Tempest: Chapter 3

“Okay. But, what should I say?” I asked, nervously patting my hair.
“Just say hi Heather. Don’t worry about her friends, you used to hang out with them all the time last time you came,” she smiled, stroking my hand. “Oh, and take these out to them.” She handed me a tray with a few glasses of orange juice on them.
“I…don’t think I’ll be able to carry that without dropping them all,” I admitted, eyeing up the tray.
“Oh yeah. You’re not that good at staying upright, are you?” she smiled lovingly at me. “It’s been so long I’ve forgotten all about your clumsy tendencies.” She giggled happily and stroked my hair. “I think I’d best carry that.”
“So do I,” I agreed, pushing through the mucky glass door into the garden. The garden looked lovely, even though it was very small and could only just fit in a group of teenagers and a shed. Roses were climbing along the grey brick walls, filling the air with their sweet smell. I smiled shyly as the circle of teenagers all looked up at the sound of my entrance. As I stepped out the door I caught my toe on the door frame and toppled down the red mahogany steps. I landed in a dishevelled heap on the wet grass.
“Oh my God! Carmen, are you okay?” my mum cried, panic the only emotion in her voice.
“Ouch,” I groaned as I heaved myself up off the muddy lawn. I looked up to see the group of teenagers all staring wide-eyed at me. I even saw a few giggling. I didn’t mind that though, I probably would have laughed if it was somebody else.
“Are you okay, Carmen?” a very different voice asked tentatively. The voice was smooth and flowing and sounded like the voice you’d hear on a TV advert or something. It was so pretty and sweet that it took my breath away. I clambered to my feet awkwardly and realised somebody was stood next to me, helping me up. I turned to se who it was, startled. The girl I saw next to me was flawlessly beautiful, with a long sheet of white-blonde hair framing her pale delicate features. She was very small and thin to the extreme, accentuated by her revealing silver dress. Her eyes were a startling shade of green and framed by a set of thick black lashes. Her thin, perfect lips were painted cherry red and hid a set of sparkling white teeth. I’d known it had been five years since I’d seen Heather last and knew she would look different, but, never, ever, would I have expected her to look so…so…grown-up. The Heather I’d known was small and pudgy and her wild, frizzy hair was mahogany brown. She’d had a goofy grin due to her crooked teeth and always wore pink. She’d never looked like this before. I was surprised I could even recognize her. But it was the smile that did it for me. I’d always loved it when she smiled that wide, toothy grin that touched as far as her amazing jade eyes.
“Hey Heather,” I breathed slowly, trying to keep from staring at her.
“Heather?” The girl looked confused, her newly plucked eyebrows furrowing. “No, I’m not Heather. I’m Caitlin.” The girl held out her hand kindly and shook mine firmly. There was something about that girl that felt so familiar, like I’d known her all my life. It was odd. “Heather’s over there.” She pointed to a girl with flaming red hair at the other end of the circle. I couldn’t help letting my jaw fall open. I thought I’d been surprised before when I thought Caitlin was Heather, but this was…unbelievable. The girl I saw was tall, very tall, maybe even taller than me, and just as thin as Caitlin. She was wearing a simple white t-shirt and sloppy jeans yet she looked so good that she would probably fit in better on a runway. Her skin was tanned and glowed golden in the sun. The flaming red hair that framed her heavily made-up face was as smooth as cornsilk and hung delicately over her skeletal frame. Her eyes were shrouded in heavy black make-up, but the glowing emerald irises still shone brightly. Her full lips were painted deep burgundy and I could see a set of perfectly straight teeth hidden behind them. She was chatting animatedly to somebody next to her and didn’t even seem to notice I was here. I wanted to run over and hug her and tell her how much I missed her, but this new Heather intimidated me.
“Heather?” I asked hesitantly, taking a nervous step towards her