The Guardian

Chapter One: The Gift

"Happy Birthday, Ivy!" Her parents voice's chimed on the other end of the phone. Ivy smiled and sighed as she swung her school bag into the back of her tiny white Mitsubishi.

She shut the back door, opened the front door and sat down in the driver's seat.
"Thanks Mum, Dad." She said.

"What are you doing after school, sweetie?" Her Mum asked.
"Better not be going out and having wild parties with all your hooligan friends." She heard her Dad grumble in the background. Ivy frowned.

Swallowing, and trying to keep the annoyance out from her voice, she said "My 'friends' wouldn't even know it was my birthday if it wasn't for FaceBook."
"Oh, don't be silly. I'm sure your friends would of known anyway." Mum chirped.

Ivy sighed and shut the door of the car. "Anyway, no, I'm not doing anything for my birthday. And my plans, in case you want to know, are being alone, eating ice cream and watching the rest of Supernatural on Netflix."

Ivy's mother sighed, and her Dad's chortling laugh rang through the phone line.
"Maybe you should come over, Ivy. Your Dad and I have a present for you." Ivy raised her eyebrows. Holding her phone in one hand, she inserted her key cars into the car and turned it. Her little Mitsi spluttered to life.

"Are you in the car?"

"Yes Mum."

"You better not be driving while on the phone." Her Dad called out.

"I'm not, Dad." Ivy sighed.

"Just consider it Ivy." Her Mum said. "I could make you a family dinner. Or you could drive us out to town for dinner."

Ivy laughed. "I'm sure you'd all love to pile into my piece of crap car."

There was silence over the phone, except for the sound of her parents trying to silently fumble over the device.

"Listen. Ives." Her Dad said. "Just come to our house tonight ok? You're going to drive us out for dinner, and you're going to enjoy it." The phone went quiet. Finally, Ivy sighed and shifted the gears into reverse.
"Fine. Ok. What time do you want me to be there?"

She could almost hear her Dad smile, and he handed the phone over to her Mum again.

"Be here at 5.30, Hun."

Ivy nodded. "Alright. See you then." She pressed the hang up button, and sighed back into her seat. She looked out the window, and saw the other students walk out from the school building, all of them chatting with their friends or boyfriends or girlfriends. Tossing the phone on the passenger seat, and pushing down the horrid feeling of jealously, she reversed her car back out of the parking lot and made her way to her house.

Ivy had a part time job working with her Mum. Her Mum was a florist, and Ivy helped serve the customers. If it was her parents choice, they would of given the money to Ivy without her even working. But Ivy didn't want to be one of those 'adults' that clung to their parents their whole lives. The only thing that Ivy did get for free was her house.

Her house was a three bedroom building with one big bathroom, a kitchen and lounge room.
Ivy Grey lived on the outskirts of Melbourne, just in a little town that was about a half an hour drive from the city itself. The town that she lived in was surrounded by country land, and the roads were lined with trees. Ivy went to the public school there, which was about a ten minute drive. The drive would of been much faster if Ivy's car wasn't as dysfunctional as it was. Ivy had bought the car for just 500$, and she seriously regretted that decision. It was, however, a car, and it was better than walking everywhere.