Chapter 1
The beginning
Ellie wasn't much of a girlie girl like her older sisters. Though, she laughed and played dress up as kids do when they're young she always felt like there was something missing. As a child she had the same recurring dream. Right up until her 18th birthday. The day she met levi to me exact. The towns hot newcomer.
When her older sisters moved out to college she decided to be true to herself and dress in colours that suited her personality. Dark tones. Lots of purples, and blacks. Her parents didn't mind as much. Long as her grades were good and she kept out of trouble.
Ellie's Grandfather was a well known man in their small town. He established the old library bringing books from far and wide. A professor of sociology he moved his small family to the town of Milton just after the second world war ended. The library, a community run project and Ellies favourite place of residence in the cold winters and long summer evenings. She would use any excuse to hide out there when her sisters would come to town and force her into dating their pick of a bad bunch of school boys her age.
Growing up Ellie struggled to make friends but did have one friend. Robbie. He was a smart kid with straight A's. He too, was quiet, like ellie, But he seemed to resonate a kind of authority whenever he entered a room.
He would stand tall in crowds and that was not just because of his growth spurt on his 18th birthday last year. Robbie was an over achiever. Ellie still couldn't understand why he was her best friend and not something more but they had never explored beyond their friendship with each other.
Robbie was great at sports, captain of many teams and ellie found herself comparing her own self worth when she was around him. Though, robbie being a good gentleman, and ellie feeling He would always find a way to make ellie feel good about herself. Robbie was sweet like that. She wanted nothing more than to be a writer and that was something robbie was pretty good at too. Something she secretly envied. Often thinking he was the better half.
As the two of them grew into adolescent teenagers with one year left until high school was over. Ellie hated to admit it to herself but it was no secret of the whispers in town. The ones from family and friends of how close she and robbie where becoming. Infact robbie and her would regularly laugh about this each time they met up. Sometimes pretending to hold hands. That was the problem with small towns. Everybody knows everybody's business. Though, ellie loved her small town home and her small town family. This, was something she really hated. She felt pressure from everyone that she should date him but she didn't feel ready yet. Robbie was her friend, her brother in spirit.
The thought of actually kissing him made her nauseous. There was nothing wrong with robbie ofcourse. Tall, dark and handsome with a newly established deep voice that ellie couldn't quite get her head around. Only yesterday they were talking and playing basketball together like they always did. Robbie with his funny squeaky voice and now when he spoke he had a phonically deep tone of voice. He was even smelling like a man. She didn't like that very much either. He was a man. Ellie was worried he would outgrow her now.
After basketball practice she didn't like when the rain came down fast in the summer evening because robbie insisted she should wear his sweaty jacket. After trying to decline politely she give up. He wouldn't let her go without taking something of his to keep. He looked out for her that way. After many attempts at declining the black hooded smelly jacket ellie put it on ran home fast. It wasn't even 30 seconds before she leaped through her front door and threw it off and immediately. She didn't hesitate to throw it straight in the wash.
When Robbie called her that night she thought it was to return the hood at the end of the week when they both were due back at school. Their final year at high school.
'Hey. Did you need something?'
The landline is quiet for some time. She nearly hangs up but hears his uneven breathing.
'umm, ellie can i ask you a question?'
Before she could answer the line was cut and so was the power in the house.
Great. unlike so many people in her family who worried about nothing. Ellie's anxiety was at an all time high. She over thought every little detail about her life. How she dressed, spoke and worried about others to end. Once a avidly shy girl, she finally managed to hold small talk and even had it down to a fine art. If talking absolute nonsense was even a talent. She had a degree in that department.
When the power came back on much later it was too late to call robbie. He was due to go visit his sick grandma for the rest of the week so she had no way of contacting him until school started. She had another two weeks until then. With that, ellie Made her hot tea and went to bed early, taking her book and pen with her. Shed been writing down her thoughts and worries for some time now and thought it helped her sleep better at night.
