*SAGE POV *
I lean my head against the car window and watch as the dry, vast scenery blurs together. I can hear the faint drum of my father's fingers against the driving wheel of the car as we zoom down the empty roads. I inhale deeply and look at the time displayed behind the driver's wheel and groan. We've only been driving for two hours. That means two hours since I have left my past life behind.
Moving was the last thing on my to-do list. In fact, if it were to be on any list it would be on the 'Just Don't' list. Facing the fact that I have to start all over again somewhere far far away from the place I call home makes me tremor.
My father is a detective who had just been brought onto a case about the disappearance of a 17-year-old boy in the small town of Mapleville. Because of this, I have been dragged along with him for who knows how long to live there. The thought makes me want to vomit.
Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled for my father to have this opportunity but my life has been a constant hell ride over the past few years and things had finally felt like they were going back to normal. Well... as normal as normal could get. My mother passed away six years ago in a car accident and since then nothing has been the same. My grades went off the rails, I would shut people out and I was a disaster waiting to happen. However recently things were improving. I was back to achieving my normal grades and had mended my ruined friendships. But what good is that going to do me now?
I look at my father who is now humming away to an old song playing on the radio. 5 more hours of driving to go. How fun!
Up until now, I hadn't thought much about the disappearance of the boy. It only now occurs to me that I am going to be living in the same town and attending the same school as he attended. What if it's dangerous? What if I become a target because I am the daughter of the new detective? What if there's a murderer on the loose? I take a deep breath. I'm just being silly. I feel sure that this missing kid will turn up within a matter of time and everything will be alright and if that's not the case my Dad will get to the bottom of what happened in no time. All I need to do is blend in. There is only a year and a half of school left and then I'm free.
My stomach grumbles as I look at the open packet of gummy worms in the centre console of our car. Grabbing them, I lean back into my chair. The word free playing over and over in my mind. Oh, how sweet it sounds.
By the time we pull into our new driveway my limbs ache from sitting, unmoving and still in the cramped car. It is now dark outside, making our new house appear cold and uninviting. This is the place where I am likely to spend the rest of my schooling. That thought alone is enough to make me want to get back into the car and turn the hell around, to a place I can actually call home.
The door to our new two storied house creaks as my dad swings it open. He looks at me with an eager grin. Well at least one of us is an optimist.
I take in the wooden floors and empty space in front of me. If I'm being honest, the interior itself is quite nice, however, no amount of furniture placed in it could ever make this place feel like home.
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Thanks for clicking on this book :) I hope you enjoy it!
Just letting you know the following chapters won't be this short. The first two chapters are more like introductions to the two main characters.
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