"It's actually not that bad." Juliet McAlister was casually walking around the living room of her new home. Juliet and her mother, Ana, recently moved to Amity Park after Ana's nasty divorce with Juliet's stepfather, Zack. The divorce had taken a lot out of Ana, and if it hadn't been for her mother, Suzette, Ana and Juliet probably wouldn't have been able to buy their new home. Suzette McAlister was a relatively wealthy woman who recognized when family members were in a time of need. Without any hesitation, Suzette gave Ana some money that would cover buying a decent sized home, with enough leftover until Ana found a stable job. They had the house part down, Ana was still looking for a job.

"You think?" Ana stood in the doorway of the living room, looking around almost skeptically. "I think it could use a little redecorating."

Juliet shrugged nonchalantly. "It's fine to me," she responded.

Ana hummed in response. "We should probably start focusing on other things first," she sighed.

"Like unpacking."

"And getting you registered for school."

Juliet's shoulders sagged at that. "School's starting in less than a week," she groaned. "Do I have to start so soon?"

"Do you want to be behind?" Ana arched a brow at her daughter, crossing her arms over her chest. "It's either I register you now or we can try homeschooling again. Your choice."

A grimace unconsciously spread across Juliet's face. In her seventh grade year, Ana had noticed a great decrease in Juliet's academic performance and decided to try homeschooling her. That didn't go so well. Not only was Juliet too stubborn to work with, but they both found out that they just couldn't handle it. Ana wasn't meant to be a teacher, Juliet didn't handle the set-up very well.

Crossing her arms over her chest, an unintelligible grumble came out of Juliet's mouth.

"That's what I thought." Ana gave a soft chuckle. "Besides, you can make new friends here."

"I miss my old friends though." In Juliet's hometown, Heatherfield, she'd had a relatively big group of friends, some of which Juliet had known since she was very little. After the divorce, and after the money her grandmother had so generously donated, Ana decided it'd be best if they relocated. So they packed up and moved to the first place that Ana managed to find. Which, in the end, was a place known as Amity Park.

"You can still keep in contact with them," Ana said. "Once we get the phones up, give 'em a call."

Juliet shrugged.

"Let's get some unpacking out of the way, OK?" Ana tried for a smile, hoping it'd be convincing enough.

-0-0-0-0-

Juliet was laying on her sleeping bag, looking up at the blank ceiling of her room with slight irritation. Some of hers and her mother's belongings wouldn't be coming in until later in the week, which also included Juliet's bed.

What a great way to start out a new beginning. Juliet couldn't help but roll her eyes at the thought. Just be grateful you've got something to sleep on. You could be sleeping on the hard floor.

Rolling onto her side, Juliet let out a silent sigh. Was her mother sleeping? Probably. Ana could sleep through anything. Letting out another sigh, Juliet sat up and rubbed her eyes. She didn't even have her alarm clock to know what time it was.

Crawling out of her sleeping bag, Juliet shuffled to the back door of the house and sat down on the back porch steps. Looking up, Juliet couldn't help but admire the starry night. It wasn't as beautiful as the nights back in Heatherfield, but it was beautiful in its own right. Turning, Juliet peered back into the house, where there were still boxes piled in corners and against walls, where whatever belongings Juliet and her mother were able to bring with them were strewn on the ground in haphazard piles. They had spent a remainder of their day going through the boxes, organizing what was theirs and where it'd go in the house. They didn't really get a chance to put anything into their bedrooms, not when most of their other belongings hadn't been delivered yet.

It's definitely going to be hard adjusting to this. Sighing, Juliet tucked some of her light blonde hair behind her ears. But at least I can enjoy nights like these. Looking back up at the skies, Juliet took a moment to admire the stars and the cool nighttime air when a thought crossed her mind. Looking back into the house, Juliet bit her bottom lip anxiously. It's not like anyone's going to see you, she thought. It's the middle of the night. Everyone's asleep.

Pursing her lips, Juliet thought it over a few more times before she gave in.

You're in a new town, might as well do a little sightseeing for yourself, right?

Standing up, Juliet did one last look at the inside of the house, silently reassuring herself that her mother was still sound asleep before a whitish-blue ring appeared around her waist.

(A/N):

I know this first chapter's a little short, but I didn't really want to put in too many details or anything just yet. I'll be sure to go a little further into Juliet's background in future chapters, so if you've got questions on anything, don't worry, I'll get to it. I also hope that you guys enjoyed this first chapter. Tell me what you think. Was it good? Was it bad? Was it meh? Constructive criticism is important.

Anywho, I own nothing in the DP universe. All I own are my characters and the bed I sleep on.

Let me know if there's anything I can improve on.

Many blessings,

Indigo Callahan