The Heart of King Travis

The Day That Changed My Life

Tap. Tap. Tap. The rain pattered against the roof in the most loud and disturbing way possible. The night was stormy, but I didn't mind. The gray sky and gentle blowing winds were quite calming, but the tapping never ceased to distract me as I worked. While there wasn't much light in the room, I didn't care. I had to get it done.

My blank white piece of paper seemed very empty without anything on it and I needed to fill it. But I couldn't. Sighing, I turned on my desk light and the rest of my scattered drawings were revealed. Most of them were just pictures of the mellow landscape that I could see from my tiny bedroom window. The large stone house blended in with the gray evening sky. My old wood desk had marks on it from the unforgiving tip of my sharpened pencil. I had other things I could have been doing, but none of them seemed quite as fulfilling as sitting at my desk, drawing, and daydreaming.

I could have always gone and talked to someone, but no one ever listened. Everyone just complained and vented about me and the problems I caused but they never took a step back and looked at their own. My uncle, Vince, went out late at night and came back in the morning disheveled and drunk. He had two of his own children conceived with a previous wife of his, but he never paid any attention to them, even when he was sober. Their names were Spencer and Kinsley. They were twins.

Each looked a great deal like him with their fair skin, light blue eyes, and whitish blonde hair. My aunt made sure to drill Kinsley in her "important" skills, but she mostly forgot about me. Kinsley practiced her violin and piano at home and went out to play professionally in the town. Spencer studied business from a rich professor out east, but no one really followed up on him. He mostly kept to himself and stayed out of everyone's way...but he did it on purpose.

Aunt Tremaine was the one who made sure the twins did well but also found time to obsess over herself. She spent her days bugging Kinsley to practice instruments while also making time to send Spencer off to his professor. Tremaine used nights to flirt with rich men (besides Vince) and primp herself up to look as stupid as possible.

And then there was me...Arden Brown. Brown was the last name of this family, but not my real one. I don't think my aunt and uncle wanted to accept me, but they kept me anyway (sucks for me I guess). Tremaine told me that my mother was insane and detrimental to society while my father left when I was only two years old. My mother is Tremaine's sister, and she said she got special permission from King Millius to take me away from her. She was a liar, so I never believed it. In fact, I spent my days fantasizing about what my mom was doing with her life and where my dad went. I pictured my mom working as a high-end tailor in a nearby town and my dad living a luxurious life on a faraway island, but in the back of my head I know that probably wasn't true.

There were only a few years out of my life that I actually had anyone to distract me from these fantasies and take me out of my room. Those were the two years when Mika and Noah were just across the street. It was a coincidence that my paths crossed with the Moreci family, but it was a coincidence that lead to wonderful memories I'll never forget. On my eleventh birthday, I went downstairs to see if anyone remembered what day it was. Although I always knew no one would, I checked anyway. Nothing. Big surprise.

I was a much happier person then, so I decided I wouldn't let a forgotten birthday get me down. I combed my dark brown hair, dressed in a frilly blue dress from Kinsley's closet, and skipped outside to see what was going on. Harmelshire was usually drab and lifeless, but it was different that day. The sky had slightly darker clouds as if taunting at the fact that rain might be coming, but it wasn't there yet. An old, green willow tree stood in my front yard. I sat right on the dirt in front of it while under the protection of its leaves. I don't really remember what happened after that. I probably took a nap or listened to the sounds of birds overhead. After that, I could faintly make out a noise from up the street.