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The beginning

The night air was cool. It smelled of roses and coffee. Black clouds had already gathered up in the sky, concealing the beautiful stars that seemed so far away.

Melanie breathed deep into the night air, she was very exhausted. She'd tried sleeping but it was seemingly impossible. She'd decided to stay at her balcony to enjoy the overwhelming sight of nature; may be it would lure her to sleep.

Melanie was dressed in shorts and a tank-top, her black hair was up in a ponytail as long as her neck. She was barefooted. She had dark brown eyes with long eyelashes. Her face was oval-like just like her mother's; her father would say. There were little traces of make-up on her eye-lids and lips; she couldn't wash herself when she returned from work because the water was so cold she thought she'd freeze in it.

Her work as a receptionist in a motel not too far from her high school was very stressful. At first, she thought it was one of the best jobs so far because she just had to stay in one place and attend to guests but now, she believes no work is easy. It just depends on how it is handled.

High school was another world of its own. She did not like the school in Seattle, she preferred the one in Wales before she and her family moved to the United States. Momma had told her to fit into the crowd and stop being a baby. Taking a job two weeks after moving was a step, so that her parents might think highly of her. She, however, gained their respect and support.

The house clock rang bringing her to reality. 12 midnight. She thought. She had to sleep so that she'd be in school as early as seven in the morning. She entered her room after making sure to close her shutters properly. She gathered herself together on her bed like a baby, wrapping herself with the sheets. As she switched off her bedside lamp and shut her eyes, she heard footsteps. She sighed. Her father was coming in late again. He was not like that in Wales, in fact, he was a noble man who worked in the cabinet.

However, there was a twist in their lives that made everything go wrong. Dad lost his job, Momma lost her ten weeks pregnancy, then they had to move and Melanie lost her friends and beautiful life in Wales.

During the period of the twist, she'd admired her Dad for being such a caring man; the way he held Momma close when she had her miscarriage and the manner he checked up on Melanie in bed, kissing her forehead and watching her sleep. Unknown to him, she was always awake enjoying every bit of it.

Everything stopped when they moved to Seattle. Melanie regarded it as a "City of bad luck", but she decided she was going to make the best out of it, for herself and her family.

The footsteps could no longer be heard. Melanie was restless. She laid on her back facing the ceiling. There were cracks on the wall - her room was very ugly; not like every teenager's dream room that would contain pictures, posters, musical instruments and a large wardrobe stuffed with recent fashion trends. There was only a mirror at the far end corner opposite her bed with a locker beside it that contained her clothes, a shelf on the wall where she kept her shoes and bags, her bedside table and bed - nothing more. The only thing compelling about the room was the balcony she greatly enjoyed.

She reached for a mills and boons book from her bedside table to read herself to sleep and in a twinkle of an eye, she was asleep laying on her belly.

The next morning came like the gush of wind. Melanie stretched and got out of bed. She tasted onions in her mouth. She got into the bathroom and washed herself with one eye closed.