I sighed and pulled out my phone, checking to see if any email messages came in. I had three. Two from the same person, Maleficus. He messaged me constantly. I ignored his messages and moved to the other one, responding as I should. Short and blunt.
I checked my texts and was pleased to see one from my best friend.
Trace: Miss you something fierce. Don’t be living too high on the board there. Gotta keep you grounded.
I chuckled and shot her back a message.
Hannah: Same here. And grounds are meant for those who can’t fly. Lol
I relaxed in my seat and slightly jumped when I felt my dad’s hand on my shoulder. “You okay?”
I relaxed. “Sure.”
“Don’t be mad. If this doesn't work out like we planned, we’ll go back to Maine, okay?”
I twisted in my seat which caused his hand to drop. My seventeen-year-old heart couldn’t handle that kind of promise if it were broken. He said it before, but I wanted a vow. Childish as it may be, I grabbed my dad’s pinky in mine and asked. “Promise?”
He grinned giving our hands a good shake. “Promise.”
I let go when my phone beeped and turned to grab it.
Trace: You wish.
***
Blackfoot... no one ever stays long. That’s what the sign read when we pulled off the highway late Thursday night, after a full day of driving. My dad pulled into the motel parking lot in the town, and the same message was on the welcome sign in the window. Weird.
Blackfoot was the little town before Falls, Idaho and we needed to stop. Dad previously made arrangements at the realtor's office to sign papers and get the key to our new house early Friday morning, since he knew we were going to be arriving in town late. Tonight would be our last night in a motel for awhile, at least I hoped so.
Dad parked our car and went into the hotel lobby to sign in and grab our room keys. While waiting, I leaned back in my seat, unfolding my legs, and stretched and yawned.
We'd been in the car for hours trying to make the last stretch here and hadn't stopped for anything, not even to eat. It was unusual for my dad not to worry about me eating food, but we did have snacks that sustained us for that little bit of time. As if my stomach heard my thoughts, it woke up and growled with hunger. My appetite had been off these days, but right now it demanded food.
I glanced out my dad's window with the view of the street and searched for any glowing signs that would signal an open eating place. There were a few, but the one that stuck out the most was a restaurant named Nana’s Kitchen.
Dad came back and hopped in the car, and I pointed to the sign. “Can we eat there before we go to bed? I’m hungry.”
He glanced at the sign, frowning. “I don’t see why not, but is that the place you really want to go? It looks a bit rundown to me. Why not the sub shop over there at that gas station?”
He pointed to it, and I shook my head. “Not up for that, Dad. My levels are good, and I’ve been healthy. I want pancakes.”
He sighed and turned on the car. “Fine, but you have to check your levels when we get back.”
I grinned. “Agreed.”
Dad drove over to Nana’s Kitchen, parked next to a police cruiser, and gestured to it as we got out. “You know what they say if an officer eats at a restaurant-”
“-it’s supposed to be good,” I finished, agreeing. “It’s because a lot of places tamper with their food.”
He opened the restaurant door and whispered so no one would hear. “Yep. So this place should be decent.”
I turned him with a grin.“You got it.”
The restaurant had a few people sitting down eating in booths, and the tables across from them were empty.
The hostess greeted us with a warm smile. “Welcome to Nana’s. Just the two of you?”
Dad nodded. “Yep.”
She grabbed two menus, stepped out from behind the counter and with a gesture of her hand replied, “Follow me.”
As she guided us to a booth, everyone seemed to glance our way. The four men and the woman on the far right whispered. The two women on the other side of the short privacy wall and the two police officers, one man and one woman, along with two other men seemed to pause.
Dad leaned toward me. “We eat and leave.”
A thrill crept up my spine as we walked and I leaned in. “I’m ordering their challenge meal if they have one.”
Dad straightened and sent me a glare. “No, you’re not.”
I smirked as the hostess sat us. “Yes, I am.”
She gave us our menus and replied with a flicker of understanding in her eyes. “Honey, you're talking about a big huge meal where, if you eat it in a certain amount of time, you get your meal for free?”
I nodded affirmatively as Dad’s eyes narrowed. “Yep, I’ll take one of those.”
“Sorry, we don't have those here.”
My mouth twisted in disappointment. “Oh.”
“But I can get you drinks,” she said, pleasantly.
Dad took his gaze off of me and cleared his throat, smiling at our hostess. “I’ll have coffee, black.”
She nodded and turned her gaze to me. “And you?”
I sighed and tapped the menu away from me, glancing at the people who kept looking at us. “Water.”
The hostess lips tightened when she realized how observant I was being. “Okay, I’ll be right back with your drink and to take your order.”
“Weird town,” I muttered.
“They’re just curious. Bet they don’t get a lot of visitors here,” Dad reasoned.
While we talked, two of the officers got up made their way toward us. The one on the left tipped his hat when he got to our table while the woman smiled. “Hiya, I’m Officer Drex, and this lovely lady is Officer Klinger.”
She smacked him in the arm. “Quit flirtin’, D.”
I gave them a half wave. “Hey.”
My dad gave me the evil eye before introducing us. “I’m Rex Cain, and this is my daughter Hannah. What brings you to our table?”
“Well Rex, when you pulled up, your left runner light was out,” Officer Klinger explained as she gestured to our parked car near their cruiser. “They're not usually needed, but we thought we’d let you know just the same.”
Brows crinkled in confusion, my dad turned and glanced out the window at our car then back to them. “Uh, okay.”
Our hostess came back, and both officers moved out of her way as she set down our drinks. “Hello, D. Klinger.” She nodded toward them when she straightened and pulled out her notepad from her apron pocket for our orders. “Are you trying to scare off customers again?”
“Nope,” Officer Drex stated before asking, “You folks only here for the night?”
“Only one night at the motel,” my dad answered.
Officer Drex nodded. “That's good. Real good. Nobody ever stays long in Blackfoot.”
They way he said it peeked my interest. “And why not?”
“It's the wolves, honey,” our hostess explained, giving officer Drex the evil eye. “Now are you done scaring my customers? Shoo, the both of ya,” she razed them with a wave of her hand. “You heard them. Only here for one night.”
My eyes narrowed. “Because we get the keys to the new house tomorrow.”
“Well welcome to the neighborhood, honey,” our hostess said warmly.
“Not here,” Dad expanded. “We’re moving up the road to Falls.”
“Blackfoot, Falls, no matter. We’re all family around here.”
“I reckon you’re right, Gail,” Officer Klinger agreed. She turned to us. “You folks have a nice night.” With that she grabbed her partner and went back to their booth.
Gail, the hostess, had her notepad ready. “Now what you all havin’?”
Chapter Two
The next morning we woke up and my dad and I drove into downtown Falls to the realtor's office. I waited in the car while Dad went in and got the keys, and then he insisted on driving throug
h town to look at the sights.
We drove by my new school and up over the freeway on the main street. Dad made a left turn, and we ended up in a round-a-bout that displayed a huge bear and fish waterfall in the middle. Dad kept going around trying to figure out how to get out and we just laughed. It felt good to laugh.
After some work with the GPS system, we found ourselves driving over a river in the middle of town. I caught a brief glimpse of a walking bridge on the right, and my heart raced. I put my hand up to my window, and my gazed followed the bridge until we passed.
“Nice little town.”
I sat back smiling. “Yeah.”
Yeah, it was. Ideas swirled in my mind when I caught a glimpse down below and beside the river. It had to be a park of some sorts. Different levels and something concrete. It’s perfect for what I wanted to do. A great place to… I glanced at my dad… play.
“You have strayed off course. Make a U-turn at the next light,” our GPS spoke.
I glanced at the small GPS on our dash. We were going the opposite way that the GPS wanted us to go. ‘Uh, Dad?”
He grunted, “I got it.”
With our u-turn and the short drive back over the river, we made it to the new house within minutes. It was a brown single-story home with a basement in an older neighborhood. Dad decided to rent for the moment until we knew what our plans were. That had been another compromise he and I made early on. Dad was set on staying; I wanted my hometown playground back. Oh, and my friends.
I checked my phone again to see if anyone messaged me, but there was nothing today. The two of us got out of the car, and I rounded it, moving over toward the front of the house. Dad was back on his phone again, calling the movers to find out where our other stuff was and my car. I need that.
I walked through the green grass up to the small sidewalk at the front. I then went up the concrete steps that led to the door. A welcome home sign to the right of the door was hanging. It must have been left by the previous tenants. I tried the door and found it locked. I felt like an idiot. Of course it was locked. I twisted around and whistled to my dad who was still standing by the car with the phone up to his ear.
His head popped up, and I mimicked turning a key. He nodded and switched hands that held the phone to reach into his pocket and pull out a ring of keys. He tossed them my way, and I caught them. Dad then moved the phone from his mouth to his chin and spoke briefly, “It’s the brass key with a blue painted dot on the top.”
I selected that one and waved it at him before turning back to the door and unlocking it. This was my new home. For now, at least.
***
The moving trucks hadn't arrived and wouldn't until tomorrow. Until then, Dad and I took a tour of the house.
When you first walked into the house, there was a living space off to the right and a little further on to the left a hallway. Down the hall were two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a master bedroom.
Dad followed me and shoved his hands into his pockets as he leaned against the wall. “Which bedroom are you taking?”
I smirked. “The master, of course.”
Dad shook his head and straightened. “You sound just like your mother. She was always teasing me.”
A stab at my heart. My grin disappeared, and I sobered. “Yeah.” I gestured to the room at the end of the hall. “I’ll take that one.”
“Honey, I’m sorry.”
I put up a hand and sped past him. “Dad, just no. Not right now.”
“Honey, I know you're hurting.”
“Aren't we all, Dad?” I called from behind me as I went to explore the rest of the house. “Or is it just me?” I muttered under my breath.
Back down the hallway, I entered the kitchen and beyond that was another living room area with the sliding glass door that led out to the backyard.
The back yard had a patio and one old oak tree that looked perfect for climbing.
When I made my way back inside, I found my dad in the kitchen. His shoulders dropped when he saw me. “I'm going to make that second bedroom an office.”
I nodded and again made my way past him out to the car to grab my things.
Dad and I unloaded our stuff from the car which consisted of two air mattresses that we anticipated needing to use until our furniture arrived, a bag of clothes and bathroom toiletries, as well as my medical supplies.
While I reached in from the driver's side door to grab my phone charger, loud music sounded from a car passing by. I glanced up, peering out the passenger side window, over to the house across the street and two spots down where the car pulled into the driveway.
A teenage girl around my age stepped out of the car. She was average size with short blonde hair to the nape of her neck, a blue blouse and dark skinny jeans paired with tennis shoes.
She leaned down to speak with whoever was in the car before stepping back and shutting the door. I pulled myself out of the car and shut my own door in time to see her wave to the person as they sped off.
When she turned to go into the house, she noticed me and waved. Instead of going in like I thought she would, she started to walk over to me.
“Looks like you might have found a new friend,” Dad mused, coming back out for the rest of his things.
“Not likely,” I muttered, then pasted a smile on my face when the girl drew near.
Now that she was closer, I took note of the blouse she wore. It was girly, tapered at the front with a row of ruffles going down the length on either side. The dark skinny jeans were ripped in various places giving her an edge that was a direct contrast to the sweet vibe the blouse seemed to give. And the tennis shoes were light blue converse. On her wrist dangled a smooth rose gold wrist bracelet. This girl was a maze of styles.
“Hi! I’m Novalee,” she greeted, with a slight grin.
“Hannah Cain,” I offered.
She gestured to the house. “You guys just move in?”
“Yep,” I answered, shifting my stuff.
“I’ll be in the house,” Dad muttered on his way past me.
She watched my dad go in the house then asked, “Just you and your dad?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“Cool. Where did you move from?”
“Maine.”
Her eyebrows rose as she whistled. “Whoa, and you drove all the way here?”
I grimaced. “Yeah.”
“Sounds like you might need a break from your dad. My friend who dropped me off and I were planning on going to a party in the Jag area tonight… if you want to come.” She shrugged. “You're more than welcome to join us. To get away.” She nodded to the house.
“The Jag area?” I questioned, ignoring her last comment. Jag. The word even sounded kinda risky. My kind of dangerous.
“Yeah, all the rich kids live there,” she stated. “So, you up for coming? I can take you and bring you back. Well, one of us can.” She rolled her eyes. “If I don’t have anything to drink. Do you drink?”
That was an easy question. I wouldn’t ever again drink. “Nope.”
Her face broke out into a grin. “Good, you know how to drive?”
My eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Yes.”
“Even better. You know how to work a GPS on a car?”
I had a suspicion that I might be the designated driver tonight. “Yeah…”
“Well, I'm going to plug in the address back here so if I'm not able to, you can drive us home.”
This sounded like they were using me, but I wasn’t bothered. If I could get into a party and have a thrill or two, I wouldn’t mind driving them back.
“Okay, you have a deal.”
She gave a satisfied smirk. “Good. Come on over at seven.”
I agreed and went back to my house as she walked over to hers. I glanced at my phone and realized I had nearly all day to prepare for seven.
Around lunch time, Dad brought food; he found a healthy sandwich shop when he went out for a few. Most likely spying on Mom’s parents. When he came back,
we sat on the floor in the front living room and ate.
“So the girl down the street, she seemed nice,” he started.
“Mm-hm, she invited me to go out tonight with her friends. They’re going to do some bowling downtown at a pizza place,” I lied. “She's nice.”
My dad's eyes narrowed, disbelieving. “Bowling, huh? I never took you for the bowling type.”
I shrugged, ate a sliced pickle that fell out of my sandwich, then laid on the guilt. “Beggars can't be choosers. I need to make friends and if bowling is what I have to do, then so be it.”
He grimaced, getting my jab. “I guess you're right. So are you asking if you can go, or are you telling me you're going?”
I cocked my head to the side and asked, “Daddy Dearest, can I go?”
He wiped his face with a napkin to cover a grin and shoved it back in the bag. “Yeah, you can go but don't stay out too late, because I need you to be rested to help unload the truck in the morning.”
I pouted. “I thought I wasn't supposed to do heavy lifting or hard work.”
“Yes,” Dad answered in a patronizing tone, “but you can get the light stuff.”
“True,” I leaned over to kiss my Dad's cheek. “Thanks.”
He cleared his throat. “Welcome.”
I got up and took my leftovers to the trash and waited for it.
“Don’t forget to check your levels!” Dad called out.
I smirked and peaked around the wall back into the front living room where he sat. “I won’t.”
Chapter Three
Of all the places the party could be held, Novalee, and her friend Cass, and I arrived at an upscale neighborhood… in Blackfoot. A place where no one ever stays long.
The party was already pumping as we parked in the grass of the large lawn where others had done the same and strode up to the massive home that looked like it was built for a governor. Gray pillars framed out the stained glass front entry door as window after window showed tons of people inside.
“How do they get away with this?” I asked as my blood started to beat with the music.
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