Running On Empty

Chapter 16~Jaylin~

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Frica led me down the long hallway into a room that was unfamiliar to me. Even though this was a place that would be considered my home, it felt like it was like a prison filled with many dead ends.

Frica sat down on the couch in the middle of the room. The room had royal green drapes and carpet. Around the room, there were lots vases of flowers and a picture of my father in his younger years in the center of the room. The portrait of my mother sitting in a chair with a girl in her lap. Who was she? I recognized her from somewhere. I tried staring at the picture for a long time, but nothing came to my mind.

"Your sister is very pretty, isn't she?" Frica watched me with her legs crossed and her hands neatly folded on her lap.

"My sister? I don't have one." I said, talking to her for the first time today.

"Your father didn't tell you about that either, huh?" She whispered quietly. "This family is filled with lots of lies and secrets. I don't even think you could call this place a home."

"Where is this girl in the picture? Did my father tell you about her?" I walked over to Frica and sat beside her. "I want to know."

"I-I don't know. All I know is that she is your younger sister. Don't you see the resemblances between the two of you?" She asked nervously. It was like she had let down her act around me. She was starting to change a tiny bit.

"Oh, I see. I just don't remember having a younger sister. My father never brought up her name whenever he came over to talk to me. I've always thought I never had any other siblings."

"Well, if you ask me, it's pretty messed up how you weren't even told that you have a sister." She sighs loudly as she  rests her head on her hands.

Her white gloves shimmer along with her yellow dress.  She wore light brown boots with white sparkling laces and a brown and yellow beaded headband.  Her blond curly hair rests lightly on her shoulders. She was very pretty. I'm pretty sure she had no trouble at all getting any guys to like her. It was the kind of beautiful that only came with the Disney princesses that I had read about in books.

She glances over at me and smiles awkwardly as she sees me looking at her. "Why are you looking set me like that? Don't tell me that you are actually starting to fall for me." 

"No, I'm sorry, but I will never feel that way about you. I just thought that yellow dress suited you very well. It goes along with your personality pretty well." I smiled back at her, seeing her turn her head the other way.

She stares out the window, "Right, you like Silya. We're only arranged to be married and we can't do anything to go against our fathers' wishes."

"I don't know what you're thinking, but that's exactly what I'm going to do." I glanced at the clock on the wall. 11: 53, am Silya would be here soon.

"Why are you so against this idea? I'm pretty. My family has a lot of money. I can cook and provide you a good family. I could be the ideal wife to you and you would have all the support to help you run and be the head of this family."

"I don't want any of that. Think about it, you and I are only seventeen years old. We don't know anything about marriage or love. We don't have anything in in common and we've only met each other about three days ago." I said, standing up, looking into her eyes. She grabbed my hand and pulled me down beside her once more.

The door open suddenly and Madeline and Silya stood in the doorway, looking as shocked as I felt. Silya looked at me and then at Frica and the back at me. She was biting her lip. Her black hair had been neatly braided neatly to the side. The room started emitting a soft warm glow from her presence. She wore tennis shoes and blue shorts that went all the way down to her knees. Her t-shirt was laced with white ruffles on the bottom.