The Non-Comformist

Chapter 1: Coming "Home"

It had already been years since Arista had last been in the small town of Sylvan. It was just as she had always remembered-- noisy, dirty, and gray. She really wasn't all that excited to come back. Having to stay at this place where people cared more about themselves than they did about others was the most tedious environment for her. Seriously, no one ever wanted to help people through their hardships—but the moment it became about gossiping, the whole goddamn town took care of everything. It was really frustrating for her. Sylvan was so small, that they didn't even have an airport so she arrived over in the next city and then had a two hour long ride home.

Arista already knew this scenario, it repeated every summer. She came back and in about a month, she would get in fights with her mother and one or two people. Last year she broke up with her best friend for the stupidest thing-- but that was already history. So was this town for her--but she had to stay, as always. She swore someday she would run away, change her name to Arianna or something, and just disappear from being Arista, just like she had always wanted to do so. There would be no more rules, no more having to hide whom she really was, being able to be transparent for once—free.

She took a really deep breath as she saw the town sign signaling: "Welcome to Sylvan—The Town of Wonders".

Wonders? She thought, if they mean how fast gossip travels, then they got that shit right.

"We have a room set up on the second floor in the house," her mom distracted her as they drove. It had been so long that all those curves were making her stomach have second thoughts about breakfast. "You can stay there for a while, your brothers sleep in the same room for now."

Ari thought about it as her mom pulled at her grandparent's driveway. She knew how careless her mom was and she would never forget about her habit of making Ari babysit as she did something stupid that was neither resting nor useful. Her younger brothers, who were five and six, were so annoying. Ari loved them to the moon and back but she thought of them as a nuisance sometimes because of how she could barely do anything because she had to stay home with them. As Ari always said, if she wanted her own kids, she would open her legs to the first stupid boy that she found. It wasn't rare for a twenty-one year old girl to be forcibly married to her boyfriend who got her pregnant. In fact, Ari had been skipped by way too many of her girl cousins already. She truly believed it was disgusting.

"Arista!" Her grandmother walked out the door; her arms wide open to receive her back. She hugged her grandma quickly and then her grandpa, who could barely hide a joyful smile. If there was one reason why Arista was still in this world, it was because her grandpa loved her. She knew the moment he died, she would never come back to Sylvan—ever.

"I think I'll spend the night here," Ari looked at her mom and then at her dad, who would help her bring down the luggage.

"Great, I cleaned out the King size bed for you!" Her grandmother cheerfully replied. "You get the big room tonight! We're so glad that you're back."

Ari half smiled at her grandmother's comment. She felt as if she had just come back from some sort of mental institution and everyone tried to act normal while she was trying to get locked up again. She felt so disconnected from everyone and everything there—she was so different.

Midnight stroke on the clock and she knew she wanted to go to sleep. After her thirteen hour flight, she really needed her sleep and she would definitely use that as an excuse to be left alone. After all, it's hard to think when there are people around.

How long will the joy last?