Lure // Jordan Parrish

// Prologue

// 

        “Kisses to your Aunt the moment you get in the house!” Lana ordered, the town sign for Monroe, California passing the family of four in their taxi. “She hasn’t seen you two in ages.”

        “Ellah, are you really doing homework?” Tommy sat in between his mother and his older sister, leaning over to look at Ellah’s laptop screen.

        “I actually like to pass my lessons, T.” Ellah typed with one hand aimlessly, tugged down the front of Tommy’s beanie so it covered his crystal blue eyes.

        Tommy struggled, swatting her hand away before fixing his beanie so it sat on his dark brown hair artfully. 

        “Children, really?” Evan sat up front with the driver, looking into the mirror at his kids. “Isn’t it a bit early in our vacation to start bickering?”

        “You two did so well on the flight.” Lana pinched Tommy’s chin despite his attempt to defend himself from it.

        “You two were just sitting in a different row than we were.” Ellah flatly said, her fingers clicking in her detailed pull apart H.P Lovecraft’s ‘The Call of Cthulhu’. 

        Lana smiled, “I know.”

        Ellah and Tommy exchanged a look, rolling their eyes at the same time.

        “Are you two excited for a week with your Aunt?” Evan asked, “It’s been a long time since we had a holiday in America.”

        “It shouldn’t count as a holiday if Ellah keeps doing her bloody homework.” Tommy retorted, pulling out his phone.

        Lana sent her son a stern look, “Watch your language, young man.”

        “Ellah gets to say it!” He countered, frowning.

        “That’s because I’m older.” Her typing ceased, the brunette closing her laptop soon after. 

        “You’re not that much older than me, El. It’s not fair.”

        “Tommy, your sister is an adult by law. You aren’t.” Evan said, knowing that this wasn’t the first time Tommy tried to be able to do everything that Ellah could do. “When you pass your GCSEs and get into a good university, then we can’t control what you can and can’t say.”

        “I hope you’re not expecting me to get into a place like Cambridge.” Tommy scoffed lightly, “I’m coming to America to study, so El can have her fancy uni.”

        “So supportive, Tommy.” Ellah cooed sarcastically, putting her laptop for school into her shoulder bag used as her carry on for the seemingly endless flight from Gatwick to LAX.

        “It’s what I’m here for,” Tommy replied, looking up from his mobile when he felt the taxi stop. He frowned a little, “Oh boy.”

        “Don’t be rude, Thomas.” Evan said, paying the taxi driver before getting out of the car.

        Ellah put her bag over her shoulder, staring up at the familiar house roped in vines that climbed up the panels. She remembered it better than Tommy, but she didn’t think of it as an advantage. 

        “There is my beautiful family!”

        The four looked towards the decking of the house, a slim woman with red hair standing with her hands on her hips and a smiled spread across her friendly face. Aunt Penelope.