I didn't exactly look forward to moving in with my Aunt Fall for the summer. My parents told me it would be good for me, that her and I would get along much smoother than I would with anyone else. I knew why they thought that, why they wanted to send me. I remember hearing them talk one night, a week before this event.
I was up late again, always unable to sleep. I tip-toed to their door because I heard murmuring from inside. If I was a cat, curiosity would have killed me by now. Careful to stay quiet, I stayed in the same squatted position, barely pressing my ear against the door. "Drina's just so abnormal compared to everyone in our town," my mother's voice said softly. "So much like Fall… No one likes her. She's weird. When I wanted a kid I didn't want to feel like I was dealing with my younger sister all over again!" Her words should have hurt me, but it was no secret that I didn't like my mother and that she didn't like me. Her words had no effect on me.
"She's our child, Sea. We can't just get rid of her because you feel like she's some type of burden. I love you, but when I wanted a child I swore I'd love them no matter what. What kind of parent are you if you don't love them? Or at least try?" my dad said, a tinge of anger in his voice.
"A bad one! Okay? I'm a bad parent! Is that what you wanted to hear? I've admitted it. If you loved me, you'd send her away, just for one summer. Please. I need a break."
"She's a child, not a dog!"
"Rick, I know that! Please. I just want to start over. Have another child with me, a normal child. Rick. Please. I want to be like the other parents. Maybe this time we'll have a boy. Like you've always wanted."
"Sea… Drina… Okay. This summer. Just this summer. We'll have her go on a little… vacation with Fall. But only this summer. Got it?"
My mother clapped, and that was the last thing I heard before silence. The light went off and they went to bed. I stayed emotionless. I was grateful my father loved me, really, and had attempted to fight for me, even if it had failed. However, that night I was much more focused on being angry at mother, I was completely disregarding what father had done. I felt betrayed in a sense. Why would she have me if she didn't want me? It's not like I want her either. I guess she didn't know I'd be this way. I guess I want her to be a different way. Sadly enough though, life isn't about getting what you want.
Although I knew nothing about my Aunt Fall, mainly since no one ever brought her up, I was okay with being away from my mother for a while. We all stepped out of the car when we reached Fall's tiny blue, white trim, tree and flower infested house. To my mother, I made eye contact, unsmiling, giving a little nod to her. I turned to my father. "I'll miss you." I said. To him, I gave a little smirk. Out of nowhere, he gave me a hug, something I wasn't used to from either of my parents. He slid a note into my coat pocket. "Stay safe." he said. I nodded. My mother and father went back into the car, and drove off.
I walked up the stone pathway that led to her black door. A gray cat sat by the door, with bright yellow eyes. I averted my eyes from the cat after a moment, looked up to the doorbell, then pressed it. Three rings approached afterwards, very loud. "Ding, Ding, Ding." The ring was melodic. Suddenly, a short, curvy woman with long hair and heavy eyeliner opened the door. She was pale and had black hair, just like me. "F-Fall?" I choked out. Although she was very pretty, her eyes caught me off guard. They were blacker than the night sky. I don't think I've ever seen such dark eyes before. Maybe a creamy brown, or a pale blue like mine, but her eyes felt more like holes that led to nothing. They felt unkind, cold even, but there was something in there, perhaps excitement, or happiness, maybe even annoyance or nervousness, but something besides nothing trying to escape from behind her eyes. She must have mastered the poker face, because even when I cracked a smile, they remained unchanging. But I knew what was behind them.
"Come in." is all she said before stepping back into the house. Greetings to you too, Fall.
The room she took me to was small compared to the room I had with my mother and father, but I liked it. The walls were white, the floor was a bland slightly brown colored carpet, somewhat plain, but bearable. My bed was just a mattress that layed on the floor by a window, with it's single sheet, a thin purple blanket, and two pillows. The view from the window was pretty, and I could imagine myself with nothing to do staring from it all day. It was her backyard, where a treehouse, which I would just have to examine later, and a large garden were portrayed. It was beautiful, and I had to ask if she did it herself, the treehouse and the plants, everything. I had a small dark dresser, and a work desk with a spinny chair for me to sit on. It's very bare, I thought. I'll have to add some things to it… No that's silly. I'm only here for a summer.
I'd been sitting here for three hours, nineteen minutes, and thirteen seconds, something was appealing about that time. I should have unpacked, in fact I should unpack. I got up, then walked over to my suitcase that sat by the dresser. Unzipping it slowly, savoring the "zip" noise, (a noise I've long loved for reasons I don't know), I started to think about what I'd be doing this summer. I wonder if maybe Fall, (I think as I start to put folded clothes in the empty dresser), Will show me around this town. Maybe she'll take me to a cafe, or an amusement park. Places my parents, (done with the clothes, onto hygienical things now), Would never take me to. (I really must get a new toothbrush) Maybe she'll take me shopping, or perhaps we might just stay home and do absolutely nothing. I'm used to that. (I unloaded the rest quickly and with that I was done) Maybe I'll just go to bed now since the sun has been far past set. If I'm to get to know Fall, I'll just put it off until tomorrow when she knows she can't rid of me. I think. Then I do. I lay down, pulling the thin blanket around myself and drifting off into sleep I rarely get.
I'm stuck in a dream, with me, and Fall's cat that I had been acquainted with at her doorstep. She's in my room, laying on my stomach, staring up at me... "You're a very odd one indeed, indeed." she purrs. A cat talking. Nonsense. I say nothing, because I know this is a dream. "She feels indifferent to you currently… She might love you, she might hate you… It depends on your decisions." The cat's words were sharp on her tongue. Cat got your tongue? Is it not time for that right now? "But you're so much like her. Just like Sea said. How could she hate you? Oh, wait. We tend to hate those most like us, or we tend to hurt them the most if we love them. Oh, who cares, obviously not you. But you will. We'll see how this works out later." It goes to blackness as the dream ends.