Chapter 1
She sat quietly on the couch, watching as her father fiddled with his reading glasses while he read the paper. She tilted her head to the side, admiring the way his forehead crinkled when he was in deep thought. A lock of her deep brown hair hung loosely over her shoulder, curling ever so slightly. She sub-consciously twirled the piece around her finger, a soft smile brightening her features. This was Chloe Wesley. She lived alone with her father Craig Wesley in a small two-story home located deep in the heart of Salem. Yet Salem was not then what it is today. It was quieter, and there were not so many cars and buses crowding the streets. Chloe's twin brother Shawn Douglas had left Salem for one year, his mother having requested that she spend some time with him. Chloe had received no such invitation to visit a chic apartment in New York where Nancy Lane lived happily and quite wealthily with her third husband Eric. Yet it didn't bother her too much. She enjoyed living with her father, and he was really the only parent she had ever known. 'It's her loss' Craig had always told her as he stroked her hair, 'No woman in her right mind would give up two beautiful children'. Chloe got by on her father's undying love and her strong belief in God. She attended church every Sunday like any ordinary Christian, and at that time, that pretty much covered the whole town. She was pretty quiet and soft-spoken; her hair was always worn in a low ponytail that flowed gently to her mid-back. She didn't dress 'hip' like the other girls, instead she dressed plainly, usually a pair of overalls or a skirt that reached her knees. In 1959, most girls were still thoroughly enjoying the new outfits that were out, giving them a chance to expose their flat stomachs or their long legs. Had Chloe thrown on one of those outfits, she probably would have fit in quite nicely with the other girls, perhaps even surpassed all of them in a contest of beauty. But at age 17, she was different from all the other girls, and clothes were certainly the last things on her mind during that time in her life.
"Daddy?"
Craig looked up abruptly when he heard the soft voice of his beloved daughter. He looked at her, then smiled softly.
"What is it pumpkin?"
"When's Shawn coming back? I miss him."
Craig glanced at the calendar that hung by a small brass hook beside the window and counted the days to the marked date, the day when his son would finally be back home again. Then he looked back at Chloe, who was waiting impatiently for an answer.
"Not for another three months honey." He said slowly, the note of disappointment apparent in his voice.
"Oh," was all that Chloe had the heart to say. She missed her brother; he was really the only friend that she had in this world. She was nice to everyone at school, but it was apparent even to Chloe that they didn't like her very much and even spread rumors about her behind her back. Yet, they had never really bothered her too much, she didn't care what other's thought. God had given her life to do with what she pleased, and that was exactly what she planned on doing, no matter what the other teens of Salem thought or said.
She would face them all yet again in two days, when her weekend was over. For now, she still had church to look forward to, and she sang with the church choir, though very small at that time. The reverend had given her lead vocals, and sometimes she would get a chance to sing as a soloist as he was so impressed with her singing voice. Chloe sighed and sank back comfortably in her chair.
Her father had resumed reading the newspapers, obviously transfixed by one of the headings she assumed.
She looked around the room, trying to find something to do. Her gaze fell upon the quaint photo album lying on the coffee table. She picked it up, the cover bound in leather felt soft against her fingertips. Standing up and smoothing out the skirt she was wearing, Chloe walked outside onto the front porch and sat down in one of the three wicker chairs that sat in a circle on the whitewashed floorboards of the wrap-around porch. She opened the book and looked over the collection of photographs on the first page. They were baby pictures of herself and her brother between the ages of six months and two years. The smile returned to her face as she looked over the two toddlers giving almost toothless grins to the photographer, who was undoubtedly her father or perhaps even her mother as she had stayed with Craig for three years after she had bore their children. Her smile left her face when she thought of her mother. Her mother was not someone that she liked to think about too often. Yet it was a fact of life that that Nancy Lance, as potentially evil as she could be, was still her mother, and because of that pleasant fact held a place, no matter how small, in Chloe's heart. She was quickly pulled from her thoughts when she heard the clomping of a few pairs of feet walking down the sidewalk in front of her house.
The group consisted of two junior cheerleaders, Belle and Mimi; one very popular guy named Phillip in his senior year and another one, Brady Black. Chloe remembered him as being the kid they had initiated into their high society reign at Salem High about six months earlier. Chloe closed the album and set it down in the chair beside that in which she sat. She stood up and walked to the edge of her porch, her skirt and hair blowing out to the side of her from the warm September breeze. She watched the kids walk by slowly, laughing and making light, bubbly conversation. She had known all of them since kindergarten, they had all gone to the same schools, and Chloe had been in almost every class that Mimi and Belle had been in. Chloe kept her eyes on the group, and eventually Brady turned his head to meet her eyes. The other three members of the group turned their heads too. Chloe smiled warmly at them as a greeting. Mimi and Belle waved and then started giggling madly before they took off running down the street. Phillip went off immediately after them, but Brady kept his gaze steady on Chloe. Then he shrugged and he too followed off down the street. Chloe sighed deeply. Then she shrugged her shoulders and picked up the album whose pages were flipping endlessly in the late summer wind and walked quietly back into the house.
Setting the album down on a top shelf in the closet, she walked back into the living room. Her father was sitting quietly at the table, writing his latest article for the paper. That's what he did, Craig Wesley I mean, he wrote for the Salem Times.
"Daddy, I'm going to make dinner now ok?" She said softly, taking out a pan from the cupboard and turning up the heat on the small over that lay in the corner of the kitchen. Craig gave a slight nod, keeping his eyes on his work, while Chloe took the necessary goods out of the refrigerator.
She sat quietly on the couch, watching as her father fiddled with his reading glasses while he read the paper. She tilted her head to the side, admiring the way his forehead crinkled when he was in deep thought. A lock of her deep brown hair hung loosely over her shoulder, curling ever so slightly. She sub-consciously twirled the piece around her finger, a soft smile brightening her features. This was Chloe Wesley. She lived alone with her father Craig Wesley in a small two-story home located deep in the heart of Salem. Yet Salem was not then what it is today. It was quieter, and there were not so many cars and buses crowding the streets. Chloe's twin brother Shawn Douglas had left Salem for one year, his mother having requested that she spend some time with him. Chloe had received no such invitation to visit a chic apartment in New York where Nancy Lane lived happily and quite wealthily with her third husband Eric. Yet it didn't bother her too much. She enjoyed living with her father, and he was really the only parent she had ever known. 'It's her loss' Craig had always told her as he stroked her hair, 'No woman in her right mind would give up two beautiful children'. Chloe got by on her father's undying love and her strong belief in God. She attended church every Sunday like any ordinary Christian, and at that time, that pretty much covered the whole town. She was pretty quiet and soft-spoken; her hair was always worn in a low ponytail that flowed gently to her mid-back. She didn't dress 'hip' like the other girls, instead she dressed plainly, usually a pair of overalls or a skirt that reached her knees. In 1959, most girls were still thoroughly enjoying the new outfits that were out, giving them a chance to expose their flat stomachs or their long legs. Had Chloe thrown on one of those outfits, she probably would have fit in quite nicely with the other girls, perhaps even surpassed all of them in a contest of beauty. But at age 17, she was different from all the other girls, and clothes were certainly the last things on her mind during that time in her life.
"Daddy?"
Craig looked up abruptly when he heard the soft voice of his beloved daughter. He looked at her, then smiled softly.
"What is it pumpkin?"
"When's Shawn coming back? I miss him."
Craig glanced at the calendar that hung by a small brass hook beside the window and counted the days to the marked date, the day when his son would finally be back home again. Then he looked back at Chloe, who was waiting impatiently for an answer.
"Not for another three months honey." He said slowly, the note of disappointment apparent in his voice.
"Oh," was all that Chloe had the heart to say. She missed her brother; he was really the only friend that she had in this world. She was nice to everyone at school, but it was apparent even to Chloe that they didn't like her very much and even spread rumors about her behind her back. Yet, they had never really bothered her too much, she didn't care what other's thought. God had given her life to do with what she pleased, and that was exactly what she planned on doing, no matter what the other teens of Salem thought or said.
She would face them all yet again in two days, when her weekend was over. For now, she still had church to look forward to, and she sang with the church choir, though very small at that time. The reverend had given her lead vocals, and sometimes she would get a chance to sing as a soloist as he was so impressed with her singing voice. Chloe sighed and sank back comfortably in her chair.
Her father had resumed reading the newspapers, obviously transfixed by one of the headings she assumed.
She looked around the room, trying to find something to do. Her gaze fell upon the quaint photo album lying on the coffee table. She picked it up, the cover bound in leather felt soft against her fingertips. Standing up and smoothing out the skirt she was wearing, Chloe walked outside onto the front porch and sat down in one of the three wicker chairs that sat in a circle on the whitewashed floorboards of the wrap-around porch. She opened the book and looked over the collection of photographs on the first page. They were baby pictures of herself and her brother between the ages of six months and two years. The smile returned to her face as she looked over the two toddlers giving almost toothless grins to the photographer, who was undoubtedly her father or perhaps even her mother as she had stayed with Craig for three years after she had bore their children. Her smile left her face when she thought of her mother. Her mother was not someone that she liked to think about too often. Yet it was a fact of life that that Nancy Lance, as potentially evil as she could be, was still her mother, and because of that pleasant fact held a place, no matter how small, in Chloe's heart. She was quickly pulled from her thoughts when she heard the clomping of a few pairs of feet walking down the sidewalk in front of her house.
The group consisted of two junior cheerleaders, Belle and Mimi; one very popular guy named Phillip in his senior year and another one, Brady Black. Chloe remembered him as being the kid they had initiated into their high society reign at Salem High about six months earlier. Chloe closed the album and set it down in the chair beside that in which she sat. She stood up and walked to the edge of her porch, her skirt and hair blowing out to the side of her from the warm September breeze. She watched the kids walk by slowly, laughing and making light, bubbly conversation. She had known all of them since kindergarten, they had all gone to the same schools, and Chloe had been in almost every class that Mimi and Belle had been in. Chloe kept her eyes on the group, and eventually Brady turned his head to meet her eyes. The other three members of the group turned their heads too. Chloe smiled warmly at them as a greeting. Mimi and Belle waved and then started giggling madly before they took off running down the street. Phillip went off immediately after them, but Brady kept his gaze steady on Chloe. Then he shrugged and he too followed off down the street. Chloe sighed deeply. Then she shrugged her shoulders and picked up the album whose pages were flipping endlessly in the late summer wind and walked quietly back into the house.
Setting the album down on a top shelf in the closet, she walked back into the living room. Her father was sitting quietly at the table, writing his latest article for the paper. That's what he did, Craig Wesley I mean, he wrote for the Salem Times.
"Daddy, I'm going to make dinner now ok?" She said softly, taking out a pan from the cupboard and turning up the heat on the small over that lay in the corner of the kitchen. Craig gave a slight nod, keeping his eyes on his work, while Chloe took the necessary goods out of the refrigerator.