In Between

Chapter 1

before 24 hours

That weekend, it was my cousin's wedding. I had to go to Sunville, my home town. The family house was decorated in pink and white. Pink and white sheets, pink and white flowers, young girls wearing pink and white dresses. The atmosphere was very... pinkish. The whole family was there. I  had always hated family occasions. I had many aunts. They were old. I always referred to them as Wicked Witches. Auntie Lucy was the youngest. She was the only cool person in my family. She was my bestie. Everyone used to avoid me because I was a tempered person. I had anger management issues, or so they said. I hated weddings, too many noises and too many people. Weddings were my nightmares. 

As I entered the house, my mother was the first one to see.

"Oh dear God! EMMA! This is a wedding for God sake! No jeans, no sneakers! A nice elegant dress and high heels! You're a young lady, you should -"

"Mother!" I replied, "I get it, mum. It's nice to see you again. God!"

She started to give me another lecture but my auntie Lucy came exactly in time.

"Emma! Thank God you're here. I need your help," Lucy said as she grabbed my arm.

"You're a life-saver," I whispered.

Lucy's room was the only place where I felt compfortable. I crashed on the bed as Lucy got lost in her big closet.

"What a welcome!" I complained.

"Here! Put this on!" she handed me a dress, "let's survive this day together."

I took the dress without saying anything and headed to her bathroom.

The silence was getting awkward. "So, are the witches here?" I said.

She knew exactly who I was talking about. She never minded me calling her older sisters witches. "Yes. They're here. They wouldn't miss their favorite niece's wedding."

"Great, just perfect," I whispered under my breath.

I looked good in the mirror. I never wore dresses just because my mother wanted me to do so.

"You look amazing," Lucy said, "come on we need to hurry up."

As I was going down the stairs, Samantha hugged me out of nowhere. She started jumping and screaming, "I'm getting married, I'm getting married!" And her bridesmaids joined the weird and loud dance.

I unwrapped her arms and said in a sarcastic tone, "Good for you, Sam." And I just left. She followed me and said, "Emma, wait! Please, I'm begging you. This is the day of my life, don't ruin it please."

"Yes Sam! I know!" I said then I left.

Few hours later, the ceremony was over. I kept calm and avoided my old aunts as much as possible. Everyone was dancing, laughing and having fun. I was bored. My mother, as usual, tried to introduce me to a guy. I rejected, as usual, without forgetting the comment, "High class is not my type," and I walked away. I was about to go back to my seat when my eldest aunt gestured to me to come, and she was talking to a young man. "Old witch on the horizon! Time to flee!" And I left the party. I headed toward the door without thinking twice.

I wanted to go to the center of the town. I needed something to clear my mind. My family's house was at the edge of the town. I started walking. Trees were everywhere, only trees. There was no sight of roads. That was when I knew I got lost.

After few hours of walking, I finally found a road. It was very dark. I didn't know which way I should take. I didn't even know the directions. Finally, I decided to go right and I kept walking for hours.

The road was empty and there was no sign of any cars or anyone.