Lost Paradise

Chapter 1

It was early July, the start of the long summer days that were yet to follow. A girl with turquoise eyes and tangled hair as brown as a trunk of an oak tree sat by the windowsill with her elbow propped against the chin of her face, which was covered with droplets of sweat, each catching the light beam of the bright scorching sun outside. Her skin was on flames and even the air conditioning in her room was just a mere breeze. She plaited her hair with a little struggle as she traced the fly outside her window with her eyes until she gave a loud groan. Glaring at a red car that zoomed past her apartment, she muttered, "Thanks for making the world much hotter over the past century." Her cellphone buzzed as her screen blinked at her; a notification from her local news popped up: "118.4 degrees Fahrenheit: A dangerously high temperature making mercury soar in New York." Startled and angered by this news, she threw her phone towards the wall, making a small indentation which didn't seem to bother her by the least.

"Ella, could you come down and help me set out everything for lunch today? Aunt Stacey is coming over in around twenty minutes to say happy birthday to you," echoed a voice from downstairs. Aunt Stacey. Her name made her flinch, as her mind illustrated the stout lady with a sharp attitude that always wore a tight dress and long stockings. Letting her braid loose, she aggressively tore down the forests of tangles by the spikes of her comb before heading towards the kitchen. Ella, short for Elladine, examined her mother's appearance. She had a few strands of white hair that stood out of her mousy brown jungle of curls and her wrinkles that were creased on her forehead were now wet from the steam coming out of the pot of spaghetti sauce. Her apron was tattered and stained from all the accidental food spills and her clothes themselves were nothing more than just a plain skirt and sweater. "Hey mom," greeted Ella in a soft voice. Turning around, Ella could clearly see the tired bags under her mother's emerald eyes and she quickly adjusted her glance to the plates that were stacked on the counter and the forks lying on a damp piece of cloth. "I'll place the forks and plates on the table." Clearing her throat, her mom finally spoke. "Ah yes, that would be very helpful. Thank you, Ella. My sister will be arriving very soon. And remember, manners!" Nodding her head reluctantly, she tenaciously clutched the glass plates and metal forks as she distributed them in front of each chair, her mom's, Aunt Stacey's, and her own.

The hours turned into minutes which turned into seconds, long and sticky like bubble gum, yet her aunt had still not appeared. The metallic ringing of a bell from Ella's front door rang in her ears which made her draw back in surprise. After a few seconds, she realized that she was finally here; unhooking the wooden latch of the white door, a large figure loomed in front of her and the high-pitched "Ella!" confirmed who she was. As Aunt Stacey tried squeezing past her without success, Ella scurried out of her way before she could inquire about her grades and how school was. "Ah, Stacey! Welcome, ha, I was just preparing lunch for the three of us. Would you like to take a seat?" exclaimed her mother halfheartedly, as she untied her apron. "Beer," Ella's aunt muttered in a cavalier tone as she shoved her leather handbag into her mom's hands.

"Pardon?"

"Well, I thought you were about to ask me about what beverage I would like, seeing that I am your guest."

"Right, of course Stacey. Ella, would you mind placing on the table two jars of beer and one glass of orange juice?"

Sprinting towards the refrigerator, Ella heard Aunt Stacey holler, "No running!", which made her blood race in annoyance. Doing what she was instructed, she placed three full cups of beer and orange juice onto the dining table, where a steaming bowl of spaghetti with meat sauce and two incompatible women seated on different sides of the table awaited her. Shaking her head very slightly, Ella sat between them and began their meal. After twenty whole minutes of eating in silence, her Aunt flattened the creases on her lilac dress as she finished the last drop of beer from her jar. "A moderate meal I suppose," she mumbled, as she shrugged her broad shoulders. Squeezing her mother's hand empathetically, Ella broke the tension by raising her voice as she inquired, "Aunt Stacey, is there anything you would like to give me?" As if lightning hit her, she suddenly exclaimed, "Ah yes, Elladine, yes. Hmm, happy birthday, and here's your card! Sorry, but I didn't have time to buy a gift." Her aunt handed Ella a faded brown card. It was slightly crumpled though the paper was thick, with cursive handwriting at the front, addressing Ella. Flipping it over, there was a note from her aunt which read, "Beware of the time, the time of age." As the puzzled girl turned around, Aunt Stacey winked and grabbed her handbag that was discarded on a chair. "I'll be off, take care sister, and Elladine, have a nice day," and she slammed the door behind her.

---

Thank you so much for reading and I hoped you enjoyed!

(Please vote and comment down below for any suggestions on how to improve it, thank you :) )