CHAPTER ONE
1342 Words
People always said home wasn't a place; it was the people you loved. I used to think it was something people said to make moving easier.
Standing in the middle of my bedroom, surrounded by half-packed boxes and memories I couldn't neatly fold into cardboard, I realized I was about to find out whether it was true.
The pale yellow walls, stained with years of laughter and late-night study sessions, looked strangely bare. I picked up the last photograph from my bedside table. It was just Mum and me at the beach three summers ago. My hair was a tangled mess after the wind had whipped it in every direction, and Mum was laughing so hard she nearly dropped the camera.
I smiled despite the heaviness in my chest.
We were leaving our home for a new one, and I didn't know how to feel about it. Nothing would ever be the same again.
"I've been calling your name for the last five minutes."
Mum's voice drifted from the doorway, successfully snapping me out of my thoughts.
I looked up to find her leaning against the doorframe, dressed in a simple blue blouse and jeans. She looked happy, as she should be. She had met someone who made her very happy.
I still didn't know the details of how they met, but I was happy for her.
"I'm sorry." I slipped the photograph into a box. "I got distracted."
"I can see that." She walked farther into the room, looking around. "I can't believe we're actually leaving."
"Neither can I."
For a moment, neither of us spoke. It was a comfortable silence.
"You don't have to pretend to be excited," she said softly.
"I'm not pretending."
She raised an eyebrow.
"I'm trying to be."
A small laugh escaped her lips.
"I know this is difficult."
"It isn't the moving that's bothering me."
"No?"
I shook my head.
"It's everything." She sat beside me on the bed. "The new house, a new school... a new family."
Her expression softened even more.
"Amelia..."
"I'm happy for you, Mum. I really am."
And I meant it.
For as long as I could remember, it had been just the two of us. She worked endless hours just to keep food on the table. If anyone deserved happiness, it was her.
"I just..." I sighed. "I don't know how I'm supposed to wake up one day with a stepfather and a stepbrother and suddenly act like we've always been family."
"You don't have to," she said. "Families aren't built overnight. Give it time."
Easy for her to say. She'd spent six months dating Damien before they got married. I'd met my new stepfather exactly three times and had never even met my new stepbrother.
A knock echoed through the apartment before I could answer.
"I'll get it," Mum said.
I nodded absentmindedly and reached for the silver locket resting on my dresser. It had always been with me.
According to Mum, I'd been wearing it when she brought me home from the hospital as a baby. She'd never let me take it off.
I slipped it back around my neck and ran my thumb across its engraved surface.
"Amelia!" Mum called from the sitting room. "The movers are here!"
I tucked the locket beneath my shirt and took one last look around my room.
"Goodbye," I whispered.
I wasn't sure whether I was talking to the apartment or the life I was leaving behind.
______________________________________________
The movers carried the last box out of the apartment while Mum did one final walk-through, checking cupboards and drawers to make sure we hadn't left anything behind.
I lingered in the doorway.
The apartment looked smaller than I remembered.
Maybe because all the life had been packed away into cardboard boxes.
Or maybe because I was finally seeing it for what it was,a place we'd outgrown without ever meaning to.
"You ready?" Mum asked, slipping her keys into her handbag.
I forced a smile.
"As ready as I'll ever be."
She locked the front door, then paused for a second, resting her hand against the worn wooden frame.
"So many memories," she whispered.
I looped my arm through hers.
"We'll make new ones."
She smiled at me, her eyes shining just a little.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
Together, we walked down the narrow staircase and out into the warm afternoon sunshine.
A sleek black SUV was parked outside the building.
Definitely not the taxi I'd been expecting.
A man in a fitted black suit stepped out from the driver's seat as soon as he saw us.
He looked to be in his forties, with neatly combed hair and a calm expression.
"Mrs. Blackwood," he greeted politely before taking the suitcase from Mum's hand.
Mrs. Blackwood.
The title still sounded strange.
Mum smiled. "Good afternoon, Thomas."
He nodded respectfully before turning to me.
"You must be Miss Amelia."
I offered a polite smile.
"I am."
"It's a pleasure to meet you."
"You too."
He opened the rear door for us.
I leaned closer to Mum and whispered, "People open doors for you now?"
She nudged me lightly with her elbow.
"Behave."
"I'm behaving."
"Barely."
I grinned and climbed into the car.
The seats were softer than my bed.
I sank into them with a quiet sigh.
"Okay," I admitted. "This is nice."
"I thought you weren't impressed by rich people."
"I'm not."
I ran my hand across the leather seat.
"I'm impressed by heated seats."
Mum laughed so loudly the driver smiled through the rear-view mirror.
For the first time all day...
My nerves eased.
The city gradually disappeared behind us.
Apartment buildings gave way to quiet suburbs.
The suburbs became long stretches of road lined with towering trees.
I frowned.
"Where exactly does Damien live?"
"You'll see."
"Mum..."
"You'll see."
I groaned dramatically.
"I hate surprises."
"No, you don't."
"I hate expensive surprises."
She simply smiled.
About thirty minutes later, the car slowed.
I looked up from my phone.
Two enormous wrought-iron gates stood before us, taller than anything I'd ever seen guarding a private home.
The words BLACKWOOD ESTATE were engraved across the arch above them.
My mouth fell open.
"You're kidding."
The gates slowly swung inward.
Beyond them stretched a driveway so long I couldn't even see the house.
Perfectly trimmed hedges bordered both sides.
Flower gardens bloomed in every imaginable color.
Ancient oak trees lined the road like silent guards welcoming us inside.
"This..." I whispered "...isn't a house."
Mum looked out the window.
"It still amazes me."
"I think we've accidentally driven into a royal palace."
She laughed.
"Not quite."
Five minutes later, the mansion finally came into view.
I stopped breathing.
It wasn't simply big.
It was breathtaking.
Cream-colored stone walls glowed beneath the afternoon sun.
Massive windows reflected the blue sky.
Elegant balconies overlooked perfectly manicured gardens.
A marble fountain sparkled in the center of a circular driveway.It looked like something lifted straight out of a historical drama.
"People actually live here?"
Mum smiled.
"We do now."
"I'm underdressed."
"You've said that three times today."
"I'm still underdressed."
The SUV rolled to a stop beneath the grand entrance.
Before Thomas could open my door, I reached for the handle myself.
He beat me to it.
"Welcome home, Miss Amelia."
Home.
That word again.
I smiled politely, though it felt unfamiliar on my tongue.
"Thank you."
The moment my feet touched the ground, a cool breeze swept across the estate.
It carried the scent of damp earth,pine trees,and something else.
Something wild.
A strange shiver ran down my spine.
I glanced toward the forest surrounding the estate.
For just a split second...
I could have sworn someone was watching me.
I blinked.
Nothing.
Only trees swaying gently in the wind.
"Coming?" Mum called.
I tore my gaze away from the woods.
"Yeah."
Taking a deep breath, I followed her toward the enormous front doors.
Maybe this wouldn't be bad and I'll get along well with Mr Damien Blackwood and my stepbrother Lucas Blackwood.
- Writer
