Pure Beauty 'Cailyn's Chronicles' Book One

Chapter One Meet and Greet

Finally it was here, the first day of my senior year. I was looking forward to high-school being over with. I sat looking at my reflection in the mirror at my vanity table brushing my very long brown straight hair. I had some golden highlights put in over the summer; the highlights made my hair seem a lighter shade of brown. I still looked sad,  I could see it in my green eyes, but you would think I would be over my mom's death by now.

I giggled to myself with a random thought, everyone said my eyes were piercing when I was angry; I did tend to have a bad temper. I was outspoken but that's what people liked about me. I lived with my dad the fire fighter for the city. He was hardly ever at home as he had to work hard since my mother had died. I was 12 years old when she died. This was part of the reason why I was glad the final year was here, she had missed so much.

My dad was home this morning, as usual I could hear his footsteps on the floor in the upstairs hallway as he made his way down to the kitchen. He liked to be home for first days at school. He was a tall dark haired gruff man. Lanky but strong, he had to be as a fire fighter and providing for us with just one income. He had gotten me an old clunker of a car the year before, I was grateful for that but I never had asked. He always tried to make things easier for me. He knew I felt guilty for my mom’s death, but that is another story.

“Cail!! Come down for breakfast,” my father bellowed up the stairs, I smiled.

“On my way dad,” I bellowed back down to him. I had already done a light smattering of makeup neutral natural colors. I had on a loose fitting gray and white rose pattered shirt and some capri jeans and plain black flats for shoes. I grabbed my purse, backpack, and keys then one final look in the mirror and made my way down the stairs.

We had a humble little home painted typical white. It was a small house on the outskirts of our small town of Chamberlain, California near the forest. My father owned a few acres out behind the house and to the east. The redwoods where beautiful tall and ancient brilliantly green trees and the largest tree trunks in the world the time it has taken them to grow so large has always fascinated me. I was an animal lover, but did not own any of my own thanks to my father being the opposite of that opinion; so when I did happen to see deer and foxes frolicking around the yard on occasion and all the sounds, day and night of the creatures in the forest made me happy.

The house was a two story 3 bedroom, my father and I’s rooms were upstairs and a guest room downstairs. The living room had a cozy homely feeling, a big flat screen TV for my father and his sports though we enjoyed ice hockey together. The couch was a plush dusty brown sectional that wrapped around the whole room. The furniture was sparing with a simple hand me down family heirloom coffee table, some book cases and a desk with the computer on it with a desk lamp. I hardly used the computer though as I had my own beat up laptop.

Off to the back of the house was the kitchen and it was simple as can be but pleasant. I made my way to the kitchen and the first thing you see is the breakfast table in the nook of the bay window that looked out to the vast back yard and the green forest beyond. The kitchen had moderate and slightly outdated appliances, but they were kept well and got the jobs that were needed in the kitchen done. The room was a light green that my mother had painted years ago and we just never changed it.

My father was standing against the counter chopping fruit and tossing it into the blender for his morning health and energy smoothie. He had set aside some fruit, scrambled eggs, toast, and coffee for me. I chose just to nibble on some toast a bit of fruit and a mug of coffee; cream and sugar.

“So final year Cail,” Oh my name was Cailyn Baxter. It is pronounced [Kale-Lynn] and it means pure beauty an American name typical of my parents. I had a thing for names and their meanings. I am 17 years old and a long way to go for my birthday considering it was the beginning of September.