Deep

Chapter One: A New Start

Hello!

This here story has been a brainchild of mine for a very long time.

After MUCH rewriting and organizing I feel it's up to be read again! So let me know what you think! :)

Comments welcome!  Also I'm not the best at grammar so please let me know of any mistakes so I can fix them. Be kind and please enjoy!

A New Start

Bless bacon. It was the perfect way to start what I feared could be a bad day. Today was going to be my first day at Natrona County High School in Casper, Wyoming and I didn't anticipate it at all. However, I'm hoping that with a good breakfast I can lighten my spirits. I'm so happy I know how to cook. One of the best things I learned from my grandmother and my father.

As I ate my breakfast of bacon, potato pancakes, and orange juice I read the newspaper, more specifically the funnies. Some people would say that newspapers were out of date, but it was a habit I picked up from my parents. They met while both working at the local newspaper here in town. It's sort of like some of my family's history and reading the paper makes me feel closer to the parents I lost.

Yes, my parents are dead. It was quite recent too, just at the beginning of last summer. It was particularly rainy and my mother and father were driving home from one of their rare date nights. The drunk driver never saw them. I am still bitter that he lived. After their death many of my family members wanted to take me in, but I refused them all. At the time I was deeply depressed and just didn't want to be around any of them so they could pity me.

My Uncle Larry and I came up with a compromise, he understood the need for me to be alone. You see our family house, previously owned by my late grandparents, was empty and it needed looking after. In exchange for keeping the house clean and occupied and also tending to the garden, my uncle paid for the utilities and sent me a small paycheck for food and necessities. I liked the arrangement, and welcomed living by myself for a while.

I was almost done with my breakfast when I heard my phone vibrate. I looked to see who was calling, it was my Uncle Larry.

"Hello?" I answered, mouth still half full.

"Hey Dahlia," My uncle's gruff voice was stern but at the same time concerned, "I'm just calling to make sure you go to school today, I know it's the first day." I rolled my eyes slightly, of course he knew. Uncle Larry was a health teacher in an even smaller town about 3 and a half hours away from Casper. The kids there were starting school too.

"Yeah, I'm going don't worry," I replied after swallowing my food, "I need to get out of this house anyway." I could hear my uncle chuckle a little. It was nice that he still checked in, and I know why he's worried. I have a history of skipping class and I, like many of my family members, had a reputation for being the "troubled" or "bad" kid. That was due to many things, but this year I was going to make a change for the better. This was my senior year and I made a promise to my mother I would do better in school and graduate on time.

"I'll let you get ready then," he said, "Don't be late!" I forced out a laugh, I haven't really laughed since I moved here. Uncle Larry hung up the phone, he was not really much for words.

Time to get ready then. I put my dishes in the dishwasher and made my way downstairs. The basement in this house used to terrify me as a child but now it's my favorite place in the world. When I got to the base of the staircase I turned to left into a small alcove and then left again into my room.