If anyone has noticed, I haven’t updated in a while. I’m sorry about that, but things have been crazy as of recently, and I haven’t had much time to write tons of chapters. However, I’m working on one right now, and it will hopefully *crosses toes and fingers* be out soon. Some pictures are taken, but I’ll finish the chapter soon. So sorry for the long wait, and this post will be deleted when the new chapter comes out!
Shell Legacy: Prologue
Fire.
I absently swirled the cereal around in my bowl, pretending not to notice the worried looks of my aunt and uncle. Until now, I hadn’t even known who they truly were to me. They had lied all of those years to protect me, and they had gotten away with it by claiming I inherited my looks from my grandparents. Now that I thought about it, they were almost old enough to be my grandparents.
They died in a fire.
Yes, the two people who sat across from me weren’t my parents, though they had claimed to be my entire life (they had taken me in when I was two weeks old). I didn’t blame them for covering for so long, but their announcement had left me so confused. I felt like I didn’t even know who I was anymore, and I wanted to know what else they had kept from me.
It’s my 18th birthday I thought glumly to myself. It was hardly the sort of news you wanted to hear, that you’ll never get to know your real parents.
I wasn’t sure why they had told me today. Maybe they thought I deserved one thing that would make all other the presents pale in comparison: the truth. I was about to get up from the table when my aunt stood up, and cleared her throat.
“We have something to speak to you about in the living room,” my uncle announced, getting up from the table. My aunt followed suit, and soon I was sitting next to them on the couch.
“Hazelnut, there is a reason I’ve told you all of this today,” my aunt started. “Your parents have set aside some things for you when you were old enough to be on your own. You’re eighteen, and you’re finally ready to start your own life, Hazelnut, and I finally thought you should know about your parents.”
“As you know, we have quite a successful farm here, and we make most of our living from it. What you probably don’t know, Hazel, is that you come from generations of farmers, including your parents… well, before they died,” she continued, her voice quavering at the last word.
“I knew some of this already,” I confessed, somewhat sheepishly. “Not anything about my parents, but the stuff about the family tradition.”
My uncle decided to step in at this point, seeing as my aunt had become upset after talking about my parents. My aunt sat back down, and put her head in her arms.
“Hazel, your parents have left you a small plot of land, very far away from here. It’s in Riverview, where you were born, and where your parents spent most of their lives. You own it outright, although it doesn’t even have a house built on it,” my uncle explained, and my aunt lifted her head to look me in the eyes. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she shook her head.
“No! You can’t do it Hazel, there isn’t even a house there for you, and it’s a different town!” she protested, her eyes pleading with me.
I hadn’t even thought about it that much, to tell you the truth. The idea was growing on me
Is this what my real parents would say? I found myself thinking, and felt ashamed immediately. My aunt and uncle had been parents to me, and doubting them now felt wrong. They both looked so frail sitting there, and I realized just how much older my aunt was than my mother.
I knew my answer. A part of me felt bad for wanting to leave, but I wanted to go and make my parents proud by moving back to Riverview and following in the family’s path. I had always loved gardening, and my aunt and uncle had raised me with a great respect for living off of the land. The idea of moving to Riverview was exciting, and my aunt noticed my expression.
“I want to move to Riverview.”
“We can’t stop you,” she said softly, a faraway look in her eyes. “But, I must insist you stay in a proper house until you have one built.”
“Where would I stay?” the words tumbled out of my mouth. Who was I kidding? I had been saving money from the produce I sold to the market, but I didn’t have nearly enough to build a house.
“Well, your parents were known very well in Riverview. In fact, I spoke to some old friends of your mother recently on the phone. They seemed fine with having you board with them, at least until your house is built.”
“Wait a second…my house?” I stood up, trying to see if they were joking.
“Ah, yes. Well, because you have decided to move, your uncle and I have decided to build a small house for you on the land. It seems like a fitting birthday gift.”
“Fitting!? Aunt Bea, Uncle James, it’s wonderful!”
That was three days ago. Now, as I sit in the car that will take me to my new home, I know I made the right choice. It didn’t take much time for me to pack up my few belongings, and say goodbye to the people I had known all of my life. That had hurt the worst, with some people asking if I felt alright. As I sit in the car, and watch the familiar sights of Twinbrook pass by, I’m feeling more hopeful than I’ve felt in my entire life.
For the first time in eighteen years, I’m going home.
The Shell Legacy 