The Silence That Came Over The Room After She Spoke About Her Mother Was Deafening. It Was Almost As

The silence that came over the room after she spoke about her mother was deafening. It was almost as if Lyla had stolen the woman's breath away and she didn't know what to say in response. But, even mentioning what had happened aloud had created a tightening in her chest as the sadness started bubbling up to the surface again. She hated thinking about what had happened, and giving it a voice just made it even more real.

"Do you have a job? Can you pay rent?", the woman asked calmly, her features had softened since her confession, but she still seemed to be all business. Lyla couldn't really blame her. People had to make a living one way or another and her tragedy didn't stop the world from spinning - even though she had felt like it did.

"I....don't." She said, watching the woman's face quickly change. "But I will start looking. I'm sure I can find something. People need help all over this town.", Lyla said, reasonably, somehow finding a way to muster up a little bit of confidence.

There was another long stretch of silence, and then the woman let out a heavy sigh, and resumed her typing on her computer once more.

"Rent is 450 a month. It's due at the first of the month. You have a five day grace period, but anything after that is considered late. If you miss two payments in a row, you will be evicted. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am.", Lyla said, trying to stop the tears that were brimming in the corners of her eyes. She felt such a wave of relief wash over her. She had found herself a home; and it hadn't taken that long at all. It felt like a blessing - like her momma was somehow still watching over her like she had her whole life.

"The first month I will wave the rent plus the usual moving in fees.", the woman said, as Lyla heard the sound of a printer going off in the background. "I know what it's like to be without a family."

"Thank you.", Lyla said, a small tear dripping down her face.

"Don't thank me yet, girl. You better find yourself a job. Are you still in school?", she asked as she pulled a piece of paper out of the printer and sat it down on the desk in front of her "Read over this and sign it."

"I just started my senior year.", Lyla replied as she looked over the document that was handed to her. It was a lease agreement. It seemed like pretty standard stuff, and Lyla didn't really see anything that concerned her. She hastily signed the document, handing it back to the woman, anxious to get her hands on the keys to her new home.

"Stay in school.", the woman said gruffly as she grabbed the piece of paper back and moved over to the copier. "Trust me. If you ever want to make something out of yourself, school should be your priority."

"Yes, ma'am." Lyla replied, remembering that she had promised her mother the exact same thing. She had dreams for herself - she wanted to open up her own little bakery and sell her treats to the world. She may not have needed an education for that dream, but she knew that it wouldn't have hurt anything.

"You can stop calling me, ma'am. My name is Barbara, but you can call me Barb.", she said, and Lyla saw the woman smile for the first time since she had entered the office as she turned back to Lyla and handed her a copy of the lease she had just signed. "Congratulations. You have a home."

Lyla stared down at that piece of paper as though it was going to disappear. She couldn't believe it was that easy. She knew that it probably should have been. Maybe the woman was taking pity on her, or maybe she just saw a way to make a quick buck. Either way, Lyla didn't have to worry about sleeping on the street that night, or any night after, and that was all that she cared about.

"I'm Lyla.", she said as she held out her hand. The woman didn't shake it, as she expected. Instead, she dropped a small key into the palm of her hand.

"You ready to see your place?", she asked, and Lyla nodded her head enthusiastically. "Follow me."

Chapter One: A Place to Call Home

Millhaven had been Lyla's home for as long as she could remember, but it was only recently that she had found herself without a home. Tragic circumstances had lead the seventeen year old girl to the entrance of the trailer park with nothing but the ratty and torn clothes on her back and her entire life savings - a whole 500 dollars - in the back pocket of her cargo pants, and she wasn't even sure if she would be able to afford the rent in this place. Anything had to be better than where she was coming from, and she wouldn't go back there - not for anything in the world.

"It looks like there is someone inside the office.", Lyla thought to herself, as she peered over her shoulder, trying to gather the courage to approach the office. She knew that she had to do this, and the truth was that she didn't have a choice. She had to take care of herself, because no one else was going to do that for her. Her mother was gone, and there was nothing she could do to change that reality.

As Lyla made her way towards the little building by the front entrance, she couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with the anxiety of her new life. She would have thought she would have been more prepared for this. Mama had been sick for a long time. It should have been such a relief that she didn't have to suffer anymore. But, the reality was that she had been taking care of her mother for so long that she hadn't really ever learned how to take care of herself. She had always been a fast learner, however, and she knew she would tackle this situation head on.

"Breathe, Lyla. Everything is going to be okay.", she said to herself as she approached the front door, knocking gently.

"Come in.", the gruff voice called out from the other side, and she took them up on the offer, doing everything in her power to remain calm despite the chaos that raged inside her mind and her heart.

When you both want to be a witch and a fairy, respectively. Happy simblreen from the free spirits + novella!

Hey!

I just wanted to say thank you guys for the love on my story, Phases, so far. I really wasn't expecting it to get any attention, and the likes have made my heart happy. I am off work for the next three days and I plan on getting the rest of chapter one shot and queued for you guys :3 there will be a little bonus post going up today and the story should resume tomorrow morning at 11 am Eastern. <3

the wedding ♡

Lyla didn't know what to say as she watched the little girl smiling over at her. She seemed so happy; but Lyla knew that wasn't always the case. Children were resilient. They would be the first to look on the bright side even if their entire world was falling apart. The fact that she was outside of her home in the chill evening air just to avoid her parents and their fights spoke volumes.

"How old is she?", Lyla asked as she turned back towards Barbara and followed her over towards the front steps of the trailer.

"Just turned nine this past August. Her mom, Brielle, got pregnant when she was fifteen, and Butch, the father, is a lot older than her. Her mother made her marry Butch because of the pregnancy so the baby wouldn't be a bastard. It's the worst kept secret in the world, and that poor girl has suffered because of it."

Lyla hated that she knew what that was like. Her own father had disappeared shortly after her mother got pregnant. Her mother never really explained why. She always said that having a family hadn't been a part of his plans, and she had accepted that. Still, it had left Lyla growing up wondering who her father was and what had happened to him. Did he even know that she existed? She may never know for certain, but she knew that the answers ate her away at night.

"My advice to you, child, is to keep to yourself. Southern hospitality is for people who deserve it and they don't. Butch does a lot of things he shouldn't, and he's constantly in and out of jail. And Brielle...well, she's been known to run off my tenants with her theatrics. Buy earplugs. You can still hear their screaming over here. "

"I don't know! Some girl. The old bat is taking her over there right now."

Butch was quiet as Brielle continued to stare out the window. Having someone occupy that trailer was going to put a wrench in his plans, but there was nothing he could do about that. He would just have to look for a place elsewhere to move. He couldn't keep doing what he was doing with the landlord watching his every move, and he had to get away from Brielle. He couldn't stand living with her and her brat of a daughter for one more minute.

"How old is she?", he asked, curiously, as the gears began to move in his head.

"She looks young, but who knows. Pretty, I guess, but she's wearing the rattiest clothes I've ever seen. I thought we had it bad here."

Butch rolled his eyes as he reached into his pocket, searching for the blunt that he has stuffed inside of it earlier.

Maybe his plans weren't completely ruined after all, he thought, as he lit the blunt and moved it to his lips to take the first of many smokes that day.