Harshly Imperfect

Chapter 1

Blythe London stared avidly out the window as they passed countless palm trees, neat houses, and beautiful lawns. It was a bright Saturday morning, and Blythe felt very tired. After all, 5-hour-long plane rides and walking through busy airports twice can be quite exhausting.

She eyed the sunny neighborhoods. The houses here were all two-storied, and painted light colors- something she wasn't used to. Her home back in Memphis, Tennessee had been loud and rowdy; here, it was peaceful, calm, and beautiful.

The differences scared her.

“So how do you like, Crescent Beach so far?” her mother asked curiously from beside her. They were currently driving to their new home in their black Honda Civic with the trunk and backseats filled with bags and suitcases.

Being honest, Blythe had no idea what to think about the place. The palm trees replaced the big oaks that she was accustomed to, and whilst she had been a city girl in Memphis, living in the suburbs would be something that she'd have to get used to.

“I like it,” Blythe answered, smiling faintly. She was missing her friends and school back in Tennessee- her life had been perfect. Good grades, awesome friends, cool teachers... but her mom was her only family left. When her mother had announced they'd be moving a few months ago, Blythe couldn't say no.

“You were born here,” her mother repeated for the millionth time. Her tone was wistful. “You'd always ask for your father to piggyback you...”

Blythe looked sternly at her mother. “Don't do this to yourself,” she reminded her mom. Her father, two years ago, had died from lung cancer. Since then, her mother had gone through depression- since then, talks about her amazing father would only destroy her mother mentally.

Blythe loved her parents. When her caring and happy-go-lucky father had passed, it was all she could do from breaking down like her mother had. But her prefect friends and supportive teachers had helped her through it all, helping her recover enough to help her mother.

“It's fine,” her mother responded, smiling as she steered the car smoothly around a corner. “The psychiatrist recommended that I move back here. She suggested that maybe I'd feel better here”- she took a deep breath “-and she's right.”

“That's good.” Blythe beamed and patted her mother on the shoulder. She was relieved; her mother's depression (her blank face, her sad and slow movements) was something Blythe couldn't bear to witness anymore. If moving from her perfect life meant helping her mother, then Blythe wouldn't make a fuss about it by asking to go back to Memphis.

But that didn't mean she wouldn't feel lost, of course. Ever since stepping off the plane and walking through the unfamiliar airport- no, not even that late. It had been yesterday when Blythe felt lost; saying good bye to her friends, her teachers, everything and everyone that she was used to and loved. It was all gone now, and she was now in Crescent Beach, the place where she had been born. Blythe didn't remember the place. She had only been two years old when she had last been here.

Maybe, finding and building a new perfect life here wouldn't be as bad as she thought it'd be. Well, hopefully anyway.

“Finally!” her mother shouted, just as she pulled the car into a driveway of a very neat house. “Look at our place! Doesn't it look great?”

Blythe gazed at the two-storied house before them with a baffled look. It was a nice, light blue with the porch, front door, and window shutters a creamy white. The yard had both grass and sand (which surprised Blythe). There were also freshly pruned bushes bordering the steps to the porch, a small garden of colorful flowers that she couldn't identify, and palm trees that stood on either sides of the house (along with a few small normal-looking trees). To top it all off, the sky was a cloudless blue (her favorite) and the morning's sunlight made everything seem more happy, more beautiful and real.