ELTHAM HIGH SCHOOL ANTHOLOGY   

Sleepily, Delilah rolled out of bed and wandered drowsily into the kitchen. On a normal day, she would have to be very quiet as she made her breakfast because she couldn’t disturb her mother who was sleeping in her room, but this wasn’t a normal day. Instead, her mum was pouring syrup over a delicious stack of pancakes. Delilah’s tummy growled like a car engine.
“Good morning sweetie!” her mum cheerfully said with a smile plastered across her face.
“Hey mum, nice to see you this morning.” Her mum must have realized that this wasn’t normal for Delilah.
“Ummm, I made you some pancakes,” she stammered. “Look, honey I know this isn’t normal, but with your dad gone and Mia going off to college it’s important that I get over myself and take care of you. So, we are moving out of this dump and into that nice house on the top of the hill.”                                                                                                                                                                                                     “Mum, are you feeling okay? Because this house is fine and well, and that house is ummm haunted!”                                                                                                                                                                                             “Pish Posh! The house is completely fine, and we can renovate it, we have some money, and I can borrow some off nan and pop.”

Delilah knew there was no point in arguing, her mother’s mind was clearly made up and after all, the divorce and Mia going halfway across the country, maybe this would be a good thing for mum.
“Okay, fine.” Delilah mumbled.
“Yay!!! So, it is settled we are moving to the nice house on the hill!”

                                                             *ONE WEEK LATER*

Glumly, Delilah packed up the last of her belongings. When her mum said we would be moving soon, she didn’t know soon being the end of the week. For the last time she walked into the kitchen, the now empty kitchen. Delilah went to fill up her water bottle because all the cups were packed, she noticed something where the old bird painting use to hang, it was a love heart with James and Judy 4ever in the middle, but now there was a cross through it. She felt sadness ping through her body. Delilah missed her dad so much but now after his new marriage and with his new wife pregnant she felt as if he had no time for her. Delilah’s mum bustled into the kitchen forcing Delilah to shove the thought aside and put on a fake smile. “Glad to see that you’re excited about moving” her mother said whilst putting random things into the closest boxes. “CRASH!” a very fancy China plate smashed on the ground because her mum missed the box. “Oh well it wasn’t that pretty anyway” her mum laughed.

A few hours later Delilah had never felt so sad as she walked up the cold wet stairs into her new home. Rain poured down on her as she hung her head and slowly opened the door.  Just as she thought, an old run-down home that has absolutely no life left in it.

Whilst setting up her bed, Delilah’s mother walked into the room so quick that Delilah didn’t have a chance to flip her frown upside down. “Honey, I know things are tough, but like nan says after a rainstorm comes a rainbow.” Delilah wished that would be the case, but at this point the rainbow was too far for anyone to see.

Two weeks later, whilst Delilah was laying on her bed the doorbell rang. “Hon, can you get that please?” Without a response Delilah peeled herself off her bed and slouched to the door. She undid the old lock and pulled open the door, and the sunlight burnt her eyelids that hadn’t been outside since they moved. “Owwww” she groaned.
“Delilah! OMG how are you? I’ve missed you so much,” Delilah could recognize that voice from a mile away.
“MIA” she yelled as Mia dropped her bags and both sisters rushed to give each other a hug.
“Mia you’re here! Come in!” Their mother led them both to the rundown couch. “Now, Delilah I have some news to tell you!” Delilah gulped nervously “Well, you see, we were never going to live in this run-down shack for more than two weeks.”
“WHAT??!!” questioned Delilah.
“Yeah, so when Mia moved, she said there was a really nice house in Scotland right down the road from her university and guess what! We bought it!”
At this point Delilah jumped up and down “No way! OMG Thank you so much!”
“Of course! I only bought this house because the people that bought ours wanted to move in right away and the house in Scotland wasn’t ready yet.”
Delilah never thought that she could be this happy in her life, and realised her nan was right, after a rainstorm comes a rainbow.”