Chapter 3
"Dear Shawn,
I am so anxious for your return! It gets so lonely around here without you. There's daddy, but he always needs to put aside half of his day to write his articles for the paper. Are you having a good time in New York? I wonder has mother changed any? I have not seen her for fourteen years. Perhaps that is a blessing from god. Or perhaps it is not, what do you think? Still three months until you return! That is too long for a sister to wait. If you feel any need to return before your time in New York with out mother is up, do so please! I expect it can't be as nice a place to live than here in Salem? You may enjoy the pleasures of our wealthy mother and her damn husband (sorry to use such harsh language in the face of god) but the simple life here with us is more practical…is it not?
Well, I hope you are doing well. I know not if you will even receive this letter or if mother will rip it up as soon as she takes it out of the mailbox. I already know that she favors you to me. But if you do receive it, write back soon, please?
Your anxious sister,
Chloe."
Chloe set down her pen and looked over the letter written in her fine hand. She smiled in satisfaction and folded it neatly, placing it inside her pre-addressed envelope and sealing it. She was finally going to have contact with her brother. Her mother had forbidden that Chloe and her father call them for fear of long distance charges, but really, how ironic it was that Nancy should be the one worried about vast expenditures when her wardrobe augmented by ten articles of clothing each day. Chloe laughed out loud at the thought. Her mother was a strange woman, she would admit that.
"What's so funny pumpkin?"
Chloe turned her head towards the kitchen table where her father sat drinking his morning coffee, the smile still on her face.
"Oh nothing…" She said, picking up the envelope and taking a seat beside Craig.
"Is it alright if I take this to the post office?" She asked, waving the letter in the air.
Craig eyed the letter curiously and read the address.
"This is to Shawn?"
"Yes."
"Well it's not going to get as far as New York."
"How come?" Chloe asked, disappointed. Craig chuckled lightly and shook his head. Then he pointed to the top right hand corner of the envelope.
"No stamp, hun."
"Oh." Chloe said, starting to giggle a little bit. "Silly me!"
"There's some on the desk in the den."
Chloe nodded her head, and upon gathering her needed stamps, she headed outside to the post office. It was only just down the street from her house.
As she got closer to it, she recognized the group she had seen walk by her house the day before sitting and chatting on the steps. Except today, there was a new addition, Jason, whom I guess was all done working on his dearest daddy's car and got the day off. She walked up to the steps slowly. She didn't really have reason to greet them, but since Brady had been so nice as to keep her company for a few minutes in the cemetery the night before, she decided to take a stab at it. She started to climb the steps slowly, and felt all five pairs of eyes go on her. She stopped and turned her head to look at them. Then, she tried a smile.
"Hello Brady." She said, and with that, she left them sitting there laughing on the steps as she stepped into the post office.
Brady stared after her with the rest of the gang, but didn't laugh it up after she had gone inside. She wasn't all that bad, but unfortunately, like many others, she was hit by one of the many bullets of hatred that flew around the schools of Salem each day. He sort of felt sorry for her, but not really. This was Chloe, the same Chloe he had known all of his life. They didn't really have much in common, in fact no one really had much in common with her. He turned back to his friends who were still battling the last remains of their fit of laughter.
"Hello Brady." Phillip said in a sing-songy voice. Brady rolled his eyes.
"Come off it. She was only being polite."
"Notice how she was only being polite to you?" Mimi broke in, touching his arm. "Well she should know you're already taken." She finished, smiling up at him.
'Oh god' Brady thought, looking down at Mimi. What had he gone and gotten himself into now? This girl was a lunatic.
He looked up again when he heard the glass door of the post office open once again. Chloe stepped back into the sunlight having apparently mailed her letter and started down the steps again.
"Oh I just love your outfit!" Belle gushed, looking over Chloe's overalls and light blue T-shirt.
"Thank you." Chloe said sweetly, smiling at the compliment.
"See you later, Chloe." Mimi said, hanging tightly onto Brady's arm and daring Chloe to say something. But Chloe just nodded her head then was off back down the street to her house.
Mimi rolled her eyes after her.
"I guess she gets the picture huh Brady?" She said, turning back towards her supposed 'boyfriend.'
"Hmm?" Brady's eyes broke off the little form of Chloe in the distance.
"Yeah, sure."
"Dear Shawn,
I am so anxious for your return! It gets so lonely around here without you. There's daddy, but he always needs to put aside half of his day to write his articles for the paper. Are you having a good time in New York? I wonder has mother changed any? I have not seen her for fourteen years. Perhaps that is a blessing from god. Or perhaps it is not, what do you think? Still three months until you return! That is too long for a sister to wait. If you feel any need to return before your time in New York with out mother is up, do so please! I expect it can't be as nice a place to live than here in Salem? You may enjoy the pleasures of our wealthy mother and her damn husband (sorry to use such harsh language in the face of god) but the simple life here with us is more practical…is it not?
Well, I hope you are doing well. I know not if you will even receive this letter or if mother will rip it up as soon as she takes it out of the mailbox. I already know that she favors you to me. But if you do receive it, write back soon, please?
Your anxious sister,
Chloe."
Chloe set down her pen and looked over the letter written in her fine hand. She smiled in satisfaction and folded it neatly, placing it inside her pre-addressed envelope and sealing it. She was finally going to have contact with her brother. Her mother had forbidden that Chloe and her father call them for fear of long distance charges, but really, how ironic it was that Nancy should be the one worried about vast expenditures when her wardrobe augmented by ten articles of clothing each day. Chloe laughed out loud at the thought. Her mother was a strange woman, she would admit that.
"What's so funny pumpkin?"
Chloe turned her head towards the kitchen table where her father sat drinking his morning coffee, the smile still on her face.
"Oh nothing…" She said, picking up the envelope and taking a seat beside Craig.
"Is it alright if I take this to the post office?" She asked, waving the letter in the air.
Craig eyed the letter curiously and read the address.
"This is to Shawn?"
"Yes."
"Well it's not going to get as far as New York."
"How come?" Chloe asked, disappointed. Craig chuckled lightly and shook his head. Then he pointed to the top right hand corner of the envelope.
"No stamp, hun."
"Oh." Chloe said, starting to giggle a little bit. "Silly me!"
"There's some on the desk in the den."
Chloe nodded her head, and upon gathering her needed stamps, she headed outside to the post office. It was only just down the street from her house.
As she got closer to it, she recognized the group she had seen walk by her house the day before sitting and chatting on the steps. Except today, there was a new addition, Jason, whom I guess was all done working on his dearest daddy's car and got the day off. She walked up to the steps slowly. She didn't really have reason to greet them, but since Brady had been so nice as to keep her company for a few minutes in the cemetery the night before, she decided to take a stab at it. She started to climb the steps slowly, and felt all five pairs of eyes go on her. She stopped and turned her head to look at them. Then, she tried a smile.
"Hello Brady." She said, and with that, she left them sitting there laughing on the steps as she stepped into the post office.
Brady stared after her with the rest of the gang, but didn't laugh it up after she had gone inside. She wasn't all that bad, but unfortunately, like many others, she was hit by one of the many bullets of hatred that flew around the schools of Salem each day. He sort of felt sorry for her, but not really. This was Chloe, the same Chloe he had known all of his life. They didn't really have much in common, in fact no one really had much in common with her. He turned back to his friends who were still battling the last remains of their fit of laughter.
"Hello Brady." Phillip said in a sing-songy voice. Brady rolled his eyes.
"Come off it. She was only being polite."
"Notice how she was only being polite to you?" Mimi broke in, touching his arm. "Well she should know you're already taken." She finished, smiling up at him.
'Oh god' Brady thought, looking down at Mimi. What had he gone and gotten himself into now? This girl was a lunatic.
He looked up again when he heard the glass door of the post office open once again. Chloe stepped back into the sunlight having apparently mailed her letter and started down the steps again.
"Oh I just love your outfit!" Belle gushed, looking over Chloe's overalls and light blue T-shirt.
"Thank you." Chloe said sweetly, smiling at the compliment.
"See you later, Chloe." Mimi said, hanging tightly onto Brady's arm and daring Chloe to say something. But Chloe just nodded her head then was off back down the street to her house.
Mimi rolled her eyes after her.
"I guess she gets the picture huh Brady?" She said, turning back towards her supposed 'boyfriend.'
"Hmm?" Brady's eyes broke off the little form of Chloe in the distance.
"Yeah, sure."