As The Sun Sets - Erinny Rose (small books to read TXT) 📗

/> “Wait” she said as she bent over to pick a flower, “give this to your girl, when you feel that the time is right”
“Okay” he said accepting the perfectly white Lilly “thanks”
“It won’t ever die, or wilt it will always remain the same brilliantly white flower” then she paused “Well for as long as you exist in her life” then she winked at him and said “See you at school.”


Chapter Two

A quiet tapping noise woke me from my silent reverie, I had been dozing on and of since six o’clock after being woken by next doors baby screaming at the top of its lungs, but this seemed to jolt me back to reality far quicker than I would have liked. I just knew that from my early awakening this was going to be a bad day. I groaned quietly as my dad popped his head around my door, which I knew wasn’t going to be good news because he only knocks when he wants something or is worrying about telling me something, for example he did the exact same thing when he got up and found my dog dead and couldn’t figure out a way to tell me, but at the time I was only six so I’m not sure if that really counts.
“Oh good, your awake” he said not looking as though it was good “Lana, honey. My work just rang and I err…”
I sighed “what ever it is dad just tell me”
He stared at me then heaved a heavy sigh “they rang to tell me that they want me to go out to Japan and manage our company out there for a while.” Dad works for a major electronic manufacturing company called Saandig, it has branches in nearly every country, and they manufacture things like Laptops, phones, televisions those sorts of things and they’re always sending him away, sometimes weeks, even months at a time. That’s the problem with well paid jobs there is always a downside, but then there is always an upside to that downside which is getting paid for inconvenience and its usually pretty big.
I looked at him “how long this time?” I sighed
“Well” he said now looking very apologetic “at the minimum one month.” I wasn’t really surprised, but luckily because its all I’ve known growing up I’ve got used to it, but that doesn’t mean I like it. The only upside for me is that dad gives me guilt money, the most he has given me in hand is five hundred pounds and then on top of that he puts money into my bank account every week, I worked out when I was twelve, that was when I worked out where all this money was coming from, that if on every trip he went on and that was at the very least two a year I would be very rich (and that’s even with out working) by the time I am twenty five, well I only have seven more years. My dad is the only reason that I have learned to drive and was able to buy a pretty decent car which is in for repair after some fool broke the passenger side window. “Honey, I will need you to watch Dylan as well, I can’t take him with me” No surprise there dad had hardly anything to do with Dylan since the death of my mother, Dylan is my little brother, mum died three days after he was born, but I have done most of the raising because dad is always away, he wasn’t even around when Dill was born.
“Okay dad” I sighed “just leave me some money in the usual place for the shopping please” I said kicking the covers off me and sat up stretching
“Course I will love” he paused then said “I’m going to bank a cheque for you today before I go.”
“Sure dad” I said walking past him to use the bathroom “thanks”. I wasn’t surprised to see him still standing there when I got back
“Lana” he said “I’m really sorry about this” he paused “I have to leave by noon today to get there in time.”
I just stared at him “dad” I said “I’m old enough to look after myself you know.”
“I know you are honey” he said catching me by surprise by pulling me into a tight hug, “I love you” he said as he let me go “you should know that I would much rather stay here with you than go out to work, but there are bills to pay, I really love this house honey and I want to keep it.” I knew what he said was a lie because ever since my mum died he has been trying to avoid coming home, even if it was just for me and Dylan, I’m not as important to him as mum was, well ok I admit that I probably am I think its because that I remind him of mum. I am often told how much I look like her, it used to really annoy me but now I don’t mind it so much.
“I understand dad” I said looking in to his eyes to let him know that I wasn’t just saying it to keep him happy “now will you give me some privacy whilst I get changed, I do have school today” then yelped as I looked at the clock “Its already eight thirty! I am going to be so late!” and half pushed my dad out the door. In my haste to get ready I just pulled on what ever I could find first which was a combination of one black and pink sock and one green, yellow and white sock, my old light blue jeans which I usually only wore for slobbing in, my button up light blue shirt and a black denim jacket. I ran down the stairs nearly knocking in to my dad at the bottom who had made my lunch for me “Thanks dad” I gasped
“No problem” he said watching me pull on my light green and white converses, then stepping over me to open the front door “have a good day at school I’ll ring you later love ok, oh and don’t forget to pay Linda! The money is on top of the fridge.” Linda is our baby sitter, she has been a god send, I don’t think I would have been able to go to school if we hadn’t found her.
“Sure dad love you” I shouted back at him running out the door checking my watch, I had fifteen minutes to be in my class room. “Damn” I moaned “why does this always happen to me?” Luckily in Cherry hollow, the little town where I live, it doesn’t rain very often in the summer even though it is dead in the centre of England. The school I attend is called Cherry Hollow School of Arts which is the main school of the town but there are a few others scattered around, for instance my old school Cherry Hollow School for Girls and then there is the boys school too and several primary schools. I decided to move schools and do sixth form at a different school simply for the reason that I wanted a change, a change of surroundings and a chance to make new friends, and as it happens it is a very nice school, ive already passed year twelve so I now have year thirteen to worry about.
The school, to me looked like a nice place to be, but then I like this school. Others would probably describe it as a prison but not me; this was sadly my happy place, a place where I didn’t have to remember about my home life, a place where I saw my friends, my funny, supportive, caring and trustworthy friends. It was quite a big building, three stories high and a roof garden. There were no bars on the windows, no security and no gangs, everyone got along with everyone, of course you did get a few exceptions but not very often. The building was long, ok picture this: you step of the bus on a lovely sunny summer’s day and you straight ahead, you see the school, and it’s a magnificent building, built with large grey stones, not bricks or wood. The windows are large and wide open, letting the summer breeze flow through, cooling the stifling classrooms. Right in the centre there is a large door that leads to the reception. On either side of the entrance door on all three stories there are six or seven windows equally space out along the building, making it look welcoming. This place was like my second home, after my mum died I had spent almost every waking hour here. The school is open all the time for students to use the facilities, or for a place of shelter. Obviously with night watchmen, even an almost crime free area like mine experienced thefts every now and then.
As the school was a twenty minute walk away and the fact that I wasn’t a fast runner meant that I got to my class room and was in my seat gasping and spluttering just as the bell rang.

“Wow” said a voice next to me; I turned to look at the person that spoke to me “I never believed it when you told me but im sorry to say Lana that you actually do look like a very ripe tomato”
I frowned and gasped “thanks for the sympathy Gabriel.” Gabriel Angelus is my best friend I only met him last year but we both seemed to connect right from the start, plus he has a fantastic personality and he is the most optimistic person I have ever met. He is the kind of boy who would go on a date with a girl just so he didn’t have to hurt her feelings and say no, which I think is just as bad but it hasn’t hurt anyone so far, well, so he says. Gabriel is slim and tall and has golden blonde hair he is also very beautiful, I mean he is my best friend but I can’t help but stare at his face to try and find a flaw with it, but no success so far.
“It’s not my fault you were late” he said smirking at me,
“its not my fault either, my dad’s work called him this morning to tell him that they are sending him to Japan for a month” I explained
“A month?” repeated Gabriel
“At the least” I grimaced
“Oh man, what are you going to do?” he said as the teacher went round handing out test papers
“I’ll just busy myself in household chores and books” I said shrugging as I received my paper whilst getting a warning ‘shut up’ look from my teacher, “plus I have Dylan to keep me company”
Gabriel grinned “ah, I love Dylan” also receiving a look from the teacher but paid no attention “Great” whispered Gabriel “our first Science quiz of the year.”
I looked at the questions and smirked, “this quiz is so easy” I whispered back at him
“Is it?” said Gabriel scanning down his paper
“Maybe not” I mumbled as I got another warning look from the teacher, it only took me fifteen minutes to complete the paper so I had to sit there with the
“psst, what’s the answer to question number…” every few minutes from Gabriel, all in all that seemed like the longest lesson I had ever had, but like everything it had to draw to an end.
“What did you think to that test then?” asked Gabriel walking beside me down