Dust Storm

Chapter Two-Lily

The Jeep Wrangler rumbled as it rolled over the cobblestone road. An old ranch house sprung up as the Jeep made its ascent up the hill. I leaned on my hand as I looked out the window, My earbuds blasted as I attempted to drown out the sounds of my father jamming to his own songs on the radio. As we got closer, he turned the music down and rolled down the window. He looked to the back of the car and waved his hand to get my attention.

"Baby girl. We are here."

I took out my headphones and glared at my father.

"Really?" I said sarcastically. "I hadn't noticed."

"Look, I know you haven't seen my sister in a few years and we never came here, but I promise she'll look after you as one of her own. You'll fit right in."

"You expect me to be a hillbilly?"

My father laughed, although I wasn't trying to make him do so, and got out of the car. Rose came bounding to the car, with her ringlets bouncing behind her, and gathered her brother in a tight bear hug, fussing over his new beard and his new project in Africa. I let myself out and leaned cooly on the car door.

Out of nowhere, two boys and a girl were standing in front of me. They began to talk, although I couldn't hear them over my music, but I was proficient in reading lips just for occasions like this one.

"Well, well, well," the older boy crossed his arms, "I am finally taller than you."

"Shut up, Paul," I snapped at him, feeling my voice being louder than I intended.

"And meaner. Yeesh."

"I don't remember you, I was only three. But I'm seven, now, so we can be friends," Carson said.

"Sure, kid."

"I'm Reagan. I'm not related to you, but I live here, too. Least now there's two girls to order those two knuckleheads around." Reagan held out her hand, but I didn't take it out of discomfort of people touching me. Reagan stood with her hand held out, but tucked it in her pocket and swept her braid behind her shoulder, nearly taking off her brown bullhide cowboy hat. She tilted it towards me as she adjusted it, a gesture which said "hey there!"

"Would you like some iced tea or a snack before you head out? You live an hour away, yet I haven' seen ya in years," Rose said to her brother.

"I can't my flight is in the morning and I have more packing to do. Bye, angel." My father said as he hugged me goodbye and drove off without me saying a word in return.

"Well, we can have tea," Rose said.

Paul and Reagan took my suitcases and hauled them to the house as I shyly followed them to the house. The foyer was humble as the walls were covered with family photos and Reagan even made an appearance in a few of them.

Reagan pushed open the door with her boot and placed the suitcases she was carrying in front of the staircase. She made her way to the kitchen where Rose was already making iced tea. Carson sat at the breakfast table and picked up the sudoku puzzle he was working on.

"Is he..." I began.

"A boy genius. Yes," Carson finished my sentence.

Rose giggled and placed five glasses around the table and pulled up an extra chair.

"How was your first year in college?" Rose asked me.

"Fine. A little lonely, to be honest. I mostly kept to myself."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Did you have any clubs or anything?"

"Book club and that's it," I responded politely, as I took my headphones out and took the glass of tea to my lips and flipped my hair over my shoulder.

"That sounds fun," Rose said. "What do you like to read."

"Anything, really."

Reagan pulled up the chair next to mine and sat down, taking her hat off and putting it on the table. She glanced at me and smiled and took a long sip of tea.

"Hat. Off. The. Table," Rose said as she took a glance at Reagan in her riding gear and gave her a look. "Reagan. Go change."

"No way! You know how I am. If I win a competition, I wear this for the whole day. It is good luck. You should have been here earlier and watched the show, Lily. I was amazing! Dusty was amazing! I FLEW over those fences, yeehaw!" Reagan went on.

"Dusty?"

"You'll get to meet him tomorrow morning when I do my training! Hey, do you want to come to work with me in town? Everyone else is busy and I work at a bookstore, you'll like that, Book Club," Reagan teased at my hair and I shuddered at her touch, but it did not bother me as much as a stranger's touch usually does.

"Uh... I guess," I said, suddenly Feeling shy again.

"Cool, we leave in an hour. Let me show you where you'll be staying." Reagan said. Taking my arm in one hand and a suitcase in the other, she lead me up the stairs and to the right. Reagan's bedroom was small, but it would house us both this summer. A mattress on the floor already had blankets on it.

"You'll sleep in my bed and I'll take the floor," Reagan said.

"I couldn't ask you to do that. I'm fine with the floor."

"Don't worry about it, dearie."

Reagan's phone suddenly went off. Answering it, Reagan silently apologized to me and left the room.

I sat on the edge of the bed and crossed my legs and looked around the room. The room contained walls covered in ribbons and shelves with a ton of trophies. Photographs of Reagan and her horse littered the walls amongst the ribbons. A few photos of Paul and Reagan also had their place in the bedroom. The bed had stuffed animal horses of all kinds and even a zebra had a place on the covers. It reminded me of a little girl's bedroom, but with an adult's touch with the brown and gray color scheme and the elegant style of the bay window overlooking the farm below.

I looked outside and saw the cows and horses grazing in the field to one side and goats on another. A rose and vegetable garden grew in a little patch by the barn, where I saw Paul mucking out stalls in the distance, noticeable only because of his bright red hair.

"Sorry, friend. That was my best friend, Jamie. She and I ride together." Reagan said as she entered the bedroom again.

"No worries," I replied. Then, out of nowhere, I felt tears welling up in my eyes. I turned back to the window so Reagan wouldn't see.