Chapter 3

It was dark out as a car pulled into what looked like a parking place in the middle of the woods.

"Momma, are we here yet?" a little girl sitting in the back of the car asked.

Her mother responded back, "We are here honey, we are at Grandpa Aaron's lodge. We are going to sleep in the car tonight, it is too dark to make our way there."

Jen had moved to the mountains when she was 12 years old. She was the granddaughter of Aaron Bass. Aaron became her guardian when her parents were killed in a car accident in San Francisco. Aaron was only family Jen had left and when he died, she was now alone. She had met the Hawkes family shortly after she arrived in the mountains. There was an earthquake and Aaron's original lodge was right on the fault line. The lodge was destroyed by the earthquake. Aaron nearly died in the quake, he refused to get off that mountain. He had given Jesse his will and asked him to take care of Jen if he died. Jesse agreed. Aaron survived and the Hawkes helped him build a new lodge off the fault line. Jen lived there until she went off to college. Aaron passed her sophomore year. His funeral was the last time she returned home to the mountains until now. Last time Jen had seen any of the Hawkes. Matt had helped her with the arrangements but was not able to attend the funeral due to an emergency. Matt had called Jesse, but he did not come back from San Francisco. Aaron was like a father to Jesse, so it out of character for Jesse not to come back. Cody was in Washington State working and could not get away. Jen was alone.

Morning came early. "Hailey, are you ready. It has been a long, long time since I have been here. Not sure what shape the lodge will be in, so we will need to be very careful, okay."

Hailey answered, "Okay, Mamma".

Jen and Hailey made the quarter a of mile hike to the lodge. From the outside it looked like it was in fairly good shape considering no one has taken care of it in about thirty years. Jen was hopeful. She made Hailey stay outside as she walked around inside the lodge. The lodge look like time stood still. Things were dusty, bit dirty and few windowpanes were broken. But all in all, everything looked good. She let Hailey come in and she showed her to her bedroom.

Couple of days later, after Jen and Hailey were getting settled in, Jen took Hailey around the surrounding area so she could familiarize herself with it. They collected some berries to eat. Then when they returned, they would go fishing on the Lake to catch dinner. Jen was teaching her daughter how to fish. Then she would fix up the lodge to get it ready for winter.

Jen did not let Hailey go far from the lodge without her. One day while Jen was inside working on cleaning and Hailey was outside near the lake a young man approached her.

"Hello," said the young man.

"Hello," said Hailey.

"I am Alex Hawkes, what is your name?"

"I am Hailey Peterson, hmm," as Hailey had to remember the newest last name she was using. She had little issue with the new last name and said it slowly, "Hailey Mont…gom…ery, Nice to meet you, Alex. Are you going fishing?"

"Yes, are you?" Alex asked.

"Yes, but I am not very good at putting the worm on the hook and taking the fish off. My mom helps me, but she is busy working inside. I am hoping to surprise her with some dinner," Jen explained.

"Is it okay if I join you? I can help you with that and show you some tricks," Alex explained. He thought it would be nice to fish with someone besides his dad or fish alone.

"That would be great. How old are you, I am ten. We just moved here," Hailey said.

"I am fifteen. I have lived here since I was five, but I have been coming up here my entire life. We live in the cabin my grandfather built about hour and a half from here by horse," Alex explained. Then he asked Hailey, so many questions. "Where did you move from? How long are you staying? Is it just you and your mom? What about your dad?"

"We can from a small town in Iowa. It took days to drive here. This is our new home or at least for now. Momma promises we will live here for a while. We have moved a lot. It is just my mom and me. My dad died in a car crash before I was born. So, it has always just been the two of us."

"I am sorry, my mom died when I was 5. We moved up here for good right afterwards," Alex said sadly. "I have very few memories of her, but she was beautiful, and my dad really misses her. I see him staring at her picture. He visits her grave often when we go to South Lake Tahoe."

"I don't think I have ever seen a picture of my dad. My mom does not talk about him much," Hailey said sadly.

"Did your mom buy the old Lodge? I have never known anyone to stay here before," Alex asked.

"No, my mom's grandfather owned this place. She was little older than me when she moved up here," Hailey said.

"I wonder if my dad knows your mom. My dad lived here most of his life," Alex said wondering.

"What do you do for school?" Hailey asked.

"I am home schooled by my dad. I am only gone into school to take tests occasionally," Alex explained.

"That is what I will be doing too," Hailey said.

Hailey suddenly got a bite on her pole. Alex started to walk her thru the process.

Jen stepped out the door to check on her daughter. She saw her fishing, but she was not alone. There as a man with her daughter. Jen was scared.

She decided to call her daughter back to the lodge in hopes of scaring the man away.

"Hailey, where are you?" Jen shouted.

"Over here momma" Hailey answered.

"Hailey, I need you to come in now."

"But momma we were just fishing," Hailey pleaded, "I want you to meet my friend."

"Hailey, NOW!" Jen interrupted with a stern voice.

"Sorry, Alex I have to go. Good to meet you," Hailey said. Hailey grabbed her fish and ran up the hill to her mom.

"You too, maybe we can do it again," Alex responded. Alex watched has Hailey got up to her mother and they went into the lodge. Jen gave Alex a cold look before heading in.

"Hailey, who was that?" Jen asked.

"That is my new friend, Alex."

"Where did he come from?" Jen asked.

"He lives about an hour and half from here with his dad. He gets home schooled, just like I am going to be," Hailey said.

"So, what did you tell him about us?"

"I told him I was Hailey Montgomery and we moved here from Iowa. Just like you said," Hailey said proudly.

"Good job sweetie," Jen praised her daughter. She hoping that is all she said. "Remember we have to be careful, so the bad men don't find us."