Coralia

~Chapter One~

The horrid sound of my alarm clock invades my ears. I groan as my eyes open. I rub the crust away from my eyes before I roll over and fumble to turn off the alarm. After I silence its awful screeching I stretch my arms and legs.

Okay. Today is my birthday. There is no need to sound fancy. I stretch and roll out of bed. I fix my tank top and shorts which got messed up while I was sleeping and walk out of my bedroom. Like a zombie, I lazily walk down the hallway and into the main part of my house.

"Surprise!" my aunt Megan shouts from the kitchen. I jump and then smile. She is still wearing her pajamas and her curlers in her hair.

I walk over to her and see pancakes and bacon and all sorts of fruit. She scurries over to me and hugs me.

"Okay, okay, it's no big deal," I say pushing her away. She scoffs at me.

"It is a big deal! You're eighteen! Now come eat your breakfast before you go to school," she said pushing me to the table. She pulls out the chair for me and I take a seat. She sits in the chair across from me. I look up at her while I take a bite of my pancakes. She's so young and beautiful. I hope I look like her when I reach her age. Her light brown hair without one gray strand. Her smooth skin and healthy figure. I admire her.

"Okay, so where is my present?" I ask. She laughs and I giggle.

"Well... what would you like?" she asks giggling. I have always loved the ocean, but I have never been in it. I can't even swim. Aunt Megan said that she took me to a pool when I was little and I had a bad reaction to the chlorine and she has always said the ocean is too rough to learn how to swim. She won't even let me stand in the shallow end. So whenever we go to the beach I have to stay on the sand.

"Well... I would really like to go to the beach..." I say. She looks up and her eyes flutter.

"Um alright... we can go and get a nice tan tomorrow and-" she starts.

"And I want to get in," I cut her off. She stops eating and puts her fork down.

"Cora... no."

"Why not? I am eighteen. I'm not a little kid anymore! If I could just stick my feet in-"

"Coralia Marie Shales! You know the rules! I'm sorry but you are going to have to pick something else," she says raising her voice. I close my mouth and stop eating. I'm quiet for a moment.

"...Can I skip school today?" I ask. She looks at me, chuckles, and shakes her head.

"Can't do that either... sorry kiddo. How about we go out for dinner tonight? And when you get home from school I will have a cake ready and you can bring your friends over. How's that?" she asks. I nod and smile. I quickly finish my food so I can go upstairs and get ready for school. I hug my aunt and thank her for the amazing breakfast. I hurry up the stairs and quickly pick out an outfit for today.

I choose a light pink blouse that ties in the front with some torn jeans and cute sandals. Next, I head to the bathroom and brush my teeth and put on my makeup. I did my hair and threw on my shoes.

"Cora! C'mon, let's go! You're gonna be late! I'll be in the car." I ran down the stairs, picked up my keys, and my backpack. My aunt can't afford to buy me a car and I help her pay the bills with the money I get from my part-time job so I probably won't be getting a car anytime soon. Plus she drops me off on her way to work. I go outside and lock the door behind me, hop in the car, and wait the ten minutes it takes to get to school.

When we get there I hop out and jog to the cafeteria. Everyone had a spot to hang out before classes start. My friends Walter, Ashley, and I hang out in the cafeteria because it's quiet. After all, no one wanted to eat the shitty breakfast. I make my way around all the people and strut into the cafeteria. I scan the tables and look for my friends. I see Water eating a muffin and Ashley stuck in her book.