Her hair was dark like the bark on the tree that grew just outside her window, yet the ends bore a lighter colour, maybe auburn, to put a name on it.
The sun was shining, something you rarely got to enjoy in the city, and something that Cate was actually looking forward to.
"It's a nice day outside honey!" Cate's father called up the stairs. "Go enjoy it!"
"I was already planning on it!" Cate exclaimed as she tied off the end of her braid, which fit ever so slightly over her shoulder.
Skipping down the stairs and through the kitchen, she could see the steaks basting in some sauce on the counter. Her father had invited some of the neighbours over for a barbecue as a housewarming party, which her family had never really done as they lived their entire lives in Toronto.
"Getting ready for tonight?" Cate asked, leaning on the kitchen counter, next to her father.
"Yup, I'm just finishing off."
"Do we have to?" she complained.
"It's a good way to get to know the neighbourhood. Besides, you might meet some kids from your school," he reasoned.
Cate sighed, "I hope not."
Walking out of the back door, Cate made her way to the base of the large tree that had probably grown for centuries. Pulling herself up on one of the branches, she continued to make her way up the tree, finding tranquility in the peace and quiet of this new town.
"Hello? Is anyone here?" a woman asked as Cate heard the gate open.
Cate made her way down the tree, jumping off the last few metres, landing skillfully on her feet. She was met by what looked to be a family; a blonde woman, a dark haired man, two boys who looked around the same as Cate, and a small girl with blonde hair, much like the older woman.
Cate rubbed the back of the neck. "Uh… hi?"
"Oh. Hi, are we at the wrong house? I swear the address was 43…" said the blonde woman.
Cate knitted her eyebrows together. "The uh… housewarming party… thing?"
The woman nodded.
"Well, you're at the right place. I'm Cate, by the way," Cate smiled, stretching out a hand as her father had advised when meeting new people.
"I'm Samantha Morgan," the woman said.
Cate smiled. "Pleasure to meet you."
Cate was soon introduced to the whole family; Ross, Jane, and Ethan. The extra boy was a friend of Ethan's, Benny.
The 'party' per se was under go. There were a lot more people in the backyard than they thought they could fit.
Cate was sitting in the corner, watching the action. She hadn't always been the best at "being social", so she dealt with sitting around and enjoying the party from a distance. She had made acquaintance with Jane when she braided her hair while they were in the house.
No matter what, Cate seemed to have an off feeling about this place; the street, the neighbourhood, the town. She had promised herself that she would put some time aside tomorrow to research. Not knowing was something that Cate couldn't live with.
"Hey… uh… Cate, right?"
Cate looked up to find Benny looking down at her. She nodded, pushing herself up against the wall and standing up.
"What can I do for you, Benny?" she asked, resting her hands on the brick wall of the house.
"Oh… nothing. I-I mean, I just wanted to talk to you and uh… stuff."
Cate gave him a warm smile. "What shall we talk about then?"
"I don't know movies?"
"You look like the kind of guy who likes sci-fi? Please don't tell me I'm wrong or this will be really embarrassing."
"Well of course!" Benny cried, "Why do you like them? Sci-fi movies?"
"You're smart one, padawan," Cate smirked, crossing her arms.
"You like Star Wars?!" he exclaimed.
"No, because that was from Star Trek," she dryly chuckled.
"Sweet! Hot and nerdy!" he beamed.
Cate cocked an eyebrow, letting out a laugh. Maybe this town wasn't going to be so bad.