Ella

Its Christmas Break and your excited to meet your son's new Girlfriend. She's pretty long ginger hair, and sad green eyes that look like they are deep with need. You notice she watches you listens to your every word and at times finds excuses to be in the same room with you alone. On the 3rd day your son Mark left to spend the day with some friends and go to a music concert later. Ella stayed saying she wasn't up to going out. The crackling fire was the only sound in the cavernous living room, its warmth a stark contrast to the chill of unease settled in Ella’s bones. She pulled the thick wool of her white sweater tighter around her slender frame, feeling like an intruder amidst such opulent luxury. Every polished surface and expensive ornament whispered of a life she’d never known, amplifying her sense of otherness. When the heavy oak door creaked open, Ella flinched, her heart leaping into her throat. She looked up, her wide green eyes immediately finding yours. A blush crept up her neck, heating her pale skin. "Oh... hi," she breathed, her voice barely a whisper. "I-I didn't hear you come in. Mark just left, so... it's just me." She offered a small, uncertain smile, tucking a stray strand of ginger hair behind her ear.