Preface:

May 18, 1920

I heard my sister's screams from down the hall. I ran to her, trying to see through the engulfing smoke. I didn't know where my mother was; my father was already downstairs trying to get out of the house with my youngest sister, 4 month old Alisa. I didn't know what started the fire, only that smoke had awoken us from our slumber. My beautiful Eliza had returned home from my bed earlier that evening, never knowing that our first night and most wonderful moment together would be our last. I realized as I reached my sister that my treasures: my paintings, drawings, and manuscripts were still hidden away in my room.

Pushing my grief away I picked up my crying little sister Anna, 8, and carried her downstairs. I managed to escape the flaming structure safely, placing her on the ground next to my father and younger brother Charles. I could see my mother, holding baby Alisa, trying to help her to breath better after being inside the smoky building.

I gave them a needy glance before measuring that I had just enough time to get my things from the house before it tumbled down. I knew, without the weight of my sister in my arms I would be able to escape more easily. So I ran back in. "Edward! NO!" I heard my father yell after me, trying to stop me, but I was too fast. I ran up the stairs to my room. I ripped up the boards in my special hiding spot, and grabbed all my treasures. Suddenly a piece of the ceiling fell on me, knocking my treasures back into the safety of the closet. I never made it out of that house.

Chapter 1

August 4, 2010

"Bella!" "Yes Mother?" "Get down here! Hurry up! You don't want to be late to the subway and miss your train!" She called up. I grabbed my stuff and started downstairs. "Isabella!" Dude, seriously? "I'm coming!" I yelled down with frustration. I was going to Savannah, Georgia to attend College in the hopes of gaining an art degree as well as a deeper understanding and more knowledgeable view of the Deep South. I, a New Yorker, have always had a strange fascination with the south; the cultural aspect of it is something to be appreciated in my view. To really get this experience I'm going to live with a family in their old plantation house instead of a dorm so that I can fully grasp this great place. I grabbed the last of my things and handed them to the taxi driver to put in the trunk. I turned to say goodbye to my family, and groaned. My quirky mother, sniffling and dabbing at her eyes, my younger siblings: Sarah, 9; David, 11; and Ellie, 12. I see the face of my aging, brown-gray haired, crinkly-eyed, father. He smiled at me and I could feel the courage it took him to be the strong one. Always being strong because of my over-sensitive, over-emotional mother. I hugged them all hard, blocking tears and after getting a lecture from my mother about when to call her and what to do in a dire situation, I got in the car.

The drive through the city is hard. I watch as all the historic landmarks that make me proud to call New York home disappear from view. All the places where I went with my parents in the days before my younger siblings, when it was just Mom and Dad, me and my older brother Danny, he's 24 now. I, being a prospectus 18 year old, silently cried at the memories of my 5-year-old self. When the driver pulled up to the station I paid him and got out. After grabbing my stuff out of the trunk I blew a kiss to the amazing city I call home.

This is just another adventure, I tell myself, only one with fresh air, instead of city pollutants. I walked down the stairs to the station platform. I found my train after waiting for a few minutes and made my way on, finding a seat towards the back of the car. I watched the people on the train as they went about their typical day. Reading newspapers, listening to iPods, texting, talking on the phone. It was just the regular hustle and bustle of city life. The south would be different, almost frozen in time. It would be much different.

I walked off the plane and stretched. The flight was long and tiring, and I was ready to sleep. I walked through the airport after claiming my luggage. I made note of the signs with southern lingo, like the "Hey Y'all" sign I saw on an advertisement for South Carolina beaches. I saw palm trees and sunny days on all the posters, but most of all, I saw green. Different indeed.

I continued through the airport in search of a sign of a taxi service or something. Then I see my name on a poster board being held up by a handsome older man. He is standing with two teenagers and a woman who looks about his age. The man is tall and muscular, but not too brawny, with deep brown hair containing bits of gray, in a very sexy kind of way. He has blue eyes, I see, as I get closer to him, that pierce you right down to your…toes. He's got a kind face, a good jaw line with a beautiful mouth. The beginnings of crow's feet at his eyes, which just point out, further the twinkle in them.

The woman next to him is beautiful as well. With a good figure, a strong disposition, and a killer smile. She has short reddish brown hair and looks increasingly excited to see me.

The teenage boy is handsome with blond hair and a face that matches his dad's but has very apparent maternal traits as well. The teenage girl, looking slightly intrigued, even though she's obviously trying to look careless, has long dark hair with red tips, and hazel eyes, like her mother. Her dark lashes inconspicuously hide her gaze from me…almost.

As I reach them I feel a new sense of excitement that my time here will be great and I will hopefully love this family. "Isabella?" asks the woman. "Bella, yes" I answer with a smile. The woman's husband looks at me curiously, as if he were taking in my name, one letter at a time. I swear he didn't look so interested until he stared at me a second ago.

"We are the Hausers, I'm Ellen, and this is my husband Reed, my son Alex, and my daughter Raven." She informed me. Her accent was thick, but not hick, it was almost comforting in it's drawl and it made her sound warm. "We are just so happy that you are here Isabella-I mean Bella." "Well, I'm very excited to be here." I looked at them all and Reed and Raven were the only two who looked any more excited than was necessary.

They're really nice, the Hausers. Mrs. Hauser grabs my hand after telling Mr. Hauser to get my stuff and leads me back into the parking lot to a nice very new looking Mercedes SUV. I climb in the back with Alex and Raven and get myself settled as best I can. We pull out and off we go, on my first ride through the South.