(Reconstructing)Sharing A Damaged Memory

Chapter 1-Big Rock & Revenge.

A/N: This is my first story ever so you should know that it is my baby.

This is the new edited version of the first chapter. I read the original version some time ago and almost puked my guts out. It was that bad! I was unbelievably immature and I fail to understand how I managed to gather the tiny number of votes I did get. Anyway, I can't promise that this is completely flawless and if you find any error, feel free to point it out in the Comment section. Thank you!

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You know that feeling when you have planned your perfect vacation down to the last detail. That joy, that excitement and of course, expectations that this is going to be your best get away ever. It takes a lifetime of Googling and another lifetime of planning all your poses for the perfect Facebook cover picture.

And now, think of that moment when your perfect vacation comes crashing down because your dumb cousin sister decided to enter into holy matrimony. What makes it super annoying is that your family totally forgets about your holiday and changes travel plan overnight amidst “Ooh, that’s a big rock” and “You’ll make a stunning bride”.

So, this is how I ended up in Warrelton for my summer and this is how I had spent most of my past two weeks- sulking, snapping and locking myself in my room watching Revenge in my laptop, taking tips from Emily Thorne.

Just then, I heard loud tapping on my door which was followed by Zooey’s head popping into my room.

“Shay, get up. Everyone’s heading down to the lake.” she announced.

Zooey, my elder sister, was older to me by five years, which made her twenty-one. She was the good-looking one between us with straight light-brown hair, skinny figure complemented with curves at the right places and hazel eyes. On the other hand, I was not willowy or slender, but I was taller and had the world’s worst raven hair. The hazel eyes were the only thing we shared.

 “I don’t want to go”, I mumbled.

“You have to because Mum is furious at your behavior, or should I say lack of it?”

 “My behavior, or lack of it is the consequence of her own actions. Because when everything you love has been stolen from you, someone has to pay.”

“Somebody's stinking of Revenge overdose. Now, get up or I’ll carry you out myself.”

I snorted at that.

“I’ll take Wes’s help.”

“Fine, stop whining, Zo!” I warned her.

“As you like it..”, she muttered turning around to leave.

I got up lazily and walked into my balcony. I squinted my eyes to look up at the sky, where the sun was preparing to set. Right below, at a distance were the beautiful Southern hills. I stood there like that yawning and stretching before going to my bathroom.

Ten minutes later, I had washed myself and I was in my navy hoodie and some jeans.  I was standing in front of the mirror staring back at my pale reflection- result of living in a land locked area all my life where it snows for over five months in a year.

I turned to my hair after that, which was currently a HUGE mess. What one has to know about my hair is it is curly. Not the pretty and soft curls, the frizzy ones that are stubborn and fly all around my head and resembled a lion’s mane. I had no other option but to pull my shoulder length hair into a messy ponytail and then I headed downstairs.

I found some young kids glued to the television watching ‘Zombieland’.

 I guess they had just put it on because I could hear the part where Columbus explains “the first rule of Zombieland : cardio. When the zombie outbreak first hit, the first to go, for obvious reasons…were the fatties.”

 Bren, one of the most annoying kids on the face of earth, pointed towards me and said,” Shay will be the first one to go, ha-ha”. This statement apparently was very amusing and all the children burst into laughter.

This was the trouble having Zooey as my sister. My not-at-all skinny figure was referred to as ‘fat’, which it wasn’t . I couldn’t afford that- I was in my school’s track team and also a national-level rower. Anyway, I decided to ignore these tiny over-smart creatures who made me want to turn into Dracula.

 The problem I found with my family was no one was of my age group. Zooey and the other four were more than five years older than me and the kids I just left behind were five years younger. The only one remotely close to my age was Wes, and he too was an adult at nineteen. 

 I walked straight down to the lake which was close enough and found my entire family enjoying the barbecue.

“What’s there for me?” I asked my mum who was currently sharing a piece of chicken with my aunt.

“We specially got baby corn fry for you. Its placed on that table there”, she pointed. I thanked her and walked towards the table.

I took the packet and went closer to the lake. There I sat cross-legged on the ground resting my back against the cemented wall, about a foot high, built along the entire perimeter of the lake. I took my time to admire my uncle’s mansion, while chewing slowly.

 The whole place was so majestic that it enamored me every time I lay my eyes on it. The main building was a white Victorian-style house, four-storey high, with marble flooring. Each floor had four rooms, each with a balcony and bathroom. Built originally by my mother’s grandfather, this place was passed down to my uncle over two decades ago. In my opinion, he took good care of it and he had renovated some parts for the better. He was also responsible for building the tennis court, and the basketball court on the back of the house, which further extended into a thick orchard.

After some time, I checked the time and it was 5:40. I felt the need of some caffeine from the town. I knew I wouldn’t be allowed to go out if it got too dark so I had to hurry.

“I am bored, Dad.” I whined.

“Go and join your cousins. Participate in the wedding preparations.” Dad encouraged me.

“I'd rather be bored, Dad." I said in the exact same tone. 

“What do you want to do then, Shay?” Dad asked me defeated.

 “Maybe I could take Salad down for a walk?” I proposed.

Salad, my black Labrador dog did not seem too pleased with my idea given that he was just the world’s laziest creature. Lazier than me, that is.

 “Fine, take him but don’t take too long and DON’T get into any trouble, Shay!” my father said in a stern voice.

Trouble? I never get into any trouble. But if in the short span of sixteen years if I had learnt anything, it was that trouble was my crazy stalker. My most harmless actions turned into huge fiasco and charges of kidnapping and robbing were leveled against me (not formal charges). Like that time when I had accidentally picked up someone else’s cake from “Cake n’ Candy” last week or when I had brought someone else’s puppy home from the park.  And again I hadn’t scared that toddler intentionally-I was just having fun. All that wasn’t getting into trouble. I was simply misunderstood.

Without another word, Salad and I made our way out of the main gates and we were off.

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Until next time, STAY WHINY ; )