- Joined
- Jan 26, 2010
- Location
- Why do you care?
Laila Hennessy smiled as she woke up, the sun filtering through the slightly open spaces between her blinds on her window. The sun was slowly rising higher in the early morning sky and its golden rays of light were warm as they kissed her porcelain-pale skin, gently rousing her from sleep. As she slowly blinked her blue eyes open, a tiny smile tugged at the corners of her lips and she began to stretch beneath the sheets of her warm, comfy bed.
"Mmm..." Laila sighed contentedly, her pale eyes staring at the sunlight, causing her to giggle. She pushed at her tousled blonde hair and slowly sat up, the blankets falling from her slender form just a bit.
This was a special day indeed since it only came once a year and her parents had been starting to act just strangely enough over the past couple of days that Laila was beginning to suspect that they had something up their sleeves, something interesting and fun planned for her. After all, how often did someone—namely, their one and only most special daughter, oh how that thought made her giggle—have an eighteenth birthday?
Giggling softly, Laila finally threw back the covers and swung her legs over the side of her bed. A shiver ran along her spine causing her body to shudder the moment her bare feet touched the cold, hard floor. Immediately, she made her way across the room and sought out her robe, something to cover herself and stave off the tiny chill she suddenly felt. Besides, she couldn't very well go traipsing about in her pink nightie. So, her robe would be needed regardless. Searching for her slippers, she finally found them and slipped her delicate feet inside each before padding across her room and then downstairs where she knew both of her parents would be.
Breakfast turned out to be strange, Laila's parents barely said a word, both too preoccupied with menial things to say very much—so odd, so unlike them both. Typically, breakfast time was a time they all shared together, a time in which they all talked and laughed and... Was this part of the plan? Dash her hopes and then... Surprise!?
Laila could only begin to speculate.
The rest of the day was just as peculiar. Laila's parents had sent her out to run errand. Run errands? What parents send their daughter out to do such things on their birthday of all days? This was supposed to be her day! And her summer holiday! Though summer was slowly coming to an end. She could smell the scent of autumn on the air, summer just starting to wane and give way to the aroma of cinnamon.
As evening began to fall, Laila was beginning to wonder if her parents were ever going to acknowledge her eighteenth birthday, reveal her surprise. Wit the way things were going, she was starting to give up hope, to believe that perhaps they'd truly forgotten or didn't wish to remember. Maybe this was their way of holding on?
Yes, yes! Of course!
No... no... Oh, Laila didn't know. But she could feel her blue eyes starting to prick with tears at the idea of her parents forgetting and their peculiar and almost aloof behavior. Just, what was going on?
As the sky grew dark and the stars began to shine above in the inky black sky, Laila could tell that her parents almost seemed nervous. But that didn't seem right. They shouldn't be nervous. They should be mortified—mortified and sorry that they'd forgotten an important day in their daughter's life.
"Go upstairs, Laila," her father suddenly said out of nowhere. "Go upstairs and lock your door." The middle-aged man looked at her, his dark eyes worried as he rubbed at his temples. "Don't come out unless your mother or I tell you to."
"And even then..." Laila's mother added, the woman's thin face showing more worry than her father's. Laila could see the concern in the woman's green eyes as she stood there, almost... shaking.
Laila tilted her head and nodded, her expression one of confusion. "All right," she said softly as she slowly made her way up the stairs. Her day had been ruined, destroyed. This was no birthday. It was a disaster! And what was more, her parents were not acting like themselves any more. Perhaps this was what it was like to finally grow up and gain responsibility. No. She'd never be like that. Not ever. She would never be like her parents if this was what it meant to be 'responsible'.
After she reached the top of the stairs, Laila entered her room and locked the door behind herself. Once inside, she felt... cold. Strange. Shivering, she sat down on her bed, the lights in her room just beginning to flicker, causing her blue eyes to widen and her breath to suddenly catch in her throat.
"Mmm..." Laila sighed contentedly, her pale eyes staring at the sunlight, causing her to giggle. She pushed at her tousled blonde hair and slowly sat up, the blankets falling from her slender form just a bit.
This was a special day indeed since it only came once a year and her parents had been starting to act just strangely enough over the past couple of days that Laila was beginning to suspect that they had something up their sleeves, something interesting and fun planned for her. After all, how often did someone—namely, their one and only most special daughter, oh how that thought made her giggle—have an eighteenth birthday?
Giggling softly, Laila finally threw back the covers and swung her legs over the side of her bed. A shiver ran along her spine causing her body to shudder the moment her bare feet touched the cold, hard floor. Immediately, she made her way across the room and sought out her robe, something to cover herself and stave off the tiny chill she suddenly felt. Besides, she couldn't very well go traipsing about in her pink nightie. So, her robe would be needed regardless. Searching for her slippers, she finally found them and slipped her delicate feet inside each before padding across her room and then downstairs where she knew both of her parents would be.
Breakfast turned out to be strange, Laila's parents barely said a word, both too preoccupied with menial things to say very much—so odd, so unlike them both. Typically, breakfast time was a time they all shared together, a time in which they all talked and laughed and... Was this part of the plan? Dash her hopes and then... Surprise!?
Laila could only begin to speculate.
The rest of the day was just as peculiar. Laila's parents had sent her out to run errand. Run errands? What parents send their daughter out to do such things on their birthday of all days? This was supposed to be her day! And her summer holiday! Though summer was slowly coming to an end. She could smell the scent of autumn on the air, summer just starting to wane and give way to the aroma of cinnamon.
As evening began to fall, Laila was beginning to wonder if her parents were ever going to acknowledge her eighteenth birthday, reveal her surprise. Wit the way things were going, she was starting to give up hope, to believe that perhaps they'd truly forgotten or didn't wish to remember. Maybe this was their way of holding on?
Yes, yes! Of course!
No... no... Oh, Laila didn't know. But she could feel her blue eyes starting to prick with tears at the idea of her parents forgetting and their peculiar and almost aloof behavior. Just, what was going on?
As the sky grew dark and the stars began to shine above in the inky black sky, Laila could tell that her parents almost seemed nervous. But that didn't seem right. They shouldn't be nervous. They should be mortified—mortified and sorry that they'd forgotten an important day in their daughter's life.
"Go upstairs, Laila," her father suddenly said out of nowhere. "Go upstairs and lock your door." The middle-aged man looked at her, his dark eyes worried as he rubbed at his temples. "Don't come out unless your mother or I tell you to."
"And even then..." Laila's mother added, the woman's thin face showing more worry than her father's. Laila could see the concern in the woman's green eyes as she stood there, almost... shaking.
Laila tilted her head and nodded, her expression one of confusion. "All right," she said softly as she slowly made her way up the stairs. Her day had been ruined, destroyed. This was no birthday. It was a disaster! And what was more, her parents were not acting like themselves any more. Perhaps this was what it was like to finally grow up and gain responsibility. No. She'd never be like that. Not ever. She would never be like her parents if this was what it meant to be 'responsible'.
After she reached the top of the stairs, Laila entered her room and locked the door behind herself. Once inside, she felt... cold. Strange. Shivering, she sat down on her bed, the lights in her room just beginning to flicker, causing her blue eyes to widen and her breath to suddenly catch in her throat.