Chapter One-New Arrival

~Arianna Wicks~

For twenty one years I have lived an uneventful life. Nothing special ever really happened to me. That is, until I moved to Yakima, Washington. Then everything I knew changed.

My parents died when I was young, so I spent most of my years growing up with my aunt, Courtney. But things begun to go bad for her and we both decided that it would be best, for both of us, if I spent some time with her cousin, Anthony. Until she was able to get back on her feet. And that's how I ended up here.

The flight from Tampa Bay, Florida to Seattle, Washington was downright horrid. I hated flying with a passion, and Courtney knew it. But she told me it was the fastest way to get to Riverside. I would have to start school tomorrow, so I really had no choice. And as soon as the plane landed in Seattle, I was overcome with joy and could not hold back the tears.

The final plane ride ride from Seattle to Yakima was a little better because it was a lot shorter. I slept most, if not all, of the three hours. As the plane landed at McAllister Field and came to a stop, I stood up, gathered my bags and stepped off the plane into my new hometown. I only had two bags with me for my move. Courtney would be shipping the rest of my stuff later in the week. I carried a backpack, which I flung over my right shoulder, that held mostly my bathroom stuff and other 'girly' things. And my suitcase, which held most of my cloths. And most of the cloths in the suitcase were brand new. I mean, I didn't have a need for sweats in Florida.

I looked around the terminal. The last time I was here was about 15 years ago. And from what I remember from then, not much had changed. Not even the weather. Although that didn't surprise me much. Here in Riverside, Washington, it was cloudy seventy percent of the time, raining twenty percent of the time, sunny seven percent of the time, a mixture of all three three percent of the time, and cold every day. Oh, how I missed warm, sunny Florida!

I sighed and headed down the hall to the main terminal with the other four people that got off the train with me. The terminal was not that big, compared to the terminal I left back in Tampa Bay. It only had two runways, and used mostly for general aviation, but is also served by two commercial airlines. As I looked around I had a feeling that my time here, however long that may be, would not be easy. And usually these feelings were right.

I reached the sliding doors that led out to the street and stepped outside.

"Arianna!"

I looked up. Leaning on the side of a dark green Volts Wagon Jetta was Anthony. He smiled at me as I walked towards him.

He did not seem like the thirty five year old man he was. He looked younger. Like, early twenties younger! He had light brown hair that just passed his shoulders, that he always had pinned back. He claimed that women liked men with long hair. And his hazel eyes were always so kind and gentle. They hardly ever showed hate or rage.

I smiled at him as he pushed away from the car to take my bags from me. "For once Tony, you are on time." I taunted him. Courtney always told me stories about how he was always late for everything. She would even joke around and say, 'I wouldn't be surprised if he is late for his own funeral'.

He chuckled as he put the bags into the back seat and closed the door. "Well, I had to make sure you got your gift." He smiled at me, gently patting the roof of the car.

I gasped in surprise, my hands covering my mouth. "My gift?!"

He chuckled at my reaction. "Yup. I mean, you are going to be here for a while and I won't be able to drive you everywhere you need to go. Now you can go by yourself."

I couldn't control it anymore. I giggled as I lunged at him, hugging him tightly. "Thank you so much!"

He chuckled as he hugged me back. "Don't worry about it, kiddo. Here." He pushed me away and held the keys out in front of me. "Why not see how she drives."

I grabbed the keys from him, fighting to contain the scream of joy that waned to escape. I would do it later, when I was not in public. I headed around the front of the car as he climbed into the passenger seat. I stood at the front of my car, nearly bouncing out of my shoes, as I waited for a silver Nissan Pathfinder to pass by. As it did, I glanced inside at the driver and could have sworn that he was looking back at me in shock, or surprise. I wasn't sure. But right now, I didn't care. I pushed the image of the wide eyed face from my mind as I climbed into the driver's seat of my car.

I started the car and gripped the steering wheel tightly in glee. I shifted the car into drive and merged smoothly into traffic, heading towards Anthony's house and my new home.

Anthony chuckled the whole time. A few blocks from the station, her turned to me. "So, do you like it?"

"Oh, of course." I more than liked it, I loved it. "I'll pay you back for it, I promise"

He laughed, waving his hand dismissively in the air. "Don't worry about it, kiddo. Think of it as a….late graduation gift."

"Thank you." I sighed. He was way too kind.

I giggled, bouncing in my seat at every red light and stop sign I stopped at all the way to Anthony's place, which was about a twenty five minute drive. I pulled up in front of the two bedroom house, behind his black Honda Civic. I turned the car off and we both got out.

"I have to head back to work." He closed the door and walked around the front of the car to me. He handed me another set of keys, the house keys this time. "Your room is ready and waiting. Top of the stair, furthest on your right." He gently kissed my forehead. "Thanks for coming, kiddo." He turned to his car, got in, started it, then drove off.

I grabbed my bags from the back seat and headed inside. The living room was off to the left. It had a big screen television, of course. A gray couch and a tan loveseat both sat across from each other. A polished oak wood coffee table in the center. The room to the right was the dining room. It had a rectangular table with six chairs surrounding it. All of which were also polished oak wood. Above the table hung a glass chandelier. Just passed the dining room was the kitchen. The stove and sink was surrounded by black marble countertops. The fridge sat against the left side of the wall by the doorway. All the walls and floors of the whole house were wood.

I walked up the stairs across from the front door to the second floor landing. I turned right, the wall to my left. His room was first, but his door was closed. Then it was the bathroom. The door was opened a little bit, but enough to see the dark blue tiles and countertop surrounded the sink. Then it was my room.

I took a deep breath, pushed the door open and stepped inside. Like the rest of the house, the walls and floor were wood. A dark brown, six draw dresser sat to the right of the door, two picture frames atop it. A queen size bed with a sky blue comforter and dark blue sheets took up most of the room. At the foot of the bed was an old wooden chest. There were three window, each covers by midnight blue blinds, slightly open. One window faced the front yard and my car, the other two faced the side yard and some of the surrounding woods.

I put my bags on the chest and sat on the edge of my new bed. I looked at the pictures atop the dresser and felt tears well up, felt my heart twist in pain. One picture, framed in gold, was of my mother. The other, framed in silver, was my father. They were their old high school photos, but were still beautiful.

Smiling, I looked away. Laying on my bed, near my pillows was a large yellow envelope. I picked it up and emptied its contents onto the bed. They were letters and papers from the near-by Central Washington University. I shifted through them, not really paying attention. Then I stopped when my hand passed over a hand written note on lined paper. I picked it up and smiled. It was from Anthony.

"Hey Anya,

Sorry about the school stuff. Courtney called me and told me you

applied and got excepted. I hope you don't mind, but I asked the school

to send your papers here. And don't worry about the tuition, kiddo.

Just have fun!

Tony."

I laughed softly to myself as I picked up the envelope and slid everything back inside, including Anthony's note. Courtney must have called him before I got here, asking him to take care of me. I hope he didn't plan on paying for everything I needed while I was here.

I got up and placed the envelope atop my dresser, in between the two photos. I grabbed my keys from atop the chest, combined them all onto one key ring, and headed down into the kitchen. I had not eaten since I got off the plane in Seattle, over three hours ago. I was hungry.

I searched through the cabinets and the fridge. I wasn't really surprised that there wasn't much. He was not the best cook. But I was surprised to see that most of the stuff he did have was out dated, by months. I hope Anthony wasn't eating any of this. It's a wonder he's not sick yet.

With my keys in hand, I headed back out to my car, locking the front door. To pay him back for the car and the school stuff I would by him groceries. It was the least I could do. I stared my car and drove down the street.

The store wasn't far, just a few blocks. But unlike everything else in this small town, it was huge. I parked my car about twelve spaces from the doors, not wanting to get too close to other cars. I turned my car off and headed inside.

It didn't take long. In about thirty minutes I had one full cart of food and other stuff and was waiting in line to check out. I paid the cashier and headed outside. Then begun to mentally beat myself up for parking so far away.

It had begun to rain again. And now it was downright pouring. Although, I didn't think pouring was a good enough word to describe how hard the rain was falling. And from how angry the clouds looked, I figured that it was not going to let up any time soon.

I took a deep breath and rushed quickly across the parking lot with my full cart to my car. I got to the trunk, quickly popped it open and begun to load the bags in as quickly as I could. But I was still not moving fast enough.

As I reached in to pull out the third bag, I suddenly realized that the rain was no longer hitting me. I was dry, kind of. I looked up and was surprised by the guy that stood beside me, holding a umbrella above us both. He was handsome. No, more than handsome, if that was even possible. His hazel brown hair blew in the gentle wind, framing his face so perfectly. His skin, or what was exposed of his skin for me to see, was so pale, but so smooth and perfect. And his eyes, which gazed deeply into mine, were breathtaking. They were a light shade of brown, and seemed very gently.

"Do you mind if I help?" His voice was so smooth, so gentle. He made me speechless, which was a rarity for me. I always had something to say, even if it was witty and got me into trouble. But right now, my mind was totally and completely blank.

He waved his hand slowly in front of me, trying to grab my attention. I snapped out of my daze. "Oh. I…um…I'm sorry."

He chuckled softly. "Do you mind if I help?" He repeated the question I didn't hear the first time.

"Um…sure. Thanks." He smiled at me as he leaned down and picked up one of the bags and placed in into the trunk. My breath caught in my chest at his smile. It was so beautiful, so entrancing. Everything about him was. He finished loading my gabs in as I just stood there, immobilized.

He then looked up at me, closing my trunk. "Come. I will walk you to the door so you don't get any wetter than you already are. There is no need for you to get sick."

I nodded in silence and walked slowly to the driver's door. He reached down and opened it for me. He smiled at me again as I slid in.

"I hope you enjoy the rest of you day, Ms. Arianna Wicks. Or Anya, rather." He closed my door and walked away before I could really and completely process what just happened. He knew my name! In a town this small, it was not surprising. But I just moved here. The only person that lived here that knew my name was Anthony. So how did he know me?

I looked into my rearview mirror and watched him walk back to the silver Nissan Pathfinder that sat across from my car. He closed the umbrella and glanced back at me with a smile before climbing and driving off. Was that the same Pathfinder from this morning?

I sat for a few seconds, allowing my mind to catch up on things. I took a slow, deep breath and started my car. I would ask Anthony about the guy as soon as he got home. He had to know something. I slowly pulled out of the parking lot and headed back to Anthony's, the guy's words still playing in my head.

I pulled up in front of the house a couple minutes later. I was not surprised to Anthony's car in the drive way. But the black Mercedes Benz that I parked behind was new to me. Maybe it was a friend of his. I shrugged to myself as I climbed out of the car and ran to the door. I would go back to get the bags later when the rain let up. A few minutes in the trunk wouldn't hurt anything.

I reached the front door and turned the handle. The door was already opened so I just walked in. I shrugged off my wet denim coat and hug it on the hooks by the door. "Tony?!"

"In here! Ow." His voice trailed to me from the living room.

"Sorry." I heard a female's voice say. It was soft, gentle, like a mother's voice.

I walked into the living room to find Anthony sitting on the gray couch, a woman kneeling in front of him, her pale fingers wrapping around his left hand where a large white gauze pad was tapped down.

I shook my head at him as I sat down on the loveseat. "What did you do?" I knew, from stories, that he was not very graceful. To be honest, neither was I.

He blushed slightly at me. "I got a little too close to a saw at work." Anthony worked in a repair shop in town. The only one. They repaired everything from toys to house-hold things. Even houses. But if there was something that couldn't be fixed, it was used as parts for something else. But they usually fixed most of the stuff that was brought to them.

"Oh, yea. Anya, this is Doctor Rachel Mason."

The lady turned back and smiled at me. "It is nice to finally meet you, Anya. Anthony has told me a lot about you in the fifteen minutes I've been here."

Once again, for the second time today, I was speechless. She was beautiful. Her auburn red hair fell perfectly to her shoulders. Her eyes were a light shade of gold, and her skin was pale. So smooth, so perfect. All I could do was nod. She smiled at me then turned back to Anthony's hand. She wrapped gauze wrap around it tightly. "Try to keep it dry for at least two days. I will return to change the dressings then. If you do anything to cause it to bleed, call me right away, no matter the time." She stood up so gracefully, gathering up her things.

"Thanks Doctor." Anthony stood up with her.

"Please. Rachel is just fine. I have told you before."

Anthony's chuckle snapped me from my trance. I stood up. "I am sorry. But may I ask you something?"

Rachel turned back to me. "Anything dear."

"I was at the store. As I was loading my bags into my car, a guy offered me help. He finished loading them, walked me to the door, then left. I am sorry, this will sound weird, but I was wondering if you knew him. He didn't tell me his name."

"How would I know him. There are so many guys in this town." Rachel giggled softly.

I blushed slightly, looking down. "He had your eyes. Well, almost, his were darker. And he had light brown hair. And he spoke really politely."

"Oh yes. You mean Caleb." I looked up at her to see her smiling with pride. "He is my son. Youngest really. He has always been kind. He just got back this morning from his trip to Europe. His sister picked him up from the airport."

"In a silver Pathfinder?"

Rachel thought for a few seconds. "Yes. I believe so. That would be his car."

"Oh. Okay."

She still smiled at me. "Well I must be going." She turned back to Anthony. "Remember, keep it dry. And call me if it begins bleeding again." She said her good-byes, then headed to the door and left.

Anthony looked at me. "Want me to help with the bags?"

I shook my head. "It's still raining. You were told to keep your hand dry. I will bring them to the porch. You can take them from there." I walked to the door, Anthony behind me. I opened the door, ignoring my coat, and headed out to my car. The rain did let up. It was now drizzling. The rain and the air were cold against my bear arms. I shuddered slightly as I got closer to my car.

Then I stopped. On my windshield, pinned under one of the wipers, in a plastic bag was a white sheet of paper. I walked towards it slowly, reaching my hand up to grab it as soon as I was close enough. I pressed the plastic closer to the paper trying to see any of the words. Only two words stood out. 'Anya Wicks'.

I slid the note into my pocket and headed to my trunk. I would read it when I got up to my room. I opened the trunk and begun to unload the bags. I tried to carry as many as possible at one time, not wanting to make too many tips. But I still ended up making six trips back and forth.

I brought all of the bags to the porch, where Anthony brought them to the kitchen. The last two I carried in myself and put them on the counter by the stove.

"You should go dry off. You don't want to get sick." Anthony smiled at me as he begun to empty the bags, putting the stuff away. "I will make dinner."

I nodded and walked out of the kitchen. "Keep your hand dry." ,I reminded him as I headed up the stairs. I went into my room and grabbed a pair of new sweats from my suitcase and my soap, shampoo, tooth brush and toothpaste from the backpack, then headed into the bathroom.

I showered quickly, letting the warm shower water wash away the cold rain water. I washed myself after standing there for a few minutes then got out. With a towel wrapped tightly around me, I grabbed the hair dryer and dried my hair. I put the hair dryer back into the cabinet under the sink then gazed at my reflection in the mirror.

I remembered very little of my parents. I remembered the times we spent together, rather than their voices, or their faces. But I was always told that I looked like them. I had my father's soft gray eyes and his caramel skin tone. I had my mother's high cheek bones, small nose, and long wavy dark red hair the brushed at my shoulders. But I had one thing that neither of them had.

Above my left eye, right were my eyebrow ended, was a scar. It was white against my caramel skin. It was the only mark I got from the last day I saw my parents. A sad reminder of my past.

I took a deep breath and released it slowly, pushing aside the thoughts before the emotions could over take me. It's been fourteen years, but it still hurt. I got dressed, gathered my wet clothes from the bathroom floor and headed back into my room. I placed them on top of the chest at the foot of my bed, pushing my bags to the floor. From the pocket of my jeans, the plastic bag with the note slid to the floor.

I stared down at it. I had forgotten all about it. I bent and picked it up. I removed the plastic and slowly unfolded the paper. I sat on the edge of my bed as I read the neat hand writing.

"Dear Anya,

Forgive me for being rude today. I did not introduce myself to

you. My name is Caleb Mathew Mason. I do hope I did not

offend you. That was not my intention. I was just taken aback by your

presence that I forgot to introduce myself. I hope you can forgive me.

Now allow me to welcome you to Yakima, Washington. I hope

you enjoy your stay here.

Sincerely,

Caleb."

I laughed softly at myself. Even in the note he seemed so polite, so kind, so…unreal.

Then I suddenly stopped laughing, realizing that he was here and I didn't even notice. I got up from my bed and rushed quickly over to the window, looking out into the dark gray night. I couldn't see much. I could hardly see my car. So there was no way I was going to see him. I sighed and sat back down on my bed, looking down at the note.

"Hey, kiddo! Dinner's ready!" Anthony called from downstairs. I folded the note back up and slipped it under my pillow. I took a deep breath, releasing it slowly, then head down to the kitchen, hoping that Anthony wouldn't see the worry I felt.