I always liked the rain. The way it painted the ground, like a paintbrush on a canvas, the sound it made as it bounced off the roof. It always brought a weird kind of calm to me. That was until I got the call. Now, it just reminded me of how I was leaving the home I had known all my life. On my bed was what little of my life I could pack in a suitcase.

Two days had passed since I found out that my parents died in a plane crash. I felt terrible for all the families who lost their loved ones, but all I could think about was my parents. I wondered why they left me with a babysitter instead of taking me with them. I was almost 16. At least if I had gone with them, I would not be stuck here all alone in the world.

“Michala, the taxi is here. It’s time to go.” The babysitter said from downstairs. She did not need to tell me; I could see it from my bedroom window. This would be the last time I ever set foot in my house again. I would be leaving behind everything and everyone I knew. Holding back my tears, I grabbed my suitcase and headed down the stairs.

As I stuffed my suitcase into the backseat, the babysitter said her goodbyes and closed the door. It was quiet as we headed toward the Tallahassee International Airport. Ironic really, my parents died in an airplane, and I was now taking one to Missouri. Pulling out my mp3 player, I cranked up the volume and shut out the rest of the world

After a four-hour flight, we were in Kansas City, Missouri, where one of my aunt’s secretaries picked me up. She was stunning and kind, but it did not help how I felt at all. She placed my suitcase in the trunk as I got into the car. She stayed quiet, which was fine because I did not have anything to say.

My aunt could not pick me up herself because she was the headmistress at Lakeland Academy. I never attended the school myself. People say that the school was weird and that they would not send their children there. My mom said that she and my aunt attended the school when they were kids and that it was the best school in the world. I did not know who to believe.

My aunt lived in a mansion in the middle of nowhere, about 30 miles away from civilization. I watched as the highway turned into a dirt road as we headed deep into the woods that lead to my aunt’s house.

As the mansion came into view, a feeling of despair washed over me again. I do not know why, but it always creeped me out when we would come to visit. Mom said that this place had been in our family for 6 generations after our ancestors came from Romania. I always asked if we were related to Van Helsing because that was my mom’s maiden name. I was named Michala Alexandria Lynn-Helsing. My dad said that it was best to keep my mom’s maiden name and carry it on.

“Michala dear, how wonderful to see you. I am so sorry about your parents. I wish that it had been them bringing you here, instead of Angelina.” My aunt Brenda said as I got out of the car. What did she mean about my parents bringing me here? They never mentioned it to me.

“They were going to bring me here?” I asked, unable to get past the statement. Why would they have wanted to uproot me from my home to come here? It did not make any sense.

“Why yes, my beautiful. It was always your mom’s desire that you came here after turning 16. She just wanted to wait until you finished school. But then they had to, oh never mind.” She said. It seemed as if she were about to tell me why they left, but she stopped. What was so secret that she could not tell me. I did not understand. As I was about to ask, the twins came out the door.

“Oh my god, Michi, I cannot believe that you are finally here. We have been waiting for you for too long.” Ally said as she ran down the stairs and hugged my tight.  Erin did the same. I know that they were happy to see me, but this was not a very happy occasion. But I did not say anything as they held me.

“Girls, let your cousin breathe. I swear you two are like a kid with a new toy. It is not like you haven’t seen her in 10 years.” My aunt said, scolding the girls. They both immediately released me and stood in front of me instead.

“We are sorry about Aunt Rebecca and Uncle Donnie. It is hard to think that they are gone now.” Erin said.  I saw a tear roll down her cheek. I almost forgot that I was not the only one who had lost my parents.

“Well, I know that you were used to the warm and almost always sunny life in Florida, but I hope that you will eventually see this place as your home. After all, it was your moms and mine throughout our childhood.” My aunt said, motioning for me to follow here. Reluctantly I followed her inside, stopping when I thought I saw something in the woods on the left side of the yard. However, if there was something there, it had disappeared just as fast as I noticed it. It was probably just a dear or something.

Once inside, Aunt Brenda took me down the hallway to where my moms’ old room was. Opening the door, you could tell that my mom was a girly girl, not that I was not girly at times, but it was like walking into the room of a pageant girl. The funny thing was my mom had won a couple of pageants when she was younger. But then she got older, and I guess the pageant girl kind of disappeared. I was glad that grandpa and grandma never changed it before they died. At least, this way, a part of her would still be with me.

“Well, I will let you get settled in. I will be downstairs if you need me.” Aunt Brenda said as she walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her. When I knew that she was no longer in the hallway, I fell onto the bed as the tears I had been holding back began to fall. All the pain and anger I had been keeping in seemed to overtake me.

Hours passed as I laid there on moms’ bed, thinking about everything that happened. When I looked out the window, the sun was already going down. It was then that I noticed the smell of something good. I guess Aunt Brenda was cooking dinner. Going to the bathroom, I cleaned up my face and headed downstairs.

When I got to the dining room, the twins were already sitting at the table. They both waved to me as I sat down on the opposite side of them.

“How are you doing, Michala?” Erin asked. You could see the worry painted on her face. I did not know how to answer the question because I was sure she knew how I was doing and was only asking to communicate with me.

“I will be alright, I promise.” I lied. There was no way I could know that I would be alright. Not when my parent’s deaths were still fresh on my mind. Ally did not say anything. I guess she could see that it was pointless to ask the same thing to get the same response.

“Alright, girls, dinner is ready.” Aunt Brenda said as she brought out a large bowl. It was spaghetti. I was curious why she did not have her chef cook diner, but I guess she wanted to do something herself. “I hope you are hungry, Michala.” She said as she smiled at me. I just nodded as she loaded my plate. Then she filled the twin’s plates before sitting down and serving herself.

“Now I know that it is going to take some time, but I hope that you will come to see this as home. After all, it is what your mom had planned,” Aunt Brenda said before putting a fork full of spaghetti in her mouth. I did not answer. It was not like I did not want to talk; it is just that I had already had a home, and now I was living with my aunt. Not to mention the fact that mom kept the plan of us living here from me. Instead, I began eating my spaghetti.

As we ate, the twins talked about how they were ready for school to start and the cute boys they liked. They talked about how I was going to love the school and its diversity. I pondered on what they meant. It was not unheard of going to school with kids of different ethnicities in Florida, so it would not be much different. Then a question begins to burn inside me.

“Aunt Brenda, exactly why was mom going to bring me here after I turned 16?” I asked. My question seemed to surprise her as she choked on the spaghetti she had just put in her mouth. After coughing and finishing what was in her mouth, she looked at me.

“I am sorry, love, but that is going to have to wait until you are 16. I cannot explain it to you. It is something that you are going to have to find out on your own.” She said with a sigh. Excellent, just another person who was keeping secrets from me. That seemed to be the theme with my family. Everyone keeping secrets. It was quite infuriating.