CHAPTER ONE

GOING AWAY

"Hello Belle"

I turned to see Mr. Winchester smile at me from the door of his little bakery. I smiled gently at him, "Hello Sir."

He waved a large loaf of bread in front of me, "Would you like a loaf, Belle? You're much too thin."

I blushed and shook my head, "Sorry, Mr. Winchester, I have to get home to my dad. I'm making dinner tonight."

Mr. Winchester nodded, "Such a nice girl. Go on, then. But come on back soon, you hear?"

I nodded and smiled, "Will do."

When I got home, my dad was sitting at the kitchen table. I drop my book bag into a chair and opened the fridge, "How was work today, Dad?"

I heard him sigh as I took out ingredients for lasagna, "Rough, Belle. I may have to go out of town. Soon."

"To where?" I asked as I set out the food on the counter. I heard footsteps and the front door slam and knew my older sisters – by one year, mind you – were home from who-knows-where.

"New York."

I almost dropped the cheese, "Really? For how long?"

He sighed again, "I don't know but if my boss says so I have to go. I could lose my job if I don't."

I nodded and went back to cooking, "Alright. Well we'll be fine here."

"You'll keep watch over your sisters?" Dad asked.

"She doesn't keep watch over us, Daddy," Hannah said in her 'Daddy' voice. Aka; 'I want something expensive' voice. She and Cathy walked in with their large purses they called hand bags that they made their boyfriends buy for them and freshly done nails. Guess that answers the question as to where they were.

"Yeah," Cathy said in her 'yah-uuh' voice. "We're the older ones."

"But I'm the mature one," I muttered under my breath.

"What did you say, freak?" Hannah hissed at me with her too heavily glossed lips.

"Hey!" Dad shouted, making them jump, "Watch what you say to your sister or I'll send you to live with your Aunt Silvia while I'm away."

Hannah-and-Cathy pouted deeply, "We can not go live with Aunt Silvia. She lives in the mountains. There's bears and stuff. And no sun for tanning."

I rolled my eyes and asked my dad again, "How long will you be gone?"

"Where are you going?" Hannah-and-Cathy asked excitedly. Of course they were excited at the prospect of dad going away so they could sneak their boyfriends over and have sex. Not that him being home really stopped them from sneaking out and doing it.

Dad sighed for a third time, "I'm going to New York for a business trip... maybe. To keep my job."

I could tell they hadn't heard anything past New York when they collectively got on their knees and started begging, "Take me! Take me! Please!"

I started making layers of lasagna as Dad said sternly, "Absolutely not. I can barely trust you in this quiet little town. You'd run wild in the big city."

The pouted even more and kept begging until Dad shouted, "One more word about New York and you're going to live in Maine."

They promptly shut up then.

I put the dinner in the oven and told dad, "I'm going to do some homework. I'll come down in about a half hour."

Dinner wasn't exciting. Hannah-and-Cathy begged dad to bring them lots and lots of New York jewelry. He said he'd see what he could do.

The next morning, Dad got a call saying he had to go to New York... for two to three months.

Hannah-and-Cathy couldn't be more excited. But their frowns turned upside down when he told them that instead of him sending them to Aunt Silvia, Aunt Silvia was coming to stay with them. To watch over them. Aunt Silvia was dad's step mom. She wasn't very strict... with those she trusted. Like me. But she didn't trust Hannah-and-Cathy and really cracked the whip with them. They hated her for it. But I silently thanked dad for sending her so I didn't have to be burdened with making sure those two didn't go get themselves knocked up at 17.

The next day Dad had to leave. He said that Aunt Silvia was arriving in two days time. Hannah-and-Cathy took comfort in the fact that they had some times freedom before their most hated relative arrived.

It was hard to say goodbye to my Dad. But he joked that I'd be having too much fun without him to notice that he was gone.

Not true.

Here's chapter one. Please review and tell me what you think so far!

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RegalGirl94