This was the first story I've ever written. Started in 7th grade finished around 8th... But yeah xD Again, like DTB, it's poorly written, so read at your own risk!
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Summer had to be the season I disliked the most. Well, actually I can't say I disliked it the most as it tied evenly with winter. The outrageously long, hot, and very dry days took all the life out of me. Luckily it was winding down. Fall was only a few days away, but the heat was still unbearable.
I walked over to my window and wrenched open the curtains, then the window, and looked out into the outside world. The dark sky now had a slice of light in it, signaling the day was about to begin. The scene was the same as it had been yesterday, and the day before, and the day before. It was always the same. How boring.
I sighed as I dropped down on to the window seat and half hung out the window with my arm dangling. I could just touch the yellow and orange maple tree that was right beside my window. I smiled lazily at the thought of how easy it would be to sneak out of my room if I ever wanted to. My eyes wandered to the house next door. I could see the top of it's white, worn off roof contrasting against the still, dark sky in a small clearing of the trees where a little light shone through the early morning clouds. The rest of the house was covered by the black mass of the forest.
I shuddered a little. It gave off a really creepy feeling. Closing the window again, I glanced at the clock. It was just about five o' clock in the morning. I groaned knowing that it was too early to go to the kitchen and start breakfast. I flipped on my light and my eyes scanned my bedroom. Frowning, I knew I would have to pick up all the laundry and litter scattered around it. Soon... before I became lost in the mounds of it. Since I had nothing to do until later, I started to throw the clothes into my laundry basket.
After I had picked up my room I glanced at the clock again: 7: 30am. It was about time to start the day. I pulled the curtains across my window and padded across the wood floor to my door and silently slid out of my room and down the hallway. The house was silent as I began to descend the stairs and entered my kitchen. I flipped the lights on and blinked a few times to adjust to the light.
"Hello!" a cheery voice called from the now lit kitchen. I took an automatic step back from surprise and groped around the counter for something I could protect myself with while looking around the room. My eyes finally landed on a familiar blonde.
"Dustin," I breathed as I looked at my best friend of two years. I returned my hand to my side and leaned against a counter. "How many times have I told you not to come into my house without knocking?"
"Well," Dustin started with a smile on his boyish face, "I noticed your light was turned on earlier this morning and I decided to pay you an early visit."
"Okay... but inviting yourself in is definitely an invasion of privacy," I told him before I walked over to the fridge, stifling a yawn. I raked my eyes down the shelves and reached out to grab the bacon and eggs once I had located them.
"Making breakfast?" Dustin asked as I placed the food onto the counter. I nodded in reply as I cracked eggs into a bowl.
Cooking was one of my favorite things to do, and it worked out well since nobody else at my house could cook. And when I said "nobody else" I meant my brother. He couldn't cook to save his life. Which is one of the reasons I came here to live with him. Two years ago my father died, and my mom, being over protective, didn't want me home alone all the time, and with her job that was almost always. So she sent me to live here.
My mother is a very famous fashion designer and lives in New York. Such city life, my mother thought, wasn't very good for a young girl like me. Hence, I was sent to live with my older brother in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, home of harsh winters and heated summers, not to mention the constant wind and or rain.
Will, my older brother, is a detective. Ironically, the reason my mother sent me here in the first place was the secret we were keeping from her. Will was barely ever home, at age twenty-six he was full of energy and almost always had excessive amounts of cases assigned to him. I spent most of my time either by myself around the house, or hanging out with my friends.
Dustin grabbed the bowl of egg yolks from my hand and began to mix them, while pouring milk into the bowl.
Dustin, my neighbor and my best friend, was my first friend when I had first moved here. Now, he's always over, and hanging out with me, especially during the summer when I refuse to go swimming with other friends, using the excuse of, "Sorry, I can't swim." which was actually true. So he kept denying their invitations too and hanging out with me instead.
Dustin got a lot of attention from the girls at school, not that I could blame them. He was fairly attractive, with messy blonde hair and blue eyes, (not un-common for people with blonde hair), while standing at 5'8". He seemed skinny, but definitely had muscles. They are very evident if he is wearing a T-shirt.
"Maddie," the calling of my name startled me and pulled me from my reverie. I looked towards Dustin. He handed me the bowl of eggs. "Want me to start the bacon?"
"Yeah," I replied while pouring the eggs onto the frying pan I had out on the stove and reaching for a spatula. Sizzling sounds filled the air as I stirred the yellow guck around the pan.
"School starts in a week," Dustin reminded me while putting a pan on the stovetop next to mine, with bacon in it. He turned the knob and the blue flame began to beat on the bottom of it, heating it up.
"Ugh, don't remind me," I groaned and flinched my hand back as hot bacon grease jumped out of the pan and landed on my hand.
"Sorry," Dustin apologized with a faint smile as he adjusted the bacon. I shrugged.
The eggs began to form into something solid, so I scraped them from the pan and onto three plates. I assumed Dustin was also going to eat breakfast with my brother and I. He placed the bacon evenly upon the plates and we brought them over to the table with forks. I swiped the salt and pepper off the counter and placed the alongside the plates.
"Something smells nice," my brother's voice commented and he momentarily appeared in the doorway.
"Just in time," Dustin and I remarked simultaneously as we sat down in front of our own plates of food. I picked up my fork and began to poke at my eggs.
"Dustin?" Will asked sounding surprised. "You're here already?"
"Yes, apparently I am," Dustin responded as he grinned at Will. Will grinned back and punched Dustin in the shoulder.
"Don't be a wise ass," he replied while shaking his head. I grinned. Dustin and Will got along just as I did with my brother. It is probably because Dustin is always hanging around at our house, even when I wasn't there. But I guessed they had a more guy-guy type of connection.
"What're you two planning to do today?" Will asked as he settled into his own chair and began to eat his bacon.
"Read," I answered truthfully. He always wanted me to get out of the house during the summer, so sometimes I said things like I was going to the movies or something when I would really sit in front of the air conditioner in my room and read, play video games or do inside stuff like that.
"I'm going to Barbados for the next six days," Dustin announced proudly as he chewed on some bacon. I looked up. This was news to me.
"Really?" I asked, trying not to sound too hopeful. It wasn't that I didn't want him hanging around all the time. It was that he actually makes me go outside to do stuff in the summer instead of just suggesting I did.
"Yeah," he sighed sadly, "but don't fret, Maddie, I will be back before you know it!"
"Oh, I won't," I muttered.
"When are you leaving for this trip? Will you be back for the first day of school?" Will asked him and Dustin nodded his head.
"Yeah, I'll be back. I'm leaving at nine today, and returning on Monday, because my mom wants to make it so I can go to the first day on Tuesday."
"Ah," my brother replied as he got up and began picking up our empty plates. "So that's why you came over so early."
Dustin nodded. "I wanted to say good-bye to Maddie. I'm going to miss her so much!"
"You're not even going to be gone a week though," I pointed out. Will chuckled as I rolled my eyes.
"Well yeah," Dustin replied as he glanced at the clock. "But it's time for me to go."
I looked at the clock too and gawked. Today was passing by quickly. Halluejah.
Dustin bid my brother and I goodbye and then I retreated back to my room and pulled out a book. I curled up in my favorite chair in front of the air conditioner and began to read. I continued to read on into the night, with pauses to make myself lunch and then Will and myself dinner, until I finally fell asleep.
The next few days seemed to fly by. I didn't have much to do, and Will had been going to work earlier then I was waking up and returning later then I was staying up. I finished all the books I had borrowed from the library and had begun to just lounge around all day, being bored and watching T.V.
On Saturday I woke up at around eight to the bright sunshine invading through the windows. I cursed myself for forgetting to shut the curtains last night and hopped out of the bed -too fast- and got a head rush. I sat down again to let it pass me before I got up, more slowly this time, and closed the curtains. Not that it was any help now. I grabbed new clothes and headed into the bathroom. I took a shower, dressed, and brushed my hair and teeth, the daily routine, before going to have breakfast. Dustin still wasn't going to be back for another two days and I found myself, for the first time, wishing he was here, making me go out and do something fun. I slumped into the living room after eating and switched on the television, flipping automatically to the music videos.
After about half an hour later the doorbell rang. Curious, I left the living room and headed to the front door. I opened it expecting to see Dustin, home early and ready to hang out, but instead I let out a small startled gasp as I gazed into a pair of piercing blue eyes. After a few long seconds I pulled my eyes away from the ones that held me and I noticed that they belonged to a guy, maybe around my age, with messy nut-brown hair. His face looked very serious, but also very handsome.
"Hello," the stranger greeted me. His voice was quiet, very smooth, and also very attractive. It took me a few seconds to compose myself before I could answer.
"Er... h-hi," I stammered, feeling like a fool. The stranger had his lips pressed in a tight line and then, it looked almost reluctant, he held out his hand to me.
"My name is Damian Weiss. I just moved in next door," he informed me coolly, as I placed my hand in his. I nearly pulled away when they met, as his hand was much colder then I had expected. My eyes drifted down towards them.
"Sorry," he replied flatly. "I just finished putting away cold groceries."
"Oh," I replied and let it drop. "Well, um, welcome to the neighborhood Damian."
"Sure. Uh..." he trailed off and gazed into my eyes. I felt my face heating up and tried to fight back the blush. It took me a few seconds to realize I didn't give him my name yet. I smiled a little in embarrassment and bit my lip before speaking. "Sorry, my name is Madison Rose."
"Madison Rose," he repeated and looked at me again. It felt as if he was studying every inch of my face. I looked away, embarrassed.
"Um, would you, uh, like to come in?" I asked nervously when I gained enough courage to look back at him again. Wasn't that what you were supposed to say when people came over to visit you? I wasn't sure.
"Sorry, Madison, but I must be going back to my house now... otherwise my sister will eat me." He grinned as if someone told a joke only he could hear.
I shook my head and my eyes flashed back to his for a second, but I couldn't pull away. His eyes smoldered into mine. "Oh... uh, what?" I lost my train of thought.
He frowned a little bit at this. "Are you okay?"
"Yes," I responded quickly, realizing I was still staring and laughed nervously. "Just a little um," I stumbled for the right words, "distracted."
"Oh," Damian frowned a little. "I'm sorry for coming over so suddenly..."
"It's fine," I told him. I wasn't going to let him know it was he who was distracting me.
He surveyed me for a minute before his eyes flashed back towards his house. I understood immediately.
"Maybe some other day I could..." he struggled while saying this. I saved him.
"Sure. Anytime. It was nice to meet you."
"Same to you," Damian agreed, his eyes lingering for a few more seconds before he turned his back on me and heading down the stairs from my porch. "Have a nice day."
"Yeah, you too..." I mumbled to back and watched as he walked away. The way he walked was very graceful it almost looked like he was gliding above the ground.
I stood at my doorway watching his retreating back for a few seconds until I felt heat invading into my home. I frowned, because clouds covered the sun and it was still extremely hot. Even the wind was hotter then I would've thought. I quickly shut the door, stopping the heat, and raced up the stairs to my room and peaked out the window. I expected to see Damian walking down the dirt road that lead to the old house, but couldn't locate him anywhere. He was fast.
The top of the old house, which I was looking at now, still stood off white and old. I wondered why anyone would want to live in such a house as the one back there. It was rundown and secluded by the woods. I thought it had a very isolate feeling, even just looking at it. Perhaps they were going to fix it up one day. If they cleaned it up a good bit it would actually be a lovely house...
My thoughts drifted from the house to the young man I now knew was living in it. He was very handsome. I loved the effect his blue eyes had with his nut-brown hair. I only could think of a few people who had the same hair-eye color. His eyes were impossibly bright, and not to mention beautiful. I couldn't describe him as hot... his presence was too... unspeakable. He was more then handsome, or beautiful. And the way his voice sounded as he spoke was very soothing, and attractive.
I shook my head, trying to get my thoughts away from him. I mean, I barely knew the guy, and I was already thinking about him like that. But it was hard not to. It's not everyday a stranger shows up on your doorstep saying he just moved in next door, especially one as handsome as Damian. Especially one who wanted to come and visit... I shook my head again and preoccupied myself on the Internet.
The day quickly faded into twilight as I continuously looked out my window and observed a few moving vans driving into the dense forest, and them reappearing only, I guessed, about an hour later. They had a lot of furniture. I surmised that either they had a large family so the furniture was quickly unloaded or that there was many people stuffed into that very big van... with the small front compartment where people were meant to sit. I decided on the former.
A car door from my driveway finally caught my attention and I glanced from my window to see my brother's car parked in my driveway. He was walking around the car to the trunk; he had gone grocery shopping. He usually did on Saturdays...
I jumped up from my perch and raced down the stairs, and out the door into the humid dusk. I glanced over his car with jealousy. A black BMW convertible. Oh, how I longed for a car just like that, except in dark blue. I was still admiring his ride (he had only gotten it recently, and I still couldn't grasp the fact that he actually bought it) when he noticed me.
"Ah, perfect. Can you help me with the groceries, Maddie?"
"I believe that's the reason I came out," I told him while walking over to the back of his car. He kind of shrugged and began handing me bags. I grasped the plastic, flimsy, handles and my arm dropped to the ground. I bent over with it.
"What is in this thing?" I breathed, struggling to lift it back up to a height that would make it possible to carry it into the house without dragging it. I had to admit, it was getting the best of me because I could be barely lift it more then three inches... but that would be sufficient enough.
"Oh, that, my young sister, is called a turkey," he informed me with a wide smile. "Well, actually two turkeys to be precise."
"Oh," I realized and dropped the bag. No way was I carrying those heavy things inside the house. It amazed me how the cheap plastic bags could hold those monsters.
"Durable bags huh?" Will commented as if he had read my mind. I nodded in response and he quickly handed me a different, considerably lighter, bag.
Will hadn't done a lot of grocery shopping, so after about two runs from the car and back we had managed to get all of it in. The next task was putting them away, the part I hated most. I did notice, however, he had gotten a lot of cookie mix.
"Will?"
"Yeah?" my brother replied as he was raiding the freezer for things that were out of date. Not that there ever was any. He constantly kept the fridge free of spoiled, rotten, and out of date stuff.
"What's all the cookie mix for?" I asked as I pulled out the fifth pack. I placed it on the table along side the others.
"To make cookies for the new neighbors of course," he informed me while pausing to look at me. "You have noticed haven't you?"
Of course he had known. Must have been his detective intuition.
"Yeah," I told him and began to gather the empty plastic bags. All the groceries were either put away or on the counters. "A boy came over today."
"Yeah?"
"Uh-huh... he was, um, very..." I struggled for the right words. That seemed to be the case for everything that involved Damian. "Formal," I decided on at last.
Will chuckled. "Can't describe him?"
"Pretty much," I admitted.
"What did he look like?" Will asked mild curiosity.
"Um, well kept, I guess." I shrugged. I didn't want to say too much. Like how he had such piercing blue eyes, or how beautiful his face was. No, Will didn't need to know any of that. And he didn't need to know how I wanted to see Damian again.
"Huh," was Will's reply. "Interesting. So you've only met one?"
"Yes... are there more?"
Will nodded. "The eldest brother, a sister and I believe another brother too." He paused for a second. I waited for him to go on. He didn't.
"That's all?"
"Yes... I heard they came from the northern tip of Canada." Will held up his hand when he saw I was about to speak. "I don't know about their mother and father."
"You're a good detective," I muttered.
Will frowned. "It's not my job to invade people's privacy."
I sighed, nodding. Of course it wasn't. I was just too interested for my own good. My eyes wandered back to the cookies. Was he expecting me to make them? He saw I was looking at them again.
"Why don't you make cookies for the neighbors tonight?" Will suggested looking at the clock. Seven o' clock. It wasn't too late and I wanted to go over...
"Good idea," I agreed quickly. Too quickly. Will gave me a suspicious look.
"I- well, I haven't been out in a while, so I thought it would be nice to go out a little." I shrugged as I made up the lie. Will smiled, shrugging before he resumed putting away the groceries. I decided on making two of the five things of cookie mix. If Will was right about the size of the family, that would be more then enough for them.