Word Count: 1091
A/N: Thank you to @givethispromptatry for the prompt that inspired this chapter :)
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“I’m afraid.”
“What are you afraid of?”
“I… I can’t tell. I’m just afraid.”
Abigail crossed her legs on the foreign mattress, sitting at the top of the bed to leave space at the foot. She intended it to come off as a comforting gesture, and was ready for her younger sister to plop down and continue talking. What Abigail was not prepared for was for her sister to lean against the desk that was crammed between a dresser and a wall. She observed as her little Acelynn crossing her arms over her chest and staring out the window that faced a little courtyard below. It hadn’t even been three hours and the girl was already stressed about something.
They had endured a long car ride of silence, and awkwardly unpacked the vehicle without communication. From yesterday evening the tension had not passed between Acelynn and their father. Abigail had listened to her sister weep in the night, but she did not have the energy then to rise to her defence. Occasionally in the car she glanced at her sister sitting in the back seat with her, who was perpetually staring off into the distance not even willing to make eye contact. She felt obligated to make up for her absence.
To be fair perhaps part of Acelynn’s stress originated from them literally being in a space that felt like a shoe box. Everything had a boring brown tint except for the walls that were stark white, and the floor that was a darker shade of wood. Looking closely at the walls, one could see where paint had been slapped on masking destruction of the previous inhabitants. Abigail remembered once being in a room just like this, and remembered scowling at the shoe box wondering how she could turn it into a cave. Each inhabitant brought their personality into these tiny rooms, and Abigail was certain that somewhere in the boxes that have not been unpacked there had to be something that would make the room Acelynn’s.
The clothes were unpacked, and the bed was made. But the bed really didn’t feel quite the same, there was just something missing about it. Abigail caught her gaze drifting over everything in the little room. This was it, a sign that her little sister was not so little anymore. Would she still sit on Abigail’s bed to tell her tales? Would she make new friends, and avoid the bad crowd? Losing herself in her thoughts, Abigail’s gaze rested on a little shelf next to the bed where framed photo of the entire family stood.
Great, she’s keeping up the appearance.
Picking up the frame, Abigail felt the firmness of the black plastic encasing a protective barrier around the photo. Heaven forbid someone actually finds out that the smooth glass is actually shattered, and the divisions depend on the day. The photo was the four of them on the day of Acelynn’s high school graduation, standing in front of a tile mosaic that looked aesthetically decent at the time. Acelynn was the closest child to upholding the perfect image her family sought to paint, so the day she crossed that stage was just another pat on their parents’ backs. Abigail imagined that soon the headshot of Acelynn in the cap and gown would hang in the hallway on the second floor, serving a constant reminder to their parents of what their children looked like. Who knows, maybe they would even replace her photo? In her peripheral vision, Abigail caught the brunette braid shift as her little sister’s stare settled on her.
“You don’t approve?” Acelynn inquired, her tone still a little high.
“I understand this is a change.” Abigail began, refusing to change the topic. She still held onto the frame in her hand, staring down at it. “But I am not far away… we are not far away.”
Nearly slipped up there, oops.
“I’ll literally be a 15 minute walk away if you need me to come hold you at night,” Abigail teased, a glint of light in her silver eyes. She looked up at Acelynn to see a small smile break through the bleak composure held moments ago.
“Thank you for that great support,” Acelynn replied with a sigh following. Finally, she moved across the room in a single stride to pivot and sit on the bed.
Abigail set the photo down, preferring not to stir up a feud over its existence. God, it was not long ago that she was in these very dorm rooms. Excitement had coursed through her as she set off to find herself. She was alone, and it was glorious. No one was around to try and wake her at ungodly hours, and she could pick and choose new people to chat with. Acelynn was her perfect juxtaposition in this instance. A creature of habit, the girl needed to let go and just lose herself, but not too much of course, because then piecing her back together would be rough. Abigail’s first year in university was her first year of freedom from looking over her sister, and her sister’s first year of trying to walk through life alone. Acelynn was unable to bear the silence, which stemmed into multiple video calls. A part of Abigail worried that being within proximity to Acelynn meant things would really go back to the way they were. She wanted to be there for her sister, but she also wanted the girl to find her own way in the world.
“Ace, I mean it, you can do this. You’re a smart cookie. If anyone can carve out a place in this world, it is you.”
The smile grew a bit more, and Abigail could tell those were the words her sister needed to hear. Her mission here was complete, more or less, but she deemed it to be an adequate amount. Scooting off the bed, Abigail caught her sister’s deer in the headlights stare. She had undone her own coaxing from only moments ago, but alas she had her own boxes to unpack a 15 minute walk away.
“Don’t forget a bathrobe when you go into the co-ed bathrooms,” Abigail added with a wink. The sheer horror on the innocent face was all the reward she wanted.
“Abi!” Acelynn exclaimed, her tone equally traumatized as her expression, but Abigail was already off as her sister exclaimed her nickname. She had her hand on the doorknob, twisted it, and escaped into the hallway of the first year residence.
She just needs to adjust.
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@half-blood-potions-master
And of course the drawing that motivated me to start this blog was inspired by my absolute best interwebs gal pal @askamberfawn (nsfw warning)! =)
She had her followers send in suggestions of things to do with her OC Acelynn. This was an idea that I had! That after some rather “exhausting” suggestions, she deserved to have a quiet girls night in with another pony getting her mane braided and just having fun! The other girl in this case being my new mare OC Pekea Acres!
I think this is the first time I’ve ever drawn someone else’s OC and it’s so much fun seeing her in my style! :D Hope you like it, Ambermod!
Word Count: 1392
A/N: Meet the second main character :)
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It was late in the evening and the house was settling down. A part of her was equally as tired as the rest of the house. She was a morning bird by nature, rising with the sun and humming along the tune of a melody that came on when her alarm rang. Every part of her treasured memories made in the house, this was the place she grew up and soon she would be leaving. A week and she would be off to explore a new realm, a week and she would be off “rediscovering” herself. She would no longer be a child in the eyes of her parents, and would not have her mom’s open arms to run to. Independence was a good thing, at least that’s what they say, but somehow she felt as though she was leaving a part of herself behind.
Sliding the last of the porcelain dishes, washed from the crumbs of dinner, into the dishwasher; the girl closed the door, set the cycle to start, and returned to the dining room. It was a small room with a wall specifically build to isolate it from the living room beyond the French doors. The decor was immensely simple as a single painting of the ocean hanging on one of the walls. The calm blue waters made up the lower third, while the sky above was clear. In general, it leaned more towards resembling abstract art to the girl, and it did not quite belong in the house.
The dining room was one of the few places in the house not speckled with family photos. In the middle, on a traditional style blue rug, stood the dark mahogany table. A dining table that had room for six was only used by four, and soon by two. A white table cloth hid the scratches of the wooden surface beneath, but the occasional nick on the table’s legs easily gave away its age. Freshly cut flowers in a vase rested on the middle of the table, perhaps the last batch to brighten up the room for awhile. Would her mom still place them there when she was gone? Admiration for the floral decor were not what brought the girl into the tiny dining room. She had removed all the plates, and leftovers; all but one set. On a silver woven mat, rested an untouched white porcelain plate. The fork and knife still at its side, and the chair had not been budged from its place, tucked in against the table.
Picking up the plate and cutlery, the girl carried it back into the kitchen to be stored away in a cupboard. Usually the untouched set never bothered her, it was just the way it was in her house. The empty place at the table was her older sister’s spot. Over the past four months, which felt like eons to the girl, her sister was away studying in university and living in the dorms. But when her sister was back, usually she would sit at the table each night and put in the effort to at least appear to tolerate family dinners. Today, unlike other days, she had a hunch she knew why the set was empty.
Earlier she noticed the black boots half unlaced and kicked off in haste by the door, and the girl had caught her mother straightening them on the shoe rack. Somewhere in the house her sister was shut away, unwilling to deal with the world.
Leaving everything in its place, she flicked the lights off in the kitchen and moved toward the stairs. Behind her she could hear the television on with some movie chosen randomly from a queue. But tonight her feet guided her away from joining her parents, taking her to tread up the stairs minding the second to last step that creeks. There were more family photos on this floor in comparison to the dining room. On the top step, the girl caught grey eyes matching her own in a photo but belonging to someone else. Adorned in a cap and gown, the diploma from finishing high school pressed close against her chest, the figure in the photo wore more colours than she usually would. Dark black hair in loose styled curls, and a smile that seemed to illuminate her entire face, it hurt to know that the face so bright was probably bleak with sorrow.
Moving along the hallway, the girl paused at a door across from her own in a moment of hesitation used to determine if she truly wanted to interrupt her sister inside. Lifting her hand, letting her fingers curl, she gently rapped on the door with her knuckles. Two taps was all she gave, her knuckles lightly colliding with the wood to signal to the person inside they had company. A lack of response was the reason she deemed it appropriate to enter. Letting her fingers twist the knob, the door swung open slowly into the dimly lit room. Only the bedside lamp was flicked on; set on its lowest setting to cast the faintest light while leaving the rest of the room in the shadows. Against the sheets lay the silhouette of the girl from the photo that hung in the hall, but older and less illuminated. The figure had not changed out of the grey shirt and jeans that she had put on that day, but the leather jacket was tossed on the desk chair, carelessly.
The figure reacted to the girl’s arrival, her head rolled against the pillow to lock gazes with her younger sister. She stood there for a moment, unsure of what to say. She could tell that her sister had been crying up until her arrival, and fought off the tears just as she entered. Even from afar, the dim light glinted off the trails of tears on her sister’s face. The girl knew better than to point out the red eyes, and slightly red nose from sniffling.
“May I?” The girl asked.
It was not a question she expected a verbal response to, but rather she watched as her older sister moved her legs to make space at the foot of the bed. Usually the girl would sit at the end of the bed, spilling her woes to her older sister while getting the occasional eye roll. Today it was the other way around. The walls her older sister built were shattering around her, but the girl knew she would never admit to it. Perching on the end of the bed, she swung her leg up to fold it under her, and let the other dangle from the frame. Leaning back, she felt the cold metal bars that formed the bed frame’s curve press against her skin. As if the darkness of the room was not chilling enough, the window left ajar let in the early autumn air to bite at the girl’s exposed ankles.
“Do you want to talk about it?” The girl asked, concerned that she was able to make it through the entire sentence without being cut off. Usually, she only managed to get the first two words in before receiving a snapping reply. Not only did she complete her question, but it lingered in the air.
“No,” her sister replied, eyes having shifted to be fixated on the ceiling.
“Do you want me to leave?” She asked.
“No,” a soft voice returned.
Moving onto her knees, the girl crawled over to snuggle into her sister’s side. Resting her head on the pillow, she draped an arm across the figure knowing it was not her arm the figure wanted.
“I’m sorry, Abigail,” the girl whispered.
“I’ll be alright, Acelynn”
All Acelynn wanted was for her sister to be okay, for things to go back to the way they were. She finally had a chance to see her sister in person after four months. There were so many things she wanted to talk about, and stories to share. Abigail was always Acelynn’s go-to individual for advice, but each semester when she left it felt as though she became more distant. Instead of chatting the day away, she was arguably interacting with her sister less. But she understood the idea of the heartache that was unravelling before her, because her sister rarely let people be so close to her.
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So I haven't been on this in a while but here I am... So about 2.5 weeks ago I found out some pretty scary news... I'm going to be a mom. Her name will be Acelynn Grace because Acelynn just came to me and Grace because of a family friend. I do not have contact with her bio dad; in general because he doesn't want anything to do with us. I am kinda worried about what everyone will say but everyone that I'm close with knows and if anyone asks I tell them. Nothing to hide... I'm worried I won't be a good mom; I'm worried that something will happen to my baby girl and I'm scared that my BF even though he says he wants to be with us. And he even lets me go shopping for stuff I'm just worried he is going to leave like everyone else has...
Sneak peek of these Lavish Kidz goodie bags for a beautiful, loving, smart little princess' birthday!! ❤️ #lavishlust #lavishkidz #acelynn #birthdayprincess #lavishaccessories
