College. Every parents dream and every child's nightmare. The possibility of a better future that awaits just at the end of a dark tunnel. The chance to forget about the past with its dark times and focus on the future that you are making for yourself. That is what Sarah Williams wanted. She wanted to forget her recent troubles after her return from the labyrinth. While her and her brother Toby got along just fine, her step mother started to treat her badly. Making her do all the chores in the house when her father was gone, taking care of the lawn, and overall making sure there was no sign of dirt in the home while her step mother, Karen, lounged on the couch watching television. When her father would get home Karen would make it seem as if she had done all the work and received great praise from her husband while Sarah sat in the corner feeling neglected.
That all ended a few days ago when she announced that she got accepted into a performing arts academy and would be moving out shortly. Her father and Karen congratulated her with hugs then asked her where she would be staying. She told them not to worry and that she has found a small house in the country just an hour's walk from the school. At the mention of "country" Karen's smile turned into a scowl. "But dear there isn't a country area for miles! Where will you be going?" She asked hoping to get a better answer. Sarah said very little about where she was moving in hopes that Karen wouldn't get the idea to move everyone with her.
Karen contunied to pout up until Sarah left. Toby ran up to her giving her a big hug with fresh tears streaming down his little face. Sarah knew that this would be hard for him and told him that she would be back in the summer. He nodded slowly before walking back over to his parents which were standing at the bottom of the stairs that lead to the porch, a big shaggy dog sat next to them. The dog watched her with a goofy smile on his face, his tounge lulled out of the side of his mouth and flopped with every breath he took. She couldn't help but smile at her old childhood friend. His eyes were covered by his shaggy hair but she could tell that he was happy for her. Not even two seconds later the taxi pulled into the driveway. Her stuff had almost all been moved to her new house leaving her with a small backpack with her essentials in it. Giving one last look to her parents and dog, Toby received another hug, she entered the car giving the diver the address to the airport. Her hand sadly raised before lightly touching the window as the car backed out and headed away from her former house. Her stomach filled with butterflies at the thought of her new life. Just a few short hours and she'll be there ready to start over.
The plane ride was a little longer that she had been told, a strong storm had moved into the area causing delays, but she had finally made it to her new town! The small college town of Sleepy Hills was just that, sleepy and very relaxing. Stepping out of the small airport she took a deep breath and found the air to have a slight sweetness to it that pleased her greatly.
A little black taxi was stationed a few feet to her right with a man dressed in a suit holding a sign with her name on it. After a breif introduction she was on her way. The driver asked her questions about her life, throwing in facts about her own. She smiled at his friendly behavior until something caught her attention.
They were currently on a dirt road going at a calm pace. Outside of her window was a picturesque view of a mountain range with a large lake in front of it. Surrounding the lake on both sides was a thing wooded area. She looked closely at some figures moving along the lake and found them to be a herd of deer. Jutting out from the mountain was a small rock formation that seemed to have a waterfall running over it. As they drive by it she noticed for a split second that it was hallow behind the waterfall.
The driver chuckled telling her that the lake was called Crystal Lake, very famous for its clear water and wildlife. However it wasnt all rainbows and butterflies. Over the past few years there has been several reports of a dark figure lurking in the woods which caused people to stop going. Search parties were sent out from every corner but could find nothing out of the ordinary. He warned her never to go in there alone especially at night. She nodded her head quickly.
Sarah continued to look out the window as the trees became fewer and fewer while the grass turned from it's dark green to a golden brown. The transition of colors was beautiful to say the least. Sarah was very happy to call this place home. The dirt road became slightly bumpier as the car began to pull into the driveway of her new house.
Sarah's eyes widened when an got a look at what would soon be called home. It was on the smaller side but still had a decent amount of space to it. The exterior was a pleasent brick design with a small porch and stairs leading to the door. Sarah paid the man, who she found out was names Lou, before grabbing her bag and running to the porch. Lou let out a loud cheerful laugh while he waved to her.
At the bottom of the porch she noticed that what she thought was stairs was really just two steps. Facing the frontyard was a long window that let you see the whole yard as well as most of the house. Turning to her left was a double door. A thin plastic one in front of a heavier wooden one. She instantly dug out the keys from her pocket and threw the door open. As soon as she stepped over the threshold he saw saw small closet. Looking down she noticed that the floor was a small slab of smooth stone. When she turned to her right she could see the living room as well as the dining room. The flooring in these rooms were much different that the one in front of the door. These rooms had a soft cream carpet that felt like heaven to touch.
She made her way to a hallway which opened up in between the two rooms on the right side. Down the hallway was four sets of doors, two on each side. On the left side there was the bathroom followed by the master bedroom, the right side had two more bedrooms with one she planned on making Toby's when he visited.
She walked back down the hallway and into the dining room where she saw another smaller hallway to the left along the wall. That hallway led to the kitchen. Two door sat in the middle of the hallways walls. The one on the left had a concrete indoor patio connected to it and the one on the right led down to the basement. Inside the kitchen she noticed that the tiles had black flecks for the design with brown cabinets and a very 70's style countertop which made her smile. The kitchen dipped inward once past the basement and a too leading to thw garage was there.
Turning back to the basement door Sarah undid the lock, flicked on the light, and practically ran down thw stairs. At the base of the stairs was a small ledge which she assumed was for a bar. Next to the bar was the main room. Pink tiles and brick walls didn't really suit her taste but she could always fix that. A doorway to her left led her into another larger room for laundry and other things. She smiled and nodded her head once she finished the tour. "This will do! It's perfect!"
Once she made her way back upstairs she quickly scanned each room making sure the movers placed her furniture in a good position. Much of the furniture was new to her seeing as a lot of her family sent her new things to fill her home. Everything fit in well with the layout. She walked over to the couch, which was against the wall and the window, and plopped down on it. A small box sat on the coffee table in front of her. The box was labeled "decorations" which caused her to smile yet again.
She moved the box to the side reaching for the television remote. She turned to a news station and listened to what was going on in her new town. Everything was relatively calm except for a small fight which resulted in the fighters becoming friends. Sarah laughed at that, sitting back on her couch. She rested there for what seemed like hours before she heard a small scratching from the door. Well actually it was more like a constant thud since the plastic door was closed.
Cautiously she walked over to the door, pulling it open only to find no one there. A soft hum escaped her lips as she started to close the door until a soft meow sounded. In an instant the door was flung back open to reveal a small black and white cat pawing at the plastic door. The cat seemed to be well fed and friendly enough for her to go out and see it. It let out a surprised noise when the door it was previously playing with opened and the young woman stepped out. The cat was very overage looking to her but the thing that caught her attention was it's eyes. The cat had a beautiful set of mismatched eyes. One was blue and the other was bright gold. "Wow arent you a handsome guy." Sarah said stroking the cats head. A soft pur could be heard when the cat suddenly stood up and started rubbing its side against her. She laughed at the cat pacing her porch before it bolted off the porch and away from the property.
Her hand sat just how it was as she tried to understand what just happened. Looking around her she saw nothing strange that could have spooked the cat. With a small shrug she turned back into her house, checking the time. 9:00 her clock read. Normally she would have stayed up until at least 2 in the morning but tonight she couldn't. Tomorrow morning was the start of her first day of school and she wanted to n well rested for it. The lights in the house turned off one after the other until only one was left on. She turned that one off too before crawling into bed and shutting her eyes. Memories of the past few days flashed through her mind as she slowly drifted off to dreamland.