Chrystalynn Chapter 2

Mykaila Jennings’ plane touched down at a private airstrip in the hill country of Texas. Mykaila looked out her window as a new life awaited her. She smiled as the sun rose over the mesquite and cedar covered hills which overlooked a pristine lake below.
The plane taxied down the runway and onto a side street. Mykaila watched in rapt attention as the plane taxied by home after home. Soon the plane pulled up to a sprawling one story limestone and brick home.
The airplane door opened and the stairs lowered. She then stood and gathered her belongings. The pilot stood at the foot of the stairs with her luggage at his feet and wished her good luck as she descended the stairs.
Mykaila smiled a weak apprehensive smile, took hold of her luggage and wheeled it behind her as she walked to the open door of the house. As she entered the door she heard the plane’s engines restart. She turned and watched the plane pull away from the house and taxi back down the street towards the runway. She turned and was greeted by an older Hispanic woman.
“Buenos Dias, Senorita Mykaila. Please come in and make yourself at home. I am Senora Lopez, but you can call me Maria. Let me take your bags and show you to your room.” Maria kindly offered.
Maria led Mykaila down a long hallway that led to a master bedroom, which overlooked the lake.
“Maria, this view is beautiful. It is so rustic.” Mykaila exclaimed with a thrill of starting a new life.
Mykaila began unpacking her suitcase as soon as Maria left. She pulled out her petit clothes and hung them in the closet. At five foot nine, Mykaila was very tall, but petit, and fragile looking. She had sunny blond hair with bright blue eyes. She marveled at the change in her appearance. She had been a brunette with green eyes, but a little dye and contact lenses made the transformation complete. They would have to really search to find her. She had made sure of that. She needed a good nap, but she was to keyed up to lay down and sleep.
Mykaila wandered to the kitchen and found Maria fixing a bite of breakfast.
“Maria, what is there to do in this part of the country?”
“There are beautiful lakes with lots of water sports, caverns to explore, museums and lots of great shopping in Austin and San Marcus, which were an hour to and hour and a half drive away. There is also, San Antonio to explore and lots of great little towns within a short driving distance, like Fredericksburg and Gruene. This is a exciting part of the country and I think you will enjoy it.” Maria said with a smile, “Here, have a quick bite to eat and then you can explore.”
“Maria, do I have a car available to me?” Mykaila asked as she took a bite of the breakfast taco that Maria had made for her.
“Of course, Senorita, there is a small SUV in the garage as well as a sports car. Your needs have been completely taken care of.” Maria explained.
“Thank you, Maria.” Mykaila said as she thought back to making the arrangements with her best friend. The only one, except the pilot, who knows she is still alive and where she is. She knew she could trust this woman with her life.

James’ plane touched down at a private airstrip in the hill country of Texas. He had never been to Texas and was somewhat curious as to what life would be like here.
A black limousine picked him up and whisked him to a condominium that was nestled into the side of a hill, high above Lake Travis. As he stepped into his condo, the view that met him took his breath away. He now lived in a fancy upper-class condo and would begin his new job as an accountant for a large accounting firm. Harry had somehow come up with a degree in accounting, so that he could work in his choice of careers. He was so excited to start doing what he had trained for during the last four years. It was ashamed his parents would never be able to see him graduate with his degree or realize his dream. He winced at the thought of his mom and dad mourning his death. He hated this, but it had to be done. It was for his protection as well as theirs.
James walked around the new condo. It was quite large with three bedrooms, a den, kitchen, dining room, living room, study loft and two bathrooms. The master bedroom was large with a floor to ceiling picture window looking out over the lake below. The scenery was so different from Boston, but he knew he was going to love living here. The condo was already furnished with a southwestern flair. It was rugged but still somewhat elegant. He walked into the kitchen and found that the cabinets had already been fully stocked.
He decided to unpack his few possessions that Pastor Ron had bought him. He opened the closet door and discovered, like the kitchen, it had already been stocked with a suit, some casual clothes and jeans, all in his size.
“Boy, Harry didn’t forget anything.” James said as he hung his few clothes in the closet. He knew that Harry had taken into account that the possessions he left in Boston would help cover the cost of these new possessions.
He was glad that he had a weekend to get acclimated to this new area. James headed downstairs to the garage, wondering if Harry had thought about transportation. If not, he would have to find a way to get a car. James opened the door and found a navy blue SUV sitting there gleaming.
“Wow, thank you, Harry. I’ll have to drive around and get a feel for where I live and how to get to work. I also need to find a new church.” James thought aloud.


After breakfast, Mykaila roamed around her large rambling house. The house had a large den decorated in western style, a large kitchen painted in yellow with lots of flowers, which gave it a look of a country garden. It also had a formal living room in a Spanish motif and a dining room with a similar design, a block paneled library with large comfortable leather wing-back reading chairs and floor to ceiling bookcases on two walls, a music room with a black grand piano which was draped with an Indian blanket, four guest bedrooms which were each decorated in different versions of country, American Indian, Spanish and her bedroom done in an elegant western style. She had a large bathroom with Jacuzzi bath and large walk in block glass shower. There was a swimming pool out back nestled amongst the mesquite, cactus and cedar trees. It was like an oasis in the desert.
Mykaila knew she would enjoy living here. Mykaila’s friend had thought of everything. She had even arranged for Mykaila to have a new job. Mykaila would be working as an interior decorator in nearby Marble Falls. She loved looking at different homes and had a real eye for decorating her own home. She also, loved helping people and seeing them happy. She hoped she would be able to pull this off.
After looking around, Mykaila decided that it was time to explore the countryside.
“Maria, I’m going to go out for a while. I’ll be back in time for dinner.”
Mykaila grabbed the keys to the SUV and a map of the region that was sitting next to the keys. She hopped in the SUV and pulled out of the garage. She had been warned to watch for taxing planes, which she was curious about. She drove slowly down the hill and turned right at the highway, heading for the small town of Marble Falls.
As Mykaila drove, she noticed the resorts that had popped up on the lake. She reached the highway that led into Marble Falls. She turned left and crossed the bridge over the Colorado River into downtown Marble Falls. She noted the cute little shops full of crafts and antiques as she descended into the quaint little town of Marble Falls. She drove a curving road up past B&BS and came to a major intersection. She decided to turn left and head towards Kingsland. As she drove out of Marble Falls, she passed the large granite quarry on the left. She marveled at the huge pink and gray blocks of granite. The two-lane highway twisted and turned through the rolling hills, which were dotted with cedars, mesquite and cactus. It felt so good to get out and just drive, free of worries and her fear for her life.


James crawled into his SUV and began driving. He wove his way around the winding road that skirted the hills and the lake. As he drove, he noticed the large houses tucked back into the hills. This was definitely a popular place to live. He hoped and prayed it would be a place where he could blend in and never be found.
James turned his SUV towards downtown Austin. He had heard a little about this capital of Texas and looked forward to exploring it.