Legends Of Westbury

Chapter One

Kelly stared at the woman in front of her. Another therapist. Just someone else to tell Kelly she was crazy. When your five and see you mother take off in the middle of the night, it's okay to say she's going to find a long lost stone. When your ten it's okay it say that your mom is still alive. But the moment you turn eleven, your sent off to therapy. Of course Kelly had been in therapy sense she was five, but this was different. Instead of a consular to kindly tell the small child her mother was dead, that it was okay to create fantasies in your mind of her running away. But this time, they told the tall, gangly thirteen year-old that her mother was never coming back. That these fantasies were all in her head.

"Kelly. Kelly pay attention," the woman said. 

"Why. I already know what you're going to say: these fantasies of your mother being alive are unhealthy. She is dead. You need accept that and move on. That's what they all say. No one cares! No even listens to me! As soon as I say anything, you tell me 'It's not realistic.' Why should I pay attention to you when you don't pay attention to me," Kelly yelled.

She wanted to grab her backpack and run away. But she would be able to stand the look on her foster mom's face if she did. So she just stared.

"Fine then. You tell me what happened. I'll keep an open mind. I won't say anything," the therapist said, surprising Kelly.

"Okay. I couldn't sleep. I heard a noise in my parents room. I went to go see what was up. I walked in and saw my mom packing a suitcase. She saw me and told me and story about a stone that our family was supposed to protect. She told me that she was going to go look for. All I understood was that my mom was leaving. I was crying and she told me I was supposed to say she was dead. I said yes, not wanting to disappoint her. She left a note on her dresser, kissed me, and left. I saw through the window she was heading for the woods," Kelly said, looking the woman in the eyes.

"I think you're right. She did say all that to you. But I also think she was lying."

"Why would she lie to me about that?  Why she I had to say she was dead? Why didn't she was going on a trip? Why would she-"

A man popped his head in, "Ms. Walker, we need to talk."

The woman, or Ms. Walker, Kelly guessed, sent me out of the room. She walked to the blue car waiting for her. She got into the car and put in her earbuds. Kelly scrolled through the songs on her iPod. She put on a Katy Perry album. Before she could put down her iPod, Camren, her foster mom, pulled out her left earbud.

"How was it?" she asked.

"The same as always," Kelly sighed.

"Is Ms. Walker nice? Do you think she'll work out?"

Kelly noticed she used the words "work out". Camren normally said things like "do you think she'll be different",  always dancing around the point. Good, Kelly thought, she's going to start treating me like an adult. 

"Kelly. Talk to me. I'm worried about you. Me and Dave both," Camren said.

"Fine. Ms. Walker is okay. She didn't interrupt. She must have been an actor because she seemed to care. Can I have my earbud back now?" Kelly said all this very fast.

"Sure. I should steal your earbuds more often if it's going to make you talk," laughed Camren. 

Kelly rolled her eyes, but Camren saw her smile. She often worried about the girl. If Kelly had friends, she didn't mention them or bring them home. She often stayed in her room and read the weirdest books. Always about rocks or magic. Yet she didn't read things like Harry Potter. The authors of the books Kelly read, bended the line between fiction and reality. Spell books and  such. Camren knew because she had read a few.

When they got home, Kelly walked to her room. Her stone collation took a whole bookcase. There was another bookcase too. That one was full of books. Her small window seat was in the middle of the bookcases. Her bed was pushed up against one wall, and her desk at the foot of it. 

Kelly fingered her stones. She brought a few of them to her desk. She started to catalogue them. Marking their shape, color, texture, and hardness. Last year, Kelly started to catalogue all her stones. She still was working on it. She found at least one stone a day. 

Before she could write the texture of a small, blue stone, Kelly had an unexplainable urge to go to the forest. She put the stone in the pocket of her sweatshirt. She walked downstairs as if in a trance.

"Honey, where are you going?" asked Camren.

"To the forest," Kelly said dreamly.

"Kelly dinner is almost ready. You can go outside after."

Kelly didn't seem to hear her. She walked outside and around the fence to the forest. Camren followed her, yelling her name. Kelly just keep walking through the forest. She walked through the trees. Eventaly Camren lost sight of Kelly.

Kelly tripped and came out of her tance to see a black haired girl walking towards her. 

"Where am I?" asked Kelly.

"In the Northern Woods. Just outside of Westbury," answered the girl.

"How did I get here?" Kelly said, looking around.

"Um... you walked. Do you want me to call someone?" the girl took out her phone.

"No! No. I'm- I'm fine."

"Okay. I'm Celeste Campbell. What's your name?" 

"Kelly Jones."

"Oh my gosh! We're cousins!" Celeste exclaimed.