Spoils-Bella Rose

Chapter 2: As light as a feather

As light as a feather

I sitting in a meadow watching the backs of two people. A red haired girl that I notice looks rather a lot like mine, and a golden brown haired boy who looks very familiar. I see between them is a small baby who is laughing loudly. The family turns around and I stare in curiosity as Tom and I play with our new baby. But suddenly I see my face twist and change and then my whole body start to fade away into someone else. A different girl. She has black hair which is fuzzy and moving slightly in the almost still breeze. She leans forwards and picks up the baby from the ground and holds him in her arms. Tom wraps his around the both of them and then everything twists into a splash of fading colour and I see blackness.

A clatter of metal on metal awakes my from my dream. I am wrapped up in a soft doona on a comfy bed. I look around the room and find that none of the walls are painted, and apart from the built in cupboard and the bed, the only furniture in this room is a small desk in the corner. Its surface is covered with dark shades of nail polish, bright lipsticks, and splashes of many more colour makeup which seems quiet unnecessary. I can tell I am on the second floor of this house because a muffled sound of voices rise up through the floor. I push the doona off me and stand up on the scratchy floor boards. I stretch and then look down at the warm clothes I am wearing. Fitting, but obviously old pair of jeans, which are definitely not Toms, and a big grey baggy T-shirt which I assume is Toms. I'm not wearing any socks and my hair is still flowing around my shoulders in big rings. I tip-toe to the door and open it, letting in an insane amount of yellow light. I blink several times and then my eyes finally adjust to the brightness and I see the hallway clearly.

On top of the dull wooden floor, is what seems to be quiet ancient, a stiff red rug. There is no furniture and no windows, and on one end of the hallway is a dead end, and the other, a corner which is probably hiding a staircase around its other side. I close the door behind me and head for where I assume is the right direction and find myself correct, as I step down stairs. The room opens up into a long corridor and which on one end leads to a door that looks like a front door, and on the other end of the hallway, there is an open door leading into a room where I could hear the voices before.

As I enter the room I look around and see 3 people around a dinning table. Tom was at the far end of the table facing me, with a big bowl of cereal in front of him, and the other two were facing each other from across the table, both chewing on slightly burnt toast. As Toms eyes find mine, he stand up. As he does, the other two people at the table follow his gaze and stare at me. One of them is a boy who looks slightly older than Tom, and girl with frizzy black hair that reaches her elbow. She looks very familiar, but I can't remember where I have seen her before. "Penny, Josh, this is Bella Rose." The girl, Penny, Stands up and walks over to me. She smiles like we are old friends and brings me in for a hug. I am so confused I stay there unmoving. "So you're the newest member.'' She says stepping back and looking me up and down.

"Sorry?" I ask her as she walks over to Tom and slips her hand into his.

"You're staying with us for a while, hey? Do you want some toast?" Josh asks me. I nod in reply not sure which question I was answering. He walks over to the kitchen bench behind the dinning table and gets some bread from the fridge as he starts making my breakfast. I stand there awkwardly not sure what to do.

"So where are you guys from?" I ask boldly.

"I'm from the  U.S. Tom was born here and Josh was too. They were best mates since youth and then I came along and moved in here with them and then we sort of met like that." Penny says smiling up at Tom. Their heads lean in closer, Penny on her tip toes and Tom leaning down until their lips meet. I look away feeling like I'm intruding on something personal. Josh walks towards me with to pieces of buttered toast on a plate an hands it to me.

"Thanks." I say picking up a piece and taking a bite. The salty butter makes my mouth water so I take another bite before swallowing. 

"Come. Sit down over here." Josh says walking over to the table and pulling out a chair for me. I smile at him and then do as instructed. He takes a seat next to me and looks down at his toast still on the table, deciding whether or not its too soggy to keep eating. I take the opportunity to look at him properly for the first time. His hair is a very dark brown, almost black, and neatly cut apart from a shaggy side fringe that ends just above his eye brow. His skin is slightly tanned and his lips look big and soft. His eyes are hazel and beautiful and....and staring straight at me. I suddenly realise and feel the blood rush to my face. I go back to looking at my toast and take a few more bites. It actually is really delicious.

"So where did you grow up?" Oh no. What am I meant to say? I grew up a few centuries and a few decades ago and then a grew up a couple other times more recently? Dam.

"Up in the country." I say between mouthfuls of toast. He nods and then stands up with his plate of half a piece of toast and takes it over to the kitchen where he places it next to the sink.

He turns towards me leaning back against the granite bench. "I'm going to go for a walk. You want to come?" He starts for the door and then stops in his tracks and scrunches up his face when he sees Tom and Penny making out on the couch. Penny notices and stops to look up at him.

"What? You're jealous? Well while you to are out you can go make out with her." Penny says jokingly, making me blush. I've finished my toast and I put the plate in the kitchen next to Josh's.

"Shut up." Josh throws back at her. She pokes out her tongue at him and he turns towards the door. Tom stands up and walks to the door where Josh is looking a bit embarrassed and not really sure what to say. "Where you guys going?" He asks after a second too long of awkward silence.

"For a walk." Replies Josh.

"Well then you need to get changed honey. Come on you can borrow a top of mine." Penny says to me.

"Okay. Thanks." I say following her upstairs into the room I had slept in last night. She opens the cupboard doors and pulls out skivvy and throws it at me. I unexpectedly catch it and prepare myself for any other piece of clothing Penny might throw at me. 

"Try that on. Don't worry. I won't look" She stays facing the cupboard and I quickly swap the oversized T-shirt for the comfy white long sleeved top. I notice that the clothes she are wearing are much different to the ones she is lending me. She's wearing a black mid-drift top decorated with white skulls and black mini-skirt over black tights and big heeled boots which have added a few inches to her height, still not enough to make her look tall though.

"Done." She turns around and nods. 

"Okay that will do but you will be too cold. Wear this as well." She says as she receives a thin black cotton jacket that fits tightly around my torso, showing every curve, dint and bump that I have between my small shoulders down to my thin hips. We head back downstairs and she disappears into another small cupboard and then comes back out holding a pair of  black leather boots that only reach to a little above my ankles. I put them on gratefully and finally I'm ready to go.

As The boys see me they both stand up. Tom smiles at me and walks over to Penny who swings her arms around his waist. I feel a slight pang of something in my chest. Maybe sadness, I'm not sure. Josh comes over to my side and says, "Ya ready to go now?" I nod to him and he twists the door handle and we head out. When the door closes behind us Josh reaches for my hand. I jump in surprise but I'm too scared that if I take my hand away it will hurt his feelings.

"Where are we walking to?" I ask, looking up at him. His smiling widely and looking around.

"I don't mind. I can show you some of the small shops if you like. They are really cute." He offers.

"Okay. Lets go there then."