Beth Astria smiled as she walked. The fall breeze brushing the nape of her neck brought pleasant goosebumps to her arms. A leaf slapped into her face, making her laugh and brush it away.
As her steps drew her closer to home though, her smile faded. Despite the lovely weather she found herself worrying. Even the cuddly warmth of her favorite sweater didn't help. Over the past few weeks, her parents had been leading up to some huge surprise. They reassured her that it was a good thing, and her siblings were nothing but excited. Yet there was something that told her the change that was coming would be something more than they were letting on.
Beth considered herself fairly normal. She had better than average grades in school, parents who were a little too busy, and siblings that drove her up the wall and back. She had a small circle of friends, mostly fellow loners banding together to avoid getting picked on. Sure, she was a bit taller that average, and she worked hard to maintain a certain level of fitness, but she didn't consider herself particularly pretty or shapely. She was just another girl doing her best to get by, and if she could figure out what she wanted to do with her future she would consider herself one of the lucky ones.
When she came to the doorstep she paused. Some instinct told her to look around at the shrubbery, the flowerbeds, and the neighborhood surrounding the small family home she had been raised in. There was a sense of finality to it that unnerved her, coloring the once vibrant day with a gloomy grey.
Taking a deep breath, Beth opened the door and stepped into the house.
She stepped in and closed the door behind her, then froze. The knick-knacks and books from the shelves were gone. Instead there were neatly labeled boxes stacked into an equally neat pile in the center of the room.
Her feet moved of their own accord. One slow step, then another led to her further into the house. She explored the entire first floor and found everything packed. Confused, she raced up the stairs to find her parents.
"Mom? Dad? Where are you?"
"We're in here honey!" Her mother's voice came from the direction of Beth's room, and her feet followed the sound. Sure enough, her parents were in her room. Worse, all of her siblings were too. At least her siblings had the presence of mind to be embarrassed. The books she prized had been taken from their carefully ordered shelves, her clothes tossed haphazardly into garbage bags.
"What is going on?"
If her voice betrayed her shock the adults' expressions didn't give it away. The way her sister flinched told her though, as did the grins of apology from her brothers.
"We were just getting you started packing!" Beth's Dad puffed happily, flicking one of her favorite shirts over his shoulder without care.
"Packing?? WHY?!"
Maya quietly ushered their brothers out as their grins faded, the seriousness of what was happening apparently beginning to sink in.
Ignoring the prick of guilt for stealing their smiles, Beth turned to face her parents after they were gone.
Smiling, posture stiff, they spoke with false sweetness.
"We're moving to Scotland dear."
Beth felt her hands shaking and clasped them together. They were never like this. Her life was supposed to be normal, predictable.
"You have until tomorrow to finish packing. You get one suitcase for the flight, and one carry-on bag, so pick carefully. Everything else will take a while to ship."
Looking at her hands, she begged herself to stop shaking. She was better than this. Change was manageable. Life was about taking things in stride, and that was what she did best.
"Ok."
When she looked up, she had her composure back.
"Ok." she repeated herself and swallowed the lump in her throat. "I can take it from here."
"That's our girl!" Her father clapped her on the shoulder, and her mother smiled proudly. "We knew we could count on you. Don't stay up too late, alright?"
"Yes, sir. Thank you for getting me started!" Her smile began to feel strained, but they were already leaving.
The door clicked shut, their footsteps fading with their voices.
"Who wants pizza for dinner?"
The cheers of her siblings were muffled. Beth pressed her fingertips to her temples, trying to quiet the pounding of her head.
Beth was a normal girl. She could handle this.
Grabbing her headphones from her desk, the volume went from 5 to 10. She drowned her thoughts and got started on what needed to be done.
.
.
.
.
.
Days later, Beth lifted her eyes against heavy lids to see their new home.
Jet lag faded as shock set in.
"WE GET TO LIVE THERE?!?!" She barely flinched at her brothers' excited screams.
Their new home was a castle.
Beth, Maya, Brandon, and TJ gaped at the grand structure, hearts racing.
Stone towers loomed above them, and between those towers stretched well-kept walls she imagined to hold armories filled with old chain mail and medieval weaponry. The artist in her mind showed her a battle, men defending their home and master. As orders from both sides rang through the haze of battle, the enemy renewed their forces, surging forward to-
"It might not look like much, but it's home." Blinking away her daydream, Beth focused on the real world once more.
If this was home, Beth decided it could be worth it.
"I bet there's secret passageways!" TJ squealed.
"And dungeons!" Brandon piped up.
"And...! And...!"
Beth allowed there chatter to flow past, dreams from her younger days swarming through her mind, all clamoring to be remembered, all showing her that she was home for the first time.
"Beth? Are you alright?" Maya laid a hand on her shoulder, startling her from her unwanted thoughts.
"Hm? Oh." She smiled reassuringly. "Yeah. I will be. This place." Beth gestured around them as they stepped out of the car. "It's incredible."
"Hmmm, yeah." Maya glanced at her shrewdly. "Wanna talk later?"
Beth chuckled. "I'll be fine."
Weight lifted from her heart with every step she took toward the door. Suddenly, she believed her own words.
She would be fine.
"I'll race you!" TJ darted past them, followed shortly by Brandon.
"Cheater!"
"I'm winning though!"
Both boys laughed.
"We'll meet you girls at the castle." Their Dad smiled at them as he and their mother walked past to keep the boys in sight.
"Yes sir!" Maya answered for them, and Beth smiled.
"I guess we'll still have our own rooms huh?"
Maya nodded cheerfully, perking up immediately. "True! Maybe I can get a room with a lock so the boys have to live in their own rooms for once."
Chuckling, they both recalled how the boys used to sprint through the house to play their games. Maybe here they would at least have to rotate which parts of the house they played in.
Looking up again, Beth was briefly awed by the size of the castle before her. How had this place seemed familiar?
A rustling sound caught their attention, drawing their gazes to a man who emerged from the bushes lining the walkway. Standing an easy six foot eight, in a suit that could have been for a wrestler or a celebrity's red carpet bodyguard, the gentleman appeared to be in his late forties, or perhaps his fifties.
Beth blinked, breaking her gaze from him before she could stare. Maya felt no such compunction.
"Should we know you sir?" her voice was cool, and Beth smiled to herself. Only Maya could pull off the lack of care she now displayed.
"Apologies for startling you ladies." the gentlemen bowed briefly from the waist. "My name is Bernard. I am the resident groundskeeper and butler of this estate. If I may take the Misses' luggage for them?" he held out his hands, and their father's voice drifted back to them.
"It's alright girls! I called ahead to let him know we were coming."
Maya looked a bit embarrassed, but Beth allowed herself to smile as Bernard took their suitcases for them.
"Thank you sir."
He raised an eyebrow at the term, then shrugged, easily taking a suitcase under each arm and their carry-on bags in his hands.
"If the Misses will please follow me, I will show you to the rooms I have prepared."
The girls nodded, following close behind him. He moved easily, as though he carried nothing.
"Where exactly is the money for all of this coming from?" Maya whispered her question.
Shrugging, Beth eyed Bernard and wondered why it felt as though he had heard what she herself had barely caught. This butler with his British accent seemed more like a professional bodyguard than a groundskeeper. Life was certainly changing.
But would it be for the better?
Almost in answer, a bird chirped, drawing her eyes skyward.
Untainted by city pollution, the vibrant blue and white dome above her felt fresh and new. The chipper songs of the birds around her brought Beth a genuine smile. Even Maya was not able to maintain her suspicious demeanor when a cool breeze pushed their hair out of their faces.
Thoughts of home and people left behind floated from her mind as if plucked away by the same breeze. Her steps felt lighter, and a spark of hope in her heart fanned gently into flame as she admired the entry hall of their new home. Vaulted ceilings were supported by grand columns of stone whispering stories that might never be told. Carpeted stairways lifted heavenward, muffling any sound as Bernard led the girls to the third floor.
They stopped a few doors down for Bernard to leave Maya's luggage at the entrance to her room. The girls shared an awkward side hug before Beth went to catch up with Bernard. Judging by the squeal that echoed behind them, Maya loved her room. Beth hoped she would be as fortunate.
Once she was inside her own room, she understood Maya's squeal.
A king-size, four-post bed stood in the center of the room. From the way the elegant draperies were tied at each corner, she guessed they could be drawn shut for extra privacy. Further exploration revealed a massive walk-in closet, a bathroom that would put modern mansions to shame, and a balcony the size of her family's old back porch.
Experimentally she flung herself back onto the bed. It squished and sprang back perfectly, bouncing her a couple of times before she settled down comfortably. Smiling, she folded her hands behind her head and gazed up at the brocade stretched across the top of the frame.
Maybe she could get used to this new life after all.
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