Reckless. (ON HOLD.)

Three.

"Alice... Alice," someone whispered softly.

I woke with a jolt and immediately glanced around the bedroom I was in. For a moment my tired eyes thought I was back in England, in my messy bedroom that had an emergency packet of fags tucked between the headboard and the wall. Then my eyes adjusted and I remembered that I was in Maggie's spare room.

I groaned and pressed my face down into my pillow. When I looked up, Lucy was hovering over me, her blonde hair a curtain over her face. "Dinner's ready."

"I'm coming now," I answered with a voice croaky from sleep.

Lucy didn't respond as she padded across the room and left, pulling the door shut behind her quietly. I sighed and rolled onto my back, staring at the ceiling and trying to recall the past day. The remaining ride to Maggie's house had been silent as I dozed in and out of sleep, with the music on low and Lucy tapping on her phone.

When we had pulled up to the house, I gave it a quick once over and otherwise pretended not to be fazed. Mentally I thought it was stunning. It was nothing like the houses back in England, with their yellow stains across the peeling paint and blown, foggy windows.

Maggie's house was a medium sized modern home and was a beautiful fresh white color. There was a front porch like I had only seen in films and there were two rocking chairs overlooking the lawn. There were vintage shutters covering all the windows and they were a lovely, deep green.

Three broad steps led up to the porch and they were fenced in by lush green hedges that seemed to be regularly trimmed. A tiny, brick chimney sat on the roof and there was a storm door too. "Lovely isn't it?" Maggie asked.

We clambered out of the car and moved around to the boot to retrieve my things. "It was built in 1890," she informed me proudly. "By one of my own ancestors on my father's side. House of the Lucas's it used to be, of course, it's Walker now after I married Joseph."

"Didn't you have any siblings who wanted the house?" I asked.

Maggie helped me heave out a suitcase and shook her head. "I do have a brother and sister: twins; it runs in the family. But they were already in their own homes with their families when my father passed. We were in a much smaller home and I was pregnant with Lucy, so I took possession of it and brought my siblings out of their share."

After Lucy joined us to help carry my bags, we proceeded to the house where I met Joseph: Maggie's husband. We politely shook hands and he told me to help myself to anything and to feel right at home. I gave him what I hoped was a polite smile but it felt strained.

These people really didn't seem to understand my situation. As if I could just feel at home after being kicked out for the summer. Lucy led me to the spare room after I met Sammy, their golden retriever. She briefly mentioned me meeting her older brother Tyler when he got back from hanging out with his friends.

When she left the room, I sat down on the bed and finally broke into tears. I cried until I had to run to the bathroom and be sick. Then I returned to my room, took out my fags and lighter, and left for the bathroom again to have a bath and a smoke. I didn't even know if I was allowed to smoke in the house, but I didn't care.

When I was finally done wallowing in misery, I drained the plug, flicked my fag butt into the toilet and went back across the hallway to the room I was staying in. I sighed as I came back to the present and sat up in bed. My blonde hair was knotted tight on my head and I released it to try and stop a pending headache.

I glanced around the room and took it in, having barely looked around when I had come in earlier. It was a cute room, very open and light. It was nothing like my dark, funky smelling room back at home. It was very practical with a double bed, a built-in cupboard and a chest of drawers.