How The Allies of Old began: (Novella) BORN Chapter Eleven "When Will My Reflection Show (who I am inside)"

Painting in Acrylic by @therealpaul

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3

Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6

Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9

Chapter 10

For those of you who missed the post of the release, I briefly explained how the series began as an idea for a Young Adult novel, and that I had in fact written what amounts to a novella taking place the summer before REBORN begins, and I decided to release it here on steemit.

BORN

Chapter Eleven

Macey hurried down the stairs to her bedroom on the bottom floor and lugged her stuff up, depositing everything by the side of the road.

“What are you doing Macey?” Her mother asked, coming out of the kitchen.

Macey made a face, “Mowmm, I’m getting ready for the camping trip.”

“I see that, but don’t you have almost an hour before Anna comes?” Mrs. Rosserri raised an eyebrow.

“Nooo, she called and she’ll be here in ten minutes.”

“Oh Macey,” her mom sighed, “you still haven’t done the dishes.”

“Mowwmm,” she pleaded.

Her mom shook her head. “Well, maybe we’ll have to take it out of your allowance, hmm?”

Macey made another face and went into the kitchen, quickly rinsing the dishes and putting them in the washer. When she was finished she turned around to find her mom standing by the counter.

“So tell me again who’s camping with you?” She asked.

“Mowwmm, I told you already, eww.”

Mrs. Roserri stared at her for a moment, “Just the girls right? No boys will be there?”

“Eww, mom.”

“Mmhmm, okay honey, you just remember to check in every day.”

Macey wrinkled her nose as she nodded then ran back down the stairs to make sure she wasn’t forgetting anything. She stopped in front of her vanity and rolled her eyes at her reflection. The girls teased her relentlessly for the childish way she acted with her parents, but they didn’t understand. It was only because her parents viewed her as young and innocent that she was allowed to do most of the things she did. Or at the very least it would be a much bigger struggle to do those things, something she didn’t have in her. She detested confrontation of any kind.

As she stared into the mirror her eyes slid over to the photos tucked along the side of the frame. One in particular-of her entire extended family on her mother’s side at last year’s reunion-caught her attention. With her darker complexion, jet black hair and eyebrows she stuck out like a sore thumb. Almost everyone on that side of the family was light haired with fair skin, most of them also blue eyed, as were her two older brothers.

She could still remember the day her parents had explained to her that she’d been adopted. She was eight years old and they’d sat her down on the couch, pulling chairs over to sit in front of her, taking turns telling her how much they loved her-so much that they’d chosen her out of all of the other babies. That they’d known from the very first look that she’d belonged with them.

She’d been confused at first since she’d never given much thought to where babies came from-and wasn’t picking her out from a lineup at a nursery pretty much like a stork dropping her off on their doorstep? But she could tell by their demeanor that it wasn’t the normal way of things. They’d gone on to explain the facts of life to her-including the normal way of having babies which is how her brothers had come about-and from that day on she couldn’t shake the feeling that she didn’t belong. And somewhere along the line that feeling had developed into a fear of them wishing they could give her back. Actually it was much more than fear, she was terrified of it. If her real parents hadn’t wanted her then it was possible that her adopted ones would one day feel the same.

In the more rational part of her mind she knew the fear was unfounded. There was no way Jane and Brian Roserri would ever abandon her. They were good people and they loved her. They were her parents even if she didn’t carry their DNA. At seventeen she should have felt completely secure in this knowledge, and yet the fear of disappointing them, of seeing the regret in their eyes haunted her dreams.

But that wasn’t the only thing that haunted her dreams and she wondered if the two were connected.

“She’s here honey!” Her mom called from upstairs, shaking her out of this line of thought. She took a deep breath and released it, forcing herself to smile at her reflection, widening it until she looked ridiculous.

She laughed and the tension inside of her melted away.

Buy Your copy of The Allies of Old: Reborn HERE-

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