Waiting for Yesterday

Chapter 2: Time to Decorate!

I wove my way up the staircase, trying to keep my suitcase from hitting the back of my legs. Anna wasn't doing much better than me by the sound of her heavy breathing behind me.
"Jeez," she said, "you'd think mom would have picked a house that didn't require so much cardio. She hates working out."
"At least the stairs aren't carpeted. That would have been terrible." I replied. We both giggled at the thought. Our mother hated carpet with a passion. She absolutely detested the stuff.
"Hey Anna, let's each look in all the rooms and then figure out which one will belong to us. If we both want the same room, we can thumb wrestle for it."
"That's not fair," Anna complained, "you always win thumb wrestles!"
"Hey, it's not my fault you suck dude."
"Ugh, whatever." Anna groaned. She has always been a bad sport. At thirteen, Anna was starting to grow up. Granted, she still whined like a five year old when things didn't go her way but still. Progress was progress.
"Hey Lizzy, look at this room! It's like a princess room or something."
Anna was standing in the doorway of a room just off the stairs, at the beginning of a long hallway. The door was a solid looking one, with dark wood and ornate handle.
"Wow. Seems pretty big. Maybe we should let mom have this one." I said to her. Her face fell but she shook her head.
"Yeah, you're right. Mom deserves it after what dad did to her."
We both stood there for a second, gazing at the room. I silently closed the door and we moved on. Anna found the room she wanted almost immediately after that. It was a moderately sized room with its own bathroom and a walk-in closet. What really got her though was the huge window on the wall opposite the door. Light flooded in and the view of the front lawn was amazing. I left her to unpack and went exploring for a room of my own. I looked in room after room and couldn't find one that caught my interest. Then, at the end of the hall was a door with peeling white paint and a glass handle. As I opened the door, the smell of fresh air hit me and I breathed in deeply. Looking around, I saw a room filled with light. Just like in Anna's room, a huge window set opposite the door, however this one had a window seat in front of it. White curtains billowed around the open window, as if someone had just left. Stepping into the room I saw a large wardrobe made of some kind of light wood. What really caught my attention though was the wall across from the bed frame. It was lined with book shelves, each filled to brim with books. They all looked old and perfect. I knew that this was my room. I placed my suitcase in front of a stone fireplace that was between the shelves and called out to Anna.
"Anna, come here, I found my room!"
"Coming!" Was her far off reply.
Minutes later she crashed into my room, sliding on the floor in her sock feet.
"Wow, Lizzy, this is so perfect for you. Holy pickles, you have a fireplace? That's so cool. And all these books. You really picked the best room. Makes me jealous."
"Really?" I replied, "you're jealous of my books?"
"Well no. Actually I'm glad I don't have so many books taking up space in my room. You know how much stuff I have. Which reminds me, mom said the moving guys are gonna be coming soon. So we can start unpacking and decorating!"
Grinning, I joined my sister as she walked out of my new room and down the stairs. Looking back up at the twisting stair case, I realized I was happier than I had been in a while. And I hadn't even unpacked yet.