Chapter 1

Aella POV

Here we go again traveling from New York to California. I'm not on a field trip or something. We are here to attend our family's reunion which happens every two years where our relatives from different sides of the United States and the world will go to our Grandparents' house to celebrate this event. It’s a one-day celebration but we're going to be there for one week. All of my relatives residing in New York including us had the same flight and now we're in a van. We're using three long vans to accommodate every one of us. My relatives and I don't usually see each other because they're living on a different planet, they're like a different species, we're human and they are.....vampires. Ha! Ha! Ha!. Oops! It's not a vampire story; I just wanted to make fun of myself. So back to reality, as I was saying, we only see each other every two years.

Oh, by the way, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Melody Aella Moore, 27 years old and I'm working as one of the Managers of the Golden Luxury. Oh, it's not a jewelry store or something. It's a club for people with deep pockets. Yeah, those kinds of people. The rich and famous. I've seen and assisted Paris Hilton, the Jenner sisters, Selena Gomez and others. They're very professional when they're talking to me. Of course.

I was deep in my thoughts when I exclaimed because my mother offered me hot dogs. I smiled and got it. "Thanks!" I said.

I am excited to see my grandparents from my mother's side and the pool and the garden. It’s very refreshing. It’s like I'm in another world.

But at the same, this event makes me nervous and anxious every time.

"We're here!!!" Shouted my niece, Christina. She's now a teenager and an honor student. She's been offered as a scholar at New York University and with an allowance per month. Meaning, we won't be paying for anything when she enters college next year.

"Yeah.." I said as the Van entered my Grandparents' premises. It’s a big house and enough for us but since it’s a reunion, some of us need to sleep in the living room because that's how big our family is. The rooms upstairs are only for our parents and guests. Why we didn't rent a room in a hotel? That's because our Grandparents don't want us to do that.

Since it’s California, my niece and I brought out the sunglasses that we bought yesterday. She gave me a high five.

"Let's go, Aunt Aella." She said, as she jumped out of the Van and ran like a little child inside shouting, we're here!!! I shook my head.

When we entered the house, it looked modern and refreshing because at the back of the house is where you can see a beach. Yes, a beach. My Grandparents are rich. But here, we have our own pool, it has a rectangular pool and a small round pool beside it for the children who would want to swim.

"There you are!" I heard my Grandmother say. I approached her and gave her a warm hug. "You look beautiful in that dress of yours." She said.

"Thank you, GM." I replied to her and yes I called her GM. Why? Because we don't feel like calling her Felicidad or grandmother because that is too long so me and my cousins came up with a solution and that's why I call her that.

"My friends' children heard Nancy called me GM when we were having groceries and they asked if that GM means group message." She said, laughing.

"What did you tell them?" I ask her as we go to a long resting area at the corner, beside her garden.

"I told them that it’s good mother." She replied, smiling at me.

The table in the resting area has fruits and other seafood like crabs, shrimp, fish and others. My parents are sitting and admiring the view and eating. They're very sweet.

"Oh? Where's GF?"I asked my parents.

"He's at the airport." They replied and I nodded.

"Aunt Aella?!!" Christina shouted and I turned around to where my talkative niece was.

She changed her clothes to swimwear.

"Let's go swim." She said as she ran towards me and pulled me to get up.

"Fine, fine, fine," I said as I saw my parents and GM, smiling.

"It’s good to see her laughing after the incident." I heard my Grandmother say.

Tina's mother is my only sister but she died because of an accident at work. She's a sous chef at one of the restaurants and when the customers fought over a dish, she was accidentally stabbed by that customer in her heart. That is what the CCTV showed us. She's trying to calm the raging customers on whose dish is much tastier.

When we arrived at the hospital she just said a word or two and died at her daughter's hand.

The customer who accidentally stabbed her is still in jail and needs to be give us fine.

Tina's father? That's out of the question. From the moment my sister told that man that she was pregnant, he disappeared.

"Come on, Aunt. You're so slow. You're getting older, already." She said, laughing as we entered my parents' room to help me change.

"Wait." She stopped me. "I have something to give you." She said as she got something from her bag and gave it to me.

It’s a pair of swimsuits. A cycling shorts similar to her and a bikini top. Its color is black.

"I saw that on the mannequin and thought of you." She said, smiling.

"Aww.. Thank you." I replied, giving my nephew a very warm hug.

"Aella! Tina!" Someone shouted outside the door.

"Yeah?" I shouted as Tina opened the door, showing my cousin, Nancy. She's blonde, thin and has blue eyes.

"Aunt Nancy!" Tina said as she hugged Nancy.

"Hello, kiddo! I missed you." Nancy said as she responded to her hug and sways.

"Hey! How about me?"I said as I walked towards my closest cousin and hugged her.

"Of course I missed you." She said, hugging me. "Wait. You're going to swim?" She asked.

"Yes," I said nodding. I was about to ask her to join us but Tina beat me to it.

"Join us!! The more the merrier!" Tina suggested, happily.

"Yeah yeah." She said before she left. "Wait for me there." She added before she went inside her parents' room.

I changed my clothes and went to the pool with my niece.

As we were walking towards the pool and saw Nancy was already there, an idea came to mind. I walked fast towards my cousin who was standing at the side of the pool pulled her with me and jumped into the awaiting pool.

"Aaaaaaahhhh!!!!" Nancy shouted while I was laughing. Tina also jumps in.

"I'm going to drown you," Nancy said as she tried to swim towards me.

"As if you can," I said as I swam further away from her.