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Chapter 1

Moving In

I lugged my suitcase off of the belt and put it on the trolley. We had just flown from California to Chicago. It was quite a long flight and I was worn out. We still had a half-hour drive to our new house. Perhaps I could sleep in the car…

Renee, Charlie and I decided to move to Chicago after he retired. He used to be the Chief of Police in Jacksonville, but he got shot on the job and couldn't work anymore. Renee wanted a change. Her new phase was "Living Healthily" which meant staying out of the sun and eating salad for the rest of our days. Luckily, she'd move on to something new in a couple of weeks.

We bought an old townhouse in the suburbs. It had a lovely Victorian feel to it. It had a luscious green lawn out front with pretty hanging baskets. It even had a porch and a swing. Although the swing looked quite old and rickety. I could just imagine myself snuggled up on it with a blanket and a good Austen book.

I looked out of the window at the monotonous grey blur outside. I sighed, I hoped we'd get there soon so that I could unpack and have a nap. We finally arrived at the house and I took a minute to admire it. It looked much grander in person. It definitely used to belong to some rich family. Although it had been empty for a while, so the dust had collected. The hall inside had a lovely deep oak wooden floor and a large staircase in the middle. Along each side of the hall were three doors. I would explore those later.

I stumbled up the staircase, dragging my heavy baggage behind me. I chose my room, the one furthest from the stairs, but it had the best view of a park across the street. The bed and large furniture was already there, so I started to unpack.

I managed to fit my thick winter clothes into the small wardrobe. My books were placed on the bookshelf neatly and my little trinkets were put up onto the shelf. I looked at the little cactus I had brought along as I placed it in the middle of the shelf. I would miss Jacksonville. After all, it had been my home for most of my life. The lack of sun would be a shock at first, but I would get used to it.

I quickly took off my shoes and climbed into bed, exhausted from the long journey. I quickly fell into a deep slumber.

I was in bed when I heard a noise. Like someone moving around in the room. I opened my eyes to find nothing there. That was strange. I thought for sure I had heard something. It was probably just my imagination. It was an old house after all, it was bound to make some noises. I reluctantly got up and headed downstairs to find my parents.

I opened the first door that was a living room. All the furniture was there and the TV was already set up. Charlie was lying awkwardly in his armchair the remote hanging from his limp hand. I pulled it out carefully and switched off the TV before quietly shutting the door.

I pulled open the next door to find the dining room. It was very impressive with it's 10 chairs along a dark wood table. The chandelier hanging from above created rainbows on the cream walls. The room was otherwise empty. The previous owners must have liked to host dinner parties. My mother would never fill that table with guests.

The next room was the kitchen. It was quite modern compared to the rest of the house. The black tiles on the floor, green walls and light wood cupboards made it look clean and fresh. At the stove was my mother. Making another one of her concoctions she calls food.

"Hey mom, what're you making?" I asked, peaking over her shoulder at the thick brown mess in the pan.

"This," she gestured to the pan "is some beef stew"

"Yum," I replied unenthusiastically.

We all sat round the dining table trying to eat the meal my mother had prepared. I quickly spat my mouthful into a tissue when my mother wasn't looking.

"How is it?" She asked me.

"It's great!" I lied, giving her a fake smile while trying not to gag on the piece of meat in my mouth.

"I've enrolled you in the local high school Bella. Should be able to start next week they said" my father said between mouthfuls. Guess he liked Renee's cooking.

"Cool. Thanks." I replied. I wasn't looking forward to school. I had left all my friends behind in Jacksonville and was worried I wouldn't be able to fit in here.

"I'm full. I think I'll go explore a bit more" I said; getting up from the table and putting my plate out the kitchen.

I discovered that the house had a library. Rows and rows of books filled the walls and in the middle were two comfy looking chairs. I quickly looked over the books. There were definitely some that interested me. I would come back tomorrow when I had more time I decided.

The one room was a sun room that had patio doors that led out to the back garden. Nothing too interesting. The last room, was a music room. A lovely, black baby grand piano stood proudly in the middle of the room. It had a fine layer of dust over the top which I brushed away with my hand. I sat down on the bench and run my fingers along the keys. I have always wanted to learn to play, but I never had the chance. Perhaps, I could take lessons now we had a piano. I heard a sound from behind me, like someone breathing. I quickly turned around and fell off the bench. When I looked up, there was just an empty space staring back at me.

Perhaps this move was making me go crazy?

R&R Please x