After a terrible accident, Gemma is left with no memory of the first twenty years of her life and nobody to turn to who can help her remember. When she loses her job, Gemma sets out on an adventure to find something worth living for. What she doesn'...
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AFTER A BREATHTAKING plane ride and a scenic drive along a highway that's bordered on either side by lush evergreens, the town car we transferred to at the airport turns off onto an isolated road, which is also surrounded by evergreens. At the end of the road is a cul de sac, where the vehicle finally pulls up in front of a large stone mansion, its entire front adorned with with arch-shaped windows. I say mansion because that's what it looks like at first glance. Except, according to the sign out front, it's just a golf course.
I follow Audrick out of the vehicle, taking a moment to watch the guests filter through the front doors of the building while I wait for guidance. There's a young lady with blonde hair pulled up into a high ponytail. She's wearing an elegant black gown and a matching shawl draped over her shoulder. Next to enter are two middle-aged men dressed in suits and engrossed in conversation with one another. While I'd felt overdressed on campus and on the jet over here, there's no doubt that I fit right in among the gala attendees.
"Ready?"
I look up to find Audrick watching me, his blue eyes boring into mine. Nodding, I walk alongside him toward the entrance.
Inside, the lobby is just as grand as outside. The carpeted floor is wine colored with a floral pattern and, straight ahead, there are two large staircases leading to an upper level. The voices of mingling attendees, whom are dispersed across the large space, blend into background noise, their words indecipherable, as Audrick and I make our way over to the staircase. We barely manage to cross half the distance when the sound of one voice cuts through the rest.
"Brother."
While, unlike the rest of the words being thrown across the room, I'm able to hear this address distinctly, I continue toward the staircases, eager to move forward and find a place to settle. Somewhere that I fit in. It's only when I glance over to where Audrick's supposed to be that I realize he's no longer by my side. Looking over my shoulder, I see that he's stopped in front of somebody-- a girl-- and I step back toward them. The girl, I notice, has a couple inches on him, and I'm not sure whether it's because of the heels she most likely has hidden under the base of her navy blue gown or genetics, though I'm pretty sure shoes can't have that much sway. Her long brown hair falls in waves over her very tanned shoulders, hiding the majority of fabric that make up the straps of the floral gown she's in, which is decorated with an orange and pink floral print. If her flawless appearance isn't enough to have me feeling self-conscious, the glance she tosses me as I approach makes me stand up a little straighter. With her poker face game going strong, it's impossible to make out what she's feeling in this moment, which just makes me even more wary.
And that's when it hits me. The attire, the looks, the nonchalant expression... The girl standing in front of us is used to these sorts of events and looking flawless at them as well. Because the girl standing inches away from me is no other than the Lara Taylor.
