at a stop sign, then made a right onto Coconut Lane.
“Think Mom and Dad are home yet?” she asked.
I shook my head. “They’re working late, remember? It’s just us.”
I made another right onto Lakeside Court. Ours was the first house on the left where a multitude of palm trees grew from our backyard and could be seen from the street. We were the only people on the block where nature gave us any privacy. The house wasn’t hard to miss.
To our surprise, we noticed our parents’ car parked on the driveway.
Fliss straightened up in her seat. “Mom and Dad are here early.”
“They are, aren’t they?” I uttered, peering through the windshield.
I pulled into the driveway and eased my car beside theirs. Then I shut the car off and threw the keys in my purse.
“Can you help me carry my equipment inside?” I asked Fliss.
“Sure,” she said, already out of the car.
A gentle breeze brushed against my cheek as I hopped out, sending wavy strands of my blonde hair flying across my face. I tucked them behind my ear and made my way toward the trunk. Fliss grabbed the tripod and her volleyball pads while I took the box containing the different lenses, along with my Samsung camera in its case. I shut the trunk and both of us trudged up the front walk to the porch.
Our house was more of a villa, nothing fancy. Little bush violets grew on both sides of the walkway leading to the front door. Ferns stood tall by the porch.
“Do you think the surgery was postponed or something?” Fliss asked as I fished for my keys.
“Who knows? Ugh, where the hell are they?”
“Language,” she teased.
“Be quiet.” Something cold touched my fingertips. “Found them.” I shoved the key in the lock and the latch clicked. I pushed the door open with my foot. “All right. Go. Now.”
“Where do you want this?” my sister asked as we walked inside.
“Just lean it against the wall in my room. Make sure it doesn’t fall over,” I answered.
The sound of dog tags sang through the air as Petunia came to greet me.
“Hey girl,” I cooed, stroking her back.
She pressed her body against my legs, her tail wagging back and forth like a windshield wiper. Petunia was our 4-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, with silky black and tan fur and soft hazel eyes to match.
“Who’s there?” I heard Mom shout in the kitchen, dishes clattering around.
“The boogeyman!” I joked.
After placing the camera box by my bedroom door, I sauntered into the kitchen. The smell of pizza hung in the air.
Mom stood over the counter, mixing Lipton tea bags with water in a glass pitcher. I wrapped my arms around her and pecked her on the cheek.
“Hi, sweetheart,” she said. “How’d the photography gig go?”
“Aside from spending the day taking pictures of everything and anything,” I said. “it went well.”
She smiled. “Good. Listen, do me a favor and grab four cups for us.”
I opened the cabinet and got on my tiptoes to reach the glasses. I set them near the pitcher. “So you and Dad are home earlier than expected. What’s the sitch?”
“No reason. We were let go early today,” she stated, avoiding eye contact.
I knitted my eyebrows. “What do you mean ‘let go?’”
“Your father and I just got out of work today, that’s it. We’ll talk more about it with you both at the table.”
“Uh…are Fliss and I in trouble?”
“No, silly girl! It’s about work, but let’s all sit down. It’s time you girls should know what’s going on.”

What is she talking about? I thought.

After mixing the iced tea, Mom began pouring it into the glasses, one at a time. “Go get your sister and bring her to the table, Anna.”
I nodded and walked out of the kitchen, down the hall, and into my room. Fliss was trying to make the tripod stand on its own but it kept sliding to the side.
“Sorry, the stupid thing won’t stay,” she grumbled.
“Don’t worry about it. Mom and Dad need to speak to us,” I said.
“What about?”
“Dunno. That's why I came to get you.”
We shared a glance before leaving, going to the dining room like we were marching to our deaths.
My sister and I sat across from each other. Dad sat at one end of the dining table, holding a newspaper that obscured his face. I examined the table.
Our parents had ordered two pizzas: one plain cheese and one pepperoni. There was also a heaping bowl of garden salad along with cheesy breadsticks beside the pizza boxes. Whatever the reason for this gathering, it couldn’t have been anything too detrimental.
Unless our parents did get laid off and this was their way of softening the blow. Spending their last paycheck on comfort food until they found employment somewhere else.
I shuddered at the thought, praying it wasn’t the case.
Mom came in with the iced tea, Petunia trailing behind and sniffing the air. She handed everyone their cups and sat in the empty chair at the other end.
“Hello, girls,” Dad finally said, speaking as if we were in an office meeting.
I smiled at him, though I was sure it looked more like a grimace.
He inhaled a deep breath as he set the newspaper down and turned to Mom. “Shall I go first or you?”
“You first,” she said.
“Okay, then,” Dad started. “I’d like to begin by saying the matter we’re sharing is quite grave. Our boss called us this morning to meet him in his office to discuss a few things.”
I swallowed. This can’t be good.
“What’s been going on has been happening for a little over three months,” Mom elaborated.
“Are you guys fired?” Fliss asked.
“Well, not exactly,” Dad said.
We blew a sigh of relief. Thank God.
“Our boss has been trying to move Lakewood Drive Medical Center to a different location because an opening was listed there,” Dad continued. “So he put in an offer. Last week, he received a call informing him we’re now able to transfer the hospital to this new location.”
That’s good. At least they hadn’t been pink-slipped. But I still failed to see where the conversation was going.
“Where’s the location exactly, Dad?”
He and Mom exchanged looks and grinned.
“Our boss has decided to move Lakewood Drive Medical Center to England, transferring the hospital to Greater London as London's primary location.”
My eyes widened. “Are you guys serious?”
Mom nodded. “We found a nice townhome in Stoneley. It’s a small, rural town in South Cambridgeshire. You girls are going to love it.”
Fliss blinked. “Oh. Wow, that’s, um…a transition. From one continent to another,” she said, surprised.
A mixture of emotions bubbled inside of me. Excitement, amazement, and maybe a bit of hesitation at the possibility of starting something new.
“Before we made any decisions, however,” Mom said. “we wanted your opinions on the—”
“What did you think my answer would be?” I asked before she could finish. I shot out of my chair and dove in to hug Mom. “No permission needed!”
“Well, alrighty, then,” she chuckled.
After squeezing the life out of her, I hugged Dad. “I’ve always wanted to see England. This would be great for my photography career!”
“What about our friends?” Fliss asked, crossing her arms as she stared at us. “Our neighbors, school, and volleyball? We’re gonna leave that all behind.”
“We’ll all miss them, Fliss. But we get to make new friends and meet new people,” I assured. “That’s the beauty of exploring places.”
“It’s something different, something fresh. For everyone,” Dad agreed, patting the back of her hand.
She shrugged, casting her eyes down to the table. “I guess so. I’ll still miss home, though.”
“Me too, honey,” Mom said. “We all will. But you’ll get used to it, I promise.”
Later as we ate dinner, I felt a pang of guilt toward my sister. I’d be homesick, too. A major part of our lives planted roots here, and we were about to be lifted out and planted in new grounds in another country. Yet at the same time, I couldn’t help but feel excited.
I’d been longing to visit England ever since I could remember. The history, the architecture, and the culture were so different from all I’ve ever known. But what served as the cherry on top were the people. I loved the way the British spoke.
Now, I was getting my wish. Not only were we going to see England, but also live there. I was ready for the change, ready to see what living in another country would be like.