Adara

Ever since I was born, I was told I was different. Of course, at that time I never understood what anyone meant. I felt normal, and I looked normal. I mean I was just a child. I had platinum blonde hair, it looked almost white and my eyes, they were ice blue, bluer than any ocean which was strange since both of my parents had eyes so dark, they looked black. I guess our small town shook the moment I opened my eyes for the first time. As I got older I started understanding more, in my town I was the only one with pale hair and blue eyes. Everyone had black hair and dark eyes, I started seeing why everyone looked at me so differently and then I turned eighteen.

“Dad. I’m frightened!” Panic surged through me as I sat on the cold, hard ground in front of our burning house which a few minutes ago, I set a blaze just by using my hands. I’m not even sure how it happened. I was angry and then the next thing I knew fire shot right out of my hands. I don’t even remember leaving the house. Everything dissolved into darkness the second the fire escaped my hands.

“Don’t be.” He said, calmly. “I have something to tell you.” One day ago.

“Adara, can you please come down stairs!” My dad yelled from the bottom of the stairs, he liked to do that. I don’t think he ever walks up to get me. I mean it would be more effective. Sometimes he gets mad because I don’t hear him due to having my music turned up really loud but he still stands there and yells until I do.

“I’ll be down in a second!” I yelled back to him. I hung up the last of my clothes and then made my way down the stairs. He was waiting in the living room.

“What is it dad?”

“Do you have any last minute request for your party tomorrow?”

“Yeah, just one though.” I grinned. “Let’s not have one.”

“Come on, you’re turning eighteen. You know, the big one eight!”

“And you are more excited about it then I am.”

“Hey, if I had the option I wouldn’t let you turn eighteen but since I can’t do anything about it, why not celebrate it; your mom would have gone all out.”

“Yes which is exactly why I don’t want to. She can’t be here to celebrate with me.”

I sat down; my eyes looked toward the floor.

“Ad, I know it’s hard. It’s only been a year but we can’t keep living like this.”

“I miss her, daddy. Sometimes it hurts, it burns inside me. I feel like I could have done something different that night. It should have been me, not her.”

“I miss her too, kiddo and it hurts just as much but you gotta stop blaming yourself. Your mom wouldn’t have wanted that. She wants you to live on and celebrate who she was, not that she is gone.”

“You’re right, dad.” I smiled; tears glistened in both of our eyes. “I’ll have a party, but only if it’s just a small one.

“Deal,” He smiled widely.

I left him alone with his party planning. I would do anything for him, he’s my best friend. After losing mom last year we grew closer, we have each other and that’s really all we need. It’s been a pretty hard year for the both of us. That night was all I could think of, the car rolling and rolling, the screaming, and my mom’s lifeless body, it’s like a continuous loop playing in my mind. That’s all I remember, I can’t remember anything before or after that. I don’t even remember where we were going. Now that I think about it, I can’t remember anything from my childhood; it’s a blur, like it has been removed from my mind. I must have hit my head pretty hard during that accident. I still wished that it would have been me and not her. She was so beautiful. Her dark hair always laid straight down her back, her smile could warm up anyone’s heart, even the cold ones. Her eyes, man her eyes were so dark but so sweet. Daddy use to say that she could stop a truck just walking by. “That’s how I got her.” He would always say. My parents were the definition of true love. I have never seen anyone look at someone with so much love and admiration like the way my daddy looked at my mom. He always acted like she was the only woman in the world. Something I hope I will have someday. Besides that night, this is all I can remember about my mother. I’m glad that accident didn’t take it all.

I decided to search through my closet for a perfect party outfit since the party was going to happen tomorrow but after about five minutes of looking I gave up. Nothing, nothing in here screams, “I’m eighteen!” or “Woo, finally legal!”

I sighed, throwing myself on my bed. “I guess I can settle with what I have.”

Later that night

“Ad,”

I look up from my book and dad is standing in the doorway of my room, his hands were behind his back like he was hiding something from me.

“Is everything okay, dad?”

“Never better, actually.” He smiled.

It was a strange smile, like the kind of smile you give when you are up to something.

“What are you up too? You’re acting strange.”

“Have you by any chance found a party dress yet.”

“No.” I sighed. “I don’t have anything in my closet that screams party.”

“Well, it’s your lucky night.” His grin widened.

He pulls out a red dress from behind him. My mouth dropped open in surprise.

“Dad,”

“It was your mother’s.”

“It’s beautiful, I love it.”

I threw my arms around him and gave him a quick hug before taking the beautiful silkiness into my hands. The dress was soft against my skin.

“Go try it on!”

Without another word, I took off toward the bathroom.

I lay in bed that night; I couldn’t get that dress out of my mind. How it flowed to just above my knees, the sequins that laces in a v around the neckline, how they sparkled when the light hit them. I haven’t seen a dress so beautiful, so fierce. With that dress on, I couldn’t believe how much I looked like my mom. If it wasn’t for my pale hair and blue eyes, you wouldn’t have been able to tell us apart. I told dad that he had to wait until the party before he could see me in mom’s dress. I wanted it to be a surprise. I’m sure he’ll see the resemblance as well as I did. I can’t help but think of her even more. I’m actually getting pretty excited about the party; I’ll get to see my best friend and some of my family. I haven’t seen Claire since graduation. She’s been pretty busy volunteering at our animal shelter; she is going to a veterinary program at the end of summer. She has been studying and working extremely hard. I’m so proud of her. I miss her like crazy though, we only talk on the phone or text every now and then but it isn’t the same as seeing someone in person. There are only a few people left in the family so there won’t be very many people there tomorrow. My dad was an only child but my grandparents will be there and my mom’s big sister and her husband will also be there. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen Aunt Catherine. I can’t even remember the last time I’ve seen them. We are a small family, we don’t have much but we sure do love deeply. I could feel my eyes get heavy and I welcomed sleep with open arms.