Author's Note- So this is my very first story. I've read so many great and awesome stories on Fanfiction that I've decided to write one of my own. This is just a warning that if you've ever read Northern Lights by Nora Roberts, than my story is going to be like hers. I have just finished reading the book and I couldn't get the idea out of my head of using High School Musical characters. Some of the ideas and plot lines are going to be the same, but I will never use the same dialogue. So with that said, if you have any questions than just message me or review.
"This is fucking crazy," Troy muttered to himself as he watched the snow covered ground below him. He realized that the longer he watched the ground the more his stomach churned. He glanced to his left to see the pilot who was grinning from ear to ear.
"Don't you just love this?" The bush pilot, Lurk, yelled into the ear piece he was wearing.
Love, Troy thought to himself, was the last word he would use for anything in that moment. What was there to love right now? He was in the air, making his stomach queasy. He was moving and changing his home location, not to mention he was moving into an extreme climate. He wasn't so sure he could get used to the cold, bitter air.
"Jesus, you look like someone just painted your face green. If you get sick you better wait until we're on the ground," Lurk said with a warning look on his rough face.
Troy forced a grin as he looked forward. "Don't worry. I'll do my best to keep your plane nice and clean."
Lurk was a big guy with a shaggy beard. As Troy studied him out of the corner of his trained eye he estimated that Lurk was about six foot, weighed a good two hundred pounds, his extra weight in his beer gut. Lurk's hairs looked thick and dry as it covered his face and his head. The reddish, worn tint sticking out on his pale face made Lurk look a little younger than what he really was.
"I'm taking her down now. Prepare for landing on Alaska's great ice."
Troy gripped his seat as he shut his eyes. For the new Chief of Police of this Alaska small town he sure wasn't being the courageous person the mayor thought she hired as Troy's stomach sloshed around.
The plane dipped down and just by the feeling of the insane speed and Lurks' laugh Troy ripped his eyes open. They were heading for the ground too fast. Out of the front window all Troy could see was white snow, and in his mind, it wasn't hard to picture him being buried in the cold substance. "What the hell?"
Lurk, Troy was pretty sure, was a crazy lunatic. As the plane dipped and jerked to the ground so its nose was no longer perpendicular to the ground, Troy let out a breath of relief. When the plane safely landed Troy unbuckled himself with a grunt of disapproval. "Whoever gave you a license to fly was crazy."
"Look, there's Mayor Cross. She seems all primped and ready for you Chief. Good luck with this." Lurk gave Troy another one of his grins that showed he was just as amused as he was a little anxious at having an outsider play Chief of Police in Lexing, Alaska.
The moment Troy Bolton stepped out of the small bush plane was the moment he thought a thousand different knives had cut into his body. He had never felt temperatures so cold in his life before. He had read about the extreme temperatures and had read about how to dress properly, but no online source could describe just how really cold Lexing really could be. He flipped the collar of his jacket up as he approached the small woman standing in the distance on the ice.
As he came nearer Mayor Cross held out her glove covered hand. With a smile she looked up at Troy. She was a woman in her early fifties, standing at about five foot. She was used to having to look up to everyone in town, but when it came to running Lexing, Alaska, everyone looked up to her for that job.
"Chief Bolton, I'm Mayor Cross. I'm glad to finally meet you," the small woman in front of him greeted. Although she was small for her size, her handshake was purely professional and hard. She had power for such a small woman.
"Technically we've met before. We did talk on the phone and webcam," Troy pointed out. "Damn," he shot Mayor Cross an apologetic look, "Pardon my language Mayor Cross, but is it always this cold?"
Mayor Cross laughed a good hearty laugh. If Troy wasn't mistaken, he knew from just that one laugh that she was a smoker. He should know, considering he was a smoker himself. It was a horrible habit, especially for a Chief of Police, however, it was a habit for him in high school, and it was an easy habit to bring back now in his life.
"Call me Cross. Everyone else calls me that anyways. And to answer your question, I'm just going to say that you haven't seen anything yet. I can guarantee you that the average temperature with winds this winter will be negative twenty degrees." Troy looked at her as if she were joking, his eyes going wide, but she just smiled at him. "I see that you've dressed for the occasion though. Now let's get moving. I'll show you where you're staying while Lurk brings over your stuff."
"Sounds great."
It was already starting to get dark, Troy noted as Cross and him rode in her truck. It was only three in the afternoon and the sun was hardly able to be seen. He supposed he could live with this for the rest of the winter. After all, there should only be about three more months of winter. Time was quickly approaching New Year's Eve.
And the darkness outside really did match Troy's feelings. For the past year he had been battling with a deep dark hole that wanted to suck him down as much as possible. Some days it was hard getting out of bed and for the first month of this depression he hardly even left his house; except for the essentials like food and supplies to live. But mostly now he had his thoughts under control to the best of his abilities. He no longer had nightmares every night. If he was lucky he would only dream of Nate every other night, waking up in a cold sweat as images of the alley, blood, and gun shots filled his mind. Sometimes, if he was having a really bad night, he would feel a pain in his upper thigh where plenty of scars sat on his body.
"So you will be staying at The Lodge. You can eat your meals here or I can show you the local grocery store when you settle in some. Everything at the Lodge, room and food will be charged to the city funds, so you won't have to worry about bills."
They were standing outside a building that had a nice homey look to it. The building was dark, but what building wasn't in Lexing? It seemed not too many people were on the streets; however, Troy figured that was because of the cold temperature and the darkness coming in quickly.
"So do you want the rest of the tour now, or do you want to settle in first?" Cross asked cheerfully. She seemed excited enough to have a Chief of Police for Lexing. "You should probably see the rest of the town and meet most of the main locals before our town meeting tomorrow when you have to give a speech."
This definitely caught Troy's attention, but he didn't make it known. Nowhere in the contract that he signed was there anything in it saying he had to make a speech. Now his hands were getting sweaty already, and it was negative ten degrees!
"I think I'll settle in first. I'm pretty tired from traveling." Troy shook Cross' hand that she offered once more.
"Okay then Troy. When you want that tour I won't be hard to find in town. I'll see you later." Cross started walking away, but she turned back around before getting into her car. "By the way, this truck is yours," she indicated to a black truck in front of her parked car, "The keys are in the glove compartment, and when you want to go up to your room, find Maria. She'll help you out in more ways than one."
Troy furrowed his eye brows at Cross' words. Surely she couldn't mean what he thought she meant, but instead of elaborating Cross drove off instead.
Troy Bolton had come from a huge city that had a fair amount of crime, especially crime that he was used to. He had grown up in a small town, however, at least until the age of ten, and then his dad was transferred. So his father packed up his mother and himself to move to New York City.
Troy thought he had seen it all. The flashy restaurants, dazzling clothes, and people who critiqued and gossiped about everyone. The moment he stepped into The Lodge, however, he felt the stares of the late afternoon lunchers. Off to the side of the door was a coat rack that he hung his dark yellow thermo jacket on. He was aware of everyone, which included two workers and ten customers still looking at him. Troy knew that it was essential to not make a mistake his first time revealing himself to his new community.
"Welcome Honey," a sweet looking woman who had just come through a backdoor greeted. The grin that had just taken over her face, however, was anything but sweet now. Her dark brown eyes racked over his covered body, making Troy shift from one foot to the other.
Troy forced a grin himself as the people dining all went back to eating, and now gossiping about him. "Hello Mrs…"
"Ms. Spell," she filled in, leaning across the counter with a cat like look sparkling in her eyes. "But everyone I like calls me Maria. You must be the new Boy Toy Chief our little town hired." Maria winked at him before pulling back from the counter slowly, her shirt straightening back over her exposed cleavage.
She looked to be in her low forties but there was something about her sadistic moves and her aging eyes that gave her away. Troy had put in about eleven years working homicides and evaluating suspects. Identifying ones age was a part of his job.
Maria Spelling was at least forty-seven years old. Jesus, she was old enough to be his mother, and there was no way he was sleeping with someone who reminded him of his mother.
"Would you like something hot to eat or a glass of whiskey?" Maria asked. "No," she decided with a click of her tongue, "you don't seem like a hungry man. What you need is a nice woman who knows how to handle herself in your bed."
Troy chuckled awkwardly, pulling off the gray cotton hat covering his short hair. "You're right about one thing Maria." She looked giddy for a moment until Troy continued speaking. "I would greatly appreciate it if you could show me my room."
"With pleasure," Maria agreed.
As she stepped out from behind the counter a burly looking man wearing a grease stained apron yelled out, "Go easy on him Maria! Chief looks just like a baby still."
His room was the third door on the right of the second floor. In his room there was a deer head above the small desk, a dark wooden dresser for his clothes, a queen sized bed that had floral blankets for warmth, and a small kitchen which was situated in a nook.
In the kitchen he was given a sink, two cabinets above the sink for plates, cups, and food, and a miniscule fridge and freezer that only came up to his midthigh. The bathroom was hardly any different than the kitchen. The space was the same, but instead of dishes he had a toilet and shower. There was no bathtub, but Troy figured he could make do without one considering he hadn't used the bathtub part of the shower since he was a small boy.
"I heard a plane earlier. Lurk will be bringing your stuff up soon," Maria explained, stepping into Troy's room without an invitation.
Troy really didn't want any visitors at the time. In fact, he wasn't looking for any romantic companionship for a while. He didn't have the heart in him to pursue any woman. Some would say he was going through a dry spell, but to Troy, he was just playing it safe.
"How did you know Lurk brought me here?"
Maria giggled, a dainty sound coming out of her mouth. "Lexing only has three main bush pilots, and just about everyone knows that Gabriella's or Kyle's plane do not sound like Lurk's plane." Troy wasn't used to people knowing such details as to how planes sounded different. Even though it was no big deal, it still freaked him out a little. "Oh Honey," Maria patted Troy's double covered chest, "Gossip and useless knowledge is what Lexing is known for. Now you sure you don't need anything else from me?"
Troy made a point to walk Maria to the door. "No thanks. No need to trouble you."
"But is would be no—"Troy shut the door on Maria before she could even finish her sentence.
After three hours of rest, a quick shower, and evaluation of himself while looking into his bathroom mirror, Troy had decided that a mustache wouldn't look quite so bad on him. Maybe he would have already had a mustache before moving to Alaska if his ex-wife wouldn't' have complained about his night time stubble when he came home from work every night. Plus, it seemed every guy in town had some type of facial hair. That was that then. He would grow a nice mustache.
"Hey Chief," Lurk greeted as Troy walked down the stairs, following the scent of good, hearty food. "I knocked on your door twice to deliver your things, but when you didn't answer I just left them by your door."
"Thanks Lurk." Troy decided Lurk wasn't so bad when he had two feet firmly planted on the ground. "What's that smell? It smells awesome." Right after Troy spoke his stomach grumbled.
"That would be Bubba's homemade chili," Lurk said while rubbing his stomach. "He's the best cook around. And I'll let you in on a little secret; if you don't like his cooking then you're not going to survive the rest of this winter here. His cooking is good enough to run you out of town."
"Well then I guess I better learn how to eat then." The moment Troy walked into the restaurant and walked over to an empty booth everyone had gone silent again. "Is it always going to be quiet when I go somewhere?" Troy turned to look at Lurk, but had to do a double take. Lurk was nowhere to be seen.
"Hello, my name is Kelsi, Chief Bolton. What can I get you?" She seemed to be about Troy's age, a prime age of thirty-three, and very far into pregnancy. "Bubba cooked up a great batch of chili."
"I'll have a bowl of that, thanks. Also, a cup of coffee." Troy nodded at Kelsi. She seemed nice enough. She wasn't like Maria who had made suggestive comments right off the bat.
"Coming right up."
As Kelsi walked away Troy looked around The Lodge. There were four guys playing pool, all of them looking to be in their mid to late twenties, a family consisting of a dark skinned mother and father with two kids at the ages of five and two, and a group of teenagers taking up two booths. Of course, there were several women and men at the bar alone, but the big three hundred pound cook, who Troy Could only assume was Bubba, seemed to be able to entertain everyone.
When Kelsi set a basket of rolls in front of Troy and his chili that was steaming hot, he noticed a boy who looked to be about seven years old sitting by himself at a table coloring.
"Excuse me," Troy called to Kelsi as she turned to go to another customer, "who's the boy sitting in the corner?"
Kelsi's face brightened. "That's Dillon. He's my boy. I usually only bring him in the mornings for breakfast and then he goes to school, but occasionally my husband works late and so I have to bring Dillon with me for the dinner rush."
"Do you mind if I go over there and sit with him?" Troy asked. He seemed to be playing with crayons more than eating his dinner.
Kelsi's eyes lighted up with excitement. "Oh no, go right ahead. I'm sure he'll love the company."
Troy picked up his hot bowl and basket of rolls and walked over to Dillon with a grin. "Can I sit with you Little Guy?"
Dillon looked up, his shaggy brown hair falling in his eyes. "I'm not a Little Guy. I'm the tallest one in my class."
Troy chuckled before sitting down. "I'm sorry. That was my mistake. How could I call you little when you're obviously big? My name's Chief Troy Bolton, what's your name?"
This seemed to catch Dillon's attention as he now dropped the green crayon he was holding. "My name's Dillon Cross. My grandma's the mayor."
"Well it's a small world." Troy knew the mayor had a son about his age, which would make Kelsi the mayor's daughter-in-law. Wow, Troy thought, while he had already been through a divorce, Kelsi, a woman his age was almost ready to have her second baby. She and her husband were already set on a family while Troy hadn't even had sex in a year. He was just about ready to get sucked into his deep, dark hole when Dillon's voice brought him back to the present.
"I don't like chili. I wish my mom would bring me something else."
"What should we have for dessert Big Guy?"
Troy watched Dillon's face light up in excitement, and it was then Troy knew he made his first real friend in Lexing.
Kelsi had cracked on the dessert the moment Dillon looked up at her with his big glossy eyes and pouty lips. Troy was able to finish his banana split sundae while his new friend had only eaten one scoop of ice cream and the banana. Just as Troy was finishing his last bite of chocolate and the drawing of the Red Power Ranger Dillon was fond of, Mayor Cross showed up at their table.
"Well hello there Dill and Troy. Are you taking care of Troy, Dillon?" Mayor Cross asked with an affectionate ruffle to Dillon's head.
Dillon grinned up at his grandma. "Yes!" He exclaimed excitedly. "Look at the picture Chief drew for me! It's my favorite Power Ranger."
Cross chuckled, the same deep chuckle Troy had heard earlier in the day. "That's awesome! Do you think it would be okay if I stole Troy away? I have to show him Lexing before he can start his job."
Dillon frowned, but before he could object to his grandma's question a man wearing a dark green jacket walked into the lodge. "Where's my superstar?" He called out.
Dillon shot out of his seat and rushed to the man. Kelsi also greeted the man by lightly pulling his hooded head towards her and planting a light kiss on his lips. They looked like such a happy family as the man, who Troy assumed was the mayor's son Jason, rubbed Kelsi's swollen stomach.
"Come on Troy, let's go show you around," Cross said. "Grab your winter gear. It's cold out."
Troy grinned as he rubbed his hands together. "I love the cold."
Troy Bolton hated the cold. He hated it more than bees (and he was allergic to bees, to the point where if he was stung and did not get to the hospital within ten minutes, then he could die). The temperature was even worse than when he got off the helicopter. If he didn't keep moving and forcing one leg in front of the other than he was sure his legs would break off.
"So this is the only other place in town, besides The Lodge, where you can dine out." The building Cross showed Troy was decorated in greens and reds. "Taylor and Zeke own it. Taylor was the woman with two kids back in The Lodge, and you can meet Zeke at the meeting tomorrow. He's not just the pizza cook here, but he's also my assistant. I value his opinion just like it's my own."
Zeke, Troy thought, would probably be one of the more important people of Lexing. Troy would have to make a point of meeting him soon.
"Zeke Baylor was very disappointed when he found out he wasn't able to meet you properly today. He was the very first one to suggest we have an outsider be our Chief of Police."
After walking past the restaurant Troy and Cross ended up on a corner where the general convenience store was located. The store was in a triangle shape with very big windows. Windows big enough to tempt just about any pissed off teenager to break them in, Troy noted.
"This is the only store in town, and if Tiara Gold or Martha Cox do not have what you're looking for than you can order it through them and when either Gabi, Lurk, or Kyle go down to Anchorage, they can pick up what you need." Cross explained very formerly, as if rehearsed for the hundredth time.
As they continued to walk across the street Cross kept on talking. It took Troy a minute to catch up as the words kept spilling out.
"Tiara Gold is married to Donny. He took her last name. Donny runs the bank, but I won't be showing you the bank because we're on the Old Side of town and the bank and Newspaper are on the New Side of town. Also, your office and department are on the Old Side. Actually, we already passed the department when we walked away from The Lodge. It is, after all, just right across the street."
"That's convenient," Troy said although he couldn't remember seeing a building across from The Lodge.
"At the Newspaper there are two main writers; Sharpay Evans-Baylor and Jimmy Zara. Jimmy is dating Martha, and she is such a sweet woman, but Jim still likes dragging her along." Cross brightened up now as they stopped in front of three large buildings. "These are the schools. One of the outstanding teachers that you will hear speak tomorrow night is Ryan Evans. He is Sharpay's older brother and math and drama teacher."
Just before Cross could speak again her phone went off. She sent Troy an apologetic look before answering. "This is Cross." There were multiple voices on the other end. Instead of frowning like Troy would have done because of the commotion on the other end of the phone, Cross chuckled her deep laugh. "It's okay Zeke. I'm sure I can convince him." Cross glanced at Troy before continuing her conversation. "I'll talk to you tomorrow, and remind Shar about tomorrow night. I'm sure Jim will want pictures of our new Chief of Police. Take care now Zeke."
"Pictures, huh? Doesn't sound like I have much of a choice," Troy joked, although he was starting to get a little worried now. He didn't need flashy lights going off in his face.
"That was Zeke Baylor on the phone. He was wondering if you could meet him for lunch tomorrow. He said whatever time would work best for you."
"Okay," Troy agreed easily.
Cross blinked, "I'm a little shocked I didn't have to twist your arm."
Troy shrugged, "I'm going to have to meet him sometime and I do love to eat. Lunch seems like the perfect time."
"Great," Cross held out her hand, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get to Town Hall and approve of the agenda for tomorrow night. You can find your way back?"
"I sure can," Troy said while shaking Cross' hand. "I'll see you tomorrow Mayor."
"Ready with a speech I hope."
"Yeah." His voice sounded awkward as he watched Cross retreat. "A speech because I'm such an excellent speech maker."
As Troy was getting ready for bed there was an unusual sound coming from outside. Troy spat out his mouthwash and patted his face dry. He would have to get used to moisturizing if he planned on making it through the winter with his un-cracked face.
Stepping out of the bathroom, Troy was thankful Maria had his fireplace going for him. He didn't know if she did it out of kindness or if this was one of her tricks to seduce him. Troy was just glad that his room was warm enough so he could at least sleep without a shirt on. At his old place, even with the air conditioner running, Troy would have been warm enough in just his boxers. Too many clothes at night made him feel cramped and suffocated.
Troy ran his hand through his short locks, walking over to the window in the process. The sound he was hearing was loud, annoying, and somehow soothing all at the same time. Just as Troy was about to retreat back into his inviting bed, thinking he might have made the noise up, a bright shiny red plane came into view. It resembled the plane Lurk flew, however, the exterior was sleeker, the red paint glistened in the dark, and the sound of the plane was unmistakably smoother. It was as if the engine was purring as it landed. Troy wondered how he got stuck with crazy pilot Lurk who liked to fly straight into the ground when obviously there was another, better and safer pilot that could have picked him up.
Troy Bolton watched as a red hooded figure hopped out of the plane. From a second story window Troy saw a definite woman pull her hood down. Underneath she wore a white hate that contained her would be wild dark brown curls. Her hair seemed to go past her shoulders, framing her tanner skin and defined facial features.
If Troy was a teenager than he would have ducked for cover when the mystery woman looked up at his window, however, he met her eyes with his own piercing stare. In the moonlight, Troy noted, her eyes seemed to get lost within her pupils and her mouth seemed as straight as a stick. She wasn't the most beautiful girl he had seen, but she was pretty and attractive in her own way.
She lifted up two fingers and saluted Troy off to bed. And when Troy dreamed that night, he didn't dream of his dead partner back in the alley, his ex-wife Amanda, or the gun shots that seemed to follow him around. There was no deep, dark hole that sucked the life out of him months before. Instead of his usual nightmares Troy dreamed of the color red and the hum of a plane; flying him to his new home.
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