A Promise Worth Keeping

Author's Note
Hiya, readers!It's me again. This is a story that I can personally relate to. It's the story of a girl, Sienna, who goes through an enormous amount of drama in her life.It's quite a moving tale, however, I do sincerely hope you enjoy the story.

For my Dad, without whom I would be lost.


1. The Armstrong Family

The Armstrong mansion stood on a large hill in the north of a small village called Grantor. The inhabitants of the village rarely saw Mr and Mrs Armstrong, this was mainly because Mrs Armstrong - or Joanna, as she was called by her husband, Matt - had fallen ill shortly after they moved in.

Mr Armstrong spent most of his days looking after his sick wife, and as a result, was fired from his job at the Ministry of Defence. With the couple out of work, they decided that Mr Armstrong was to become a home therapist, as he was qualified in Psychology.

He was called to people's houses on a regular basis, and his most regular customer was Ms Fen from the nearby town of Carleton. She was suffering from hallucinations, and regularly saw a heavily pregnant Joanna Armstrong standing in the corner of her bedroom.

After a while, they discovered that, as Ms Fen had seen, Mrs Armstrong was actually pregnant. With her being ill, the baby was at great risk, and the mother-to-be was sent to hospital in Carleton straight away.

There was talk in the Grantor pub, The Bridge, that she was critically ill, and Mr Armstrong often drunk too much out of anger over these rumours. He became a drunk.

Ms Fen had had some weird hallucinations before, but the most recent was the worst. She had in fact seen a small girl, with long, blonde hair standing at the side of her bed. She said the girl regularly cried, and screamed "Mother! Don't! Please!".

 

Shortly after this, Ms Fen was sent to an asylum, and there was more talk at The Bridge. People were saying that Mr Armstrong wasn't going his job properly due to the absence of his wife. He became more and more angry with these rumours and drunk his way into a coma.

As time progressed, Mr Armstrong grew worse. His pulse was starting to slow, and his blood wasn't travelling properly in his body.

Mrs Armstrong, however, got better, and was soon able to walk around without collapsing. Her baby got healthier too, and the hospital thought of sending her home.

Then the horrible day came. The day when happy, healthy Joanna got the news. The news that her baby was getting weaker. So weak, in fact, that it was stealing health from it's mother.

Mrs Armstrong was getting weaker; the baby getting stronger. The doctors worried about whether she would live to give birth.

Well, she did. But only just. She was in labour for forty-three hours and nine minutes. She sweat, and she sweat, and she sweat. All of her remaining strength was being used, and she would die soon.

Joanna became so feeble, that the doctors had to put her to sleep, and cut the baby out of her. It was becoming too much, even for the surgeons and doctors with decades of experience! If the baby didn't come out soon, they would both surely die.

 

Tension was rising in the maternity ward. Most doctors had abandoned their lunch breaks to check on the progress. Mrs Armstrong could hear their muffled voices.

"We have to get it out!"
"We don't know what it is-"
"Whatever it is, it need to get here, and soon!"

Mrs Armstrong didn't understand. What do they mean 'it'? How do they not know what it is?

She became very faint, but suddenly felt a pot lighter than she was two days ago.

The baby was out and alive.

Mrs Armstrong was on Death's door.

 

2. Sienna

I woke up and found the bright sun shining through the gap in my curtains. My legs swung around, and my feet rested themselves on the blue, carpeted floor of my bedroom.

As I do every morning, I looked at the picture of my parents, propped up against my jewellery box on my desk. I looked at the message on the glass of the frame, written in my mother's neat, clear hand.

Stay strong. No matter what. I promise to always be with you.

A tear rolled down my boney cheek, as it reminded me of the story my grandmother had told me.

I had just got home from school, when my grandmother sat my on her velvet red sofa, and began to explain things to me. She said that I wasn't like the other kids at school. I had not understood any of it, I was only five at the time.

She had explained how my mother wrote the note on the frame, knowing how things would turn out. How my mother died giving birth to me. How my father killed himself in agony afterwards. How she took me in. How I was different.

She said I could 'see' things. Things other people couldn't. She said I could see people in danger.

This explained a lot, as I had just had a dream about my aunt, Lisa, being tortured by somebody. Somebody terrible. Two weeks later, she died.

I snapped out of my memory, and saw, once again, my bedroom. I quickly dressed in my school uniform, and rushed down the stairs towards the kitchen. There, my grandmother was waiting for me, looking pale and slightly disgruntled.
'What's wrong?' I asked her, concern showing on my face.
'Nothing,' she replied, and she didn't speak again until I was about to leave.

'Sienna,' she called, just as I was about to go through the front door. 'Have a nice day!' And with that, I left, ready for another day at Leland Academy.

 

Thanks, my only reader loves me. If you like this sort of thing, be sure to check out 'A Royal Choice', which will be updated shortly.

 

When I got to the large school, I noticed a difference. My best friend, Alana, wasn't waiting by the sign for me. Instead, she was with a group of giggling girls, all laughing and pointing in my direction.

Alana's sleek brown hair wasn't tied up today, it just fell beautiful down her back. Her skirt and tie were shorter, and she was wearing black, knee high socks. She had obviously switched sides. We always hated Sarah and her lot, but now, it looks as though Alana couldn't love them more!

I sighed and walked past them, then up the steps and into the Entrance Hall, where I pulled out my phone and sent my former best friend a text. WHY ARE YOU WITH SARAH AND THEM? - SIENNA XX.

When I had walked into the main hallway, nothing had changed. Everybody was standing by their locker with their friends, or just walking and talking. Me? I have no friends. I stood by my empty locker until Registration, then I walked slowly towards PS1.

When I reached the circular room, I saw Alana sitting next to Sarah, comparing nail polishes. I saw Elizabeth Ford sitting with her twin sister, Janet; Kirbie sitting with Kornelija, and Paige sitting with Fiona.

Nobody's friends had changed.

Except mine.

 

~Just A Short Update~

I took a seat at the back of the room, and just as I put my bag down, Mrs Smith emerged from her office. She looked tired, her white-blonde hair was unbrushed and messy, her shirt was untucked from her skirt, and her coffee mug slightly chipped around the edges.

Everybody stared at her: she was normally extremely tidy. It was as though everyone had read my mind, and their attention went from Mrs Smith to her desk. Papers were everywhere, her laptop shut, and a large, circular coffee stain on a sheet of work, next to this, lay pieces of her china mug.

"Good morning, class," she announced.
"Morning, Mrs Smith," the class replied, suddenly looking at her again.
"Let me begin by taking the register. Sienna?"
"Here, Miss."
"Hannah?"
"Here, Miss."
"Niamh?"
"Here, Miss."
"Alana?" But Mrs Smith said her name with the upmost loathing.
"Here, Miss." Alana replied, coldly.

The class could see the tension between the teacher and the pupil. Everybody stared at Alana for a moment, then, Alana glared at me. What were once her comforting blue eyes, were now a cloudy grey and full of anger.

 

Registration passed slowly, as I didn't exactly have anybody to talk to. I wandered aimlessly through the South Gym corridor at lunch.

Every now and then, I would notice something, and got to point it out to Alana, but she wasn't there. It was as though somebody had punched a hole in my chest, and ripped out one of the only things that made me happy.

I came across a large, group of girls standing in a semi-circle around a short girl with long brown hair and glasses. She saw me passing, and smiled, then gestured for me to go over.

"Hello, Sienna!" It was Melanie Edwards, a friend of mine from primary school. Her parents were best friends with mine.
"Hey," I replied glumly.

She smiled, then placed a scrawny arm around my shoulder. "I know what happened with you and Alana. And I'd like you to know that I will be here-"
I cut her off, mid-sentence. "Do you know why she left me?"
"No, sorry," she replied.

I sighed heavily, but I stayed stood beside her. Me and Melanie hadn't really been friends, we'd known each other, but never really talked.

 

Thanks, love. I try to write little and often, because I often feel that writing too much will maybe bore the reader.

 

At lunch, I sat with Melanie Edwards and her friends: Shannon Ramsey, Kitten Moffat, Nicola Greyson and Jennifer Randall. They were all very sensitive about my situation, and seemed keen to be my friend.

After lunch, me and Nicola walked to Science together, while the others headed for Maths.
'So ...' You could tell Nicola was bored of me already.
'So.' I replied.
'Look, I know your best friend has left you and everything, but that doesn't give you the right to take Melanie from me - err - us,' she gave me a look of pure evil.
'I didn't really talk to Mel in the first place, so I don't see why -'
She cut me off. 'Mel? Nicknames?'
She stormed off towards Science alone.

 

I know, Brit.I am awesome.