The Rules of the Red - 2nd Edition |✓|

Chapter One, Part Two - Lone Wolf

At five p.m. sharp, my taxi was waiting. With a full stomach and a buzzing brain, I left the restaurant on the reliable arm of one of the doormen. Dinner had totaled to an astonishing $457.12 which the hostess insisted would be comped by the hotel. Despite her nasty attitude, I left her an eighty dollar tip with a smiley face on a napkin.

For a while, the cabby and I rode in silence as the car made its way through the town's winding streets. Every so often I could see the driver sneaking quick glances at me through the rearview mirror. But I ignored this-and chose instead to focus my thoughts on what had occurred over the past few months.

For one, I was no longer a foster kid. I was eighteen now, legally an adult, and on my own. While thoughts of college and busting my ass working two jobs just to survive on Ramen and Hot Cheetos had seemed like the norm, somehow, it just wasn't enough. So for a while I was... lost. I worked at a gas station to pay for a crummy studio apartment, drifting along in a sea of my own despair as the future loomed forbiddingly on the horizon. Then Mr. Talbot's letter appeared in the mail one day, and suddenly everything changed.

Once we reached the house on the hill, the cabby received his tip and the fare I had promised. With dollar signs for eyes, he took the money, tipping his hat while blowing smoke from the side of his mouth.

"Man, I love this neighborhood," he said.

I watched him drive away, suddenly overwhelmed and wondering if it wasn't too late to call him back. But I forced myself to watch his lights until they eventually disappeared.

In the house's shadow, I felt miserably out of place. With a sigh, I noticed that I could go no further than what the edge of the driveway allowed, deterred by the fact that the entrance to the property was secured by massive twin gates. They were wrought iron, black, and twisted into fancy shapes and designs. With a low approving whistle, I looked to the left and then to the right, noting how the gates extended into a tall fence that lined the entire edge of the property. Each of its bars ended in a pointed spike at the top-decorative of course, but they would surely be lethal to land on.

I walked up to the gate, wrapping my hands around its cold metal, and peered up at the house. Lights were on now in some of the windows on the lowest floor, letting me know that someone else had also anticipated my arrival. I took a deep breath, pressed the red button on the intercom, and spoke tentatively into the speaker.

"Um, hello? If anyone can hear this right now, my name is Naomi Noble. And I kind of live here now, I guess -"

"Miss Naomi, we were expecting you," said an older, female voice, coming clearly through the speaker. "Please, come in."

A moment later, there was a loud buzzing sound, followed by the click of a latch being unlocked as both halves of the giant gate swung soundlessly inwards. With a grim smile, I picked up my suitcase and began the trek up the long, winding drive. It was steep from the get-go, starting on an incline that continued to rise steadily. But I was in shape, toned from years of ditching cops, so I was able to spend more time appreciating the scenery than watching my breathing.

As I walked, I let my gaze sweep across the rolling, green lawn. The thick grass was well-manicured, and cut with a precision I knew was professional. Several rosebushes lined the sides of the house. Their leaves remained vibrant, but the red of their remaining blooms was already fading. The beautiful pecan and walnut trees stood at full blossom.