Before December

Chapter 1

"This party is banging, Lyd!" Penny shouted above the music.

"Thanks," I shouted back and took a look around the large hall. Weeks of school-council meetings, planning and arguing over decorations had finally paid off. The night had gone off without a hitch. The cavernous school hall had been transformed with streamers, lights and hundreds of brightly coloured balloons trapped beneath a net across the ceiling, waiting for their grand release later that evening. Coloured light bounced from the disco ball, scattering fractured rainbows across the walls. The dance floor was packed, everyone laughing, shouting and moving to the DJ's music. A smile tugged at my lips as I surveyed the hall. We'd actually pulled it off. I couldn't believe that it was the last day of 11th grade before the summer break began, and I would be a senior when I returned in August. As I took in the scene in front of me, hugging a clipboard to my chest, I spotted my uncle walking towards me.

"Uncle Will! What are you doing here?" I asked, surprised, as I hugged him.

"I need to talk to you," he began. "Can we go somewhere a bit quieter?"

Apprehension tightened my chest, but I nodded and followed him out into the corridor. Uncle Will didn't speak. He simply opened the door to an empty classroom and waited for me to step inside before closing it behind us. "You're scaring me. What is it?"

**********************

Sitting on the airplane a month later, I was numb. As the plane began its descent, I began to wonder who would be meeting me at the other end. It was one thing that I now had no family, apart from my Uncle Will of course, but another to move away from everything I knew and loved. I hadn't cried. Not at the funeral. Not when Uncle Will packed my things. Not when I walked out of our house for the last time. Maybe the numbness was worse than crying would have been.

Somewhere beneath the numbness, I knew the grief was waiting. I just wasn't ready to let it find me. Instead, I had to move to another country and live with a house full of strangers. My mom, dad and little sister were gone, and I had no idea how I was supposed to live without them.

Walking out of the terminal with my luggage in tow, I looked around to see if there was anyone there to collect me. A few feet away, an elderly gentleman held up a white card bearing my name in thick black marker. He was dressed in a black suit with a white shirt and red tie. A black peaked cap sat neatly on his head, while pristine white gloves covered his hands.I trudged towards him, dragging my heavy suitcase behind me, and as I approached, he smiled. His smile was unexpectedly warm, reaching all the way to his eyes, and something about it eased the knot in my chest. "Hi," I said quietly.

"Miss Wild, I presume?" His eyes crinkled warmly at the corners.

"Yeah," I answered. It was about all that I could manage.

"I'm Henry. Let me take your suitcase," he said as he held his hand out to take it, but I didn't want him to. It wasn't that I didn't trust him with my things. He just looked old enough to be somebody's grandfather, and letting him haul a suitcase I'd managed perfectly well by myself felt wrong. His smile faltered, and guilt immediately twisted in my stomach. Great. I'd been in the country five minutes and had already offended someone.

"Very well. Follow me."

Waiting beyond the automatic doors was a gleaming black limousine, polished so perfectly that the airport lights shimmered across its bodywork. I stopped dead. There was no way that was for me.

"Um... Henry. I think you have picked up the wrong person."

"You are Lydia Wild, are you not?" he asked, holding the car door open for me to get in.

"Um... Yes, but..."

"You are the right person then. Come on, in you go. Everyone is expecting you," he smiled in amusement.

"Everyone?"

"Yes. Everyone."

I helped Henry lift my suitcase into the trunk of the limo and then slid into the back. It was so stylish. Cream leather seats. Soft blue lights tracing the roof. Crystal champagne flutes gleaming beneath them. I was in awe. This had to be a dream. There was absolutely no way this was my life now.

"You are not dreaming, Miss," Henry answered. I hadn't realized I was talking out loud. He was looking at me through the rear-view mirror in amusement. I felt myself going red from embarrassment. Then I spotted the champagne and my eyes lit up. I really needed this. Okay, I was seventeen, but I'd be eighteen in December.Yes, it's only July, but it's only a few months away, and it's not like I haven't had alcohol before. Surely the bottle was put there for me, otherwise they wouldn't have put one in the car at all. Opening the bottle with a pop, I looked towards Henry, expecting him to tell me that I shouldn't be drinking, but he didn't flinch. Pouring myself a glass, I gulped it down. I was feeling anxious about this whole situation I was now in. The chauffeur and limousine told me everything I needed to know: whoever I was going to live with had serious money. The kind of money I'd only ever seen on television. We were never poor, but we weren't loaded either. By the time I reached for the second bottle, Henry finally said something

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Miss..."

"Lydia. The name's Lydia," I hiccuped and continued to pour myself another glass.

"Put the music on driver!" I yelled, feeling a little tipsy. Henry did as he was told and turned on the radio.

"Louder!" I yelled, and he turned up the volume. Somewhere between the music, the unfamiliar car and the terrifying reality waiting at the end of the journey, I decided that not thinking was easier than thinking. By the time we arrived, I was sure Henry had a headache and was looking forward to some peace and quiet after my off-key singing and increasingly enthusiastic dancing. At some point, I'd ended up on the floor, laughing helplessly as I slid from one side of the limousine to the other whenever Henry took a corner. Then the limousine slowed, and I turned towards the window. My laughter died.

A mansion loomed beyond the glass. The enormous front doors swung open, and what appeared to be an entire welcoming committee spilled onto the steps. Henry opened my door and, with his help, I got out. I stood there swaying as people with broad smiles came towards me. Their words made no sense as they tried to welcome me. It was all a blur. A tall boy with shaggy blond hair stepped forward, looking mildly amused by the state of me. He held out his hand. I tried to focus on it. Bad idea. My stomach lurched. His smile disappeared. Before I could even tell him my name, I threw up all over his shirt.