Dawn of a Kiss (On hold)

Chapter 1: Aunt Syrina

It had been a year since my parents' murder. The events surrounding it still confused me. The day after the mugging, as the police were calling it, I had woken up in a hospital bed, only remembering one thing. The mark on my palm. It had burned and itched uncontrollably and for some reason when I tried to remember how I got it, a huge headache began in my head.

The police had said my parents had been mugged, but for some reason I found that hard to believe. Why would someone mug them in the middle of the day, in public? It just didn't make sense.

I shook my head, trying to shove away all thoughts of the loss of parents. They had been the only family I ever knew. Sure, I had an aunt who was alive still, living in my mother's small hometown, Roseville, but I had always found Aunt Syrina weird and I was never close to her.

It was quite ironic that I ended up being forced to live with my aunt two weeks later after I got out of the hospital.

Why was I in the hospital for so long? They wanted to make sure I would be mentally ready to be released and the only reason that they had finally released me was the psychologists had concluded that I didn't have any bad reactions to the mugging and that I was, in fact, mentally stable.

It was the day I was released from the hospital and I was staring out the window of my aunt's brown Volkswagen. That day I had been flown first-class to Roseville and when I had landed my aunt had been waiting for me.

“I was so sad when I heard about your parents.” Aunt Syrina said in a low, sad voice as we drove through the countryside.

I continued to stare out the window, already missing the town I left behind. The town in which my parents had gotten married. . . The town I had been born and raised in. . . The town that I had called home for my entire life. . . Chainwood. . . Oh, how I would miss Chainwood. . .

“Valerie? Did you hear me? We're here.” I was brought from my thoughts when I realized my aunt had been trying to get my attention for the past five minutes. We had arrived in front of a large elegant white house with black shutters. Attached to the front of the house was a huge porch and on the porch sat a large black swing facing out towards the large front yard.

I climbed out of the car and got my bags out of the trunk.

“No, no. I'll get those for you.” My aunt took my bags right out of my hands and started walking with them up to the front porch.

“Um. . . Okay. . .” I said, closing the trunk and making my way up to the front porch as well.

“I hope you like your room. . .” Aunt Syrina led me up a set of spiraling stairs and towards a room at the end of a long hallway.

She set my bags down and then she turned the handle on the door.

“Wow. . .” Was all I said as I followed her into the room and took in every detail of it. The walls had been painted a deep violet color and on the indigo-colored ceiling someone had painted beautiful silver swirling symbols, stars, and moons. Pushed up against the far wall in front of me was a beautiful queen-sized bed complete with a canopy and over-sized fluffy pillows. The canopy was white and see-through and the pillows on the bed were white while the comforter on it was dark indigo. Next to the bed, on either side, sat white end tables and on the end tables sat various pictures. I picked up one picture in particular that was in a golden frame with leaves painted, going up one side of it.

“That's your parents and me. We took that picture on the day your father proposed to my sister.” Aunt Syrina said, coming up behind me and pointing at the picture.

“You all look so happy.” I remarked, suppressing the sudden urge to cry.

“We were. . .” Aunt Syrina smiled and then in a serious tone she told me, “Your parents loved each other very much and they loved you more than anything. Never forget that.”

She left the room, leaving me standing there, holding the picture frame, looking confused.

After several moments standing there I whispered aloud, “I know. . .”

I had lived with my aunt for a total of one week when she announced that on the following Monday I would be starting school.

“Aw, do I have to, Aunt Syrina?” I groaned, not looking forward to being the new girl at a new school.

“Yes, you have to, Valerie. You can't just not go to school.” She replied, putting a hand on her hip.

“But-”

“No, buts. You're going. End of discussion.” She told me in an authoritative tone.

“Fine.” I crossed my arms and pouted, glaring at her.

“Now that's settled, let's go school supply shopping.” Aunt Syrina said cheerfully, clapping her hands together.

I rolled my eyes at her sudden mood change, thinking in my head that my aunt was bipolar.