Writing's Second Taste

Chapter Three: Muse

My eyes were fixed outside as the taxi pulled out onto the side. He told me that we have reached the destination and I blinked at the apartment complex in front of me. It was just about three minutes away and maybe ten if you decided to walk.

The reason why I took a cab was because I didn't really know the area and even though Uncle Levi messaged me the address, I was afraid that I was going to get lost. I mentioned before that I was basically staying in a forest so I was terrified of losing my way.

Handing the driver an exact amount, I got outside and stared right up at the building. I would have thought that my uncle and aunt would have opted to at least have a house instead of an apartment, but now I get why they chose this.

It was near to the school and let me tell you, just from the outside view, I knew this wasn't cheap. It wasn't high-rise or anything, but the clean and modern architecture gave the impression of class and wealth.

I got inside and looked around the lobby. There wasn't much aside from a desk, the security guard, and a few employees but it was enough to keep this place running.

Uncle was already standing there, waiting for me, "You look like you didn't sleep at all last night," he chuckled as he led me to the elevator, "No need to explain though."

I smiled, holding on to my iPad as if it was some sort of safety net. As cool as my uncle was, his wife was the complete opposite. I see her every year when they come to visit and she was sweet for the most part, but you've got to admit that she was a bit intimidating.

When we reached his level, the floor was carpeted with the hallways donning various pieces of art. He fished out his keycard from his pocket and opened the door that led into his apartment, "We're here."

I didn't know what I expected in terms of size, but this definitely went beyond it. It had a balcony-like second floor where you could several doors lined up, probably leading up to the bedrooms. The first floor had this open floor scheme where the kitchen was far beyond at one side and the living room at the other.

This was surely competing with our New York apartment.

When my uncle announced our arrival, my aunt suddenly looked up from her laptop, quickly removing her glasses and placing it on top of the stack of papers next to her.

"Emma, Andy!" she yelled out the names of my cousins as she stood and approached, "It's so good to see you again, Sienna."

Two doors from the second floor opened simultaneously and there appeared their two children. Emma Kingsley was roughly about the same age as me, but she inherited her mother's fierce look instead of the Kingsley soft features that I got from my mom's side. Although it wasn't prominent since those glaring eyes were behind her square glasses.

Andy Kingsley was two years older than me and instead of being buff and muscular, he was on the thin side. His hair up in spikes and even though he was not the most positive person, he was admittedly a good writer. Inheriting his talents from his father and being under the careful supervision of his mom, he was already on his way to making a name for himself with three books already in the market, all hitting the bestseller mark.

Did I get along with them?

Well...

"Sienna!" Emma squealed, sliding down the railing and running up to me, quickly engulfing me in a hug. I matched her enthusiasm by also wrapping my arms around her, squeezing her just as tight.

Andy was more relaxed because he stuffed his pockets into his sweatpants and slowly went down the stairs. He offered me a small smile and when Emma released me, we shared a quick embrace.