Santa Carla

Four teenage boys were walking around a carousel. The first guy, who was the leader, had platinum blond hair that had a punk style with blue eyes and was wearing a black leather jacket. The second guy had long dark hair with brown eyes and a leather jacket with no shirt. The third one had the look of a true rocker. He had long wild blond hair, that was similar to the Twisted Sister band, and blue eyes. He wears a black coat that reaches his knees with the sleeved rolled up to his elbows and split up the back, ending at his waist. The last one had curly blond hair with blue-green eyes. He wore a multi color design print leather jacket with a white shirt that look like it was too small for him.

The leader flirts with a young blonde girl by putting his gloved hand on her cheek causing her boyfriend to get jealous. They get into a fight and the leader was about to get into it too but before he can do anything he's pulled backwards and a police baton is held against his throat.

"I told you to stay off the boardwalk," a security guard states.

"Okay boys, let's go," the leader says calmly, and the four of them leave. Then the guard turned to the other kids, "You too, off the boardwalk." The four boys get off the carousel and leave.

Later after the boardwalk has closed down the security guard is walking to his car. He hears something and is then being chased by something flying, he tries to get in his car, but it's locked. The guard is attacked and all what can be heard is his screams.

The next day a car with four children, their mother and three dogs are driving towards Santa Carla, California. The youngest one started yawning and her eyes were getting droopy. Her sister, who was playing with her etch a sketch, notices this and pats her sister's cheek for her to wake up.

"Cathy, Mom wants you to stay awake until we get there," nine-year old Julie Emerson reminds her little sister Catherine.

Catherine yawns again and pouts, "But I'm sleepy."

Their mother, Lucy, who heard their conversation spoke, "Honey your sister is right. We're almost to Santa Carla, so I need you to stay awake until we get there, okay? Then we'll stop, get something to eat and use the bathroom before we get to Grandpa 's house. Okay honey?"

Catherine nods, "Okay Mommy."

When Lucy Emerson divorced her husband after too many fights, financial troubles soon followed, so Lucy packed up and took her two sons and two daughters with her and moved from Phoenix, Arizona to live with her widowed father in Santa Carla, California.

Sam rolls his eyes. "She is so spoiled," Sam mutters.

"Oh grow up Sam," Julie snaps.

Julie Emerson was sitting in the back of the car with her seventeen-year old brother, Michael and her five-year old sister Catherine, while her fourteen-year old brother, Sam, sat up front with their mother, Lucy. Their three dogs also sat in the back with him. Sam's dog, Nanook was sitting on one side of the car in the back. Baltogo, Catherine's dog, was lying on the floor. Julie's Bichon Frise, Bonnie, sat on her lap while her owner was playing with her etch-a-sketch and Catherine was looking out the window at all of the sights, all the while Michael and Sam were arguing with their mother over what song to play on the radio.

"Keep going," Sam said to her.

"Hey, I like that song," Lucy replied.

"Keep going, Mom," Sam said. He turned it again, and it went to a classical station.

"Oh, how about this?" Mom asked.

"Hang on," Michael said, leaning forward from the backseat, and changing the channel.

"I don't see any bogeyman or nasty guy," said the man on the radio.

"Pretty cool, Mom, you know. You wanna switch the dial?" Michael asked.

Lucy changed it and Blues music begins playing.

"Oh, this jams." Sam said, sarcastically.

"Quite right." Michael agreed.

"Gosh, you guys are rough," Lucy said to her sons, she changed the channel.

"His pain, discomfort, manipulation—" the announcer said.

"No, no." Sam said, changing the channel again. Groovin', by The Rascals began playing.

"Oh no." Michael said.

"Oh!" Mom exclaimed. Michael and Sam looked at each other.

"Keep going," the brothers said unison.

"Oh wait, wait, this is from my era," Lucy said and sung along, "Groovin' on a Sunday afternoon."

"Keep going!" the brothers chanted.

"Keep going, okay," their mom said, and changed the channel.

"Hey, we're almost there," Lucy informs her children when the Santa Carla sign came into view, which made Julie look up from the flower she was doing on her etch a sketch. etch_a_sketch_flower_by_fuschi

"Mom, what's that smell?" Sam asked.

Lucy took a deep breath. "Ah, that's the ocean air," she answered.

"It smells like someone died," Sam said.

"Aw, honey. Look, guys, I know the last year hasn't been easy, but I think you're really gonna like living in Santa Carla," their mom said.

But when they passed the sign Michael looked back and saw big red letters on the back of the sign that said: MURDER CAPITAL OF THE WORLD, as the song People Are Strange by Echo and the Bunnymen begins playing.

Well that's a nice way to welcome us. Michael thought to himself.

"Sissy, what's mooda?" Catherine asks pointing to a sign that says murder capital of the world on the back of a billboard.

"Nothing important, don't worry about it Cathy," Julie tells her. She knows that her sister means murder, but as far as Julie was concern it wasn't something she needed to know.

Sam smiles at her pronunciation of the word. "It's murder Catherine, not mooda," he states reaching back to ruffle his youngest sister's hair.

Lucy frowns this is not a topic she wanted to discuss with someone Catherine's age.

"Murder is another word for homicide," Sam continues, "Homicide is when a person ends someone's life. Meaning that a person causes another person to die..." Sam wanted to continue, but he was interrupted by Julie who whacked him on the head with her etch-a-sketch from behind.

"Ow!" Sam cried holding his head, "Mom, Julie hit me."

"Serves you right," Michael said.

"What did I do?" Sam asked.

"You don't talk about murder or death to a five-year old," Julie says with irritation.

"Dad was going to do it anyway," Sam comments.

"Well you're not Dad," Julie responds.

"Okay that's enough from both of you," Lucy states, "Sam, Julie is right that it's not something you tell your sister, no matter what your dad said. And Julie don't hit your brother."

After a few minutes later they stopped into town, since their mom wanted to get gas for the car and something to eat for her children and herself. Julie got out of the car with Bonnie and walked around with her, but stayed close to her mom, Michael and Catherine, unlike Sam, who took his Alaskan Malamute and Catherine's wolfdog, Baltogo, and ran further to take a look around.

A little later Sam rushed back to where his mom was, "Mom," Sam said.

"Yeah?" Lucy answered.

"Mom, there's an amusement park right on the beach," Sam said excitedly.

Lucy smiled at her youngest son before looking at a couple of kids who were picking trash from a dumpster to find something to eat. "Sam, tell those kids to get something to eat," she said pointing to them and handed him some money.

As Sam went over to the kids with the money to tell to get something to eat, Julie and Catherine went over to where Michael was talking to a man.

"Is there any jobs around here?" Michael asked.

"Nothing legal," the man answered.

Julie frowned, "Work is illegal here?"

Michael, who heard his sister, chuckles and says, "No, he just meant there aren't any good jobs."

Julie smiles and nods, "Okay."

"What does legal and illegal mean?" Catherine asks.

"Legal means it's allowed, acceptable or permitted," Julie explains, "And illegal that it isn't allowed and it's forbidden."

They then saw Sam with the two teens, who thanked their mom. Later they all got back into the car, except for Michael, who decided to ride his motorcycle the rest of the way to Grandpa's house, which wasn't too much further away.