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chapter one

BEAU

"Rainbeau, this is utterly ridiculous. You know you could be doing something better with your time. Just because your mother—"

"Stop right there," I interrupted my father before he could go any further. "This isn't about her and I don't want to hear what you have to say about her either. She left us because you made her feel like a burden and it disgusts me!" I spat, bile rising in the back of my throat in anger.

That was six months ago, shortly after my mother's passing. I never truly got to know her, but because my father treated her the way she did she decided to leave us and I wish I could change it every single day. Every time I tried to reach out, all I got was silence. The only time her and I spoke after she left was not really her and I, it was a nurse calling me to let me know she had died and I was her emergency contact.

But now, it's four o'clock and it's time for me to begin my very first shift at Havenwood's Assisted Living complex. Sometimes it's a daunting feeling, really. Working with people who can't otherwise help themselves for one reason or another is frightening to some, sad to others but I've tried to train myself to be indifferent these past few weeks while preparing for my first day on the job. If I let emotions get in the way, there's no way I can do my job right and if I can't do my job right then there's no way I'm getting promoted and I prove my whole family right; that I'm a fool and too weak hearted for the real world.

My father always read me bedtime stories, but not the ones like most children hear. Every story he told me never got a happily ever after, it always ended in some tragedy. His excuse was that it was to prepare me for the real world and the endless amount of things I'd have to ready myself for—that no one truly dies happy because of all the traumas they've faced. From taking some psychology courses, I'm pretty sure he's just projecting his lack of a childhood on me, but I think it had quite the opposite affect than he intended.

And projecting the loss and absence of my mother onto me, as well. There was no knight in shining armor and no princess to save. It was sad.

My whole life I never believed him. In my heart I strongly know that while it is true, some people don't die happy, there are people out there who have went through the worst things but can still overcome them and find a way to be content with their lives. That's why I took this job, to prove it to myself and him.

My other motives aren't as simple, but nonetheless still important.

Goosebumps riddled my skin as anxiety set in. It's not my first job, but I keep second guessing myself. Maybe I'm not ready. Who knows what I'm going to be seeing and dealing with on a daily basis. Will I ever really be able to come to terms with the fact that some of these people won't get better? What makes one person more worthy than the next? Maybe I am just some silly little girl who isn't—

"You must be Rainbeau." A tall man with light brown, nearly red hair and striking green eyes greeted me with his hand out and a smile. I nodded my head back (trying not to instantly correct him and tell him my father only calls me that, everyone else calls me Beau) and shook his hand. "Well, I'm very pleased to meet you. If you follow me on inside I can help you get a feel of the place, introduce you to some of the people here and give you your patient list. You've already been informed of your duties, correct?" Before I had a chance to answer, he continued on "An Aid will eventually take my place after the tour and will give you tips and pointers along the way of giving you demonstrations on everything. And if you ever have a question, all you have to do is ask."

It was slightly odd, just because the man seemed to appear out of nowhere but I assume him to be Professor Lupin, the man who had this place built from the ground up to help those in need with conditions they couldn't control, whether it be from pure accident or because they were born that way.