Somewhere Near the Ocean

Chapter 1

Angelina

         I stared up at the blue house before me. It had a wide set of stairs, and an immaculate garden in the small bit of space between them and the sidewalk. There was nothing wrong with the house, but it looked so...city. I couldn't imagine living in a place like this. It was a duplex, so simply a wall away there was another whole family living there. Mr. Wood clapped me on the shoulder, giving me a hesitant grin. He held my two suitcases in both his arms, and my backpack weighed heavily on my shoulders. 

    I walked forward, taking off my Birkenstock's on the mat that was on the small front deck. There were little lights strung up on the railing and overhang. Two chairs also sat beside the door, which was open. I stepped in, taking note of the two small couches facing each other, and a desk to my left. Not a lot of space. There was a half wall separating the dining room, which had a small table and four chairs. Then there was a railing, a small closet, and the stairs that led down towards the bedrooms. Past that there was a bathroom, laundry room, and a beautiful kitchen that had lots of natural light. At least the kitchen was similar to home. Mrs. Wood was there now, sitting at the island on an iPad. It was a beautiful house; but it wasn't mine.

     I tried not to sigh as I was led downstairs, and to the right. To the left was the master bedroom. We passed a small bathroom and a room with the door closed. There was music coming from behind it, and was literally a foot away from another bedroom, which I guessed I was staying in. It had two small windows, a closet, a small dresser, and a double bed with a grey duvet. There was a small bulletin board covered with pretty fabric, a photo of me as a baby laughing on my father's lap. I didn't ask where Mr. Wood got it, but I did appreciate it. The room felt a little more like home. 
"Well, I hope you like it. Not much, I know, but I'm sure it will feel better once you unpack. Anyway, I have to get back to the office. Sally is upstairs if you need anything, and I believe Conner is," Mr. Wood, or Charlie as I was supposed to call him, peered back at the closed door. "He's in his room. But feel free to poke your head in and introduce yourself if you want. See you later, Angelina." Then he left. I believed he was a lawyer, and Sally was a publisher. As hard as I tried, I couldn't remember them from when I was a child and we also lived in Vancouver. I couldn't imagine living anywhere but my log  house in Oregon.

   I shouldn't have thought of home. It sent a sharp pain through my chest, so I ignored it and started unpacking. Closing the door, I realized there was a full size mirror on the back of it. I took in my disheveled state. My long light brown hair was frizzy in the heat, half pulled up in a bun. My face bore no makeup, my eyes were red and there were dark circles underneath them. The light brown colour of my iris's looked darker than usual. I looked pale, even though it was near the end of summer, and I usually tanned easily. My freckles were faded, my lips down turned, and my shoulder's seemed slumped, even though I had good posture from dance. Everything about me screamed...defeated. I finally sighed, and lay down on my new bed. It was hard, a lot harder than my bed at home. The mattress felt unused.

   Eventually, I did unpack all my stuff. I hung up and folded my clothes, pinned up the single card I had received from my dad on the bulletin board, and placed my books on the dresser. I opened the windows, hoping a cool breeze would come in instead of more humidity. No such luck. Then I walked upstairs, my phone in hand, heading towards the kitchen. Sally smiled at me as I stood awkwardly.
"Do you, uh, have wifi? I want email my dad and let him know I got here alright." I asked. Sally frowned slightly at the mention of my father but then smiled brightly at me again.
"Of course! Here you go." She handed me a small slip of paper, obviously expecting this. I tried not to flinch when her hand touched mine. It was too hot to touch anything. I quickly typed in the sequence of numbers then went to the living room, not feeling comfortable to sit beside her at the island.