Prologue
It was a curious person who didn't continue driving when the stoplight at the intersection of Witch Light Road and the Davy highway was green. The food at the Home Cookin Restaurant was nothing to talk about in those days, back before Madonna Reed got a hold of it, and if they weren't low on gas there was no other possible reason that anyone with an excuse to keep driving would even think about stopping in Midnight if they didn't have to.
The car that stopped when the traffic light was green was plenty curious already, being a black 1967 Chevrolet Impala that looked more like it belonged in a museum than on the road, but then a tiny girl with a broken arm came tumbling out of the front seat and crossed the road from the Home Cookin to the Antique Gallery and Nail Salon like she had been living in Midnight her entire life. The man who had driven the car, a white guy with blue eyes and a brown corduroy jacket, shook his head and went running after her.
The girl went straight into the Antique Gallery and Nail Salon after giving herself a shake on the threshold. The bell over the door rang, surprising Joe Strong and Chuy Villegas, the owners of the shop. They didn't see that the stoplight was green, but either way visitors don't normally come to the gallery and salon that quickly. Joe went to the front to see who it was and was immediately surprised again.
"Anne?" he asked without thinking. Then he corrected himself. "No, you're her daughter, aren't you?"
The girl nodded. She opened her mouth like she was going to say something, but swallowed and smiled nervously.
Joe turned his gaze on the man who'd followed the girl inside. He raised his hands and shook his head.
"I'm just the driver. The girl has some serious puppy eyes. I wasn't even going to come to Texas."
Chuy joined Joe at the front of the shop. He looked at the girl. Her arm was in a cast and there were bruises showing through rips in her t-shirt. Her hair and skin were covered with dirt. She carried nothing with her.
"How did you get here?" Chuy asked. The last they had heard of Anne's daughter she had been shipped off to live with a foster family in England.
"I ran away," the girl said, with a British accent never before heard in Midnight, "and I'm not going back."
A/n (mostly for people who read my other stories): Yes, this is a new story. Yes, I know I have three going already. Yes, I know that's bad. But plot bunnies. Since this is in a weird category, I won't be continuing it until A) I get my Sisters by the Styx series closer to finished (two and a half books left!) or B) Someone reads this and leaves a review asking me to continue right away. I have a bad habit of working on too many things at once though, so who knows if I'll be able to stick to this. I will try though.
-Cynder2013