Worse Than Famous

Chapter 1

The rain pounded on the roof of my car, but it was nothing out of the ordinary. Spring in Oregon, especially April in Oregon, is always like this.

I tapped on the steering wheel with my fingers as I paused at a light. I was going so infuriatingly slow, and I had somewhere to be. The light finally turned green and I continued along the road. 

I turned onto a private road, and pulled up in front of the large minty green house I came to. I grinned when I saw a young brunette waiting on the large wrap-around porch. My sister. I stepped out of my silver sedan, and raced up the driveway, not caring if I got wet in the rain. When I got to her, she wrapped me up in a huge hug. "Laura," she said, "It's been too long. Mom and Dad are so excited to see you."

We pulled apart, and my sister, Elaine, surveyed me. Her brow furrowed. She opened her mouth like she was going to say something, but she was cut off by the front door opening, and my mom stepping out. 

She was wearing an off-white long sleeved shirt with lacy designs along the sleeves and shoulder area, along with a pair of light blue jeans. She smiled, mirroring the one Elaine had given me when she saw me. The two of them looked so alike they could be mistaken for twins, had it not been for the obvious age difference. Their dark brown hair and emerald green eyes were very similar, the only difference being the streaks of gray that were starting to color my mom's.

"Laura! You're here!" 

I smiled and accepted the hug she offered me.

 "How are you?" My mother asked me, stepping back.

"I'm great."

"That's good Oh, come in - we're just waiting on Nella, Henry, and Elise now."

My mom ushered me inside, and I saw my other sister, Arianna, and one of my two brothers, Joey, along with my dad, who was (not so discreetly) sneaking cookies from the kitchen. They all greeted me with enthusiasm equal to my mom and sister's. Not long after, my other sister, Nella, arrived, wearing her signature cardigan, which today was lavender. Her hair, as always, was tied up in a tight bun.

We hadn't seen each other in a while, as I lived in Portland but my parents lived in Salem. My siblings were scattered all around the state, most on the western side, though. Henry and his wife, Elise, however, live in San Francisco where they met, so they weren't going to arrive until the next day. At least, that's what we suspect. Both Henry and Elise are the kind of person who would say they would come one day and then surprise you by arriving the day before 

"Maybe they're just dodging the press," My dad joked.

That could be true, though. You see, my family isn't completely normal. You know all those classics, like I Wish You Did, Not Ever, On the Wind, Who Knows, When Will They Learn, and all those? Well, you know that Arabella Cruize composed them. Yeah, well...she's my mom.