Ink on the Pages

2

James was in the kitchen, wiping down the counters. Genesis walked in, crossed her arms, and gave her stepdad a glare. "Yes?" she snapped.

"I thought I asked you to do the dishes," he said, gesturing to the stack of dirty bowls and plates in the sink.

"You did."

"Well why haven't you done them, then?"

Genesis could feel her face getting hot. "I just got home from a game, James. We lost. So, I'm sorry my first instinct when I got home wasn't doing freaking chores."

"Instead, it was retreating to your private little art room and secluding yourself, as usual. Your mom's not around right now, so I'm curious as to who gave you a ride home."

"Ira did."

"I see," James said, taking a few steps towards Genesis. She stayed still. "Well. I expect you to do the dishes before going to bed. Please and thank you."

She gave him a blank stare. "Fine," she hissed, about to walk away. However, a thought occurred to her, and she couldn't bite her tongue about it. "Also, I tell you every single day not to call me 'Gen.' That nickname is for family and friends only."

"Aren't I your family, Gen?"

That did it. Those words echoed in Genesis' mind over and over again, cutting her to the heart. It's like James was the evil stepmother from Cinderella, but a male version.

He had been married to Genesis' mother for about four years now. Half the time, Genesis didn't understand what her mother saw in him. He wasn't ugly, so perhaps there was that. Together, James and Genesis' mom had Rya: a three-year-old half-sister tyrant in Genesis' eyes. Rya was currently asleep in bed and their mom was away on a business trip. James was a college professor, so he was home often.

"You know what? You do the freaking dishes yourself," Genesis growled in response to James. No way was she going to listen to him after the comment he had just made. She quickly turned away from the man and walked off. "I don't understand how all your students like you so damn much."

"You'd think after four years, you'd have changed by now," James snarled as the teen disappeared into the hallway.

Genesis walked past Rya's room on the way to her own. She stopped, and for some reason, felt compelled to peek inside. The toddler slept peacefully, clutching her blanket and stuffed giraffe.

"You have it easy now," Genesis whispered. "But just you wait."

Genesis woke up the next day having gotten little to no rest. The school day went by smoothly, however. Genesis and Ira enjoyed art class together and chatted about life's problems, which was quite pleasant and therapeutic for her. The two had grown up together. Ira was there for Genesis when her dad left, when her mom remarried, and when Rya was brought into the world. Genesis and her mom didn't have the best relationship.

On top of that, Genesis really missed her dad. The two haven't spoken since she was eight.

Every day after classes, Genesis had volleyball practice. The team wasn't super fond of her, and three girls always teased her for how often she would doodle in her spare time.

After practice, Genesis had gotten out her sketchbook while waiting to be picked up by James. A few of her teammates noticed this and saw an opportunity to have some fun.

"Drawing again, Gen?" a girl snickered, walking up to Genesis on the bench. She sat down beside her.

"What're you drawing?" another teammate hissed, sitting on the opposite side of Genesis. "Will you draw me something, Gen?"

The third teammate came up from behind Genesis, snatching the sketchbook right out of her hands. "What's this?" she raised an eyebrow. "How cute."

"Can you guys just give it back?" Genesis asked, visibly annoyed.

The girls flipped through the pages of the notebook, carelessly tossing it around.

"Guys, please stop," Genesis said again.

Suddenly, one of the girls tore a page out. "Ooh, what is this?"

"It's none of your business!" Genesis couldn't believe her teammates. She loved volleyball, but some of her teammates made playing very difficult for her. After some more of this, the girls further damaged Genesis' sketchbook. For the grand finale, they threw Genesis' artwork into a puddle on the pavement. Shortly following this, the older girls dashed into their cars and drove home.

Genesis texted James, telling him not to pick her up from practice. Instead, she decided to walk home, which was roughly a thirty-minute walk. She knew she needed to let off some steam.

On her walk, something caught Genesis' eye.

Tucked underneath a nearby tree root was a silver journal. The cover glimmered in the September daylight, seducing Genesis enough to nab it for herself. Genesis opened the journal, revealing several black pages as blank as the cover. Taped to the back of the notebook was a blood red quill.

Considering Genesis' previous sketchbook was now a watery mess, she decided to take this mysterious one home and begin drawing in it. Her fresh anger towards her teammates would most definitely manifest into some emotionally inspired artwork.

———

Once again, thank you for reading! Don't forget to vote and comment. Update number three will be up one week from now! <3

Also, you should all check out the other story I recently uploaded. If you like dark dystopian books, you'll love "Seven." The prologue takes place seven years before the rest of the novel.

Here is the link to that!
https://my.w.tt/cCq2x57nu6

You can also check out the other stories on my account and find it in there. Love you guys! (:

— H