Reflections of Shadows

Chapter 1: These Are Those Days

ONE

15 years later

When the days are cold

And the cards all fold

And the saints we see

Are all made of gold

When your dreams all fail

And the ones we hail

Are the worst of all

And the blood's run stale

I wanna hide the truth

I wanna shelter you

But with the beast inside

There's nowhere we can hide

No matter what we breed

We still are made of greed

This is my kingdom come

This is my kingdom come

"GWEN!" A voice screamed from the bottom of the stairs

Rolling my eyes I paused the song. "WHAT!?" I screamed back.

"Soups on, Army Brat!" I now recognized the voice as my cousin's, Huxton.

"I'm coming!" I yelled "And stop calling me Army Brat or I swear to Bob I'll smack you!"

I paused the song, put my iPod down and ran down the stairs. Huxton had already went to sit at the table where Aunt Jancy and Uncle Nick were sitting by Mom and Dad talking about politics or something important.

Pizza was on the table, and I couldn't help but smile. Pizza is a girls best friend. Not diamonds. Pizza. Without thinking, immediately grabbed a slice. Mom looked over at me with a glare.

"Gwen. Come say hello to your aunt and uncle please." She said, giving me a look that read as: I know they're idiots just pretend to be nice. 

I nodded. My mom knew me too well.

Playing along, I smiled at my aunt and uncle. "Hi Aunt Jancy. Hi Uncle Nick." I said, as politely as I could with half a piece of pizza in my mouth.

"Hii Gwen!" Huxton said, in a childish imitation of my voice.

I looked at Huxton. His hair seemed to have grown another 2 inches since I saw him last a month ago. And coming from an army family, his Justin Bieber 2011 look was disgraceful. And although he was only one year older than me he held that age difference and treated me like I was six. SIX!!!! The comfort I held closest to my heart was that I read somewhere that girls brains was two years ahead of boys brains. So intellectually, I was dangling the "I AM OLDER" trophy by a whopping one year.

Aunt Jancy pursed her lips as she noted my appearance. I was wearing what I always did, sweatshirts and jeans. I was more of the "if it feels good, wear it" kind of person. My aunt was not. She refused to shop anywhere like Target, WallMart, or anywhere really normal. If it didn't sound French, sophisticated, or like the owner of the store ate cous cous for breakfast, she spat on the ground, shook her fist and walked away.

"Gwen dear, what I just don't understand is how such a beautiful girl like yourself would wear such......disgusting clothing. I mean, I could so very easily find you clothes that flatter your figure and didn't have stains up and down them. It would give so many young men such a better impression of you than this....."