Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? (Granite Hills)

Chapter 3

        I unpacked all my boxes of clothes. My parents say this place was a steal and they had money to blow. Not to mention all the money they got for selling all our old furniture! They decided to be the best parents ever and give me a cut of the profits. Two hundred dollars now sit in my top right draw for safe keeping.

        I'll probably spend it all on cute sweaters and tights and boots and things for my new school in the fall. As of right now the weather is actually pretty warm for Alaska. I thought it would be really, really cold like in all the pictures, but it isn't really. Of course the wind almost constantly has a chill to it, but the sun is out a lot more than I thought it would be.

        After trotting around barefoot on the stone tiles downstairs I realized the floor isn't as cold as I expected it to be. It's actually really warm. I walked up to my Dad, who was fussing around with the fireplace in the living room and asked him, "Why aren't any of the windows and tiles cold?"

        "The heating system keeps the house warm. There is a furnace that's a part of the house's foundation. It has these clear pipes that hold some type of chemical in it that heats up easily. The pipes are laced into the glass also," he said in one big heap of information.

        "Did you just dumb that down for me?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

        "No, I just forgot all the technical words for those things," he said getting up and plopping down on the sofa.

        "Mom!" I yelled walking into my parents' room. "Can we go shopping?"

~~

        "I think you'll really like it here," she said putting down a dress I shook my head "no" to.

        "It's just that this place is in the middle of no where. It took us about a half hour to get to this mall, and I'm about to enter a new school in a new place. What if I don't do as well as everyone expects me to?" I whined.

        "Honey, you'll be okay. Your dad and I have been looking at this place for a long time and we really like it. You only have to be here a year and the school will really take you places. This place has sent scholars and athletes into this world that have been made a part of history now. I don't know how they do it, but every student to graduate from Granite Hills are guaranteed a spot in any college they choose. We really want that for you because you deserve nothing less," she replied.

        Well, that shut me up. I bought 15 sweaters and 3 pairs of boots. I also bought a shit load of tights. They were like 5 bucks a piece!

        I spotted a Barnes and Noble and mom handed me a list of books I'll need in the fall. They'll have me taking college courses, so I guess I'll need college books. Mom says they want us to own them so that we could do what we want with them, like highlight things or dog ear pages, or write in them. They also guarantee that we'll still need them in college. She just gushed on and on about all the things they will teach me about life and college, and about how a smaller school will make my experiences here better. I just couldn't stop her, she seemed too excited. My stomach had to remind her that we needed to eat. 

        As I crossed the doorway into the promised land there was a ding. "Welcome to Barnes and Noble," said an old lady at the counter. I smiled and continued to the academic section of the shelves.

        I took a whiff of the fresh printed scent that seems to be in every book store ever. I love books and reading. It's just something about feeling like I'm in someone else's shoes that makes me feel refreshed when I return to my reality, ready to face whatever lies there because, it can't be worst than death threats or cheating boyfriends with serial killer mothers. I've never read anything with that exact story plot, but wouldn't it be awesome?