Superficial

Hola everyone! I'm starting a new story out of the blue because I just like this idea. The first chapter is going to be pretty short, probably like a page long. But enjoy! comment, vote, like, tell me if you like it! :)

"Okay, that's the last box!" Al said cheerily as he plopped a stuffed cardboard box onto the shiny wood floor. His voice echoed throughout the big empty room.

"Finally..." I sighed, exhausted. We'd been unpacking since 6 a.m. A team of movers would have been nice. But no, Al had to teach me about being a 'savvy saver' and 'why pay someone to do something you're perfectly capable of doing yourself?'

"Oh, come on, Annabelle. It wasn't that bad. I'm real proud of you for being such a trooper through this whole thing. I know movin' away from all your old friends must have been hard."

All my old friends? Is that the impression you get, that I'm 'Miss Popular', when I spend every Friday and Saturday night at home reading or playing cards with you?

"But hey, sweet pie. You'll make lots of new ones, I promise! This is a pretty small town, so it's gonna be easy to meet people. Who knows, maybe you'll even find a nice boy to settle down-"

I laughed, interrupting him. "Uh, I don't think so, Al."

"What do you mean, 'I don't think so, Al?' Now, what boy in their right mind would pass up a cute lil' darlin' like you?" He rustled my dark brown hair and smiled that goofy, lopsided grin of his.

I giggled. Al was a great dad. No matter how much proof he had that I was a total friendless loser, he loved me to bits.

I liked spending time with Al, he was my best friend. My mom abandoned us when I was a baby; it's kind of a backwards version of the usual parent abandonment story, but I'm glad I was left with Al. He always took care of me and I never felt like I had to hide anything from him or lie to him or resent him. Al knew me better than anyone, and we were 'closer than two peas in a pod,' as he put it.

Al assumed I was devastated about the move, but honestly, I was excited about it. I loved exploring new places; I used to wander around in the woods with Al (and a compass) and find weird-looking rocks or leaves with crazy colors to bring home and put in my collection box. Besides, I wasn't exactly a socialite back in our old town. I didn't even have to say goodbye to anyone; I had no one to say goodbye to. I was only someone to fill that seat in the back corner; I don't think I would really be missed.

But I was okay with that. As long as I had Al to do crossword puzzles and play poker with, I was satisfied.

"Now how about we go get us some grub at the deli down the street. Maybe we'll even meet some new cronies," Al said. I laughed. "What? 'Cronies' isn't one of the cool new words?"

"I wouldn't know, Al. Come on, I'm starving."

He locked the front door with his new key and we hopped in the old pickup truck, me in the passenger seat, as always. I'd failed my driver's test nine times before finally giving up, so I had become one of the dorky seventeen-year-olds who needed a ride everywhere. But it's not like I ever had plans to go anywhere without my dad, so I guess it's not too much of a problem.

We drove down the dirt rode, the windows open and the sweet summer air whooshing across our faces. I watched the houses we passed, each of them different; some small, some big, all old and a little worn down, but that's how I liked it. The older, the more interesting.

I was admiring the way the trees looked in the sunshine when we drove by a huge, ancient victorian-style house.

"Wait, Al, stop the truck!" I said quickly, and he roughly brought the old pickup to an abrupt stop. We both leaned forward from the sudden halt.

"What? What? What's going on?" He said, his voice filled with concern.

I laughed. "Calm down, there's nothing to be worried about. I just wanted to look at that wicked house," I pointed out my window to the stately mansion we were stopped in front of. "See? Now, can you pull over so we don't get a ticket for sitting in the middle of the road?"

"A house? You made me stop right in the middle of the road for a house?" Al said, laughing, as he pulled the truck to the side of the road. "You're nuts, Annie. Nuts."

"I just want a closer look, that's all," I said. "Do we still have that old camera in the glove compartment? The one that prints out the pictures right after you take them?"

Al motioned to the compartment and said, "See for yourself."

I leaned forward, opening it, and there it was. "Awesome! I'll be right back." I popped open the door and jumped out, excited to capture this mysterious residence.

"Hey, Annie, I don't know if the people who live here will appreciate a stranger pullin' up and takin' a picture of their house." He chuckled.

"Ooh, I wonder who lives here. Maybe we'll meet them and they'll give me a tour of the house or something! Wouldn't that be cool, Al?" I said.

I positioned the camera just the right way, making sure to get in the creepy-looking bare branches and the iron cast gate. It seemed to have an owl in the design or something. How could this house get any better?

Snap. I smiled as I waited for the picture to print out, and shook it out once it did. I couldn't wait to see how it turned out.

The picture slowly started to appear, and it looked like I got the perfect shot.

"Okay, I'm done. You gotta see this, it's pretty nifty, Al." I said, climbing back into the truck and handing him the photograph. "The black and white coloring makes it seem even more spooky. I wonder if it's haunted."

Al smiled. "I've watched way too many horror movies with ya, haven't I?" I laughed. "It's a really good picture, Annie. Now, can we please go get some lunch? Without any random stops this time?"

"Alright, alright. Off to the deli we go!" I shouted and pointed forward with the enthusiasm of a toddler. Al chuckled and drove away.

When we finally arrived at the deli, I could feel my stomach grumbling. The smell of the food when we walked inside made my hunger even worse.

The deli was old-fashioned, with chrome accents every now and then and red leather booths. The floors were checkered black and white and the curtains were red plaid.

"Hi, can I help you?" A woman behind a podium asked as Al and I marveled at the neat design of the place.

"Table for two, please." I said, and she lead us to a booth next to a window. We were the only customers in there.

"Not a very busy day for ya, is it?" Al asked as the woman, who's nametag read 'Darcy,' gave us our menus.

"Yeah, we haven't been getting much business lately. My boss is thinking about shutting 'er down." She said, sighing.

"Really? Aw, that's a shame," Al responded, knitting his brows.

"I know. I've been working here for fifteen years; I don't know where else I'll get a job if this place closes down." She took out a notepad and pencil from her apron. It was probably supposed to be white, but I assumed many years of wear had turned it to a sort of cream color. "Hey, I don't think I've seen you folks around here before. Is this your first time in Marla's Deli?"

"Actually, we just moved here. I'm Al, and this is Annabelle."

"You can call me Annie." I said. I didn't like my full name, it sounded too girly.

"Well, nice to meet ya, Annie and Al. I'm Darcy. Welcome to Silverwood City."

I know it's only the first chapter, but what do you think? leave a comment! i want to hear your thoughts! i'm really excited about this, it's going to be kind of a thriller story. i've never written one like this before, so i'm going to need LOTS of feedback! keep reading! love ya! xo ~Maddy