Where Constellation Lives

Chapter 2-New Beginnings

"Sage? Wake up, sweetie, we're here", my aunt said as she gently nudged me in the kneecap.

I lifted my head and looked out the window, my eyes were seeing blurry images and I had to rub my face to wake up and focus.

We were driving down a very long dirt road, it was dark and there weren't many lights around us. Not from houses or city lights or businesses. Just darkness and a very large house in the distance ahead of us.

As we got closer, I could make out a rugged ranch house, old and obviously a fixer upper type place. A wooden, wrap around porch, big steps leading up to a huge wooden door. Big windows and the lights out front atop wooden poles.

We pulled up and stopped. I got out and took in my surroundings. I was literally in the middle of nowhere. It was so dark that all I could see was the house and not much else, but as I looked around, I looked up and I saw something I hadn't seen since I was a child. An entire sky full of stars. The sky was so bright and moon lit up the earth in ways that the city lights didn't allow.

"Sage? Get your bags and come inside. I'll show you around", my aunt said to me as she waved me to come inside.

I felt really apprehensive. This large space was my home for the foreseeable future and it was a bit daunting knowing that I couldn't just go get Chinese at 2AM or dance all night at a club like I was used to. I didn't realize just how different this life was going to be.

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I walked inside and the floor creaked under my feet. It smelled like old books and laundry and I could hear my aunt making coffee in the kitchen. From the looks of the outside of the house, it looked so large, but on the inside, it was small and cozy. Dim lighting, dark wood and a million rugs. There was a little rug almost everywhere you would step.

"That's because your uncle can't understand the concept of taking off his boots", I heard my aunt say behind me. She was pointing to the rugs I was staring at. Little woven rugs, different colors and patterns, laying next to one another, next to the stairway and each door, little tables had a rug, rugs in the living room and the kitchen. I followed my aunt around as she showed me the house. I was honestly in shock at the fact that I was actually there and didn't arrive kicking and screaming. I think I was exhausted of fighting my parents. They made it obvious they didn't want me around, so why be somewhere I wasn't wanted. My aunt and uncle didn't do anything they didn't want to do, they wouldn't have taken me in if they didn't want me there, at least I knew that much. No need to fight it and cause more drama. I had enough as it was and I really just needed to get through the next few months without incident.

"Okay! This is your room", my aunt said with an exhale. I stepped inside the small little room at the end of a dark hallway. Another rug right inside the door. The wooden floor groaning under my feet. The room was about the size of my closet back home. A small bed in the middle, two nightstands, one on either side and a small lamp on one. There were large windows with sheer curtains and a desk in front of the window facing the entrance of the house and the road.

"It's not much, probably not what you're used to, but it's cozy and you've got access to the bathroom. The bathroom also has a door to the other guest bedroom so it's technically our guest bath. Just keep that in mind....I do expect you to keep your room and the bathroom clean and organized", she said to me with her hands on her hips. I was honestly taller than she was by a lot, outweighed her by at least 40 lbs, but she had a way at looking at me that was extremely intimidating. I just nodded my head and agreed.

"Alright then. I'll let you get settled in. If you need anything, you know where to find me. Talk to you in the morning. It's gonna be an early day , so don't stay up too late.", she said to me as she left the room. She didn't smile the entire time she talked to me. She gave me a list of guidelines to live by and what to do and what not to do around the house and how I would be responsible for chores around the ranch starting early in the morning until evening. I was overwhelmed with all the information that I just sat on the bed and flipped through my phone. I was so far outside of anything civilized, I didn't even have cell reception.

This was going to be a long few months.