"Darling, wake up. We're here!"

Charlotte Notting's eyes flew open. She blinked sleepily at her mother, who was already climbing out of the car and approaching the front porch of their new house. Charlotte, after checking to make sure her chocolate lab, Lily Belle, was properly leashed, stretched, adjusted her skirt, and stepped out of the car and into the sunlight.

Her first impression of the house was that it was much smaller than their old place in New York. The white paneling was now leaning towards an unpleasant light brown color, and the front porch was surely in danger of falling apart, but Charlotte couldn't deny its charm. All of the houses she'd ever lived in in New York had been new builds, cookie cutter replicas of the ones next door. Looking up and down the street, Charlotte knew that wasn't the case here.

Her mother, a small woman with chocolate brown hair that was slowly fading into grey, had already disappeared into the house. She was no doubt already planning a furniture shopping trip, to which Charlotte inwardly sighed. Charlotte's father was unloading the family station wagon of the few possessions they had managed to bring.

"Come, Lily Belle," Charlotte called. She'd kept a close eye on her dog, but there really wasn't a need. The entire front yard was surrounded by a chain link fence.

Lily Belle was running excitedly around the yard, yapping loudly every time a car went whizzing past. They hadn't had a proper yard in New York, so Charlotte had grown used to walking her dog on a leash in the park near their house.

"Charlotte," she turned away from the sight of Lily Belle chasing a butterfly to face her father. "Will you come here for a moment?"

"Yes, Daddy." Charlotte approached the car, leaning lightly against the open trunk. "What is it?"

Her father, a respectable looking man with graying hair and the most ridiculous mustache you could imagine, shifted uncomfortably, clearing his throat before speaking. "Like I was telling your mother earlier, I know this house is smaller than what we're used to. Given the situation, though, and the tragedy we've been through with Emma-"

Charlotte cut her father off, the subject of her dear deceased sister still too much for her to bear. "Yes, Daddy. I know, you've told me this before. This is just temporary, we'll be back in New York by summertime, all that." Charlotte attempted a half-smile before hugging her father quickly. She reached around him, fingers searching for the handle of her duffel bag, and darted inside.

As soon as the front door closed behind her, Charlotte let out a sigh. She knew her parents were worried about her; all it took was one look at their faces to see it. But it wasn't that it was simply hard for her to discuss her sister, it was downright impossible. Just the thought of Emma's name sent Charlotte into a whirlwind of panicked emotions ranging from shock to guilt to sadness. It had only been a month and a half since the accident. It was still too soon. In fact, Charlotte didn't think she'd ever be able to talk about Emma without bursting into tears.

Charlotte quietly climbed the staircase so as to find her room without interference from her mother. While her father had been giving Charlotte space over the past few weeks, her mother was a whole other story. Any time Charlotte so much as frowned her mother was on top of her, offering tea and soup and unhelpful advice. It was exhausting to have to constantly worry about her mother along with herself. She meant well, Charlotte knew, but it was impossible for her to do anything on her own anymore.

Upon finding her new bedroom, Charlotte threw her duffle bag down on the ground and began digging through its contents for her case of toiletries and a fresh outfit. Her current dress, a sweet light pink number with a peter pan collar, was rumpled from the long drive and too warm for the stuffy spring air in Tulsa. She settled on a emerald green skirt that hit just at her knees and a short-sleeved blouse. Her mother would most likely make some sort of comment about her clothing choices, Charlotte knew, but she honestly couldn't care less just then.

The first of two bathrooms was just down the hall from Charlotte's bedroom. It was much smaller than her own bathroom at their old house, but it had all the basic amenities, so it was enough. Charlotte unpacked all of her toiletries into the cabinets and drawers and freshened up her makeup. She hadn't applied much that day, just a light layer of foundation, blush, mascara, and lip gloss, in anticipation of the car ride. She fluffed up her dark brown hair, though there wasn't much fluffing to be done, as her stick-straight locks stuck flat to her head in the humidity.

"Wonderful," Charlotte muttered, giving up on fitting her mother's standards of beauty. She swiped on one last coat of pink lip gloss and headed back to her room.

As they currently didn't have any furniture, Charlotte laid out on the floor, ignoring the fact that the carpet looked like it hadn't been vacuumed in months. The room wasn't much, Charlotte thought as she looked around the space. The walls were in desperate need of a painting (she was thinking a nice blue) and the windows needed a good cleaning, but it had potential.

Charlotte closed her eyes and reveled in the rare moment of peace. She was grateful to finally have some alone time after being cooped up with her parents for who knows how many hours. During the long car ride to Tulsa, she hadn't had a moments silence except the sweet three hours in which she napped. It was berating from her mother, or lectures from her father, and Charlotte wasn't sure how much more she could handle.

It wasn't that Charlotte was upset, per se, about leaving her upper-class life in New York and moving to Tulsa, Oklahoma. On the contrary, she was rather relieved. Staying in New York and facing the questions and rumors would have been pure torture. So yes, in a way Charlotte was happy for the change of scenery. If only Emma was along for the ride...

But if Emma was alive, they wouldn't be in Tulsa, Charlotte knew. She pushed the thoughts of her sister into the tiny box in the corner of her mind, the one where she kept all of her Emma-related thoughts nowadays. Charlotte knew she had to focus on the present, if not for her sake for her parents. What she needed was a nice, long walk to clear her head. Not to mention, it would give her the perfect chance to explore the town that would be her home for the next few months. With that in mind Charlotte bounded down the stairs to find her mother.

She was standing primly in the middle of the brightly lit kitchen, observing the space. "Oh, Charlotte, there you are! I was just telling your father how much shopping you and I need to do tomorrow. Oh, and dear, don't you think a nice little breakfast table would look just darling in this corner? Your father doesn't seem to agree with me, but I- Charlotte? Are you quite alright?"

Only then did Charlotte realize that she'd been staring off into space, completely ignoring her mother. "Oh, I'm sorry, ma'am. I think it's a splendid idea." Charlotte hesitated. "And Mother, do you think it would be alright if I went out for a bit? I'm in desperate need of some fresh air."

Charlotte's stomach knotted as her mother's previously calm expression twisted into one of disbelief. She was silly to think that her mother would consider letting her have a moment's peace. The woman hardly felt comfortable letting Charlotte out of her sight when they were at convenience stores, much less a new town that had quite the reputation for violence.

"Charlotte! Do you really think that is a wise idea? Haven't you listened to anything your father and I have told you about this town? It's very improper for a young woman like you to go wandering around alone at night, and much less in an area that you hardly know! I shudder to think of what you can see on the streets at this time of day. Why, I-"

Charlotte sensed a lecture on responsibilities and ladyship coming on, and she was not in the right state-of-mind to deal with it. "Okay, I'm sorry I asked. God forbid I, at sixteen years old, try to do something on my own." She turned on her heel and began to walk away, but her mother reached out a hand and grabbed a hold of her wrist.

"Charlotte Elizabeth Notting, I cannot believe you would dare to speak to one of your elders like that! I don't know what had gotten into you, but if you think for one second that I am going to put up with your smart mouth then you've got another thing coming-"

Charlotte opened her mouth to retort, but her father, who had just reentered the house, beat her to it. "Jane, calm down, you're going to upset yourself. Let the girl take a look around town. She's sixteen, darling, not a baby anymore. Besides, if we're going to be here for a while Charlotte needs to learn how to handle herself on her own."

Charlotte felt a rush of gratitude for her father and beamed at him. He was always the rational parent, balancing out Jane's harshness with his good nature. Besides Emma, he was Charlotte's biggest supporter. Now, she supposed, he was her only one.

"Oh, Daddy, thank you! I promise I'll be safe, and if I do need anything, I'll duck inside the nearest store and use their telephone. And besides, I'm sure things have changed since you and Mother were kids." Charlotte smiled reassuringly.

Charlotte kissed her father on the cheek and patted her mother's hand before skipping out of the kitchen. She was nearly out the front door when her father's voice reached her ears.

"Charlotte, take Lily Belle with you, and remember to stay away from the East side! Use your sense!"

Charlotte inwardly rolled her eyes, but she put on a chipper voice and called to her father, "Yes, Daddy!" After grabbing her sunglasses and a wide hat from the station wagon, she called for Lily Belle and set off.

The weather was unusually warm for a day in April, but Charlotte didn't mind much. She hadn't had a decent break from her overbearing parents in weeks, it seemed. After the fire that had taken Emma's life, the grieving family had stayed in a hotel until their funds began running dangerously low. The fire had burnt their house down completely, leaving nothing but ash, heartbreak, and a large sum of money lost. Between that and the failure of Charlotte's father's business, the family had been forced to admit defeat and move back to Tulsa, Oklahoma. Jane and William Notting didn't hold a lot of love for the town, but with no living relatives or close family friends, it had seemed like their only option.

Charlotte reflected on all of this as she ambled down the street. It was only when dusk was approaching did she realize that she not only had no idea of how to get home, but she had also stumbled into the part of town her father and mother had warned her about.