I continue to follow the butler, still astonished that they have both a butler and maids. It makes sense, considering the size of this enormous house; it truly hits me that I'm in a completely different realm than what I'm accustomed to. My family wasn't particularly poor or wealthy, but we lived comfortably in a three-bedroom home, and there was never a moment when I yearned for something I didn't already possess. However, the Darkmoons reside in New York, right by the Hudson River, in a grand mansion that undoubtedly screams wealth. I'm jolted from my reverie as I step into the dining room, which features a solid wood table surrounded by eight chairs. The table is aglow with candles and overflowing with food. My eyes widen at the sight of the bountiful spread, and I can't help but exclaim,
"This is so much! Are we feeding an army?!" Jay and Kevin burst into laughter, responding, "Nah, we just wanted to provide plenty of food options!" Tracy chimes in, saying,
"We weren't sure what your favorite dishes were, so we had the chef whip up a feast!" I beam and reply,
"Thank you! Everything looks amazing!" I then make my way over and take a seat beside Steven.
He gazes down at me, then turns back to Tracy and asks,
"Honey, have you completed the enrollment at Brighton Private Academy?" She replies,
"Yes, darling, it's all set; her first day is on Monday."
I glance at the twins and inquire,
"Do you both attend there as well?" Jay beams and responds,
"Yes! We're in the same grade as you, and we had Mom arrange for us to share a few classes so you won't have to face everything alone."
Kevin adds, "If anyone gives you trouble, just let us know; we'll make sure they understand not to mess with our sister!"
I smile at them, "Thank you! I'm really glad you guys will be around. I'm quite nervous about starting at a new school, especially since I've never been to a private school before."
Tracy chimes in, "I've placed your uniforms in your closet. Tomorrow, we'll go shopping for some shoes, jewelry, and a backpack."
I nod, smiling, feeling a wave of happiness wash over me; the atmosphere here is so comforting. Being accepted like this has really eased my nerves and helped me open up a bit more. I glance down at my plate, feeling a bit guilty for asking for anything so soon.
"I love art; I enjoy painting and sculpting. Would it be possible to stop by an art store tomorrow while we're out shopping?"
Tracy responds, "Absolutely! Would you mind showing me some of your sketchbooks later? I love art too, and you're welcome to use my art studio in the pool house whenever you like. We'll get you set up there soon!"
My face lights up with joy at the thought of sharing a common interest with my new mom, and we spend the next hour discussing art.
Steven announces, "Alright you two, it's bedtime; it's quite late now." Tracy glances at her phone, exclaiming,
"Oh dear, you're right! Kevin and Jay, please help Felicity back to her room and then get to bed. Tomorrow is going to be very busy, so if you want to join us, make sure to set your alarms for 9 AM."
Kevin and Jay groan as they rise and approach me, saying, "Mom, that's so early!"
I chuckle at their complaints and reply, "You don't have to come with us if you'd prefer to sleep in."
In unison, they exclaim, "NO WAY!" Jay adds, "We don't want to miss out on spoiling you; mom and dad shouldn't have all the fun!" Sharing a laugh, Steven retorts,
"It's my money, so anything you choose is still me spoiling her, not you two." He playfully sticks his tongue out at them.
Kevin, glancing at his dad with a mischievous grin, says to me, "Don't let him fool you; it's really Mom who brings home the bacon."
Tracy laughs, looking at Steven as she says, "Yeah, honey, it's all me doing the spoiling."
Steven chuckles, scoops her up, and says, "Goodnight, sweet dreams." We all laugh as we make our way upstairs.
Kevin and Jay escort me to my room, planting a gentle kiss on my forehead as they bid me goodnight. With a broad smile lighting up my face, I shut the door behind me. I cherish my new family. After changing into my pajamas, I snuggle into bed. As I close my eyes, I drift into a peaceful, dreamless slumber, still wearing that smile.
CHAPTER 2
I awake to find myself enveloped in a dense fog. As I sit up and survey my surroundings, all I can see is an expanse of darkness, punctuated only by a faint glow emanating from the fog. Rising to my feet, I begin to walk and soon realize I am encircled by towering trees. Glancing around, I notice nothing else, but then a twig snaps, causing me to spin around. There, in the shadows, I spot red eyes fixed on me.
"Hello?" I call out, my voice barely above a whisper, directed towards the woods where those eyes linger.
"Hello, my beautiful mate," the voice replies.
Confused, I inquired, "Who are you?"
The voice responds once more, "You'll know soon enough."
Suddenly, I jolt awake, sitting upright in my room this time. What was that? Just a dream? It felt so vivid, as if I had truly been in the woods. I could feel the dampness of the fog, and when I glanced at my arms, I noticed a residue, my hair slightly wet. Shaking my head to dispel the lingering strangeness, I rise and head to the shower, opting for a cold one to shake off this bizarre sensation.
Once I’ve dressed and am ready for the day, I open the door and head downstairs. I woke up quite early, and it seems that no one else is down here yet. I meander around, making my way
to the kitchen, taking my time to soak in my new home. The sun is rising, casting beautiful rays through the floor-to-ceiling windows; it’s stunning. I enter the kitchen and see the staff busily preparing breakfast, chatting happily among themselves. When the head maid notices me, she approaches and says,
"Good morning, Miss Darkmoon, would you like breakfast?"
Not accustomed to being addressed so formally or using my new name, I reply,
"Please just call me Felicity, and I should wait for the others to come down." She smiles and responds,
"As you wish, Felicity. Please call me Mary. I understand; everyone should be coming down within the hour. Just let me know if you need anything in the meantime."
I nod and head towards the library. I step inside, grab a book from the shelf, and settle into the window seat to start reading. A few moments later, the head maid enters with a coffee.
"Felicity, I made you a hot mocha coffee; I hope you enjoy it." I take it from her, saying,
"Thank you so much, Mary."
She walks away, and I take a sip. This is the best coffee I’ve ever tasted; I can hardly believe it! A sleepy Jay strolls in and says,
"Mary makes the best coffee. How long have you been awake?" He yawns and plops down next to me in the window seat.
I reply, "I’ve been up for about thirty minutes, not too long."
He looks at me, reaches out, wraps his arms around my waist, and pulls me into his lap for a hug. I was going to pull away, but instead, I relaxed into his embrace; I didn’t realize how much I needed this. He pulls back to look at my face and says,
"You won’t be alone anymore. Remember that anytime you need anything, no matter what it is, you have Steven, my parents, and me."
Smiling, I nod, and we break apart. We both stand up and walk towards the kitchen, where I can hear the family chatting.
As Jay and I step into the kitchen, Kevin hurries over and envelops me in a warm hug, asking,
"Did you sleep well, sis?" Looking up at him as he releases me to gaze down, I reply,
"Yes, I slept better than I have in a long time."
This was true, aside from the strange dream I prefer to keep to myself. He nods and guides me toward the dining table where Tracy and Steven are seated, wrapped up in their affectionate bubble. I can't help but grin at their closeness; it truly is a loving home. They break their embrace to smile at me, and Steven invites,
"Come on, Felicity, have some breakfast with us."
I take my place at the table, my new brothers following suit. We enjoy breakfast together, engaging in delightful conversations, with Tracy animatedly about our upcoming shopping day.
After breakfast, we all cram into a sleek black Escalade with our driver. This new lifestyle is definitely going to require some adjustment. Tracy chimes in,
"We're off to Albany for some shopping; you're going to love it!"
I inquire, "How far is it?"
She replies, "It's about forty to forty-five minutes away."
I nod in understanding and lean back, pulling out my earbuds, but Jay snatches them away and says,
"Just connect via Bluetooth to the car; you can play whatever you like." With a smile,
I respond, "Okay," and connect my phone to the car.
I pull up my playlist and hit play, and we spend the remainder of the ride enjoying the music together. We finally reach an adorable little town, and as the driver opens my door, I step out to join Tracy, who is practically bouncing with excitement. She halts in front of a clothing store, wraps her arm around mine, and exclaims,
"Alright Felicity, let’s find you some fabulous outfits! Please don’t check the price tags or worry about anything—just let me spoil you!"
I glance up at her, already sensing her joy as I chuckle a bit, replying, "Okay, okay, no looking at price tags, understood!"
Her face lights up with a big smile as she responds,
"Great! Let’s go shopping!" She sings that last part and pulls me into the store. I glance back at Steven, who is grinning and says,
"Good luck!" But with a playful grin, I grab his arm and pull him along with me.
"No way, if I’m doing this, you’re coming too!"
I notice the boys starting to turn away, trying to sneak off to another store. I call out,
"Hey, don’t even think about running away! You guys are coming with me too!"
They turn back, looking sheepish, and shuffle over to join us as we head into the store. Tracy spends the next hour having me try on one outfit after another, while Steven and the twins lounge on a sofa, observing and rating each ensemble. In the end, Tracy purchases nearly
everything in the store, acquiring a plethora of complete outfits from head to toe, along with accessories. The driver had to contact another driver nearby who was running errands just to transport the load back to the mansion.
I ask Tracy, "Would it be alright if I popped into the bookstore over there?" I gesture towards the little bookstore with a café across from me. She glances over and replies,
"Yes, that's perfectly fine. Steven and I will be over there picking up a few things if you need us."
She hands me a credit card and walks away with Steven, leaving me with the twins.
I turn to them and say, "I’ll be fine if you two want to head to that store you were trying to visit earlier."
They exchange glances, and Kevin responds, "Alright, we’ll be over there shortly." We part ways, and I make my way across the street.
I step into this charming antique bookstore, where the atmosphere is dim despite the bright sunshine outside. Softly glowing lamps create a warm ambiance, and shelves filled with books line every wall, with rows of shelves stretching up to the ceiling. At the back of the store, there's a counter featuring a fridge display filled with pastries, and a punk rock girl is brewing coffee while humming to herself. I approach one of the shelves and pull out a book, but soon find myself lost in thought. My new family has embraced me so quickly that it feels like I truly belong with them; I had anticipated a difficult adjustment to my new life. Instead, I've been playful, laughing, and getting along remarkably well. It's filling me with hope that life here might not be so bad after all. When I return the book and step back, I accidentally bump into someone who yells,
"WHAT THE FUCK, WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING, MORON!"
I quickly turn around, "I’m so sorry! I wasn’t paying attention. Let me help you up."
I extend my hand, but she slaps it away forcefully and stands up, visibly furious.
"Bitch, I don’t want your help! Just watch where you’re going next time!" She shoves me hard as she walks past, causing me to crash into the bookshelf and fall. A hand reaches out to me, and I look up to see the punk rock girl from the café.
"Hey, I saw what happened. Are you okay?"
I smile at her and take her hand, "Thank you, I’m fine. I should have been more careful."
She replies, "She didn’t need to be so rude about it; it was just an accident. She’s always that way—so overly dramatic." She rolls her eyes, and I chuckle. We end up chatting for a while, and I lose track of time. It turns out she attends the same school as I do, and the girl I bumped into is some queen bee popular girl. Of course, I had to make someone like that angry before even starting school. Just then, the twins walk in,
"Felicity, where are you?" I called back,
"Back here!" They come over, and Jay grins,
"Made a friend already?" I glance back at the punk girl and say, "I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name."
She responds, “My name is Kayla, and I want to share my number with you."
I cheerfully handed her my phone, thrilled to have made a friend so quickly. She inputs her name and number before returning it to me. I promptly text her my name, and she looks at her phone, exclaiming,
"Saved it! Well, I need to get back to work. I'll text you later so we can meet up at school."
I nod in agreement as she heads back behind the cafe counter. Jay and Kevin accompany me as we exit the store and make our way toward the art store down the street.
Jay mentions, "Mom texted me to say they are at the art store, and I thought you’d want to go to pick up some supplies like you mentioned yesterday." With a big smile, I jump in excitement,
"Yes! Let’s go!" I quicken my pace, and the twins laugh behind me but soon match my speed. A cheerful jingle rings out as we step into the brightly lit store. The moment I walk in, my eyes widen like saucers and my jaw drops in amazement. One wall is a canvas of various sizes, while another showcases an array of paints, pigments, pencils, markers, and other artistic tools. There are endless rows of art supplies catering to every form of creativity. Tracy and Steven spot me staring in awe at the store, and they smile at me. Tracy says,
"I'm thrilled you like the store; it's one of my favorites." She grabs a cart for me and encourages,
"Go wild, get anything you want!" I begin to stroll down the aisles, picking up items I never knew I desired. After a while, I glance down at the cart and gasp; it’s completely full, and Steven is pushing another cart loaded with canvases, while the twins also clutch various items. I exclaim,
"Oh my gosh, I've gotten too much, and you guys didn’t say a word!" Jay responds cheerfully,
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