Believe

Chapter One: The Beginning

It was a perfect day. I was next to the beach, listening to the waves crashing against the shore and the gulls crying in the sky. It was not a day for swimming at the beach because it only about sixty degrees. There was a strong breeze coming off the blue-green sea in front of me and I could see a storm on the horizon. The storm was not close enough to hear the thunder or see the lightning, but close enough for the wind to be cool and to be able to smell the sea and the rain mixed.


         The shore of the beach is rocky. The only sand on the entire beach is about three feet away from the ocean. The rocks were worn smooth and round so it did not hurt to stand or sit on them. The smallest rock in the entire area was about as big around as the palm of my hand.


         I am sitting on one of the tallest rocks, facing the ocean, watching the storm come slowly in. Strong gusts of wind makes the trees along the shoreline bend and rustle louder than the ocean for just a few seconds, and then they settle back down into their original state.


         The breeze tugs playfully at my hair and pulls it back away from my face. I cannot help but smile because it has been a perfect day in Oregon. The new school year had just begun. I had managed to make a few new friends and I had not had to sit alone the first lunch of the school year. All and all it was a wonderful day.


         However, there was one person who stood out in my mind. One person who stood out in front of the many people at my new school, he was as mysterious to me as the sea. I had always been able to tell what each person was just by looking at them. They all were like an open book…except for him.


         “Gabby,” I heard the wind whisper. “Gabby.”


         The storm had come closer then I realized. The thunderheads had almost blotted out the sun, I had just begun thinking I had better start my long walk back when all of the sudden I hear the rocks grind behind me. I turn to see what made the noise and almost fall of my high perch.


         “Gabby,” again I heard the eerie voice whisper. “Gabby.”


         “Gabby!” I heard my mom say. “Gabby, wake up. We are landing.”


         I groggily looked around at my surrounds. At first I was confused then I remembered that my mom and I were on a plane. We were going to our new home in Oregon. I felt myself being jostled along the runway and I sat up straight in my chair. Nervousness hit my stomach.


         “Honey, are you okay?” My mom placed her hand on my back. “You look a little pale.”


         “Yeah, yeah.” I looked at my mom and smiled a little. “I am fine.”


         “You didn’t have another nightmare did you?” My mom’s face was concerned. The plane had stopped moving and people were starting to move around.


         “No, actually I didn’t.” I looked out the window at the bright green foliage of Oregon. I had been having the same dream for the past month. It was always the same. The beach, the storm, the rocks, everything was the same. I had told my mom and she had said it was just my mind trying to get rid of my nightmares. I shuddered as my nightmare overtook my vision. A sterile hospital room and a heart rate monitor slowing to a prolonged beep.


         “The beach?” My mom asked and I nodded my response. We were pushed into the landing dock. My mom quickly grabbed our carry-on luggage and got off the plane. She hurried me down to the baggage pick-up area. We waited in a group of pushy people and tried to get our luggage. Our plane had left at six a.m. from Bloomington, Illinois, but it was only about seven-thirty in Oregon. I never failed to be amazed at time zones. I was still groggy from my nap on the plane, so pushy people were the last thing I wanted to deal with.


         We finally got our rental car. I sat quietly in the car as my mom finished putting in the last of the luggage into the trunk. Not that being quiet was unusual for me. I had been fairly silent since the accident.


         “Ready?” My mom smiled at me and I nodded, not wanting to talk. My mom had decided it would be best if we moved. She thought it may be the cure to my depression. Really, all it did was heighten my apathy. I didn’t really care about anything anymore.


         “Honey,” my mom, Marie, looked over at me concerned. Her curly, reddish-brown hair was pulled into a low pony tail and her bright blue eyes met mine. “I am worried about you. You can’t be like you were at home. You lost every single one of your friends. You need to snap out of it.”


         “Yeah,” I stared out the window. I fought to not roll my eyes. She could say that. None of my friends had even tried to help me. They had just left me alone after my dad had died.  I had no one. I hadn’t wanted to talk to my mom about it. I didn’t want to see her cry. “I know.”


         “Do you?” I could hear the frustration in my mom’s voice. “Gabby, we both lost your dad. We are both in a hard spot right now, but not talking is not helping anything.”


         “I know Mom, okay? I get it.” I tried to calm the anger I felt welling up inside of me and fought the hard lump that had formed in my throat at my mom’s mention of my dad. Even though I felt angry, I knew I would never act on it. I didn’t want to cause my mom any more stress that she already had.  “I am going to try. I really am.”


         “I hope so.” My mom watched the road and crinkled her brow. “I really do.”


         I sighed. “Mom, I am sorry. It’s just…I am a little confused right now. I will figure it out. I promise you I will try to be more like my old self. I swear.”


         “Good.” I heard tears in my mom’s voice. “I miss the girl you use to be. You use to be so happy and outgoing. Now you are so quiet.”


         I placed one of my hands on my mom’s. “I am sorry Mom. It will be different. Moving should help.”


         “I’m glad that we moved. I can feel the ominous cloud lifting just a little,” said my mom as she pulled onto the interstate. I rolled my eyes at her comment. Ominous cloud…I was trying to be more like myself, but all I kept thinking were sarcastic comments. I knew I should have been happy and considered myself lucky that my mom had been able to find a job.


         My mother was a news anchor.  She was a really good news anchor, so the town had jumped at the chance to hire her. They thought it would bring some much needed publicity to their area. Not that we would be living in a tourist trap.  Nope, we would be living in a very small town about fifteen miles from my mom’s work. My mom had thought it would be best for me to live in a rural area instead of the hustle and bustle of a city. She hoped it would bring me more comfort since it was what I was used to.


         We drove through and by many small towns and villages on the way to our new home, and I couldn’t help but notice that everything was extremely green. It was all so pretty to me. At least my mom had not been transferred to the desert.  I don’t think I would have liked living there. Everything was dead and that was something I did not want to be reminded of.


         “You have been awfully quiet, sweetie. Why don’t you tell me what is bothering you? It helps, it really does.” My mom told me as she drove, her eyes glancing at me occasionally. I knew she was trying to get me to open up. My mom had always talked before my dad had died, I told her everything. Now I felt like I needed to hide the fact I was hurt, I needed to be strong. I needed to be strong for my mom.


         She always had people to talk to. She had her coworkers and me, but I was too afraid that if I started to say something she would burst into tears. I didn’t want to talk about it at school. I didn’t figure anyone really wanted to know. Plus, I didn’t want to unpack all my grief onto one of my friends. So I kept it to myself and dealt with it the best way I could. I cried at night, when I was sure that my mom was sleeping, and I did not talk about it with anyone.


         “I was just admiring the scenery.” I said with the best smile I could manage. My smile obviously was not very convincing because my mother spoke again.


         “Sweetheart…I don’t know what to do. I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me.”


         “Mom, I’m alright…really.” I assured her.  My mom gave me a stern look.          “Listen, I already promised I’d try and be like my old self. I’ll make some friends here and try and keep in touch with my old friends. I‘m just a little tired from our trip, that‘s all. Are we almost to our new home?”


         I knew one of my mom’s main concerns was I would be an outcast at my new school because I had become so introverted. She was afraid I would have no one to talk to. My friends had tried to talk to me for about a month after my father died, but when I did not respond, they gave up. They stopped calling and they stopped associating with me at school.


         Do not get the wrong idea about me. I did not start wearing black, or go out and get my tongue pierced. Not like there is anything wrong with that, it’s just not what I did. I was still my normal self except for the fact I did not want to talk to anyone. The most I ever talked was the last week of school when I had told everyone I would be leaving and to answer any questions they had. At first they were so surprised I was talking they did not say anything, but slowly the questions came. They tried to treat me the same, but they could not succeed. They always threw me sideways glances when they thought I was not looking, whispered when my back was turned. I knew I had turned into a different person, but I was not there long enough to care. I made a personal pledge to myself to start over with the clean slate I had been given. I could still mourn my dad, but be my normal self. So far it had not been working very well.


         “We will be at our new home soon.” My mom pulled off the main road and onto a smaller road I assumed would lead to our new home town. I stifled a groan as I saw the name of the town.


         “Deadstone Creek? That doesn’t send very happy images through my head, Mom.” I grumbled as I looked out the window at the tiny town. From what I could see of the town it was very cute and orderly. The houses looked very large and old. It was a beautiful little town.


         “I know it isn’t a great name, but the town is just adorable! The houses are so beautiful too, wait till you see ours,” my mom defended. I could tell she was excited. She sat up straighter in her seat and was driving with both hands on the steering wheel. I was glad that she was excited about something. It had been a long time since I had seen that particular twinkle in mom’s eye.


         We followed the road all the way through town and turned right. We drove onward down a twisting road amidst the tall poplar, elm, oak and giant sequoia trees. The road sloped gently upwards and then went steeply into a valley.  I could tell we would be living in the woods.  It did not bother me, it meant I had something to explore. It was something to occupy my mind with.


         The road was straight and flat for about a mile, before my mom tuned onto a gravel road. I assumed this was our new driveway. The driveway was long and gradually climbed a small rise. The drive was surrounded by a multitude of trees and I wondered if our house would also be surrounded by them.


         Then I saw it. It sat on the crest of the hill, for almost an acre circle around it there were no trees, only soft grass.  It was a Victorian mansion, and was one of the prettiest houses I have ever seen. The house was white with green shutters and roof. There was a huge wraparound porch and even a round gabled tower on the side.  It was everything I ever dreamed my house of being except for one thing.


         “Mom…who’s car is that?” I asked pointing at a blue pickup truck near the house.


         “Well this house is actually made for two families.” My mom replied, smiling at me sheepishly. “It’s not like a duplex or anything. It’s just made for a much bigger family than two people. There is an old couple who lives here and needed help affording the place and I couldn’t find us a house of our own. Nothing was on the market. So, they decided to rent out part of their house to us. It was such a beautiful house and the people were so nice, I decided to take it.”


         “It is a beautiful house.” I said as we pulled up and I got out. I couldn’t believe my mom had failed to tell me we would be living with other people. My temper flared slightly, I had always had a quick temper. I had kept it under control since my dad died. I did not want my mom to have to worry about me turning into an angst ridden teenager. She had enough on her plate at the moment.


         “I’m glad you like it.”  My mom got out of the car and stretched. “There is just one more little thing. You know the couple that lives here? Well they have a grandson that lives with them too. He has lived with them ever since his parents died years ago.”


         “They what?’  I asked staring at mom from over the hood of our rental car.


         “They have a grandson who lives with them. I figured it wouldn’t really be a problem, you don’t really like to talk to people anyway.”


         By people, I knew she meant boys.  At age seventeen I had never had a boyfriend, or my first kiss. I knew this bothered my mom, when she was my age all the guys had been calling her trying to get her to go out with them. She was disappointed when the same thing did not happen to her own daughter. I couldn’t exactly help I was not anything guys looked for in a girl. I mean, I was pretty, but I was also opinionated, aggressive, and independent. Most of the time guys didn’t really want that.


         “Why didn’t you tell me we would be living with other people before hand?” I asked as I went around back to start unpacking the bags. I was trying not to be angry, but my mother had known full well that I didn’t associate with people very well anymore.


         “Well, you aren’t very gracious when you first meet people, especially when you know they are going to be there. It’s like you lock yourself up and don’t come out until the people are gone.” My mom said, pulling out a duffel bag out of the back seat. My mom should have been a therapist, but it had not been in the cards so she just married one. Her and my dad had been the perfect couple. It was still sad to for me to see her all alone and to hear her cry. They had loved each other more than anyone I had ever known. I know she would give anything to be with him again or see him one last time. Just to say how much she loved him. I felt tears welling up in my eyes and told myself to stop thinking.


         “Oh,” was all I said to my mother as I picked up a couple duffel bags and I started toward the house.  I didn’t want her to see the tears, I knew she would want to talk to me then and that is something I did not want to happen on my first day in a new place.


         Just as my mother and I started up the steps a little woman hobbled out of the front door. She was the prettiest old woman I had ever seen. She had wrinkles that surrounded her mouth and her eyes. Her long snow white hair pulled up into a tight bun at the back of her head and her eyes were the brightest blue I had ever seen. Despite the wrinkles, she put off an air which made her seem years and years younger.


         The old woman was shorter than me by at least eight inches, and I was only five eight. She smiled up at me, causing her wrinkles to deepen and her white teeth to glint in the sunlight. To my disappointment she was perfectly normal with the exception of her beauty. She had on a pair of white pants and a black shirt with beading around the neck. 


         “Hello,” she said in a melodic voice. It was low, but still very feminine. “I’m glad you both made it fine. I’ll get Wallace and Euan to help you with your bags.”


         “No,” I said automatically. I didn’t want a person overload before I was ready. Besides if she was beautiful I couldn’t imagine what her husband and grandson must look like. “I’ll just get the rest if you don’t mind.”


         My mom stared at me in disbelief. I was in a sort of surprised myself. I had never been so rude before. I had not just refused her help. I had also said ‘no’ with a nasty, quarrelsome tone. Even to my ears it sounded harsh and snotty. I instantly felt bad.


         “I’m…I’m really sorry.” I stuttered.  She stared at me with her startling blue eyes. Her stare was not hostile or cruel.  She just seemed to be searching for something. She seemed to be trying to look deep into my mind. I did not look away from her blue gaze, but she made me feel very odd.  She continued to stare at me for a moment longer before she spoke.


         “It’s alright dearie, I’m assuming it was a pretty hard trip.” The woman smiled first at my mom, then at me. “You’ll be staying in the tower room is that all right? Is that okay with you dear?”


         “The tower room,” I asked. I had always wanted a tower room, but my voice just sounded bored and sullen. I really had no idea what had gotten into me. “That‘s fine, were is it at?”


         “It is up the staircase to the right, the third door down.” The old woman said, smiling again. “I’ll take your mom into the kitchen and get her some tea, you said you have everything…are you sure dear?”


         “Yes.” I sounded monosyllabic. I picked up the two duffels bags I had set down to greet the woman.


         “Oh, dear me, I have forgotten to introduce myself haven’t I? Well, I’m always doing things like that! I ’m sorry, my name is Eleanor McCready.” She held out her hand to me. I took it tentatively and shook it. It was a warm, friendly handshake that reminded me a lot of when I use to hold hands with my grandmother.


         “I’m Gabriella.” I said softly, feeling horrible for my behavior.


         “Gabriella? What a pretty name. Well Gabriella, I just made a fresh batch of cookies. Feel free to come and get some after you are done unpacking. Marie?” She asked turning to my mother. “Are you ready to go get some tea? Maybe you and I can have a few of those cookies as well.”


         I followed them indoors and could not help but stare. The inside was just as beautiful as the outside. The parlor I was standing in was paneled and floored in a warm honey brown wood and was lit by a magnificent chandelier. There was an enormous staircase that was carpeted in red and opened up at the bottom. It was the same wood that the parlor was made of.


         I made my way up the staircase and turned right, the upstairs was finished in the same wood as the downstairs and the hall was decorated with pictures of people in the woods or riding horseback. I counted the doors and opened the third one and saw a wrought iron staircase and started up it. I opened the door at the top and gasped, my room was perfect.


          It was the biggest bedroom I had ever seen. My bed was on the west side of the room covered in a blue and white quilt. I had a dresser across the room from my bed with a mirror over top of it. My room was the color of pale sunshine and right under a window facing north east was a window seat. I put down the things I had been carrying and ran to the window seat. I kneeled down and looked over then window; there was just one thing I wanted to see. I gasped as I found what I had been looking for. Over the tops of the trees, I could just barely see the ocean.


         I do not know how long I sat there staring at the ocean, but I know I did not look away until I heard someone clear their throat behind me. My head spun around to see who the newcomer was in my room. I saw a tall man; he had to be six foot three, with snow white hair and green eyes. He had the same youthful expression and air that Eleanor had.  I assumed this was her husband. He was just as handsome as she was beautiful. The man was looking at me curiously. It was not until then I noticed he had the rest of the bags I had forgotten about.


         I jumped up quickly and crossed the room to take the duffle bags and suitcases from him. He allowed me to take the two smashed between his forearms and his sides and set the others he was carrying in his hands down on the floor.


         “I am assuming that you are Marie’s daughter?” He stuck out his hand. I looked up at the man; I thought that he had some sort of accent, Irish maybe?


         “Yes, I am Gabriella Macintosh,” I said shaking his hand. “I am very sorry. I forgot all about the other things, I was distracted. I was staring at the ocean.”


         “It’s alright, I don’t mind. I wanted to help. When Eleanor told me that you requested no assistance I was rather put out.” The old man smiled. I smiled back, the first real smile in seven months. He had the kind of smile that made you want to smile back. I just could not help it. It was like it tugged at the corners of my mouth until it turned into a smile, I was one of the oddest sensations I had ever felt. It wasn’t all that unpleasant though, I could get use to it. I looked up at the man and smiled wider.


         “Well you must be Wallace then, right?” I said, picking up the suitcases and started sorting through the clothes. The suitcase looked like mainly my mom’s clothes, but I had to check and make sure.


         “Yes, that is right. Euan is my grandson and I am afraid we are the only people in this house besides you and your mother.” Wallace said looking at me with the same penetrating stare his wife had fixed me with earlier. Again I felt the same sensation like he was trying to look deep into my mind. I stared back at him for a while before breaking the awkward silence with a question.


         “Are you from Ireland?” I asked, looking at him.


         “I’m sorry?” Wallace jumped slightly when I asked him the question.


         “Are you from Ireland?” I took a few of my mom’s clothes out to find a pair of my pants. What had just happened with him? Did he have some kind of fit? Maybe he had a mild case of epilepsy or something.


         “Oh,” said Wallace visibly shaking himself. “Yes, I am from Ireland. Gabriella? Supper will be served promptly at six-thirty.”


         “I will be downstairs at six-twenty-five.” I said pulling out a couple of my shirts and folding them. When I looked up, Wallace had gone. He must have slipped out shortly after I had gotten done talking. At least, I hoped he wasn’t rude enough to leave while I was talking.


         I looked around my room for a clock and saw it right above the light switch next to my door. It said it was four-thirty. I sighed and started to unpack. It took me for what seemed like forever to sort all the clothes out and then take my mom’s clothes to her room. I then put all of my clothes up in my new dresser and went back to sit on the window seat.  The view there was breathtakingly beautiful to me. When I turned to look at the clock it said that it was five-thirty


         I sighed as I got up and went into the bathroom that adjoined my room. I looked in the bathroom mirror at myself. I had auburn hair that fell halfway down my back and curled slightly at the end. My eyes were a deep blue and I had clear skin with a few freckles dotting my nose. I brushed my hair and put a little cold water on my face, then deemed myself presentable enough to go downstairs. I wanted to see about those cookies Eleanor had talked about.


         I walked downstairs into the parlor just as someone was leaving. I saw the person put on a leather jacket and pick up something from the small table next to the door. The person slammed the door shut and a few seconds later I heard an engine rev. I continued to look at the door for a little bit, assuming the person who just left to be Euan. He seemed in a big hurry to leave; maybe he had some sort of summer job he was late for.


         I looked around the parlor for a door and found one to the left of me. I opened it and felt my jaw start to drop, but clamped it closed before anyone could see. Inside the door was a very ornate and impressive dining room. In the center of the room was a long maple dining table that looked like it could seat at least twelve people. The room had a fire place on the east side of the room and a window that took up most of the wall on the north side of the room. The walls were painted a burgundy red with a gold ceiling which had a gold chandelier in the center of it. 


         I went through a door at the end of the dining room, assuming that it led to the kitchen. My assumption was correct and I saw Eleanor bending down to pull something out of the oven. The smells of some kind of cooked meat wafted over to my nose, it had been a long time since my mother had felt like cooking any kind of home-made meal.


         “You have a very beautiful house. “ I said, going to the large circular table that was in the center of the kitchen. The kitchen was a huge room with an old looking fireplace at one end and the oven and dish washer one the other. It looked like something straight out of the eighteen hundreds.


         “Thank you,” Eleanor poked whatever she was cooking with a fork and then stuck it back in the over to look at me. She smiled softly as she took off her oven mitts and sat across from me. “How do you think you will like it here?”


         I felt a strange tugging in the pit of my stomach, the same kind of tug I had felt up in my room when I had smiled at Wallace. I opened my mouth to say that I thought I would like it alright.


         Instead I said, “I don’t really know yet. I am kind of worried about school and everything, but the house is so beautiful it might make it a little easier. It seems like a very peaceful place. It is a really big change and I am both excited and unhappy about it. I sort of wish I could have stayed in the comfort of my old home, but mom swore we needed a change.”


         Eleanor smiled even wider. ‘Oh, don’t worry I’m sure you will do fine at school. Your mother tells me you are a very good student. I’m sure Euan wouldn’t mind showing you around either. Have you met my grandson yet?”


         “No, I think I just saw him leave though. Is he tall with dark hair?” I asked. I couldn’t believe how much I was actually talking to Eleanor. It felt good to actually talk.


         “Now why would he go and do that? He knows that dinner will be ready soon. As a matter of fact, I need a little help around this kitchen tonight. Would you mind helping?”


         Cooking was one of my favorite things to do, I agreed to help. Eleanor and I finished up dinner and I helped serve it to my mother and Wallace. Dinner was quiet, but relaxing. I was starting to think that maybe living here would not be such a bad thing. I still had not met Euan, he had not come back for dinner, but I was sure he could not be that bad if is grandparents were so nice.


         After I helped Eleanor bring the dishes back into the kitchen, she shooed me away and told me I should go to bed. My mom told me the same. They both agreed that I would want to explore or do something tomorrow. I consented and went up to my room. I did feel pretty tired.


         I did not fall asleep at first though. I sat there thinking about the people I was now going to be sharing my life with. Eleanor and Wallace were nice and they reminded me a lot of my dad’s parents. They had died when I was about ten, but the memories I had of them were happy.


         My thoughts turned to the boy I had seen leaving the house earlier that day. My heart did a double beat in my chest. Maybe the McCready’s grandson was the boy from my dream, the one I couldn’t put with any of the groups at school. My heart settle down into a normal rate as reality hit me. My dream was just that…a dream. There was nothing real about it at all.


         I flipped restlessly onto my side and stared out the window from my bed. I could still see the many stars shinning in the sky, I wondered if I had experienced one of the few nice days in Oregon. We did live kind of close to northern California, I had checked the atlas in the rental car, but I did not know if it was close enough not to see all the storms that seemed to cover this state. I turned onto my back and stared at the ceiling then looked at the clock, it read eleven-twenty. By rights I should have been asleep a long time ago back at home.


         I decided to get up and get a glass of warm chocolate milk. It always helped me fall asleep. I crept slowly down my staircase and opened up the door to the second landing. I could see that the big chandelier in the parlor was still on and I could hear voices. The voices were faint, so I guessed they were downstairs. I crept close to the banister and looked down.


         “Why did you allow them to stay here without consulting me?” Snapped a voice I had never heard before.


         “Why do they have any reason to bother you, Euan?” The voice of Eleanor asked. I could see Eleanor and Wallace standing side by side facing a boy that had to be Euan. I could only see the tops of their heads, so I wasn’t able to get a very good look at him. I could tell that Euan was angry.  He seemed to fill the room below me. Eleanor and Wallace held their ground against him.


         “I could have at least prepared!” Euan hissed. It seems as if I wasn’t the only person that had not known I would be living with other people. “Why didn’t you warn me about the girl?”


         The girl? That had to be me! Why would he need warning of me? It wasn’t as if I was toxic or anything.


         “We didn’t know about her either.” Eleanor stared down her grandson. In the few hours I had known Eleanor I had not seen an angry glare, but I was defiantly seeing one now. “And as far as I know neither does her mother.”


         Not known about me? How could they have not known about me? Surely my mom would have stated I would be living here too, or else they would not have made up the bedroom.


         “I don’t think I can possibly drive to school with her every day” Euan seemed to be cooling down a bit, but I was just starting to heat up. I had always had a quick temper and him saying he couldn’t ride to school with me made it flare. I hadn’t even met him! How could he possibly know that he couldn’t ride to school with me?


         “You can and you will.”Eleanor firmly said. “She has no idea about anything and she barely talks. I couldn’t even get a proper reading on her when she came up the front steps. In fact, I couldn’t get a reading on her at all.”


         Reading? What did that mean? The whole conversation was making me uneasy now.


         “I couldn’t get one either when I went up to put the bags in her room. She was very quiet at dinner. If she knew what was going on, she would have left a subtle hint.” Wallace looked at Eleanor and Euan. “She will not be able to find out anything if we say nothing about it.”


         “Then how do you explain how she knew your name?” Euan looked at Wallace.


         “We do not know Euan, but we will all have to be excruciatingly careful.” Eleanor stated sternly.


         ‘It’s also extremely probable she guessed my name.” Wallace stared at Euan. “Just because we cannot read her and she guessed a name doesn’t make her anything special…yet.”


         ‘There is something. I can feel it.” Eleanor looked her husband square in the eye. “No doubt about it. There is something about her…we’ll just have to wait and see what it is.”


         But she…I can tell…” started Euan but his grandmother cut him off


         “Euan, you are just going to have to suffer through it, there is nothing we can do. She does not know about herself and we can’t do anything until she finds out for herself. You know the Law. You can suffer through a few car rides, it will be worse if anyone finds out. Besides,” said Eleanor, her voice taking on a softer tone. “the drive to the school is only five minutes, shorter, the way you drive.”


         Euan just shook his head and said, “I am going to avoid her as long as possible. I am going to bed, goodnight.”


         Euan turned and started up the stairs with his head down. I quickly looked around for a place to hide. Lucky for me there was a small closet right next to the stairs.  I quickly got up and hid inside. I heard Euan’s foot falls fade away a listen to make sure that neither Eleanor nor Wallace would come up the stairs. When I didn’t hear any more footsteps I opened the door slowly and peeked out. Outside the closet was completely dark and the silence pressed against my ears as I made my way back to my bedroom, milk forgotten.


         I went up my staircase in daze thinking about the conversation I had just heard. It was blatantly obvious the McCready’s had something to hide, the question was, what was it? Maybe Eleanor and Wallace were some sort of secret agents, I knew that they profiled people and that may classify as ‘reading’. That didn’t explain Euan’s animosity toward me though or the fact that I was somehow involved


         Maybe the McCready’s were serial killers that lured unsuspecting people into their trap by saying the victim could live with them. That explanation didn’t explain the whole part of the conversation about me either. They had to have known I was coming or else my room would not have been made up.


         I flopped down onto my bed and pulled the covers on overtop of me, suddenly very tired. I could hardly keep my eyes open, let alone my thoughts straight.


         “Tomorrow,” I said out loud, almost asleep. “Tomorrow I will find out what is going on.”