The Dress

Chapter 2

Moving Day

I'm woken up to the sound of heavy rain clattering against my window. Today's the day we move. After days of arguing and sulking, the day that I have been avoiding and dreading the most has finally arrived.

I was informed by my very loving mother that I'd have to be up early this morning. Firstly, I'm told that I have to move against my will then I'm forced to be up early. The nerve of that woman. I didn't get any sleep last night and now I'm feeling restless.

I don't want to get up and I want to stay in my bed all day as a sign of protest. But I promised Simon I wouldn't be difficult; curse those beautiful green eyes that make it hard for me to say no to.

I make my way to the bathroom and take a quick shower.

When I enter my bedroom my mother is sitting on my bed.

I ignore the fact that she has intruded and I walk over to my wardrobe. An awkward silence hangs in the air but I don't care, why is she even in my room anyway? She knows I don't like the idea of moving away.

I pull out some jeans and a random blouse from my drawer. I throw them onto the bed next to where my mother is sitting. A small grunt of annoyance escapes from her throat, probably because of the fact that my clothes are wrinkled but she can't complain because she's lucky I even woke up this morning.

I proceed to get dressed and after what seems to be ages my mother finally speaks.

"Brooklyn."

My back is facing her and I pretend not to hear her. She tries again but this time she is more stern.

"Brooklyn. I am your mother and I will not be ignored."

Not wanting to start a fight I decide to face her although I still remain quiet. Not because I want to be rude but I honestly don't have anything else to say to her. We have fought numerous times and I no longer have the fight left in me.

When I look at her I expect to see the anger boiling behind her eyes but that's not what I see. I see pain and the fact that I'm the one causing the pain makes me rethink this whole move. Maybe it truly is for a good cause and I'm just failing to see that. I have no friends to leave behind so that is not a problem for me. I could even make friends so it isn't that bad.

I feel something on my shoulder and when I look back up my mother is staring down at me.

"Just promise me you'll give it a chance," she says. I don't hesitate to nod in accordance.

She proceeds to give me a hug and I hug back. I'm not entirely happy but I will give it a shot.

My father pokes his head through the door.

"Are you guys ready? The truck is about to leave."

My mother and I both look back at him and smile. Even though not a lot of words were exchanged between us, I know she has understood me and I have too. It's been like that since day one, we've always had a connection that I can't quite fathom.

Two Hours Later

"Mom, are we there yet?" Simon asks.

"You asked that ten minutes ago and I've already told you. No we are not there yet."

"But mom I'm so bored, why is this taking so long?" Simon whines.

Now Simon may be a genius that comprehends situations no adult would manage to understand but he is still a child at heart. He's been whinging like this for the past two hours and I can tell my father is already getting restless.

"Simon would you like a treat?" My mother asks.

"Yes please," Simon beams.

I laugh at the way he devours the sweet in one go. Simon stares at me and pokes his tongue out. I take off his glasses and hide them behind my back. His eyes widen and he then tries to throw a candy wrapper at me but misses. That makes me laugh even harder but seems to anger Simon even more.

"Mom! Brooklyn took my glasses again!"

My mother looks back at me and gives us what Simon and I call 'The Death Stare.' I immediately return Simon's glasses back to him and I look down.

When I look back up Simon is smiling smugly at me. I ignore him and decide to just stare out the window.

After another hour my father declares that we're here. Finally, I was about to go mad from being confined for so long.

We stop breifely at the entrance and my father exits the car to open the gate. Luckily the rain has stopped or else he would've been drenched.

The first thing I notice is the large sign on the gate. It's a large 'S' but the 'S' resembles a snake. I look over at Simon to see if he has seen what I see but he's asleep.

"Mom, why does the gate have a sign that resembles a snake?"

"What snake dear?" My mother asks.

"The 'S' mom, it looks like a snake."

My mother leans forward in her seat and squints her eyes trying to look at the gate and she pauses for a minute. She then shakes her head.

"There's nothing there, Lyn. You're seeing things," my mother laughs.

My father enters the car and drives us in. The whole estate is covered in trees and it makes it hard for me to see the house well.

As we pull up I finally see the house and I cannot believe my eyes. The house is huge.

"M-mom. Is this our house?"

House would be an understatement.

My mom grins at me and just looks up ahead. I look next to me and Simon has the same expression on his face. I hadn't realised that he had woken up. We all remain silent as the car stops until my father speaks.

"Well kids, welcome home."