𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙀𝙮𝙚𝙨 𝘾𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙡𝙚 [discontinued]

Chapter One

"Lucy, wake up already!"

Carren threw a pillow at me, her exasperated voice breaking through my dreams.

"Just five more minutes," I groaned sleepily. "Stop attacking me with pillows."

"It's been five minutes," called Carren, a few seconds later. "You're gonna make us late!"

I sighed in frustration, "All right, I'm getting up."

Propping myself up on one elbow, I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, and looked around our room, waiting for my vision to clear. Carren had pulled the curtains apart, and sunlight poured into the room. Dew drops reflected on the window glass, sparkling in the early morning light. The birds chirped in the trees, filling the air with their blissful singing.

Carren was already dressed for school, and was furiously stuffing books into her bag. She looked up when she saw I was awake.

"Good, you're up!" she exclaimed. "Now hurry up and get changed."

Carren was my older sister by two years. She had a pretty, heart shaped face with high cheekbones. Her blue eyes shone with mischeif, and the eagerness to break every rule ever made. Her blonde hair was neatly tied back in her ponytail. Even at thirteen, she was already showing signs of a curious, yet brilliant mind.

Sighing, I dragged myself out of bed, and trugged to the bathroom. Hurriedly getting dressed into my school uniform, I brushed my teeth, and stared at my reflection in the mirror.

Not for the first time, I scoffed at how I looked. Apparently, after Carren was born, the family's beauty gene had gone on holiday. I had inherited my father's stringy brown hair, but my eyes, sea green, were like my grandmother's. My face was way too round, and I had had this huge zit on my nose for so long I had started calling it Bob.

Carren knocked on the door. "Lucy!" she said impatiently. "Dad will be leaving in ten minutes."

"Coming," I called. I quickly braided my hair, and ran downstairs to breakfast.

Carren was munching away on toast by the time I arrived. She smirked at me as I sat down at the table, completely out of breath. I ignored her.

"Morning, Mum," I called.

My mother turned away from the stove. She was the spitting image of my sister, if Carren dyed her hair grey at the roots. Mum had the same mischievous smile and happy eyes.

"Good morning, dear," she replied, bring my breakfast over and planting a kiss on my forehead. "Did you sleep well?"

"Mmm yeth," my mouth full of my pancakes.

A few moments later, Dad entered the room, fully dressed in his army uniform, all his various badges glinting on his chest. His warm brown eyes lit up when he saw us.

"Are my girls ready to go?" he smiled and patted our heads.

Carren was the first to push back her chair and follow Dad outside. I guzzled down my milk, hugged Mom goodbye and followed suit.

"Oh thank goodness," she said, as I got into Dad's minivan. "I was about to ask Dad to leave without you."

"Why are you in such a hurry to go to school, anyway?" I asked her.

"Because I, unlike you, want to study, so that I, unlike you, end up doing something productive, and not spend my days sleeping in."

I was about to chuck something, anything, at her, when Dad interrupted our bickering.

"Now girls, let's not get off to a rough start here," he said, looking back at us through the rear view mirror. "Why don't you look outside and enjoy the view? It's a beautiful day.

Throwing Carren one last dirty look, I stared out of the minivan's window. Dad was right, it was indeed a beautiful day. What could go wrong?