Roam Free-1

Chapter One to my current novel, "Chic."

 Clara finished packing her bags.

"Another move," she groaned.

She flung the small knapsack over her shoulder and headed toward the car. Anise was there to escort her to her father's new home. The twelve-year-old girl, Clara, had no desire to go. She had nothing anymore. Her father disagreed with everything. She could not play around in the fields and run around with the boys. She could not sing a jolly tune or fling her skirt up in the air and dance around like the twirling ballerinas she say in so many plays. Most of all, she could not love. She could not think, hear, smell, dream or desire love. All she could do, was hope for it. Hope that her father would could around some day and let her be free and happy. She did that a lot. Hope.

The young girl was not beautiful nor ugly. She was not pretty, but the make up sure helped her cause. The girl had been flower girl to almost every wedding in town. You could almost say that that was her job. A flower girl. She had thick, bright red hair and an oval face. She never had acne in her life. Her skin, a perfect complexion. She was short and always wore her extremely long hair back in a tight bun. The body figure was not bad but still not good. Just average. She boarded the black automobile.

As she rode down the cold lonely streets of Boston, she never stopped looking out the window. She mentally said goodbye to all the things she had come to love in her two months in Boston. 

"Goodbye baker and bakery-"Goodbye merchant of roses-"Goodbye field of dandelions-"Goodbye tailor and his sewing room-"Goodbye Momma...may you rest in peace."

She had thought this would be it. The war was said to had been almost over three years ago. They had said that father would have retired by now. But no. Father had not retired. Father had left for New York three weeks ago to set up the castle for Clara. Now it was Clara's turn to come. She packed her bags and said goodbye, and now she was on her way.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

She reached New York around midnight the next day. She was already asleep and Anise carried her inside. Clara slept on the most comfortable bed in the castle...the one Father had made just for her. The servants all slept across the hall. Clara was not a snorer, but she didn't sleep peacefully. She tossed and turned out of natural habit. As she did this night, she realized a strange feeling in the house. The rooms echoed with more amplitude than the whole world could make. Her father peeked in so many times to make sure she hadn't fallen off the bed or something. She never had. She was lucky that way.

"Honey. Honey, wake up its morning, chil'." Anise was there. She was chubby, but sweet. She was born and raised in the south. Maybe Mississippi. She was colored. "You better get your nutrition, sweetie. Your breakfast gettin' cold." Her southern accent was strong.

Clara groaned. "I don't wanna get up," she complained.

"Well, the mornin's young and you can't be dilly-dallyin'. Smile right chil', its the Sabbath day."

Clara jumped out of bed. Her father was really big on the Sabbath day. If she didn't get out of bed, she would be dead. 

"Clara!" Her father called from the other room, coffee in one hand, news in the other. "Are you up yet?"

"Yes Father. Be there in a minute." She threw on her clothes and rushed to his office. With her hands locked behind her back and rocking on her feet, "Happy Sabbath Day, Father."

"Yes, happy Sabbath Day." He did not avert his eyes from the paper in which he was reading. "Where is Anise?"

"Right here, Sir," announced Anise

"Yes. Take Clara out in the yard for her studies." No one moved in the room. "Uh, now."

"Yes, Sir." Anise grabbed Clara's arm and took her out to the yard. She never made her actually do much work. She let her do the one thing her father would not. 

Anise dragged Clara's arm and pulled her out to the yard. Once out there, she let go. She was getting tired of Clar's laziness. Clara was thrown to the ground.

"Well, go on, chile'. Go run aound; I have nothing else to do with you."

Clara got up, happy that she could do as she pleased. She jumped and skipped in circles all around the vacant yard. Outside the yard, was a forest. A mighty forest. Clara loved this. Anise stared as she played with her arms folded across her chest. After an hour, she sighed and sat down, finally. 

Wonder what she will say when she gets the news. Anise thought.

Author's Note

Did all the italicizing come out? I remember I had to italicize one, but I didn't check the rest of the composition.