Charming Clara Part 1 & 2

Part 1: The Commencement- SAMPLE

Chapter 1

The ground was covered in white as the snowflakes that trickled from the gray sky suffocated the ground. Snow in the middle of June. How strange? She thought. The sun was hidden behind the hazy clouds as the winter's coldness penetrated her pale skin. Clara Dubois dreadfully walked towards the black casket that laid beneath a red canopy as she wiped the tears that caressed her cheeks. Clara cradled the bouquet of white roses in her lap as she gently kneeled down in front of the casket. She felt herself grin as she saw all of the beautiful white roses that suffocated the burial grounds; white roses were her mother's favorite. Clara's mother, Melissa Dubois, believed that white roses symbolized purity and holiness. Melissa also believed that the roses could protect the heart of the innocent from the demons of Hell and the flowers were gifts from God to protect the good from evil. Clara's mother was a big believer in her faith and devoted her life to Christianity.

But the Church life was not always what it seemed. Lies, temptations, and sins lingered in the shadows and the darkness created an invisible cloak that hid them from the public eye. Clara didn't follow the cult of Christianity. She felt it did not properly follow the guidelines that God (if that is His real name) had envisioned. Clara's mother was always disappointed with her lack of faith.

"You are blessed by God," Her mother would say, "I wish you would praise Him for all of the wonderful things He has given you in life."

What wonderful things, Clara thought to herself. Making you sick with cancer and taking my father away from me when I was only five... Yes... Thank you, God for these amazing blessings in my life, she thought sarcastically.

She wiped the memory away as she wiped a tear from her cheek. Clara sighed as she sat down beside her older brother, Cole Dubois. He gripped her hand as she snuggled her arm underneath his biceps and gently laid her head on his shoulder. Cole was twenty-seven-years-old and he took on the role as the older brother seriously. He was her protector and his heart shattered every time he saw his baby sister in pain. His emerald green eyes glared at her with sorrow as he smoothed back his blackish brown hair. Clara could feel his broad shoulders tremble from the cold as she tried to share her body heat with him.

"It's just us now." Cole whispered as they ignored the bystanders that cautiously approached them to express their condolences. The majority of the crowd were members from their mother's church that the Dubois children barely knew and the rest were made up of family members that they hadn't spoken to since their father passed away. The only persons in the crowd that was welcomed was their cousins, Ashley and Troy Montgomery and their mother, (Melissa's sister) Donna Dubois Montgomery.

Ashley was the same age as Clara but much shorter. Ashley was lucky to reach five feet tall with heels on. They were both twenty years old and enrolled at Greybrook University, located in their home town Greybrook City, Texas, in the fall. They both decided to take time off before they decided to go to college, both for separate reasons. Clara stayed to take care of her mother and Ashley foolishly followed her high school sweet heart, Zachary Caldwell, to California, without Aunt Donna's permission of course. Zach was chasing his dreams to become a professional guitarist and singer. Once his dreams started to become a reality, he dumped her and left her stranded in Los Angeles. It's too bad that she didn't stay. Ashley fit in perfectly in California. She had beach blonde hair, perfectly tanned skin, and hazel eyes with flecks of forest green. She was always the black sheep of the family or in other words, "the screw up." As soon as she turned eighteen, she began to cover herself with tattoos, wore revealing clothing that Aunt Donna found inappropriate, and dyed her hair all different colors of the rainbow. But today, Ashley was "normal." Her hair was her natural beach blonde hair, she wore black slacks with a black blazer, and black ankle boots with a one-inch, skinny heel that complimented her small feet.