The room was quiet and calm. There was a faint sound of music coming from a phone. She took the phone and stopped the music. Then, she gazed at herself in the mirror. She didn't like how she looked, but if you want to know what she was wearing and how she looked, oh well.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy1Kir2jYN1
The fabric that hugged her slim figure was a green v-neck dress, with short sleeves and a flared skirt that reached down her legs. There was a necklace hanging on her neck that ended just above the neckline of the dress. The necklace had the 'R' letter. It was made of gold, both the chain and the symbol, and she had been wearing this since birth, her aunt had told. It was a gift from her parents, and the girl hadn't taken it off since.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXxhOZRn5fK
Her milky white-pale face was framed by wavy chocolate hair that reached some inches past her upper back. The azure blue eyes stared back at her in the mirror, their depths filled with a mix of excitement and anxiety. They were the prettiest color of the ocean in a warm summer day.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUAi9kblS06
The sandals she was wearing made little job in making her appear taller. She was just 5'3.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTYgmBFIEM7
Anyway, let's talk about her face again. Well, that was the thing. The girl didn't like her face. Her eyebrows were softly arched, her cheeks were hollow and her lips were thin. But it was something else she didn't like.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6dKOhI1IPh
A scar ran across from her left eyebrow to her cheekbone. It was deep and white.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOs8g8y4qQ1
Yes, she was beautiful. But she never saw or thought that. Yes, there were those who had told her, but it was just to make fun of her, ironically. They'd say, "Oh, look how pretty she is," and then they'd burst into laughter. She didn't mind. Not really. It had always been that way, they'd always notice, they'd ask, they'd bully, and she'd fight the urge to slap them. She didn't like attention. It made her feel even more terrible.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDLKw8sYD80
She didn't like people either, she hated them. Well, not everyone, but most of them. They were selfish, cruel, they were wicked and always serving their own interests. And it was alright for her. She didn't need anyone. She was fine on her own and with her aunt.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡswMkuGASCD
As for the scar, she had been a troublemaker when she was little, her aunt told. She had always been a bit of a daredevil, running around, climbing things. When she was five, she had gone into a run and tripped on a rock, falling face first and cutting herself open. Her aunt had taken her to the hospital, but the scar had remained.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkmjv4UiJPs
Anyway, she didn't remember all that. She didn't remember herself as little, or as a troublemaker. She didn't even remember her parents. All she had were the stories her aunt had told. And it was....strange.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3UCULShjGE
"Regan, are you ready?" her aunt called from the other room.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfJ8sDeD4JM
"I'm coming!" Regan yelled back. She sighed, straightened her clothes and turned away from the mirror. Just then, the sudden slam of the window startled her.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxs5n1ewq2Q
"What a strong wind," Regan murmured to herself. She was going to close it anyway.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ4XqCx3xW1
She walked over to get her luggage, but.... she felt something strange. As if she was being watched. She glanced around her room, not noticing anything weird.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGnKAgNgcrp
Back to the unzipped luggage, there she saw a framed photo of her parents. It reminded her of how different she looked from them.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOkPNgg3IF5
Sometimes she wondered about it. Was she even their daughter? Of course, she was. She thought so.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPGoQzyQXrs
She zipped the luggage and eyed the room once more, making sure she hadn't forgotten anything. The feeling of being watched lingered but she didn't want to think about it now.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3hfmC9z9D3
The aunt was waiting for her in the living room, her blonde hair tied in a neat bun. She had a wide smile on her face, her brown eyes sparkling with excitement.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJNPFF9sSsK
"You look nice, dear," she said, her voice gentle. "Wait here, I'm just going to take a look upstairs."
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlzrH74RW1O
"Okay," Regan said. She was happy they were going to finally leave their old apartment, but she couldn't help the intrusive thoughts that always accompanied her whenever she did something.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8TlYGesiM0
After Monica came back, they both headed out of the apartment, going downstairs and in her aunt's car. Regan had gotten her driver license two years ago, but she didn't have a car.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPgBLiS3Qal
The new house that Monica had bought was in California and that was where they were going to go.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡujVeGYqRyA
As Monica started the engine and drove off, Regan's anxiety kicked in. She didn't know much about the house or the neighborhood. The photos were the only things she had seen.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw1WHZXmHMg
She hid her anxiety in front of her aunt. Always. She was the kind of person to appear cool on the surface, even though she would tremble from anxiety inside. Anxiety had been isolating her and her thoughts as well.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ74VO2Wqru3
After some hours, they stopped the car near a restaurant. The restaurant was lovely, with a lush outside tavern. It was filled with people, mostly road travelers. Regan and her aunt took a seat somewhere in the side, with Regan being paranoid about whoever passed near her chair. She didn't really want people close to her.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV8zpQEzBYH
"Are you excited?" Monica asked.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwZNMSfD2xG
"Of course I am," Regan smiled. Although she was anxious, she was happy about moving out.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3kI7rLmvZh
"Amazing, you're gonna love it there, dear. It is a million times better than that trash apartment we had."
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrJEcTeL74t
Regan nodded at her aunt, then caught a group of guys and girls her age, sitting in a table slightly far from hers. They were staring at her. They're staring at my scar, she thought.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7N1t0p0FTT
She didn't really care though, although she felt insecure. She rarely wore makeup, not because she didn't like it, but because she was lazy.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNlliLanBuq
After the waitress brought their food, they ate. A hour later, they entered the car again, ready for their long ride. After six hours, they finally arrived at their destination.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJwo4xOf9Ir
It had become afternoon, the sky a shade of orange and blue. The temperatures were high and the wind was hot. Their new house was like Regan had seen in photos. It was a two-story bungalow house. Other houses in the neighborhood were similar. A few people were walking by, and it was calm and quiet.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGUTelVcADj
Regan took a deep breath and filled her lungs with fresh air, as if she had just finished a prison sentence.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvG9yYUxFe5
Monica was already getting the bags inside and told her to follow. Regan followed her inside the house.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiXntrdX2FK
The interior of the house was neatly kept. On the right side of the corridor was the staircase, leading the way up. On the left of the stairs was an arched doorway, which led to the living room; another to the kitchen. In the end of the small corridor, was a plain white door to the bathroom.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRNTfwf7YRs
The floors were made of wood, crackling as she walked. She gazed around the plain walls, which lacked any kind of decorations. However, the house was well furnished.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ZOpug37eP
Monica told her to go upstairs to her room and unpack. Regan did as she said, going upstairs to her room. The room was colored in white. There was a small balcony on the side, a bed adjacent to the wall, and white modern closet with a wall mirror. On the other side was the desk with a few shelves on the wall. She started to unpack, placing her clothes inside the closet. They weren't much, so it didn't took a long time.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIbxzYKxals
As for the shelves, she placed books and other stuff there. Then she left the room and stepped in Monica's room.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVrfJQFIScy
"Are you done with it?" Regan asked with a chuckle. Her aunt was a perfectionist, making sure to have her stuff organized and neat, unlike Regan, who kept forgetting where she left things.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqLjDKlAUJ1
"Yeah, yeah...." Monica said as she put the last clothes on the highest shelve, "How does the house look?"
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrX43UpT8iQ
"It's beautiful," Regan replied. This house was nothing like her old apartment. It was so cool and lovely. It was refreshing.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmpOH8REIEU
"Let's go downstairs and eat something. That ride was tiring," Monica said, going upstairs.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEdl3HC2v3R
"But we haven't bought anything..."
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHV7QcOudKW
"No problem hun, I ordered pizza."
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0NTlsD8yO2
Regan nodded excitedly and went downstairs to the living room. She sat on the beige, and a little scratched couch, and looked around at the flat screen TV, noticing a small router on its right.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk2Iv4CuQ1x
"There's Wi-Fi here?" she asked.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQEIeGiihEe
"Yes, the previous owners didn't take a lot from the house, almost everything is left here, they already have bigger opportunities in another country in the US, so..." the aunt explained.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKHKZvj61nl
Regan immediately checked her phone to see that Wi-Fi was free, "That's fantastic!"
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH1sJ7uBrw7
______
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEGQ4XOCQqp
___________________
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj8TqRhXlc0
So what do you think about the first chapter? Don't hesitate to comment 💙
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI03WqCrXXt
