Constellations: Moon

Chapter 1: Agatha

         Nobody cares about Agatha in this household. She barely exists. That's what goes on my mind everyday, because of my sister, Adrianne who is always in the spotlight. Always Adrianne this and Adrianne that. But that's all about to change starting today. She's heading out for college, far far away from here. My mom is a bit emotional about her leaving; she had been crying last night while she was looking at me and Adrianne's photos as kids.

          Mom found it hard to move a lot because of her leg injury so she decided to weep on the family couch where she feels most comfortable. She had sat on that couch longer than she had that time she was watching a marathon of her favorite series. My dad helped Adrianne pack her stuff and as usual my dad gave her some advice about college and life in general. My dad liked imparting words of wisdom and most of the time they were in the form of metaphors. Sometimes I don't understand them; I just nod and smile, like I just had a clear picture of what he said, like an awkward conversation inside a noisy club. My folks might be sad but I am thrilled and full of excitement. Getting Adrianne to leave is like being reborn. It's like finally having some freedom around the house. Such a breath of fresh air; I will no longer be suffocated by her "greatness." Finally; just Agatha. 

          Agatha Calverley. I'm 17 years old. I was born on July 19. I'm quite alright.  I'm not that pretty but I'm not bad-looking either. On a scale of one to ten, I'd probably be a six. I looked in my mirror and saw what seems to be a mediocre version of my sister. I had the same brown hair but it's dull and frizzy. I usually just tie it into a pony tail because I don't like the effort I need to do when fixing my hair. I'm that lazy. I have hazel eyes, but they lacked luster; and they seemed too big for my face. My nose is a bit crooked and my lips are too thin. It seemed so unfair that my sister had all the good genes to herself, how selfish of her. My hobbies include reading books and drowning myself in internet humor. I'm incredibly unlucky and clumsy. I have never won anything in my life. I've had a boyfriend before but he's a moron so let's not dwell on him. I'm an upcoming senior at Bomhoff High and I plan to make this last year in high school, memorable. This time I'll really make myself known. I have lots of goals before graduating.

           I had sticky notes on the walls constantly reminding me of what to do; in fact, I have sticky notes almost everywhere. This is my way of organizing to compensate for my lack of self-care. Beside my bed was Scout, a fat Corgi who likes to sleep on his back. He looked at me and sticked out his tongue and panted. He looks so dumb that it's cute. Oh, I was wrong about what I said, somebody does care in this household and that was Scout. He's my best friend and he's immune to Adrianne's charm. He only follows me and only me. I rubbed Scout's belly before heading downstairs.

           Adrianne stood by the front door and my mom started to tear up again. "Oh, my little angel has become a lady and is now off to college." She said with a cracking voice. She approached my sister and came in for a tight hug, and so she hugged her back. "Remember to always call Rian and study hard." Mom lovingly calls her Rian.

         "Mom, of course. Silly." Adrianne giggled. "I don't want to be out of the scholarship program. I don't want to let you and dad down." She looked at me as if she also wanted to hug me. "Take good care of mom and dad, Aggie Waggy." In that moment when she mentioned that name, I cringed a little bit.

         "I told you not to call me that." I said, raising one eyebrow. I hate that nickname and I want another name that didn't sound childish as Aggie. I sighed and paused; it would be really rude to ruin my sister's departure so I better just leave it. "Don't worry I'll just have to drop out of school now and sell my insides to a black market so I can provide for mom and dad." I said jokingly.

        My mom's retired from work since she had her leg injury two years ago and my dad is a humble fisherman who doesn't make much money from his trips out in the ocean. 

          "Ha ha. Very funny, Agatha. Come here and let me hug you." She said as she leaned in for the hug, and so I had to receive it. I gave her three pathetic taps in the back while she squeezed the hell out of me. "Well, I'm off." She took a deep breath and grabbed her bags then procedeed outside. 

          As Adrianne got in her car, my eye caught a glance of our new neighbors who live by the left side of our house. I only saw their teenage daughter, who is probably around my age; she looked Asian, probably Chinese or Japanese. She had pale white skin and she had freckles all over her face. I'm guessing her parents are Asian and Caucasian. She was petite and very cute, almost like a doll. She was wearing a printed white shirt and an adorable teal skirt. She shut their front door after a few seconds when I saw her. I only saw her for a bit but it was enough for me to memorize her face.

          "Bye, guys! I love you all!" Adrianne said as she drove off. I stared at her car until it turned into a far off silhouette; as if I was making sure that it won't come back. 

         I rushed to my room and grabbed my pen and my notebook. Scout wagged his tail in delight as I came back. "Scout, life starts today. Time for me to change my luck. It's time to plan a new life of my own, without Adrianne." Alright, step one of my new life... A minute passed with me just staring at a blank page of my notebook. Wait, I haven't given much thought about this. I don't have anything to write, and nothing to actually do. What do I do now?

          In my desperation for answers, I checked my phone and the internet. While browsing I saw an advertisement for an app named: Horoscope Today and  it had the tag line "Lost in life? Know your fate, today!" I looked at it skeptically. I don't really believe in Horoscopes but hey, what's to lose? Life should be about taking chances and taking leaps of faith. I have been waiting for a sign; for my calling. That special something that will turn my life around. If my horoscope is wrong, nothing lost, nothing gained. No harm done. I downloaded the app and pressed  "Cancer: The Crab." What does this horoscope say about my day? 

"Cancer: Sometimes the greatest finds are right there all along. Clean your room today and de-clutter. It will do some good to your disposition."

       Okay... Cleaning. Not the exactly kind of horoscope I'd like to have. Not the kind of advice I wanted at all. Just as I thought, horoscopes are just there to get our hopes up.