The Element Keeper

The Element Keeper Chapter 2: The Party

Chapter 2: The Party

I stared at the box. Unconsciously I stepped back and slammed the door in the poor delivery guy's face. This must be something from Mom that she addressed from Dad. That HAD to be it. He NEVER had sent anything to me for my birthday or Christmas before, why should he start now? I sat there twirling my waist length hair on my finger. I still hadn't moved when the door opened and Mom walked in.

'Hi sweetie', she said.

When I didn't reply, she came over and sat next to me. Wordlessly, I handed over the lid of the box.

She smiled.

'Ahhh yes, good it came'

I stared at her.

'Well of course I sent it. Hard to do to, the mailman asked a lot of questions why not only why I sent the package to my house, but that I insisted on no return address.' She chuckled. I knew it. But I couldn't help feeling disappointed. She (as all moms do) noticed that I was sad so she told me,

'Right before he left he gave me this box, instructing me to give it to you on your sixteenth birthday.'

'Why didn't you just give it to me, instead of going through all this trouble?'

'Well,'she answered,' I wanted to be a little more creative than that.' Her brown eyes sparkled with mischievousness, showing off her impish quality.

'So', I replied hopefully 'it really was from him?'

'Of course, I wouldn't lie to you about that,' her strange tone almost implying that there were other things she was keeping from me.

***

The doorbell rang yet again (twice in one day.....I think that's a record) and as Mom stopped her suspicious diggings around in the cardboard box she brought in, to answer the door, it all came flooding back to me. The party. Pushing my thoughts of Dad aside I ran upstairs to get dressed. Throwing practically my whole wardrobe on my bed, I noticed a white box on my bed. Long and white, it looked like the article inside was very expensive. Here we go again I thought another "present" from dad. But was surprised to see a small note taped on that was signed "Happy Birthday sweetheart. Love, Mom." I opened it and sucked in my breath. Inside was an exquisite dress of gray silk. I put it on and looked in my outlandishly old mirror. It was a centimeter above my knees, perfectly fitted, and matched my eyes. Hurriedly I brushed through my caramel colored hair and put on my new silver ballet flats (obviously my mom and Sarah had coordinated this outfit together) and, on second thought, put my new necklace on. I pushed down the stairs and glided down. Before I could close them I gasped. Sliver tablecloths hastily covered our worn down table and candles flickered everywhere. Sarah was hanging up sparkly silver lanterns when I entered.

'Oh my God!' We said exactly at the same time, me referring to the room, her to my dress.

'You look fabulous!' she squealed obviously over her earlier breakdown. She was wearing a beautiful pale pink dress, complimenting her pale skin, and her blond hair was whisked up into a cute messy bun. Before I could tell her how cute she looked in her flouncy pink number, people started pouring in.

***

Ding - dong went the announcing the last of the ten chimes, signaling ten o'clock. Our small, old, but powerful clock reminded me of the time. I looked around, drink in hand. The party was going great. My friends from the swim team were chatting with Claire and Lisa from school. A cute guy from the soccer team was nervously talking to Sarah. She, in return, laughed just a little too hard at his un-funny jokes.I noticed a very familiar body walk towards me. His light blue eyes gleamed at me. 

'Happy Birthday!' Sam said, giving me a quick hug. He flipped his blond hair nervously, and handed me a small blue box. I posed my drink on the table nearby.

'Sam, you shouldn't have' I said. He sorted,

'Well I can always take it back', he held out a hand.I stuck out my tongue, and proceeded to unwrap the present.

He stopped me with one hand, ' No wait until everyone is gone,' he said mysteriously. I smiled it is just like him to do that. I mean, we've know each other for forever and a day, so there's nothing I don't know about him. 

After a couple more hours, and twelve more chimes, the party started to disappear. Now it was just me, Sarah, and a HUGE mess. I sighed, this night wasn't over yet. 

'Sarah, how about you get the kitchen, and I work on the living room?' I said. She nodded in response, grateful for getting the less horrendous room. I grabbed a large trash bag and started to chuck black plastic cups and various types of food into the sack. I was about halfway done, and Sarah had long gone home, when a heard a loud crash. I looked around nervously. 

'Mom,' I called 'is that you?' No response. I started to get seriously freaked out. The crash obviously came from upstairs, A. K. A., my room. I grabbed the nearest object, which just happened to be a rolling pin (no idea whatsoever how it got in the living room) and gradually made my way to the pull-out stairs. I slowly mounted them, rolling pin ready. I suck in my breath and turned the corner.. No one was there. My window was open and my white drapes billowed in the light breeze, my mirror lay face up on the ground. That must have been what caused the crash. But that's impossible, I thought. It was barely enough wind to knock over small pillow, much less a thirty pound antique mirror. I closed my window, still wondering why it was open and how the mirror fell over. I walked over to it to pull it upright. Maybe the stand broke? Not really watching where I was going I didn't see the over turned chair on the ground in front of the mirror until I tripped over it. Hoping I wouldn't damage the mirror I put my hand out to stop the force of my body. But the impact never came. My hands passed through the glass like mist. Now with no support, I fell, just like Alice through the looking glass.