© Copyright 2012
All work is property of Leah Crichton, any duplication or reproduction of all or part of the work without explicit permission by the author is illegal.
Chapter Two
Aunt Gabby’s house was something straight from a Hollywood movie script. Rachel teased Alexa that she had a white picket fence upbringing, which was true, but the white picket fence was not literal. At Aunt Gabby’s house, it was.
The house was a tiny craftsman home. It was grey with black shutters; the yard was small but adequate and exceptionally maintained. A large cherry blossom tree sprawled directly outside the guest room window and lilies and gerber daisies sprung from randomly placed planters.
Alexa stopped for a moment to look at it, as she did every year and just like every year her admiration of the home was cut short by Thomas Edison, Aunt Gabby’s cat. The purr he possessed would rival a small engine and as the cat weaved himself through Alexa’s legs, she couldn’t help but giggle. She reached down and stroked his fur. “Thomas,” she said brightly, “I missed you.”
“He’s missed you too.” Alexa heard her aunt but couldn’t quite find her, until the brim of a straw hat appeared from behind the cherry blossom tree. She had weeds in her hands which were sheathed in garden gloves. “We both have.” Alexa smiled as Gabby came toward her with arms wide open. “How you doing, kiddo?”
“I’m great, Aunt Gabby,” she replied. “I’m really happy to be here.”
“Thomas and I are glad to have you,” Gabby said. “Go on inside and get settled. I’ll come and make you some iced tea in a few minutes.”
“Oh,” Alexa said. “That’s not necessary, I can make my own.”
“Nonsense,” Gabby objected. “I enjoy playing hostess when you’re here.”
“Okay,” she agreed. “I’ll see you inside in a few minutes.” With that, Alexa reached down and scooped Thomas Edison in her arms and pulled her suitcase up the walk behind her. The wheels to her luggage rolled across the pavement, but Thomas Edison was still louder.
She made her way directly into the guestroom and set the cat down. He did a full circle, and flopped on the bed, resting his head on his paws and looking up at her. It took only minutes for her to have everything placed in the top two drawers of a dresser. Rachel was right. Her wardrobe was lacking.
She grabbed the zebra print scarf and ran it through her fingers before securing it to a hook beside the window. Looking out at the neighborhood, Alexa smiled. She’d always felt like Gabby’s home was her own and she was genuinely happy to be there.
A couple strolled by holding hands. They stopped, almost directly in front of her window and she shrunk back a little, wanting to remain unnoticed. The boy smiled. He must have said something funny, because the girl threw her head back in laughter and her free hand fluttered to her heart, like she’d hold his words there forever. He moved closer to her and kissed her.
Alexa sighed and wondered what it might be like to have someone look at her that same way, like no one else in the world mattered. What it might feel like to belong to someone. She shook her head as if to dislodge the ridiculous thoughts. She needed to focus on school and nothing else. Her life was complicated enough without any distractions.
Fuckin’ handcuffs. Always with the bracelets. Sawyer twisted his wrists in an effort to loosen them. It was no use; he knew better. In his twenty years on the planet he was well acquainted with them. The damned things stuck like glue and there was no escape. The Bailiff had a death grip on his elbow and was steering him like cattle, it was really starting to piss him off.
