CHAPTER 20

Discovering her Passion

♧

called Serena, flying downstairs one early morning when the sun poured its light into the living room.

"Yes?" came a voice under the roof.

"When is Aileen coming over to our house?" panted Serena in anticipation.

Lena looked over at her little sister absently from the chesterfield, still busy writing on her notebook. "Her mom phoned me today. She told me she'll come over in the afternoon."

"What time?"

"She didn't say, little sister."

"Oh. What time do you think she will come?"

"I don't know, Serena. Probably around one o'clock."

So, hours later, when the clock struck at about half-past two, Serena looked out the window from the living room to see if there was a sign of Aileen's car outside. So far, there was no sign of her friend. Serena dashed her way toward her sister again outside the veranda.

"Lena, she's not here yet," protested Serena. "It's almost three o'clock. What took her so long?"

"I don't know, Serena. Usually, it happens because of the traffic. I am sure they are on their way by now."

With a yawn from Lena, hot flames were rising against Serena's cheeks and her freckled nose twitched peevishly. Her tiny feet stomped across and facing the chair in which Lena was sitting.

"She told me she's going to be here anytime soon."

"She will come, eventually. You must be patient sometimes, Serena."

"I don't want to be patient," she snapped indignantly, failing to stifle her patience. "You said she's going to come here at one o'clock. Now it's passed for more than an hour, and I just wasted my day sitting upstairs alone doing nothing."

"I'll play dolls with you if that makes you feel any better."

The child huffed in a petulant air when one gets upset over a ruined expectation.

"I want to play with Aileen." She later crossed her chubby arms and tapped the floor a few times in a sulky demeanour. Her thin lips were pressed glumly and her forehead turned into a frown. Nevertheless, she made everything seem adorable.

Lena fell into a deep sigh and couldn't help but smile at the child who didn't know any better, for Serena had a habit of expecting things having her own way most of the time. It was normal for her, but Lena thought she would need her little sister to grow out of it soon.

After a few seconds of staying outside the veranda, a car drove by and parked out of their house in front of the Fosters gate.

"Now, is that your friend?" Lena raised a brow, eyes fixed upon the car that appeared.

Serena turned to look and sprang forward as her ears were flighty from her moody spirit alternating into an animated spirit when she saw her friend stood with her mother outside the gate.

Moments later, Mrs. Ryder left just to drop her daughter in Foster's household.

Mrs. Ryder, the venerable woman of forty was a very composed woman in their first meeting. She looked as if she was younger than her age, though a few strands of her thin hair were shown white-silver and knotted into a bun. Judging by the way she was dressed, it seemed that she was about to have plans somewhere.

Before Mrs. Ryder departed, her daughter was under Lena's care and made sure that she could rely on her, and left a word saying she would be back at night. The two girls exchanged glances and ran upstairs immediately after Lena suggested it would be better for them to play dollhouse as their fresh start.

At the foot of the bed where Serena usually sleeps in under the floral themed covers, jumped in the newcomer. She kicked off her small shoes on the floor and lay comfortably, feeling the soft blanket as she smoothly touched it wondrously.

"Your bed feels so nice! I want to have a room like yours someday," remarked Aileen in great fascination.

"Don't you have your own?" Serena tilted her small head questioningly.

"I wish! I share a room with Dan. My mommy and daddy said I'll have my own room by the time I turn twelve."

"It's so long, that's still three years to go."

"I know." Aileen sat from where she was and leaned over in a whisper,

"Imagine you have to sleep in the same room with him for years. It's a nightmare."

"Eww. I'll imagine anything but that!" cried the apple-cheeked face in complete disgust.

"See? He also jumps up and down on his bed all the time. If he feels lazy, he doesn't take off his shoes in bed. It's so disgusting. Then worst of all, he snores in the middle of the night. It's not so bad as Dad when he snores but he snores pretty loud. I mean loud enough to wake me up."

"He is annoying."

"He is. I don't know why our kitty loves him so much." Aileen the twin said, since it was hard to believe.

Serena flinched at the nickname she always received from Dan. How she resented the thought of it again! The impression she had made when she heard the name 'Dan' was nothing but disgust.

"Let's do something else!" Springing to her feet, she no longer wanted his name to be uttered in her room again and would rather move onto another topic. After all, she hated the boy even though he's the brother of her best friend.

"What do you want to play?" inquired Aileen, clutching the pillow. The question brought Serena an idea.

Secretly, she crawled a smirk from the corners of her mouth when she thought about it. In a flash, she snatched her pillow from her friend's arm.

"Pillow fight!" she swung her puffed object abruptly and slammed it across Aileen's face. Aileen blinked a few times.

"Fine! I'll be your arch-enemy then!" declared Aileen, grabbing another pillow from the bed in a playful vengeance.

As the girls started to play along, the feathered puffs came flying off from the pillows because the force they had put was too strong. There were sounds of laughter from these girls, and it reached to the sitting room where Lena and Mr. Foster could hear. Both of them shared glances in confusion when they heard voices of merriment interrupted the silent atmosphere downstairs.

Soon enough when their hysterical voices have faded, Serena and Aileen let out a fit of giggles as they sunk upon the bed with their hands on their mouth, trying to muffle their sounds. Here the two were panting and ended the pillow fight battle that was left with no winner.

A few minutes forward, Lena came upstairs and entered Serena's room where she chimed in to ask,

"Do any of you want to eat here for supper?"

Her ears rang in anticipation.

"Sure!" returned the cheery tone when relishing the indulgences she was imagining over. "Let's have some fish and chips with raspberry pie. Oh, and add some strawberry milkshake with—"

"Don't get all high hopes, little sister. Try to be grateful. We have mashed potatoes and soup if you want. Does that sound good enough?"

It was not for Serena, since the face she had worn when it was bright not a minute ago, suddenly vanished and was left with a bitter disappointment. Like it or not, she had to obey her sister no matter what.

Aileen got up.

"I love mashed potatoes!" She interjected. "It's my favorite."

"Really?" asked Serena dubiously. "It's so plain."

Aileen shrugged her little shoulders quite carelessly.

"Not for me."

When Aileen was already picked up by her mother, Serena waved her hand a goodbye and went upstairs to her room. She sat beside the window sill where she collectively gathered her watercolor paints. The child began to glance many times over the street when she brought her journal in hand. Then an idea struck, and her plump hands handled the brush with different strokes every time she made a move. The child was naturally getting used to this by and by.

Carefully, she made an attempt to do her artwork without creating a mistake. It was surely dreadful to imagine if the artwork was ruined in her eyes. As she fixed squarely on the notebook, her brush began to dance the colors all the way.

Presently, she didn't want to stop, but when she looked up to check the window, snowing had just arrived.

From her view, she could see the infinite snow falling each and every of its whiteness down the earth. Distracted by the magnificent snow, she drew the curtains fully away and her expression passed over a look of awe when she felt the icy snowflakes in both of her hands and her cheek.

This could've won anyone's heart if only they knew true beauty. It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for their fusses and fretting about the winter season.

Because of this miracle, she fell to her work of art again and began to paint blue snowflakes onto her journal. Serena was caught up by this imagination that suddenly prevailed in her mind. After a few moments, a beam was written across her face the minute she finished the artwork. It was named, "Aglow Season" since Serena knew that this month was not a month to complain but to imagine every possibility and opportunity in one's hand.

The Month of December is finally about to end soon. What are your plans for 2020 if you have any?

I'm beginning to wonder if we are all prepared for our new year again. It's quick don't you agree? For me, 2020 is the year I should finish 2 books at least. Including 'A Mindful Old Soul' and a few others on my priority list.