A.P. Freshmen

Chapter 9

The chapters will probably come at this rate now. That first weekend we just had a lot of steam. I literally wrote this chapter at 2:00 last night, so I'm sorry if things aren't up to snuff!

If there's anyone actually paying attention...

*so alone*

*Paige POV*

I followed her in the door into a cool dark entry hall. there is a living room to the left, empty and dusty looking and filled with moving boxes. Down the hall there is painters drop cloths and other such renovators tools. Alice leads me up a set of stairs that curve to the right.

"My room is in here. I got the room on top of this castle-y tower. Single child advantages, you know?" I follow her into her room. She has an old fashioned black iron twin bed with a vintage looking flower quilt. There is a full length oval mirror on a stand, and the rest of the room is mostly moving boxes, and some older, dustier boxes too. the room is entirely round and there is a bay window across it.

"I don't really know. I have an older brother."

"Ha! That must be fun." she says, plopping down on the bed.

"Not exactly. They've pretty much given up on him. Which means all their eggs are in my basket." I'm standing sorta awkwardly, unsure of where to sit.

"That sucks. Hasn't anyone told them that's a bad idea? And come sit down, I'm not that repulsive, am I?"

"No, not at all. I just didn't know if I should or not." I walk over and fold my legs underneath me on the bed a few feet away from her.

"Don't be ridiculous." She says, smiling, showing white, but ever so slightly imperfect teeth.

"So, you live here with just your dad?" I ask.

"Yeah. My mom died, so it's just me and dad."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It was when I was really little. I don't remember much. Most of what I remember is from what my dad told me, and from pictures. She had a great smile. It was the sort of smile that lit up a room."

Without thinking, I blurted out "Like yours." She smiled that sunbeam smile again.

"Well thank you." She jumps off the bed again and walks over to the dustier pile of boxes.

"This must seem awfull, but do want to help me sort through some of this? These were the boxes that were already here when we moved in. We could find something interesting. That, or a skeleton. You never know."

Getting off the bed, I walk over to the her.

"Sure. I don't mind. I always liked looking through old stuff anyway." I say. She shows another brilliant smile, which makes me smile.

"Great! Lets start with this one." We sit on the floor and looked through the boxes. Some contain old sepia toned photos of the people who used to live here. There's pictures of a couple and their new car, children on a swing, and even wedding photos.

"I wonder why people left these here. They seem like something you'd want to hold on to."

"I don't know. The world is a mystery. Who are we to assume we know anything?"

"Woah there! You're getting kind of deep for someone who only got six hours of sleep."

'Well, enough with the pictures then, let's see what's in here." She pulls out what looks like a large steamer trunk. Is that what it's called? She flips off the lid with a flourish and we immediately we start coughing on the dust that plumes out of the trunk.