It's the first day of summer, Acacia May Brynne is moving out of her abusive fathers house in with her aunt in Florida. Nervous about her age and entering a new school at Senior year, Acacia tends to unintentionally hermit herself away. Completely...
Elena stopped the car at a mansion-like house. It's modern exterior was enormous, geometric and oddly light despite the use of mostly dark colours. Light sand coloured stone was placed in a flawless manor, it complimented the house perfectly. Giant palm trees were planted all the way up the drive way, making it more like a palace than a house. "This is beautiful, when did yall buy it?" Acacia asked. "Maybe a month ago now, if you like outside, inside will shock you"
Elena always amused Acacia, she moved to the the states' from Russia just ten years ago and managed to get an amazing paying job, a husband, a nice house and lots of social success. She's a very intelligent women in her early thirties and had raised her cousins in her home country. Acacia and she got along great, especially since Acacia never had a mom, but Elena didn't live near her, they rarely got to meet. Despite that, Elena did her best to help her, calling or texting frequently, having her husband talk to Acacias dad, sending her clothing when needed, even helping her set up with a credit card when she turned sixteen to help build a credit score. Whenever Acacia had a problem or needed someone, Elena was always there for her.
Acacia picked up one of her luggages and walked up the stairs and into the house. She pushed open the double doors and stepped foot onto the marble flooring. Kicking her slides off, she set her case down and stared in awe. The house was absolutely gorgeous, like one you'd see in movies. The walls were painted an off white, huge paneled windows surrounded her. The kitchen was enormous, big enough to park a car in it. On the island was a stove, her uncle stood behind it flipping pancakes and sprinkling chocolate chips onto the batter in the pan. "Uncle mike! How are you?" Acacia greeted him. "Howdy" he said with a smile. He didn't speak much, typical of an engineer. "The house is spectacular, I really like it!" She couldn't keep her eyes on one thing for more than a second. "If you thought that's impressive," her uncle pointed his spatula at the far north window(s), "you're gunna drop dead at the view." Acacia turned her head, how could she have missed it? Mesmerized, she trailed slowly to the giant window overlooking a glamorous pool, a forest of palm plants and the glimmering ocean beyond. Her jaw dropped, this was the most stunning thing she had ever seen. To the right of one panel, there was a glass door. She opened it and walked onto the patio. The air was warm, a slight breeze came in from the sea in front of her. She leaned on the railing, peering down upon the creme coloured stones, perfectly laid around the geometric pool. Palm trees sprouted within in-ground planters, randomly placed yet so planned out. She walked down the steps, the stones felt balmy on the pads of her feet from the hot Florida weather.
Acacia felt like she was dreaming, this place was perfect. A sweet motherly aunt, a laid back uncle, a beautiful home, food whenever she wanted, clean and new clothing, everything. She finally had it all, a loving family with a dream-like lifestyle. But still, something was missing. She felt selfish feeling like it wasn't complete but then it hit her. It wasn't the fact that she didn't have real parents, it was the fact that she was still alone.
She had someone to talk to now, a loving mother figure and a small family but she had no friends. Even when she was living with her dad, she couldn't seem to relate to others. Acacia didn't want to accept it but she was bullied and shut out for her differences. People would laugh at her stutter when her voice would crack out of nerves. Her peers would point and whisper amongst themselves when she would shake from social anxiety. Even the people that tried to be nice to her ended up leaving shortly after due to frustration and confusion, Acacia just couldn't be or act normal. Through nobody wanting to understand her PTSD, to people dismissing her depression, constantly putting up with ignorance when others would tell her to 'just eat', none of them understood. It's not that easy. And for those who tried, Acacia appreciated it, but they could never be bothered after around 3 months. It didn't help that people used her either. Boys would act sweet, tell her what they thought she wanted to hear. They would get her hooked on them and torment her with sexual requests. Acacia, a beautiful girl with low confidence, trust issues, no friends/family and a long list of non-violent mental disorders couldn't help herself. All she ever wanted was love. But she never felt like she could get it so attention would have to do.
Acacia thought about her past frequently. It was something she did everything to get over but could never forget. Her past looms over her, haunting her almost. She hated to admit that she had any issue at all, she liked to compare herself to the starving children in Africa. "It could always be worse," Acacia stated to a school counselor who noticed fresh, large, horizontal scrapes on her upper thigh through a hole in her jeans, "there are children right now who don't have fresh water, food or clothing in Kenya. They battle sex trafficking, disease and violence everyday. I'm doing just fine." She flipped her deep mocha coloured hair out of her face. Trying to forget about the flashback, she sat down on the edge of the pool, letting her feet glide into the lukewarm water. Her reflexion stared back at her, rippling as the water swayed with the ocean breeze. Her bright green eyes peered back at her, she studied her reflection. She looked away quickly, her face made her upset. It's like whoever created her gave up half way through making a kardashian (in her mind). She had the features, but they didn't match her. Her nose was button but she always thought it was too big for her face. She had lips that could be full but they were chapped, discoloured and sad looking. Maybe it was the bullying from her classmates and father that made her think so lowly of herself and her appearances. The rippled made her face look uneven, it was just going to make her upset, she knew to look away before she started crying.
Acacia set her hands back so she could rest and look up at the sky. The sun was risen at this point, she had to squint a bit but she didn't mind. Without control, she once again thought about how lonely she was. Not physically lonely, she knew she wasn't truly alone for she had her aunt and uncle but she felt it. It was a deep feeling that no matter what, she couldn't shake.
She put her head down again, looking at her reflection. Instead of doing something dramatic like slapping the water in a fit of self loathing, she got up, grabbed her slides and walked back up the stairs and into the mansion. It made her forget her insecurities for a moment but they always caught up.
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