Inheritance

Chapter 1

During the mid-summer weather, the natural scenery of the hilly mountains was made especially discernible, distracting me from my initial goal of reading and prompting me to envision one day escaping to somewhere far beyond the overlapping hills. 

From the upstairs window, I recognized the faint snickering sounds of Sarah and Anne Marie. Choosing to ignore their unrestrained whispers, I closed my eyes instead.

"She's so weird."

"Look at her sitting alone."

"We should move her bed outside, so she can sleep with the dogs."

"She should be used to it, it's what Blacks did back in the day."

I never did quite understand the girls' explicit hatred for me. I often searched for excusable reasons to justify their antics, but I could never seem to isolate a particular encounter that ignited their deeply-rooted malice. Admittedly, if it weren't for Mr. and Mrs. Franks, I would have surely ran away a long time ago. But, I was a mere child with no money or place to call home.

"Hey sweet pea, I have a little surprise for you. Why don't you come follow me?" I slowly fluttered my eyes open to the soft sound of Mrs. Franks' voice. 

She hovered over me in a visor hat and a warm smile embedded across her cherry face, shielding the blistering sun from my view. Wrinkles accessorized her lip line and crow's feet marked the slants of her eyes. Even so, she was still one of the most beautiful woman I had ever known. Her crystal blue eyes reminded me of the ocean.

Without warning, Mrs. Frank's scooped up my little body from the hammock, carrying me within her arms and back through the sliding doors of the house. When we entered the air conditioned space, I instinctively wrapped my arms tighter around her neck. 

The house I had the privilege of living in was very large, by courtesy of Mr. Franks. He had worked as a chemical engineer for well over thirty years before finally retiring. He now spent most of his time sheltering stray dogs, watching Family Feud, or writing recreationally. He was a simple man, but he had an unmistakably huge heart. 

When Mrs. Franks eventually placed me down, I instantly linked our hands together and followed her into the living room. To my surprise, sitting on the center couch was a lanky boy who must have been somewhere around my age. It took him a moment to notice our presence but, once he did, he timidly darted his gaze towards the floor and crossed his ankles together.

"Hello Austin, I've brought you someone to play with. I believe you two will make quite great friends! What do you think, Raya?" Mrs. Franks piercing blue orbs flickered towards me, while she referred to me by the nickname crowned by herself and her husband. When I felt butterflies begin to flutter in my stomach, I squeezed her hand even tighter in an attempt to contain my nerves.

"Say hi sweetheart, go on." She gently pushed me forward, softly slipping my hand from hers. I apprehensively walked closer to the boy who was still staring at the ground.

"Hi Austin, my name is Raya. Wanna be friends?" My voice came out in a quiver, as I awaited a response that was sure to be rejection.

The boy slowly removed his eyes from the ground to meet my hazel ones. In that moment, all I could seem to focus on was the way his eyes had been consumed by the darkest irises I'd ever encountered. They stoutly contrasted from his fair skin and bronze-colored hair. He began to study me curiously, seeming to weigh the pros and cons of my question.

"H-hi Raya, I'm Austin. A-and....umm..yes." He held a small stutter that I implicitly ignored, as I was too consumed by the excitement of knowing that I was about to make my first friend. 

Forgetting the small table just behind me, I vividly jumped up and down with joy before tripping over its stem and falling onto the carpeted floor.

"Oh dear, are you okay?!" Mrs. Franks frantically rushed to my side, noticing a small cut below my cheek.

"I'll be right back with some bandages. Austin, keep her company, will you honey?" Mrs. Franks scurried away to grab some supplies. 

I looked over at Austin, who now held a look of concern. For some strange reason, the thought of him worrying about me made my heart thump faster.

"It's just a small scratch, I'll be okay." I said softly, as he stood up from the couch and kneeled down beside me.

"My mo--mommy always used to s-say that. Then she went away." He responded, appearing to be lost in his own thoughts. I grabbed his arm, wishing to bring him back to reality.

"I'm sorry. I promise that I won't ever go away. Deal?" I offered him my pinky, hoping he would complete the promise.

"Deal." He looped his pinky around mine and I watched our skin tones clash distinctively, as he presented with the first wide smile on his saddened face.

Little did I know that I would soon be breaking that promise.