Room for Rent

Prologue

"WHAT!?"

All six of the Carnation children exclaimed at once.

All in different tones of voice, of course.

The youngest, Foster, had a tone of curiosity and confusion.

The 11-year-old, Seraphina, was overjoyed and delighted.

The eighth-grader, Augustine, sounded full of disappointment, though secretly he was a bit excited.

Maureen, the freshmen in high school, had a tone of disgust and dumbfoundedness.

And then there were the twins, the eldest of the family.

The one born at 11:55 pm, Sapphire, had blurted out her "WHAT?!" in a low, furious voice as her sapphire blue eyes glared up from her plate of green beans. Her blue eyes always seemed to fade to dark grey whenever she was this angry.

Her twin brother, born at 12:05 am, Jacinth, was pleasantly surprised. That's how he saw most things in life. Unexpected blessings.

"Yes," Rexton Carnation, their tall, black-haired father replied calmly. "We're renting our extra room out to guests. The room is very nice with a king-sized bed, fancy bathroom and an extra TV! We're not going to let it go to waste! We're renting it out. Any objections?"

His olive green eyes glanced over everyone.

Of course, all the children stayed silent, but each kept a different kind of silence.

Foster had a respectful silence as he wondered and theorized to himself. With a ninth person in the house, they could have a full baseball team which he had always longed to have. He had began to grow sick of beating his family members at chess and wished to play outside more. Though, Foster also wondered how many people would be able to beat him at chess and poker. So far, none.

Seraphina held an excited quietness as she rejoiced on the inside. She absolutely loved meeting new people and getting to know them. She was the person whom all her schoolmates visited when they had problems about which they needed to talk. She was a normal girl with plain brown hair, bright jade eyes and freckles. She also had a pointed nose which looked quite adorable on her.

Augustine looked disappointed but was secretly wondering if he would finally meet a girl his age who would fit his ideal future wife. Quiet, calm, wise, beautiful and funny. All the girls who had crushes on him (because of his fabulous copper red hair, hazel eyes and charming humor) were annoying, boy-crazy, obsessive and immature. Although, Augustine himself was not the most mature of 14-year-old boys.

Maureen was folding her arms in disgust, annoyed that she would have to deal with another human being in the house. Although it was quite a large home, it always seemed crowded with eight people plus some pets. And for a 15-year-old like Maureen who longed for solitude, noise and people were her worst enemies. But when she was at school, of course, she loved hanging out with mostly everyone and that attitude made her popular. She loved boys and longed for a boyfriend. But she also enjoyed using that extra bathroom for her makeup, nail polish, and hair products for her curly bright blonde hair.

Sapphire was enraged. She loved solitude more than Maureen and despised every guest that stepped foot into the Carnations' household. She would either retreat to her room, run to the lake in their backyard, or be forced by her parents to stay and greet the guest out of politeness. The Carnations did not often have guests but now they would have one about every day to Sapphire's disappointment. It was not abnormal, however, for Sapphire to be moody every second of the day. She hated daytime, the sun, the light and anything happy-looking. She was a night owl and would wake up at 3 am just to go outside and watch the moon and stars' reflections dance on the lake. She wasn't an emo or goth. In fact, she was quite attractive with her long ebony hair, slender face and indigo eyes. And despite her darkness of heart, she was smart and would always remain calm and contain her wrath.

Then there was Jacinth Carnation. The happiest Carnation of them all. The polar opposite to his twin, Sapphire. He had hair gold as the sun and eyes that blazed orange and hazel with joy and excitement. Everything was a gift for him. Every obstacle, every word spoken to him, every meal cooked for him and every punch thrown at him. Not that anyone ever hurt Jacinth. Not only was he so innocent for a 17-year-old, but his constant joy spread like a cold. A warm, comforting, lovely cold. Unlike Sapphire, he adored the sunlight and daytime and cared not for dark nights. Unless there were fireworks. Sapphire hated fireworks, though. They disturbed the tranquility of the night and hogged the sky from the radiant, humble moon. Jacinth wasn't all perfect though. He was naive, oblivious and gullible. And despite his straight A's in school, he was quite unwise.

"For the record," Mr. Rexton Carnation added, scooping up some white mashed potatoes from his dinner plate, "it was your dear mother's idea."

He glanced sideways at his beloved wife and smirked. She blushed and jokingly pulled a frustrated face.

"It's true," she murmured, shrugging. "Not only will we get money from renting out the room, but we'll be helping out those in need of it."

Amaya Carnation was not only generous and compassionate to others, she was very good at listening and loving those in need of love. She had obviously passed that on to her daughter, Fifi. Though, Amaya was not as eager to get to know people. She was quite shy and silent for a mother. And she wasn't very educated since she skipped college to be a stay-at-home mom. She did have an amazing talent for sewing and knitting, though and was always calmly joyful.

Quite different from her husband, Rexton. For fun, he loved to philosophize, think deep thoughts and write down theories about existence, love, God and more. He was wise and gentle, but firm when he needed to be. And although he was very hard-working at his stressful job as a salesperson, he was lazy around the house. Amaya didn't mind cleaning up after him, though. She loved her husband, ever since he fell for her when he was a senior in high school and she was a freshmen. He had complimented her strawberry blonde hair and big brown eyes, but what he loved most about her was her humility.

"I think it's a wonderful idea!" exclaimed Seraphina, beaming.

"I know I can't wait!" smiled Jacinth. "I'll go start preparing the guest room right now!"

He rose from the table to scurry to the guest room by the front entrance when his mother said, "No, no, Jacinth. It's already ready. Although I do need your makeup out of the bathroom, Maureen."

"Fiiiiiiine," Maureen groaned, annoyed that she would have to go back to sharing the upstairs bathroom with her siblings in the morning. She was especially irked because Sapphire took forever to get ready in the morning and Jacinth took even longer! He loved combing his golden hair until it was perfectly neat and tidy for the day.

Maureen trudged out of the dining room to retrieve her things.

Foster fiddled with his fork, daydreaming up different kinds of people who could possible visit their home. Unlike Fifi, Foster loved imaginary people. That is, people he made in his mind and he loved sketching them. They were so much more interesting than real life people, Foster thought.

"May I be excused?" Sapphire suddenly asked, in a normal voice.

"Yes, Sapphire," Amaya replied.

And so the dark-haired twin calmly strolled away as a storm brewed inside her.

~ ~ ~

That evening, as the sun began to sink into the hills, the Carnation children sat around a bonfire in their backyard overlooking a big, beautiful lake, glittering with the gold of the sky. Mr. and Mrs. Carnation had gone to bed and left Jacinth in charge to make sure everyone got to bed at 9 o'clock.

Sapphire was also lounging around the fire (which she hated) patiently waiting for the sun to disappear and allow the stars a chance to shine.

Foster, Maureen and Jacinth - who were all very close - were swapping jokes, while August and Fifi were having a quiet, serious conversation. Sapphire was silent of course. Although Fifi, August and Sapphire hung out quite often, Sapphire was not in the mood to talk. All she could do was listen to her siblings laugh and whisper while the crickets loudly sand their monotonous melody. Suddenly, Jacinth raised his voice trying to bring the cliques of the family together.

"So! Everyone! Who do you think the first guest at The Carnation Inn is going to be? Or rather, who do you want it to be?" he asked, cheerfully.

"First of all, we are not calling our home an 'inn'!" Maureen exclaimed. "And second, I don't want any guests!"

"Same," mumbled Sapphire, but she hoped no one had heard her.

"Oh come on! Why not?" asked Fifi. "It will be so interesting to have a completely different person in the house every day or week of the year! So many possibilities! So many possible people to come and visit and so many possible things to happen! Our lives will never be boring!"

August and Foster nodded in agreement.

"Life is never boring," Sapphire suddenly spoke up louder, the vermillion flames of the fire dancing in her opposing-colored irises. "I don't know about you, but I'm never bored. Never. Only frustrated or peaceful. Never anything else. And with an extra person in the house every hour of the week, the days will only be more infuriating and irritating. More interesting? Debatable. There are no boring things in this world. Everything is fascinating. And just because an ant on a leaf may be less eventful than having a serial killer in town, who would prefer the latter?"

A long silence erupted from the Carnation children's mouths as they gaped at Sapphire in awe.

Jacinth bit his lip, thought to himself and nodded.

"I agree," Foster, the curly-haired first-grader finally said. "Life is a fascinating place."

"Well...it's not a place..." August mumbled.

"You have a point," Fifi said to her older sister, to whom she was close. "But some of us just love meeting new people. You don't have to spend all your time with the guests, but...just suppose you could create a perfect guest and he or she would be the first to rent the room. What would be your image of a perfect guest? Who would it be? What would they do? What would they look like?"

Seraphina rattled off questions, smiling with glee and excitement.

"No one's perfect," Seraphina shrugged. "Except Jesus."

"Alright, then!" Jacinth said. "Nearest to perfect. Come on! Just answer the question, sis!"

The handsome blonde plucked a four-leaf clover from the ground and twirled it in his hand.

Sapphire sighed. "Fine. I want someone who's quiet, invisible, odorless and untouchable."

"So...basically unsensible," Augustine replied.

"Yes," Sapphire replied through gritted teeth, glaring.

"Sapphire!" Fifi laughed. "That's not the question. What would his personality be?"

"Invisible," she shrugged.

Maureen and August threw their heads back, cracking up.

"Forget it. She's not going to answer!" Foster exclaimed, almost disgusted. He was quite cocky for an 8-year-old. "I want someone who will actually make chess a challenge for me!" he bragged.

Maureen giggled. Foster, besides Jacinth, was Maureen's favorite sibling.

Augustine, however, rolled his eyes at his braggart of a brother.

"Foster, you know I can whip your..." and after seeing a glance from Jacinth, August continued: "...bottom at Halo any day," the redhead smirked.

Foster scowled and said, "Video games require no talent! Only the lazy are good at them!"

August didn't show any anger, if there was any, only scoffed at his short brother.

"Well, Foster," said Seraphina, shrugging. "You don't always have to brag about being so good at chess."

Foster pursed his lips, then simply said, "You're right. It's been awhile since I've played poker. I want out first guest to make poker a challenge."

Everyone either groaned or laughed.

Jacinth patted him hard on the back. "Hey! I've won a few hands against you, remember?"

"It's true. I'll admit that," Foster nodded. "What kind of guest are you wishing for, Jacinth?"

The muscular teenager, whose eyes were a dull orange-brown in the night, rested his elbow on his knee and gazed at the sky.

"Anyone will be perfect!" he said, enthusiastically. "But my preference...perhaps a wise old man or old woman who tells fantastic stories of all the interesting places he or she has visited."

"That would be nice," Fifi sighed, daydreaming about it. "I would prefer someone interesting. With a unique personality that has never been imagined before. Of course, that's everyone, isn't it? Everyone has a personality that's never been thought of."

"Yeah," Foster nodded, picturing different faces in his head. "What about you, Maureen? Who are you wishing to be the first guest?"

Maureen sighed dreamily. "Some handsome boy my age with a humorous charm, attractive face, muscular arms, and an underprotective parent."

"Well, then," Sapphire mumbled to herself.

"What?" yelled Maureen. "That's what I want. A romantic, smart boy who's not an idiot like the sophomore boys in my class. And I don't get to see any of the boys at school during the summer."

"They're not even that bad," August said, confused. "I'm friends with them. They're fine. I think you're the problem, Maureen."

Maureen and August scowled at each other. Maureen was obviously greatly offended.

"The only reason they're your friends," Maureen growled. "is because you're just as IMMATURE AS-"

"Alrighty then!" Jacinth suddenly shouted, beaming as he stood up. "Would you look at the time! Time for bed!" He threw on his biggest smile. "Let's get going! Everyone go to bed now!"

He began shooing everyone inside, carefully keeping the two young teenagers separated. Fifi and Foster headed to their rooms while Maureen darted into the bathroom. Sapphire was still outside gazing at the rising moon in the navy air.

"So August," Jacinth whispered as Augustine was about to enter Foster's room which they shared. "Who do you wish the first guest to be?"

Jacinth was raising an eyebrow, smirking teasingly.

Augustine shrugged, but then suddenly sighed heavily.

"Don't tell anyone Jacinth, but what I really want is...a mature, smart girl to fall in love with," he murmured before entering his room and closing the door.

Augustine pictured her in his mind as he began to doze off. Long, ruffling chestnut brown hair - which happened to be the color of Fifi's hair - A round face with two dark brown eyes. Or ocean blue. He didn't really care as long as she was sweet, wise and funny. But he knew such a girl didn't, couldn't, exist.

Jacinth realized he had to get Sapphire to bed, despite how much she longed to stay with the night. And Jacinth was terrified of the darkness. The chirping crickets, the singing owls and the mysterious cracking twigs in the woods...they all gave him shivers. So he quickly and cautiously tiptoed outside and right beside his sister for protection.

"Hey, Sapphire," he whispered desperately. "Look, I know you like to be out here at night so...you can stay out as long as you want."

"Really, Jacinth?" she asked her twin, her face for once lighting up.

"Yes. As long as you don't get caught. And try not to sleep too late tomorrow," Jacinth smiled.

He shuddered as a breeze shook the trees. The frogs in the lake croaked louder and faster as nightingales joined in with the owls and crickets' song.

"I'm...going to go inside now," Jacinth said quickly, no longer his cheery old self. He hurried inside and closed the door tight.

Jacinth and Sapphire, being twins, had shared a room their whole lives. He crawled into bed and pulled out his tragedy to read as he dozed off. Jacinth's one dark side was that he loved watching and reading tragedies. He couldn't explain it. They were just so alluring to him. Especially Shakespeare's tragedies. And even though the modern tragedies he read made him stay up at night crying, he found it impossible to put them down. Perhaps because he always hoped that the story would end happily, even though he knew it wouldn't.

Sapphire herself had a side to her that was quite bright and cheerful; she absolutely loved swing dancing. Whenever her family went to a party, Jacinth and Sapphire would always swing dance together and their fancy moves attracted a lot of attention from the crowd. And Sapphire adored it all. The mood of the music, the chords in the songs, the feeling of being twirled and tossed around in a classy, old-fashioned dress she would get to wear! The delicious, fancy refreshments at every dance! The ruby red lipstick on every smiling, white-toothed woman! And the charming gentlemen in their suspenders and bowties! Sapphire loved suspenders and bowties...and the smiles everyone wore as they swing danced..

Finally, when she had no more energy to keep standing, Sapphire turned in for the night. But not before glaring at the new sign on their front window. "Room for Rent," it read. How she wished to tear it off the window and rip it to shreds. But she couldn't. They would have a guest tomorrow, she knew. Many people drove by their house and the odds of one driver needing a room for the night were not low.

Sapphire sighed as she began to drift off to sleep. All the Carnations were dreaming, now.

And when the dawn broke, they all hurried downstairs to a breakfast of waffles, bacon and strawberries, made by Amaya.

And then chimed the doorbell.

Their first guest had arrived.