The Auction

Chapter 2

The first thing I noticed about Danville was the corn. As expected, there were a lot of cornfields as we drove into town — and I mean a lot. The second thing I noticed was the ludicrous amount of construction projects spread throughout the town. Before they could even hope to improve anything, they made the roads pretty sketchy. There was actually a dip in one of the roads that was similar to a tiny cliff. I was surprised my dad — whose driving skills were questionable at best — didn’t drive right into it.

“I know this isn’t how you’d planned on spending your summer, but look on the bright side,” my dad said. “At least now you won’t spend the summer holed up in your room.”

“I like being holed up in my room. Who says I can’t spend it holed up in my room?” While I did spend a considerable amount of time in my room on Tumblr, it was clear my parents were unaware of just how often I left the house. Maybe that was for the best. I was already in enough trouble as it was; I didn’t need to sweeten the pot for them.

“Think of this as an adventure. Explore the town, make some friends, and above all, enjoy yourself. Make the best of this situation. Learn to expand your horizons.”

“My horizons are nice and compact. I’m good.”

“Just think about it.” The car stopped abruptly, causing my back to bang against my seat. “Well, we’re here. Welcome to your new home for the next couple of months.”

“At least my prison has air conditioning.”

I received a stern look in return, unsurprisingly. “Eliza.”

“Positivity. Making the best of this situation. Learning my lesson. Got it.”

"That’s my girl.” He reached over and ruffled my hair, much like you would do to a dog. If my self-worth hadn’t already been trampled beyond repair, I might have felt offended.

I gave him an unconvincing, tight-lipped smile and opened the door on my side. When he didn’t move, I raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you coming?”

“Your aunt and I don’t exactly get along. Unless you need help with your bags…” He trailed off, and he looked so unwilling to move out of his seat that I couldn’t help but laugh. And then my mom wondered why I was so anti-social. This was where half of my genes came from. This was the man who had raised me. No wonder I was so messed up.

“You can stay here.” I patted him on the arm before swinging my legs out. “See you in August. If I survive.” I hopped out and tried not to slam the door shut. I was taking the high road. I was still convinced my summer was going to royally suck, of course, but I didn’t want to make things any worse than they already were. I could sulk once he left.

Moments after I shut the car door, my aunt, uncle, and one of my cousins filed out to greet me. My dad couldn’t get out of there fast enough. I barely had enough time to take my bags out of the trunk, and I almost lost a finger. All of a sudden, I found myself surrounded by people I knew of but rarely interacted with, unfamiliar voices gushing in my ear about how excited they were to have me here, and how happy they were when my mom suggested the idea, and blah, blah, blah. I was surprised no one had mentioned the cow or the fire.

Maybe my mom had left that part out when she’d made the call, although surely, she had mentioned the disciplinary factor implicated in this impromptu summer vacation. No one in their right mind would believe that this was done of my own volition. This was clearly a punishment, as if 100 hours of community service wasn’t enough.

“Oh, you came on such a good day!” My cousin, Aimee, squeezed my shoulder and made me twitch. I wasn’t a very touchy-feely person, unlike literally every member of this family. I was going to die. “The fair opens today! It’s the first day, and the first day is always the best. You’re going to love it. There’s food, music, contests, games, and even an auction.”