Saving Grace (On Hold)

First Impressions

“Wakey wakey, eggs n’ bakey!” Aunt Jane said in a sing song voice, pulling my thick white curtains open letting the sunlight stream in to my previously dark room. I groaned and buried my head under the pillow to get away from the light. Lucas and Lucy had kept me up all night, forcing me to have a Lord of The Rings marathon with them until the small hours in the morning. I wasn’t that much of a fan but Lucas had worked his usual magic and I somehow found myself curled into Aunt Jane’s red sofa holding the cushion in suspense. For some reason, Lucas had always managed to convince Lucy and I to do exactly what he wanted and made it seem like it was our idea.

I opened my eyes and peeked from under the fluffy pillow, my blonde hair falling in tangled around my face. Sitting up I faced my Aunt who stood examining my half empty wardrobe with a frown on her face, beside my bed sat a steaming mug of tea which I gulped down greedily after mumbling a sleepy thank you. Aunt Jane turned and smiled before demanding that I be down for breakfast in twenty minutes. I held back another groan as I stretched out my aching muscles and stood from my warm bed. I was a morning person by default but staying up until 4am had really knocked me hard.

After showering and drying my hair I tugged on jeans, a cute floral shirt and pulled on some toms. I smiled as I walked down the stairs into the kitchen, plopping my dirty mug into the dishwasher. 

“Morning!” I chimed, laughing at Lucas and Lucy who sat on the stools to the kitchen island still in their pyjamas. Lucy shot be a glare before covering her eyes and laying her head down on the island, Lucas groaned and cursed me, mumbling under his breath about hating morning people. I grinned and turned to Aunt Jane who stood over the cooker watching the eggs, she smiled back with a touch of sadness clouding her blue eyes. I felt my eyebrows scrunch together in confusion and looked around for mum, it wasn’t until I noticed her usually loud voice completely missing that I realised what had put the sad look in my Aunts eyes.

“She’s away with work, isn’t she?” I asked, pulling a glass from the cabinet and filling it from the water dispenser. Aunt Jane sighed and nodded.

“She’ll be back soon, she told me to tell you that she’s sorry but she couldn’t hold it off any longer.” Aunt Jane looked so completely dejected I couldn’t help but laugh. I felt my heart constrict slightly knowing she was so concerned and upset for me, it felt so… well, motherly. 

“Its fine,” I smiled, showing her that it was indeed fine. “She’s been putting it off all week, since we got here. I understand.” And I did. Mum was one of the top fashion designers, she was often busy. Back in England it hadn’t been that bad, our house was big enough that she had her own studio where she spent most her time but now we were in the US she had to leave for different conferences. Being in America meant she would get more recognition, her suppliers were from here and she had just bought a studio apartment that she could use. Granted it was over an hour away but it meant she could work without leaving the house a mess, it also meant I wouldn’t have to deal with being her assistant. I did love helping with the clothes and trying on different designs, for a girly girl it was practically heaven, but now I didn’t have to worry as much. Mum had hired a personal assistant, a receptionist and various other employees, to her it meant more help. To me it meant I wouldn’t have to be scared that she’d forget to eat or fall and hurt herself on left over pieces of fabric.

“So,” Lucy perked up, sipping a steaming cup of coffee. I raised my eyebrow, slightly worried about the joyful expression on her face. “I noticed that your closet is majorly low on clothes, shoes and pretty much everything else. How do you even find anything to wear? I mean hello, your mom is the Candice Sommers.”