<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff99cc"><span style="font-family:Amaranth">Veda was reordering a few misplaced books on the shelves when the distinct chitter of her ringtone resonated from the front desk of her bookstore. She glanced in its general direction out of annoyance, and continued to walk back and forth through the aisles while the nuisance continued to sound. The store went quiet for a few breaths except for the soft thump of her high heels on the carpet and the whisper of books sliding into their rightful places, until the contraption rang once again.<br/>
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Huffing in frustration, Veda had more than a simple of idea of who was calling her phone repeatedly. She'd not spoken to her father and mother for a few weeks, uninterested in listening to them question her life choices with each answered call. Unlike her brother, Veda had decided to use the money her parents had given her to open up a bookstore rather than go to college. It had taken years of pay-less days working at the kink store that had once occupied the location just to get on the good side of the original owner, eventually garnering enough favor to receive an offer from the man to buy up the building. With a bit of haggling, Veda had bought the store at an acceptable price, spending almost all of her savings to completely refurbish the building into a cozy little bookstore and fill the shelves with text.<br/>
</span></span><br/><span style="font-family:Amaranth"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff99cc">Her parents completely disagreed with every choice she had made, angry at the "gifts" she was throwing away just to own a little "Hütte" </span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff0080">(1)</span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff99cc"> instead of becoming a lawyer or doctor like they had. Her brother was off whoring himself in college while she became a successful business woman and writer, but her parents saw nothing but a librarian for a daughter. After countless times of her parents begging her to work at her fathers law firm, or to enroll in a nursing program, Veda simply stopped answering the phone when their ringtone chimed. She was in love with her bookstore "Ein Buch Heim," and refused to listen to them bash her dreams.</span></span><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff99cc"><span style="font-family:Amaranth"><br/>
However, she knew that the two were aging quickly, and while she'd love to ignore them until Death was knocking at their door, Veda decided to pick up her phone from the desk as it rang for the fourth time, sliding the indicator right as her mother's name glowed from the screen.<br/>
</span></span><br/><span style="font-family:Amaranth"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#cc99ff">"Veda, why do you not answer your phone? I grow tired of your childish behavior, daughter!" </span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff99cc">Her mother practically screeched into the phone.<br/>
</span><br/>
<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff4da6">"Ich fühle nicht die Notwendigkeit, mit Ihnen zu sprechen, Mutter." </span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff0080">(2)  </span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff99cc">Veda knew that her mother hated speaking in German now that they were leaning into finishing their English lessons, but the daughter couldn't care less about it. She loved her native language, and only used English for her customers and close friends.<br/>
</span><br/>
<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#cc99ff">"Well, that is too bad! You are coming with your father and I on a cruise and a vacation in Hawaii. You better be confirmed on that flight, or your father will make your life hell. Have a nice day dear."<br/>
</span><br/>
<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff99cc">Before she could retort, Veda's mother hung up the phone, leaving only the blaring ring of a disconnected call. Veda dropped her phone on the front desk angrily, gripping at the wood lest she push everything off the top of it. While she was financially comfortable and could close the shop whenever she wished, Veda preferred to welcome her regular customers everyday, even if it meant being open 7 days a week. But, the threat from her mother was clear enough; her father would love to see the shop closed. She had to go on this trip, or else.<br/>
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Begrudgingly, Veda showed the next morning with her suitcases, "Ein Buch Heim" now closed on the weekends, and only open on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Her assistant had wished her good luck on her vacation, well aware of her issues with her parents, and agreed to keep the store running as best as she could. Veda had emailed her closest customers to inform them of the sudden disappearance, knowing that they would relay the information to the others. All she had to do was last these 2 weeks, stuck in close vicinity with her horrendous parents and single-celled brother. She barely survived the long flight thanks to a few novels and a lengthy nap, retiring to her condo immediately to escape her rude brother. She didn't want to catch whatever idiocy plagued his mind.<br/>
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</span><br/>
<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff99cc">Veda knew she wasn't in bed when she rolled over and felt what seemed to be sand instead of bed sheets. Grey-blue eyes glinted with moonlight as her eyelids fluttered open, the skies choking with thousands of stars that she'd never seen before. Someone had moved her without her knowledge, which was not hard to believe with how heavy she slept. Rather than sit up immediately, she chose to prod her body with delicate fingers, looking for any wounds or bruises on her body. Her head felt a tad fuzzy, but was void of any sort of migraine and she was only plagued with an urgent need to drink water.<br/>
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Delicately sitting up, Veda surveyed the beach around her, only seeing the moonlight reflecting off the sea and the barren beach around her. Barefoot and barely clothed, Veda stood up and hugged her nightgown to herself out of anxiousness rather than chill. The beach was warm despite the breeze blowing in from the sea, and the sand felt amazing on her high heel ravaged feet.<br/>
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However, while she wanted to enjoy the beach, something was very much amiss and was more of a priority than a silly vacation. Veda knew she needed to find her brother and ask him if he recalled anything from the night before; she had slept early after dinner and was clueless as to what was going on. Maybe her parents had a surprise for them; maybe it was a ploy to get Veda to give up the bookstore with help from her brother. Either way, Veda turned left to follow the shore, hoping to find anything besides sand and salt water.<br/>
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<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff99cc"></span><br/>
<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff0080">1 - "Shack"<br/>
2 - "I do not feel the need to talk to you, Mother."</span></span>