Chapter 1: Salvation
This was the only chance I had to escape the unbearable magnitude of my own thoughts. Desperate as it sounds, I truly had no choice; it was either go away to Minocqua; the small, very peaceful town residing in Wisconsin, and regain what sanity I had left, or stay here in Miami, and continue to let my stress manifest inside me until I went completely insane.
So badly I wanted to escape the prison that has been created deep within my subconscious, the solid barrier I was forced behind kept me awake at night, mocking me with my inner worries, my dread, and my most profoundly concealed suspicions.
My father, was the mayor, he naturally worried about nearly everything, so he really wasn't crazy about this idea of me going on vacation to Wisconsin for the whole summer. My father was a kind man, and he always supported me in every choice I made, but when it came to my mother, it was a tender topic.
"Vanessa, are you sure about this?" His stern, parental tone didn't let up- even as he parked his car- seeming to get as close to the airport entrance as possible. "Kathryn, isn't the most rational person,"
I had heard this many times before when I had brought up mom, but it always ended the same way, the both of us would finish with an uncomfortable silence, moving on to much lighter conversation, but today, I had to be firm.
"I'm sure dad, it's just for three months, then I'll be home," I offered, forcing a small smile on my face; I hoped that I had sounded convincing enough.
He only nodded, staying silent as he pulled me into a fatherly embrace. "Call every day, I expect to hear from you as soon as possible," He said in a rough tone that didn't sound like him.
A pinch of sadness hit me as I had hugged him back, quietly agreeing to call him the moment I landed in Wisconsin. It had been a brief goodbye, and I knew he would still be questioning why I had to leave- I had trouble answering that question myself.
But regardless, I boarded my plane, luckily getting a seat by the window, and the moment the plane had left the ground, it had felt like a great weight had been lifted from my shoulders.
There was no telling why I had decided on spontaneously leaving my whole life behind, just to spend a few months with my mother. I didn't know if it was because of the stress that I had gone through this school year, or the scandalous accusations of my peers that sent me running the other direction.
I didn't know my reasoning's, but I was thankful for my choice, now I just wondered what I had in store for me at Minocqua.
The flight had been surprisingly quick; I had managed to take a momentary nap, only to be woken up by the light jostle of the plane as it osculated the surface of the runway.
My mom had been waiting for me, pulling me in for a tight hug, seeming genuinely overjoyed to see me. I had seen her at least once a year, but this would be the longest I've ever stayed with her.
"Hello dear, did you have a good flight?" She asked as we both slid into her tiny silver Honda. The smell inside the car was pleasant, like sweet jasmine—it was obviously a very well kept car.
"It was alright," I nodded with a content smile, letting my eyes wonder out the windows, taking in the splendor of Minocqua.
I've always thought this place held a beauty all its own. The abundant plant life, the dark, mysterious forests, and shimmering, crystal blue lakes, this place had an almost fairytale-like feeling to it.
"How is your father?" My mother's gentle voice regained my attention, bringing my eyes back into focus on her curious expression. "I haven't heard from him, in a very long time,"
"He's doing fine," I said, chewing my lip- I knew my parent's relationship was strained, but my mother still was a bit sensitive when it came to this subject.
Her smile turned slightly sad, "That's wonderful to hear," She spoke quietly, barely above a whisper- Yet her words sounded heavy, lingering inside the car, creating an awkward silence. "Has he… found someone?"
Slowly I tucked a few loose strands of my chestnut brown hair behind my ear, nervousness fluttering deeply within my stomach. "Well, he is talking to someone," - I really didn't want to upset my mother.
Her emerald green eyes; similar to mine- turned slightly gloomy, "I'm glad he is happy," It was undeniably that this fact had dampened the mood a bit.
The rest of the drive we stayed silent; luckily it didn't take too long to get to mom's house. A huge forest engulfed most of the log house, keeping it hidden from view when going down the road- Surely no one would even know a house was here.
My memory of this house was vivid, I could recall small details from the past, knowing all the times I had come to visit, I had marveled at the old charm this log house held- I referred to it as a log house, because a log cabin simply made it sound smaller than it really was, when in actuality it was two-floors.
As soon as we parked, I took note of the burly man standing on the porch, waiting patiently, a passive look on his face. His beefy arms were folded tightly over his chest, and his stance was everything but relaxed.
I groaned inwardly, recognizing the man after further examination.
This was my mother's new husband. It wasn't that I didn't like him, he was all in all a pretty nice guy; I just could never feel completely at ease when he is around.
My mother sensed my distress, "Don't worry, he is on his way out to go fishing," She said quietly, touching my shoulder before taking a few of my suitcases in her hands.
I did feel slightly better, hoping that we could get this awkward greeting over with as soon as possible. I got the rest of my suitcases, following slowly behind- Each step I slowed down more and more, reluctance bringing heaviness to my feet. But it was no use; I stood face to face with him, forcing a smile.
"It's nice to see you again kid," His voice was deep, and gruffly- at first sight of him, one would immediately see the resemblances of a bear in his appearance.
I tried to keep my voice as light, and friendly; hoping this would disguise my complete uneasiness. "It's nice to see you to Grey,"
He must have accepted this, giving one jerky nod, before leaning over to peck my mother on the cheek, marching down the porch stairs, "I'll be at the lake," He threw behind his shoulder, before heading around the back of the house.
It was a relief, that was over, now it should be smooth sailing from here on out.
Following my mother, I looked around the house briefly, taking note to the familiar qualities of the house, and the new changes that has occurred since the last time I had been here.
It was still just as extravagant as I had remembered however, I felt as though I had entered a palace of wood- the smells of pine, and cinnamon permeated the air, bringing to me an inner peace.
By now, I was more than thankful that I had come; this was exactly what I needed.
My mother led the way to my bedroom, lightly setting down the two suitcases she had carried up, "Do you need any help unpacking?" She wondered— her dark green eyes reflected a warmness that I found comforting.
"No, it's ok, there's not too much," I reassured, setting down the suitcases I had brought up as well.
I had only brought clothes, and a few pictures to put up in my room. In my haste to leave Miami I had forgotten to bring any books, so my first priority would be to find a library.
"Oh alright, I'll be downstairs if you need anything," She nodded, carefully moving around my bags before walking out of the room— leaving me alone to my thoughts.
When I had finished in my closest, I took a steady look around the room, it was an acceptable size. Although there was just a bed, two oak dressers, a wooden desk; and a full length mirror sitting in the very corner. I liked it.
It didn't take very long to finish up with my room; the sun was still shining brightly into the windows, the warmth of the sun caressed my face, putting my mind at ease.
Now, I just needed to find a library.
My mother had given me a mini map of Minocqua, highlighting main roads, and did her best to give me directions to the town's library. She inclined to take her Honda, but I decided against it.
If something was to happen to her car, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself, she was already doing so much for me, there was no need to go overboard. I settled with the old bicycle that sat, leaning on the front of the porch- it appeared to have not been touched in years.
But after sweeping the dust off the seat with my hand, I hopped on, pedaling down the road. It went surprisingly smooth, with only the slightest clinking sound of the chains as I pedaled.
I made it back into town easily, a smile coming to my face as I gazed around the calm town. It was like taking a step back in time, with old-fashioned ice cream parlors, and shops.
Distracted by my thoughts I realized that I didn't know exactly where I was, and there was no possibility I could remember where the library had been on the map.
Getting off the bike; I reached into my pocket- Darn it. I had forgotten to take the map with me. Quickly I reminded myself to stay calm, freaking out wouldn't make this any better.
You would have thought that after visiting here once a year I would have paid attention to where everything was, but then again, I had been with my father each time, and we only stayed in the hotel in town, we didn't venture out.
Just relax, and ask for directions.
Slowly I walked, pushing my bike alongside me. I spotted guy walking in my general direction, carrying brown grocery bags in his hands. He looked around my age, so I sucked in a confident breath and went to him.
"Excuse me," I said, watching as he paused in front of me- that's when I noticed how extremely tall he was; he towered over me.
"Hey, need some help?" His voice was deeper than I had expected it to be, but there was no doubt a friendliness to him- so I continued, hoping I didn't sound like a complete fool.
"Yeah, I'm kind of new to town; can you tell me where the library is?"
"You're new," He repeated, his eyes studying me for a moment. "Well, if you head down about three blocks, past the general store, the library is right across the road," His tone stayed polite, but I could see curiosity dancing in his dark eyes.
"Thanks a lot," I felt relief return to me- as long as I had a clue where I was heading, it pacified me- bringing my content smile back to my face.
"Sure thing," He held his free hand out to me. "I'm Daniel Lively."
I shook his hand gingerly, taking note of the roughness of his hands. He must be a worker of some sort.
"I'm Vanessa Reverence,"
"Nice to meet you, so how do you like our little town?"
"This actually isn't my first time here, but I'm loving it here; very friendly," I stated.
"How long are you staying?"
"Just for the summer,"
He nodded at this, his smile going slightly smaller, "Well, hey I have to get going, but here," He dug in his back pocket- Giving me a clear view of the long dark braid going down his back.
Retrieving a pen, and setting his grocery bags down, he scribbled on a small piece of the bag he had ripped off. "Call me; I have a group of friends that would love to show you around town, maybe hang out for a bit." He shrugged slightly before handing it to me.
I pinched the piece of paper between my fingers, inspecting the number for a minute- unsure exactly how I should react to this, but settling for a grin, I spoke up. "Alright, thanks Daniel,"
It would be nice to make some friends; it would give me something at least to do this entire summer. I wasn't sure if reading would distract me quite enough.
"No problem," He said picking up his groceries, and giving me a charming nod, "I'll see you around," And with that the both of us went our separate ways.
I didn't waste any time making my way in the direction that Daniel had pointed out. It didn't take long before I was entering the library. With an intake of breath I gazed around in awe.
The library was incredible; much larger than I anticipated. Sidetracked by the hundreds of books laid out before me, I moved forward, only to hit into something hard, and firm- it had easily knocked the breath right out of me. I stumbled back, quickly my head snapped up, startled, but what made me freeze was the unexpected bolt of electricity that jolted through my body at the contact. I took in the stranger I had just bumped into, feeling my mouth slowly drop open.
He was tall, and excruciatingly handsome- judging by the way his plain grey sleeveless shirt clung to his muscular physique; he had the strength to lift a minivan. Although he wasn't huge, he had a lean, there was a smooth edge to him; that I couldn't explain with just words.
"Excuse me," His voice was melodious, just as flawless as his features, but was also cold, and brooding. For a moment, his crystal blue eyes scanned over my expression, raising a single brow. "You should probably watch where you're going," His tone was abrupt, and unwelcoming.
"You don't have to be a jerk about it," I said making a face- inwardly scolding myself, at how ridiculous I was sounding. "I wasn't paying attention,"
He swept a hand through his dark hair, "Clearly," - giving me just the hint of a frown, before walking quickly past me, and out of the library.
The haste of his exit surprised me; a gentle breeze blew past, offering just the slightest smell of something sweet- almost like maple, along with a woodsy aroma, it was practically intoxicating. It left my thoughts in a daze momentarily.
Who did that guy think he was?
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