Whitney Reid
As soon as she was torn from her dreams full of warmth and shining blue skies, a wave of pain scoured her pale figure. It was as if her whole body was set ablaze. The young lady opened her mouth to release a pained groan, pulling out her arm from underneath her. She was always known for sleeping in awkward positions, even when she fell asleep at her desk. Her pale caramel eyes slowly opened, flickering towards the window. Another sound of discontent escaped from her lips as she noted that it was cloudy. Cloudy on a summer weekend, with the smell of rain on the wind.
Then again, this was Goldcrest, and it was always cloudy or raining in the small town. What did she expect, sunny days and warm breezes? Such a day only occurred once or twice in England's history...
Whitney dragged herself out of bed, licking her dry lips and running her hand through her matted hair. Her gaze drifted towards the clock at her bedside, and noted that it was about noon. Her heart nearly stopped; it was only when she realized that it was a week into summer vacation that she calmed down. A relieved sigh escaped her as she made her way to the restroom. She would just brush her teeth and shower before her snarky brother could get a hold of her.
A short while after, Whitney left the bathroom, clad in her electric blue robe and her dark brown tendrils of hair falling down to her chest. The sixteen year old really didn't feel like going out, but she felt like she deserved some space. And if she was going to go out, she should at least make an attempt to look nice... She quickly grabbed a striped green and white tank top and white shorts and slipped into them as quietly as she could. Bounding her damp hair into a loose ponytail with some pieces of hair slipping out of the bright green scrunchie and falling into her face, the young lady crept out of her room and made her way downstairs to the living room.
She paused at the bottom of the staircase and peered around a corner. No one was in the living room... so she would probably be able to get out of the house without anyone bothering her. Whitney allowed a grin to come across her lips; finally, she would have a day to just hang about around town! She cackled as she inched her way towards the door, grabbing the doorknob and yanking it open. Unfortunately for her, someone was at the door, and she almost ran into them in her hurry. She almost cried out in shock as the six foot tall male glowered down at her.
"Where are you going in such a hurry, Whitney?" the man growled, furrowing his dark brow down at her as he crossed his thick arms.
Oh crap. "O-oh... hey, big bro!" Whitney laughed nervously, raising a hand to wave at her elder sibling. She really didn't want to see Garrett right now... "Thought you were at work!"
Garrett gave her an annoyed look. "That doesn't answer my question. Where are you going?"
"Uhm... I'm just going to go to the library!" she answered quickly. He couldn't be angry with her if he thought she was going to a place like the library, right?
"Library?" Garrett echoed, leaning towards her with an inquisitive yet aggressive look in his eye. When Whitney didn't falter in his presence, he straightened his back and sighed. "Fine. Get back quick. You have to clean the house with Hazel when you come back."
Whitney nodded rapidly, maintaining her crooked grin on her lips until Garrett stepped around her. When her brother closed the door behind him, she darted down the pathway to her home and sprinted towards the town square. She didn't know that she could run so quick under stress... but, then again, she wanted to get as far as way from her home as fast as she could. A day away from her family was a day in heaven, at least for her.
She was almost out of breath when she made it to the center of Goldcrest, where most of the businesses and grocery markets were. There were even vendors on the side of the streets. The different environment brought a smile to her lips. It was always nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of life every so often. Whitney walked to the stone wall of a deli and leaned against it, a sign of relief escaping her once more. It was finally time to relax. Maybe she could even hang out with a few people, if she spotted them. It was the weekend, so they were bound to be out and about.