We drove so long that Ruby lost track of how many hours had passed. She was moving away from her old town, this was all because of her brother getting expelled. Don't ask why—she didn't even know. Thanks to him, now she also had to move schools.
Her name was Ruby, a fourteen-year-old girl with green-gold eyes and brown hair with a little bit of blond in it. She had always hated her eyes. At her old school, other kids thought she was weird because of them. They said her eyes looked unreal and fake.
Even her older brother Lucas had lost count of the hours.
This was the brother who got expelled at his old school. Lucas was sixteen years old, very tall, and kind. He was kind and nice his whole life and now just expelled? It was a mystery for Ruby, No one had ever told Ruby why.
His hair was partly blond, just like their mom's.
The new town their going to is called Ebonvale , what an unusual name.
Ruby and her expelled brother were sitting in the back seat.
"Are you guys excited for a new town?"
said their dad, who had been driving for a very long time.
"Not really… Is it too late to go back?"
Ruby answered.
"Ruby, stop being so ungrateful,"
said Lucas.
"Oh shut up, Lucas. You are the reason that we are moving,"
Ruby said.
"Too bad!"
yelled Lucas.
"Why did you get EXPELLED in the first place?"
Ruby yelled back.
"You two! Be quiet!"
their mom yelled. She was already annoyed because of the moving.
"But Mom—"
said Lucas, but before he could even finish, their mom stopped him.
"I don't care! And be grateful that we have money to even afford the house!"
she said.
Ruby put her head on the window and said,
"Puff, someone's hangry."
After more driving, the car finally stopped. Ruby had been asleep, but she woke up and said in a sleepy voice,
"What…? Dad, did the car break down?"
"Nope."
"Then what?"
she asked, still half asleep.
"We are here."
After he said that, Ruby woke up so fast she almost hit her head on the car roof.
"Actually?"
Then she looked out the window and saw a huge house with a blue roof and bright beige walls.
"Wow…"
She got out of the car, her blanket almost falling to the ground, half still in the car and half outside. The sky was dark, and the moon was shining like someone was taking care of it.
She got out of the car, her blanket almost falling to the ground, half still in the car and half outside. The sky was dark, and the moon was shining like someone was taking care of it.
They all got out of the car, and Lucas just stood there for a moment, staring at the house.
"Wow…" he muttered.
"Well? What do you think?" Dad asked, stepping out of the car.
"It's….. great!" Ruby said, grinning.
"Good! Hurry up, get in the house, and pick your rooms!"
Ruby and Lucas glanced at each other and then ran inside. The house was huge, mostly empty, with wide rooms and plain white walls. The couch had already been delivered, and their footsteps echoed across the wooden floors as sunlight streamed through the tall windows, lighting up the quiet space. In the middle of the house, a wide staircase led up to the second floor.
Ruby quickly scanned the living room and then the long hallway.
"This place is huge," she whispered.
Lucas didn't wait for her—he bolted up the stairs. Ruby ran right behind him, their footsteps thumping against the wooden steps as they climbed.
When they reached the second floor, they slowed down and looked around. A long hallway stretched before them, lined with closed doors on both sides. The house felt quiet and mostly empty, and every little sound echoed down the hall.
Ruby walked slowly down the hallway, peeking into each door. The first one had a big window letting in sunlight. Outside, a huge tree stood tall. The room was mostly empty except for a small closet in the corner.
"I choose this one," she said, smiling a little as she looked out the window.
Lucas laughed. "Well, that was fast."
He continued down the hallway and opened another door. His room was bigger, with two windows and a view of the backyard. It felt bright and open.
"Too bad, this one's mine," he said, crossing his arms.
Ruby leaned against the door frame and teased him.
"Of course you pick the biggest one. Big back."
"HEY," Lucas said, looking at her like she had just insulted him in front of the whole world.
After they picked their rooms, they went back downstairs. Their mom and dad were inside too, both looking exhausted. Ruby was so tired she could have fallen asleep on the spot.
"Are you guys hungry?" Mom asked.
"No, not really. But Mom… how did we even afford this house?" Lucas asked.
"Yeah, I thought we were poor!" Ruby added.
"Well… things got better nowadays," Mom said with a smile.
At first, Ruby and Lucas didn't think much of it. Ruby thought their dad got a new job or something.
"If you guys are not helping with cleaning, go to sleep. That's helping."
"Okay… where do we sleep?"
Ruby asked, looking around.
Mom pointed to the gray couch. "On the couch."
Ruby frowned and looked at Lucas.
"Okay… then where does Lucas sleep?" she asked.
Mom shrugged. "You two are sharing."
"WHAT?!" Ruby and Lucas shouted at the same time.
"I'm going to get bruise because of his kicking at night."
"Deal with it. "
Mom said, like she didn't care, but she was laughing a little.
The night went by fast. When Ruby woke up, it was still early. She hadn't slept well on the couch. Everything felt new—the place, the smell of the house, and the town.