The sky was churning with anger, and a harsh wind sent ripples cascading across the surface of a secluded lake. The lake's fringe was lined with pine trees, each solitary to its spindly self. Behind those evergreens loomed purple mountain majesties, their figure reflected against the crystalline waters. It would have been beautiful, but the scent of a storm was in the air. A tall, thin man, sitting atop a shabby, splintered dock, took a deep whiff and sighed. A flood was sure to come.
Behind the man, footsteps sounded on the wooden planks. The man glanced around nervously, but relaxed when his companion was revealed to be only a stout little woman with rosy cheeks, wrapped in a large green coat. This woman was Susan Walters, owner of a small but successful lodge just a boat ride across from that very dock.
"Oh, Susie, it's only you," the man greeted.
"Yes, it's only me," she replied sternly. "And you shouldn't be out here, Rob! Not with the winds so strong."
Rob grimaced. "I suppose. So, what brings to over to the boat livery on this fine afternoon?"
"I just need some peace and quiet," replied Susie thoughtfully. "Some celebrity checked into my lodge. Never even heard of her. Allison Monroe?"
"Doesn't she star on some kid's show?" replied Rob. After a quizzical glance from Susie, he added; "My daughter watches it."
"Either way, I was given strict instructions not to let the paparazzi near her, or even give them her location. Seems easy, right?" she glanced a Rob, who nodded. "Well it would have been, if five other celebrities weren't checking in!"
Rob's eyes widened as the woman continued. "And guess who one of those celebrities is?"
Rob remained quiet.
"Chad Dylan Cooper."
The trees whipped in the sudden gust of air that accompanied those words. The man gaped openly before replying; "Chad Dylan Cooper?"
"Yes," Susie confirmed. "The great CDC, Hollywood's Bad Boy. He'll be a nightmare, no doubt. And the paparazzi will be onto his every move. And poor young Allison will be hoarded with them. Although, being a celebrity, she probably wouldn't care."
Rob snorted with amusement. "But what would Chad D. Cooper want with your lodge? It's lovely, but not the hip celeb hotspot,"
Susie shrugged. "I wouldn't know. There are tons of theories. The most popular being…" she trailed off, looking down at her feet.
"What?" Rob prompted. Susie wouldn't respond. "What was the theory?"
"Well," Susie mumbled regretfully, "The most popular theory was that he was here to follow Miss Monroe."
"Oh. Well, either way, the celebrities shouldn't be here during flood season. There's a storm brewing, you can tell."
Susie only nodded, seating herself next to Rob and leaning her gray-haired head against his shoulder. Their bare feet dangled just inches above the surface of the water, and the breeze roared even stronger than before.
Susie straightened, glanced at her companion, and sighed again, looking back out onto the lake.
"Good luck, Allison Monroe."
Two-thousand, four-hundred, sixty-one miles away, in the city of Los Angeles, a girl named Sonny Monroe awoke from her good night's sleep.