The Prophecy Read Online Free Page B

picture or to even describe it. They said they wanted me to be surprised. I hated surprises. I turned toward the house and felt my breath leave me in a giant whoosh.
    It was beautiful. A cobblestone path led up to the large front door with decorative shrubs on either side. Large multi paned window reflected the late evening rays back at me, causing my eyes to water slightly. The two story house was made of a soft rose colored brick. The color should have made it look extremely feminine, but the sharp angles of the roof cast stateliness to its appeal. Almost masculine in its sharpness, balancing out the feminine details.
    A glimmer at the corner of the house caught my attention. I leaned toward it and could just make out a large lake in the distance. I turned my gaze back to our new house and silently compared it to the house we had back in LA. While I loved our old house, this definitely upped the ante on awesome houses. I couldn't believe it. I looked back at my parents, almost expecting to see them holding in their laughter over the worst joke of all time. I swear I'd kill them if they had played me for a fool.
    “Are you serious!?” My tone came out sharper than I intended. By their instant frowns, I knew they took it the wrong way. They looked slightly hurt, and I hated myself for that. That they would become so used to me being spiteful that they'd take everything the wrong way.
    “ Pumpkin, we thought you would like it.”
    “ Like it?” I didn't like it, I loved it.
    “ Yes.” Mom jumped in, fluttering her hands as if unsure how to proceed. “We thought that with everything you've been going through that you'd want a space of your own. It's not two storied, you see. There's a fully finished walk out basement, and we thought—”
    “ I have my own floor?”
    “ Look, Star. We know this isn't LA, but we're trying to—” The rest of my Dad's sentence was lost as I threw myself at them. I could feel them stiffen before they relaxed into my exuberant hug. I knew they had become so used to minimal displays of affection from me, but it still hurt that they didn't automatically embrace me.
    “ So—you like it?”
    “ Like it!? Are you serious? I love it!” I thought my happy dance was about to throw them into shock. I tried to tap down on my excitement, but it refused to be pushed aside. “I get my own floor, for crying out loud! This is awesome !” I was tempted to hug them again, but they shared a 'look', one that spelled trouble for me. I knew this was too good to be true. “Wait, what's the catch?”
    Warring emotions playing across their faces. I crossed my arms and stared them down, impatiently tapping my toe against the pavement. I was about to lay into them when mom cut in with one of her placating smiles.
    “We'll talk about it later, okay? Why don't we all go inside and check out the house first. She ushered us quickly inside, side stepping around movers at the carried our furniture and boxes through the house.
    I was about to dig in my heels and get them to hash everything out that instant, but instead I ended up staring wide-eyed at the interior of the home. I turned in a slow circle in the middle of the entryway, trying to take in as many details as I could.
    The entryway was open and airy, with a staircase ahead leading to the upper floor, and doorways on either side leading to the living room and dining room. The kitchen lay straight ahead. The rubber soles of my shoes squeaked on the tile floor as I turned. To my left, an arched doorway led into a large living room with floor to ceiling windows. The cathedral ceiling went all the way up to the roof of the house, showing deep cherry wood rafters. Sunlight filtered through the wall of windows, letting soft rose light dance upon the pale cream walls. Bedroom doors were open on the second floor, where railing along the upper hallway created a loft like feel, showcasing the living room.
    I turned to my right, and saw that the dining room had the