The Black and the White Rose

Chapter One

Today is August 14, 2014, the first day back to high school, and my first day as a Sophomore. I go to Riverside High School, which was built in 1945-87 years after my town was founded. I live in the small and quaint town known as Riverbrook-hence the name "Riverside."
My town was founded in 1858, and has been a pleasant and peaceful town, with a population of approximately 6,913. It's located in the state of Virginia, far away from everything else. The town is enclosed by trees and woods, so it's pretty secluded from the big cities, and there is nothing but open land for miles.
I was born here on May 16, 1999. My parents are Sarah and John Pierce. We are one of the founding families of our town.
I have two older siblings, a sister and a brother. My sister Amy is 16 and a Junior. My brother James is 17-he's a Senior. Amy is the type of older sister who teaches you how to do your makeup and how to act in front of guys. She's always there when I need someone to talk to about girly things.
James, on the other hand, is...different. He's sort of cold and a little harsh toward me. Although, when I'm upset about something or crying, he comforts me. I'm told he wasn't happy when I was born-that meant another child to take more attention away from him-and yet, he's still very protective of me. For example, if a guy or girl, tries to pressure me into doing something I don't want to do or harasses me, James always comes to my rescue-no matter where or when, he's always there when I need him most.
James's protectiveness isn't a bad thing, but some people think it is "a bit inappropriate"-some think he has "feelings" for me, but I know for a fact that he doesn't. We both love each other as brother and sister-nothing more.
Last but not least, there's me. I'm 15 and my name is Skye Felicity Pierce-Skye is short for Skylar. I don't like to be called Skylar, so everyone, including my family, calls me Skye.

This morning I got out of bed, took a shower and got dressed, and ate breakfast. I put on my favorite, royal blue blouse and my favorite, soft yellow skirt. I just need shoes.
I walk over to my closet and pull out my knee-high boots. They're brown and have 3-inch heels. I slowly slide them on and zip them up.
Then I sit at my vanity and start to put on my makeup. First foundation, then primer and eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, etc. Makeup is like a work of art, in my opinion. It seems like a lot, but I never put on too much because I don't think it's necessary.
After I'm done, I take a long look in the mirror. My eyes have light brown eyeshadow on the outside corner, making them look slightly more prominent, and a light orange on the inner corner and middle of the my eyelid. I have green eyes, so brown and orange colors makes them pop. Then I have on a peach-colored blush and lipstick-I'm pretty girly sometimes. I breathe in deeply and let out a big sigh.
"A new day, a new year," I whisper to myself.
"That's right," A voice behind me says suddenly, causing me to jump. I turn around to see my mom in my doorway, peeking in.
"Mom-you startled me."
"Sorry. Ready for the pictures?" she asks.
"Yep. Just a minute," I say, smiling at her. I pick up my makeup brushes and pallets and put them in my vanity drawer. Then I stand up and push in my chair.
My mom forms a wide smile, stretching across her face. She always gets excited on our first day back to school. Every year my siblings and I take pictures together, so she can put them in a photo album. She's been putting that album together since the day James was born, so I'm told.
As I head out to the back yard with her, I pass pictures of my siblings and I when we were younger. In one of them, James and I are wrestling, and Amy is just laughing at us. In another, Amy and I are hugging James. I remember he didn't want to take the picture, but our dad threatened to take his car keys. After the picture, he stormed out of the house and drove to the Grill for a few hours.
We walk through the living room; it's really open with nice furniture, paintings on the walls, a chandelier in the center of the ceiling, a large stone fireplace, and big windows to look out to the back of our property.
When my mom and I get to the back yard, I smile-it looks serene, as always. Our back yard is vast, and there are many trees and flowers. There's a round glass table on the patio, with five chairs around it. The glass is pristine and the metal edges are a silvery color. The view has a massive lake with ducks, geese, and swans swimming around in it. There's a pier for boating and fishing connected to our property. Near a large oak tree on the left side of our yard, is a white gazebo. The scenery is exquisite. Since the day I could open my eyes and see it, it's been stunning to me.
Everyone is getting ready for the pictures. My brother and sister are standing under the trellis, which we always stand under for pictures. Our parents also got married under it. It's covered in ivy and roses: pink, white, and red. I can smell them from the patio.
Amy is wearing a very ravishing, lavender dress that flows down to her knees. James is wearing a blue button-up shirt and blue jeans, typical of him.
I look at him, but he looks away with an irritated expression-he doesn't like taking photos. My dad is sitting at the glass table patiently.
I walk over to join my siblings, who are getting into their positions for the picture. It's always the same: James in the middle, Amy on his right, me on his left. He put his arms around us hesitantly. He's also not a person who likes embracing or hugging when forced.
"Can we get this over with?" James blurts out at our mom.
"James!" My dad glares at him.
"Ugh!"
Amy elbows him hard in the side.
"Ouch!!" He winces.
"Get over yourself!" She says, sticking her tongue out and crinkling her nose at him. He does the same to her.
"Smile!!" My mom shouts to make them stop-I've been looking at the sky the whole time, daydreaming, and I don't hear her clearly. "Skye! Hey! Down here!"
I jolt my head in her direction. She has a confused expression.
"Sorry," I manage to squeak. I look at the ground awkwardly. I can feel my cheeks getting warm.
"Usually you are the one who really wants to take pictures. Is something wrong?" James asks curiously. I'm surprised he cares.
"No. Nothing's wrong. Let's just take the picture now."
He gives me a worried, yet suspicious look, then turns back to the camera.
Nothing is wrong, but I can't help to think about what might happen at school today-I have a strange feeling. What if someone new comes to school? What if something bad happens? What if my new teachers are mean? I have questions racing through my head, but I manage to stretch a convincing smile across my face. At least, I hope it looks believable.
"Thank you guys. You can go now," our mom tells us as we grab our bags.
We walk around the back of the house to the front. Our three cars are parked in the driveway. James drives a Mercedes Benz-yes a Mercedes. I forgot to mention that my family is...kind of rich. Since we are one of the founding families, we have a big estate, lots of property, expensive cars, and almost everything we want. I will say that we are NOT a snobby, stuck up family. In fact, we've been voted to be one of the kindest and most generous families in Riverbrook.
James takes us to school everyday, since he's the only kid with a car in our family. His car is bright red, and very sleek-looking.
He pulls out his keys from his back pocket and presses the unlock button. The car beeps three times and the front windows roll down automatically. James walks over to the back door and opens it for me. As I walk up to him, he gives me a gentle look. It's strange for him to be so kind.
"Thank you," I say quietly.
He nods and looks at the ground-he seems embarrassed. I get in the car and buckle my seat belt.
Amy hops into the passenger seat as James shuts my door and walks around to the driver's side. He gets in and starts the car without saying a word.
Our parents are waving at the three of us on the front porch. We wave back as James rears out of our long driveway.
I stare at my huge house, thinking about how I won't be back until around 3:00 this afternoon-it's 8:47 right now. The front of my house is just as big as the back. The masonry is magnificent and majestic. The peak of the house is tall and has three windows on it-so the sunlight shines through them into the house. There are oak trees in the front yard, tall and ancient-looking.