Status: Active
Red with Envy
Chapter Three: History
For the past three years, Nicolette and Autumn's home has been like a second (technically, third) home to me. Their family - mom, dad, older brother Greg and younger brother Andrew - have come to be like my own. They seem like the perfect family. I've spent too much time there to not be away if there was any tension in the family. Two summers ago, I spent almost three weeks sleeping over. Sure, there were arguments, but they always boiled down.
As Nicolette and I burst through the front door - after she promised to bring me back to school, mainly because she had to pic up Autumn - her mom called out from the kitchen, "Which one of you is skipping school?" The smell of vanilla scented the entire house. Mrs. Saunders worked at her own baked goods store, Jane's Treats. We often got leftovers or sampled some of her newest products.
"Hello, Jane!" I yelled back. "Isali, darling! Which one of my girls are with you?" she asked, coming out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her sweats. "Good Lord!" Jane exclaimed, looking me over. "Car accident." Nicolette explained. "After 911 call 411." I joked with a smile, saying the infamous slogan. Jane shook her head. "I'm just going to loan her a different pair of shorts, and we're heading back to school." Nic said, casting an annoyed glance at me; I smiled in return. "Good girls. But where's Autumn?" her mom asked as we headed up the stairs. "School! You still have one good daughter!" Nic jokes.
Just making it back in time for lunch, Nic parks her Honda Hybrid and smiles at me as she gets out. She had actually talked me into a whole new outfit, not just shorts. So now, I was wearing a plain purple tee and black shorts. Nic had helped me change, expertly avoiding my left wrist. Katy, Alex, Autumn, Kevin and Emily waved us over to them. "Hey, Iz. Alex told us what happened." emily said as we got closer. Alex - who had been glaring at Nicolette - focused on me and nodded somberly. "Does it hurt really badly?" Katy asked, voice full of concern. I shook my head. "Nope. It just feels kinda numb, y'know?" They nodded.
Right then, I turned to notice a certain almost-murdering blonde move along the lunch line. I turned back to my friends, hoping no one had noticed me noticing. But Nicolette had, and she nudged my leg with her knee. "Go talk to her." she mouthed. I raised an eyebrow. That look said, "You were planning to get revenge on her, now you want me to be civil?" Nic pouted a bit. "It can't hurt." she said. I sighed and got up, walking over to where Anabelle was.
"Hi there." I said, slipping in behind her. "Oh, Isali! I'm so sorry!" Anabelle gasped, looking at my arm. I shrugged. "It's okay, really." I told her. Anabelle's arms were shaking as she moed down the line with her try. "Are you okay?" I asked. She was either really nervous, or on some sort of drug withdrawl. She nodded, holding out her tray. Because of her shaking, only half of the lasanga she was getting made it on to her tray. "Crassa lupa" she murmurred under her breath. Fat bitch I froze, holding up the line a bit until Anabelle noticed that I wasn't behind her. She walked back to me and grabbed my arm, pulling me alongside her. "Were you speaking Latin?" I asked. Anabelle hesitated, bit her lip, and kept walking. I positioned myself in front of her. "Anabelle." I said. "Yes?" she didn't look at me. "Answer me." I ordered. She sighed heavily, like she was Atlas and the weight of the world was on her shoulders. "Yes, I was." I shifted my weight uncomfortably. "You're from Corpus Sanus? You know who I am?" Anabelle nodded, still nto looking at me, and walked on.
The more I thought about it, the weirder it seemed. Anabelle was Corpian, too? She knows who I am? That explains why she came to me yesterday- to her, I was the one in charge. But when did she get in America? Much less Hollywood, Florida, where I lived. For the rest of lunch, while everyone mingled, my mind was partly trying to read Anabelle's own to see what she was thinking. Later in Psychology, I told Autumn about Anabelle. "So she knows your secret?" Autumn asked. She nodded, taking in the information. Her expression was hard to read, a veil up behind her grey eyes. "The best advice I can give you is not to get on her bad side, lest she exploit your secret." My last class was pre-cal, and Alex reached out to grab me before I made it inside the classroom. I giggled, looking up at him. "Pardon me." Alex smiled and took my hand in his. "Follow me." he whispered.
In a matter of minutes, we reached the roof of the school where a lone brown woven basket was waiting for us atop a multi-colored checkered blanket. "You knew I was going to say yes?" I asked him as he lead me across the rooftop. Alex smiled and nodded. "A picnic? Alexander Kaplan, is this a date?" I asked, amused and touched at the same time. "Only if it pleases you, m'lady." He said, with a sweeping bow. I laughed, and it seemed to be carried on by the wind, and then we were both laughing in each other's arms. "God, you're beautiful." he said, twirling a lock of my hair around his fingers. I looked away as my cheeks heated up. "You're not too shabby yourself." I told him. alex reached into the basket and pulled out what looked like a deck of cards. "Do you play Scrabble Slam?" he asked me.
That's how we spent the remainder of the school day, playing cards and eating small sandwiches he had prepared. We came down two minutes before the bell rang at 2:30, and made it to the courtyard exactly as it rang. "That was fun." Alex commented, squeezing my hand. "But how about a real date, on Sunday?" I smiled up at him. "I'd love that."
As he walked off with a promise to call me, I noticed Anabelle walking really quickly, looking over her shoulder as she passed me. I reached out and grabbed her shirt. She yelped, then turned to see me. "Oh my. Isali. Hi!" she gasped, slugging her backpack on her shoulder and forcing a smile. "Anabelle, what's your number?" she looked up at me as if she had no idea what I meant. "Your cell?" I clarified, taking out my Blackberry and waving it in front of her face. "We should exchange stories. I want to know everything about you growin up on the island." I smiled my most charming, blinding smile at her. She seemed frozen for a second, then she nodded and quickly rattled off her number and walked off.
"That is the Anabelle you told me about?" A voice asked. I spun around and saw Gervais, my heart speeding in surprise. "Hey buddy, you can't just sneak up on a person like that." I told him, poking him in the chest. He smiled and laughed. If his mere presence didn't gather too much attention, his laughter did, and a few frosh girls went awestruck at the sight of him. "Forgive me for the scare." Gervais joked, messing up my hair. I narrowed my eyes and tossed my head, willing my hair to fall down straight. "You are forgiven, slave." I said haughtily, raising my chin and marching proudly to the car.
At home, Dasha seemed about ready to explode when she saw my arm. "O dei boni, Isalia! What happened?" she crooned, holding me tightly. "Gervias. Tea." she ordered, tugging me into the living room. Gervais bowed and backed out of the room. Dasha cradled my wrist. "Remember that girl I told you about yesterday?" I asked. My aunt nodded. "Well, her car was swerving out of control and when I jumped out of the way, my wrist hit the sidewalk." Dasha shook her head. "Isalia, you are my only neice and the only heir to the throne! You must not let anything happen to you!" she told me, wrapping her arms around my waist as Gervais walked in with a tray. I rose at his entrance. "I'll try, amita[/t]." I told her, moving towards the door. "I'm going up to my room now."
Once in the serenity of my room, I took a shower and changed. As I came out, my phone beeped from on top of my desk. It was a text from Anabelle. Hello, Isali? I wondered vaguely if she told her parents about me yet. Ciao, Bella. Call or text? I replied, lying down on my bed. As soon as I found the television remote, she replies saying Call me. Groaning, I sat up and pressed the call button on her name. After four rings - I was tempted to hang up; wasn't she by the phone? - she finally answered. "Hello!" Anabelle exclaimed. Her voice sounded even higher on the phone, and even in that one word, I could hear the panic in her voice.
"Calm down, Anabelle." I told her. "It's just me."
Whoosh of breath. "Okay. I'm calm."
I nod, then realize that she can't see me. "Good."
"What did you want to talk to me about?"
"Tell me your story."
"My story?"
"Do I need to say it in the languages you're more familiar with?"
"Well no, gosh, I didn't know what you meant."
I sigh, hold the phone against my heart and offer up a quick prayer for patience. "How 'bout I ask and you answer?"
"Um, ask away, your highness."
"Please do not call me that. Okay. Were you born in Corpus Sanus?"
"Yes. May 23rd, 1992, My family and I left when I was 11."
11 years? That would mean 2003, the year my parents were killed. "Oh."
A moment of silence. "Oh God, that was the year it happened, right?"
"Yes." A tightness build up in my chest and it feels like it's getting tighter with every breath rather than loosening. I forget that she's on the other line because when she talks again, I startle.
"Hey, Isali?"
"Hmm?"
"What?"
She snorts. "Do I need to say it in the languages you're familiar with?"
"No, but you do need to be original."
Anabelle chuckles. "your address?"
I give it to her. "I swear to God, if you turn into some sort of sex-crazed stalker..."
"You can read my mind over the phone?"
"Funny."
"I'm totally not kidding." She drags out the word.
"Just get here you weirdo."
Anabelle laughs again. "'Kay. Be over there in twenty minutes."
"Bye." I say. Then I hang up.
I look around my room. Usually when I have company over, I attempt to clean up, hide things away. But I think It's just Anabelle. Over the span of a short phone call, the princess and the would-be-asassin became friends.
As Nicolette and I burst through the front door - after she promised to bring me back to school, mainly because she had to pic up Autumn - her mom called out from the kitchen, "Which one of you is skipping school?" The smell of vanilla scented the entire house. Mrs. Saunders worked at her own baked goods store, Jane's Treats. We often got leftovers or sampled some of her newest products.
"Hello, Jane!" I yelled back. "Isali, darling! Which one of my girls are with you?" she asked, coming out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her sweats. "Good Lord!" Jane exclaimed, looking me over. "Car accident." Nicolette explained. "After 911 call 411." I joked with a smile, saying the infamous slogan. Jane shook her head. "I'm just going to loan her a different pair of shorts, and we're heading back to school." Nic said, casting an annoyed glance at me; I smiled in return. "Good girls. But where's Autumn?" her mom asked as we headed up the stairs. "School! You still have one good daughter!" Nic jokes.
Just making it back in time for lunch, Nic parks her Honda Hybrid and smiles at me as she gets out. She had actually talked me into a whole new outfit, not just shorts. So now, I was wearing a plain purple tee and black shorts. Nic had helped me change, expertly avoiding my left wrist. Katy, Alex, Autumn, Kevin and Emily waved us over to them. "Hey, Iz. Alex told us what happened." emily said as we got closer. Alex - who had been glaring at Nicolette - focused on me and nodded somberly. "Does it hurt really badly?" Katy asked, voice full of concern. I shook my head. "Nope. It just feels kinda numb, y'know?" They nodded.
Right then, I turned to notice a certain almost-murdering blonde move along the lunch line. I turned back to my friends, hoping no one had noticed me noticing. But Nicolette had, and she nudged my leg with her knee. "Go talk to her." she mouthed. I raised an eyebrow. That look said, "You were planning to get revenge on her, now you want me to be civil?" Nic pouted a bit. "It can't hurt." she said. I sighed and got up, walking over to where Anabelle was.
"Hi there." I said, slipping in behind her. "Oh, Isali! I'm so sorry!" Anabelle gasped, looking at my arm. I shrugged. "It's okay, really." I told her. Anabelle's arms were shaking as she moed down the line with her try. "Are you okay?" I asked. She was either really nervous, or on some sort of drug withdrawl. She nodded, holding out her tray. Because of her shaking, only half of the lasanga she was getting made it on to her tray. "Crassa lupa" she murmurred under her breath. Fat bitch I froze, holding up the line a bit until Anabelle noticed that I wasn't behind her. She walked back to me and grabbed my arm, pulling me alongside her. "Were you speaking Latin?" I asked. Anabelle hesitated, bit her lip, and kept walking. I positioned myself in front of her. "Anabelle." I said. "Yes?" she didn't look at me. "Answer me." I ordered. She sighed heavily, like she was Atlas and the weight of the world was on her shoulders. "Yes, I was." I shifted my weight uncomfortably. "You're from Corpus Sanus? You know who I am?" Anabelle nodded, still nto looking at me, and walked on.
The more I thought about it, the weirder it seemed. Anabelle was Corpian, too? She knows who I am? That explains why she came to me yesterday- to her, I was the one in charge. But when did she get in America? Much less Hollywood, Florida, where I lived. For the rest of lunch, while everyone mingled, my mind was partly trying to read Anabelle's own to see what she was thinking. Later in Psychology, I told Autumn about Anabelle. "So she knows your secret?" Autumn asked. She nodded, taking in the information. Her expression was hard to read, a veil up behind her grey eyes. "The best advice I can give you is not to get on her bad side, lest she exploit your secret." My last class was pre-cal, and Alex reached out to grab me before I made it inside the classroom. I giggled, looking up at him. "Pardon me." Alex smiled and took my hand in his. "Follow me." he whispered.
In a matter of minutes, we reached the roof of the school where a lone brown woven basket was waiting for us atop a multi-colored checkered blanket. "You knew I was going to say yes?" I asked him as he lead me across the rooftop. Alex smiled and nodded. "A picnic? Alexander Kaplan, is this a date?" I asked, amused and touched at the same time. "Only if it pleases you, m'lady." He said, with a sweeping bow. I laughed, and it seemed to be carried on by the wind, and then we were both laughing in each other's arms. "God, you're beautiful." he said, twirling a lock of my hair around his fingers. I looked away as my cheeks heated up. "You're not too shabby yourself." I told him. alex reached into the basket and pulled out what looked like a deck of cards. "Do you play Scrabble Slam?" he asked me.
That's how we spent the remainder of the school day, playing cards and eating small sandwiches he had prepared. We came down two minutes before the bell rang at 2:30, and made it to the courtyard exactly as it rang. "That was fun." Alex commented, squeezing my hand. "But how about a real date, on Sunday?" I smiled up at him. "I'd love that."
As he walked off with a promise to call me, I noticed Anabelle walking really quickly, looking over her shoulder as she passed me. I reached out and grabbed her shirt. She yelped, then turned to see me. "Oh my. Isali. Hi!" she gasped, slugging her backpack on her shoulder and forcing a smile. "Anabelle, what's your number?" she looked up at me as if she had no idea what I meant. "Your cell?" I clarified, taking out my Blackberry and waving it in front of her face. "We should exchange stories. I want to know everything about you growin up on the island." I smiled my most charming, blinding smile at her. She seemed frozen for a second, then she nodded and quickly rattled off her number and walked off.
"That is the Anabelle you told me about?" A voice asked. I spun around and saw Gervais, my heart speeding in surprise. "Hey buddy, you can't just sneak up on a person like that." I told him, poking him in the chest. He smiled and laughed. If his mere presence didn't gather too much attention, his laughter did, and a few frosh girls went awestruck at the sight of him. "Forgive me for the scare." Gervais joked, messing up my hair. I narrowed my eyes and tossed my head, willing my hair to fall down straight. "You are forgiven, slave." I said haughtily, raising my chin and marching proudly to the car.
At home, Dasha seemed about ready to explode when she saw my arm. "O dei boni, Isalia! What happened?" she crooned, holding me tightly. "Gervias. Tea." she ordered, tugging me into the living room. Gervais bowed and backed out of the room. Dasha cradled my wrist. "Remember that girl I told you about yesterday?" I asked. My aunt nodded. "Well, her car was swerving out of control and when I jumped out of the way, my wrist hit the sidewalk." Dasha shook her head. "Isalia, you are my only neice and the only heir to the throne! You must not let anything happen to you!" she told me, wrapping her arms around my waist as Gervais walked in with a tray. I rose at his entrance. "I'll try, amita[/t]." I told her, moving towards the door. "I'm going up to my room now."
Once in the serenity of my room, I took a shower and changed. As I came out, my phone beeped from on top of my desk. It was a text from Anabelle. Hello, Isali? I wondered vaguely if she told her parents about me yet. Ciao, Bella. Call or text? I replied, lying down on my bed. As soon as I found the television remote, she replies saying Call me. Groaning, I sat up and pressed the call button on her name. After four rings - I was tempted to hang up; wasn't she by the phone? - she finally answered. "Hello!" Anabelle exclaimed. Her voice sounded even higher on the phone, and even in that one word, I could hear the panic in her voice.
"Calm down, Anabelle." I told her. "It's just me."
Whoosh of breath. "Okay. I'm calm."
I nod, then realize that she can't see me. "Good."
"What did you want to talk to me about?"
"Tell me your story."
"My story?"
"Do I need to say it in the languages you're more familiar with?"
"Well no, gosh, I didn't know what you meant."
I sigh, hold the phone against my heart and offer up a quick prayer for patience. "How 'bout I ask and you answer?"
"Um, ask away, your highness."
"Please do not call me that. Okay. Were you born in Corpus Sanus?"
"Yes. May 23rd, 1992, My family and I left when I was 11."
11 years? That would mean 2003, the year my parents were killed. "Oh."
A moment of silence. "Oh God, that was the year it happened, right?"
"Yes." A tightness build up in my chest and it feels like it's getting tighter with every breath rather than loosening. I forget that she's on the other line because when she talks again, I startle.
"Hey, Isali?"
"Hmm?"
"What?"
She snorts. "Do I need to say it in the languages you're familiar with?"
"No, but you do need to be original."
Anabelle chuckles. "your address?"
I give it to her. "I swear to God, if you turn into some sort of sex-crazed stalker..."
"You can read my mind over the phone?"
"Funny."
"I'm totally not kidding." She drags out the word.
"Just get here you weirdo."
Anabelle laughs again. "'Kay. Be over there in twenty minutes."
"Bye." I say. Then I hang up.
I look around my room. Usually when I have company over, I attempt to clean up, hide things away. But I think It's just Anabelle. Over the span of a short phone call, the princess and the would-be-asassin became friends.