Capture This

Chapter 1

"Remember don't just do whatever other people are doing okay, answer your phone everytime we call you, if you feel uncomfortable at all call us and we'll come get you right away and if I hear that you've done anything stupid I'm coming to get you immediately"

" Yes, yes mum I understand. I promise I'll be safe"

" Okay I love you, promise me you'll be safe"

" I will mum, I'll call you most nights okay, I have to go. I love you"

I hugged my mum and kissed her goodbye before getting on the bus. A large part of me expected and wanted her to not let me leave, but to my surprise she watched as I got onto the bus. Fuck I'm scared. I'm starting to think about how crazy this is, I'm really going to stay with a family I've never met a day in my life for the next three months and I'm hours away from home. Oh my god. What did I do. Wait no what did Talia do.

After a few hours of musical therapy I finally calmed my nerves, well the ones of being abducted or killed but now I was nervous about meeting the family. Well Arlo Harris to be specific, after I found out I had the job I exchanged contract details with his mum and she texted and told me that he'd be the one picking me up when I got there. Oh my god, now I was really stressing and I'd be arriving in only a few minutes. Fuck.

The bus arrived at the station and I got off and took my bags. I stood there clueless untill I saw someone poking their head through the window of a red land cruiser.

" Oi Row right" he said waving at me

I know he did not just oi me like that
I thought to myself
I walked over to the passenger side of the car.

" Yeah you can just put your bags in the back seat" he said.

No hi how are you, nice to meet you, thanks for agreeing to stay with strangers for 3 months and traveling hours by bus just to take pictures of me. I put my bags down and got into the front seat.

" Row, Arlo" he said giving me his hand.

" It's actually Rue" I corrected him

He didn't say sorry just "oh"
Though I didn't like how he greeted me he seemed to have a great music taste, at least there's pros.
No games by Serani was playing loudly and I was not complaining, actually I'd zoned out and started dancing in my mind until his voice disturbed me.

" Alright well I was gonna got for a surf, you can either come with me and watch cause the beach is on the way to my house or I can call my mum to come pick you up from the beach" he said but it didn't feel like I had much of a choice.

" Nah it's fine, I'll watch"

He drove to the beach and when we arrived he got into his wet suit, he opened the boot and took out his surfboard. He left the boot open and I sat down and got my camera out. Might as well start practising taking photos of this little asshole. Oh, I'm sorry I mean Arlo. Since I'd be doing it for a while. I have to admit he was a great surfer, watching him was so entertaining. I couldn't see his face but from his movements, it just looked like he enjoyed it. I took a few good pictures of him and waited as it got cold.

He finally got out and unzipped his wet suit only leaving the bottom half on. I mean he was fit, like really fit but I was too busy wondering how he wasn't freezing right now. I took one last picture of him as he walked over to his car. He placed his surfboard on the empty space in the boot next to me and he motioned his hand for me to give him my camera. I watched as he went through the pictures of him I'd just taken.

" You're good, I get why my mum hired you now," he said handing it back to me.

I waited in the car as he got dressed and finally I was able to go to his house, the drive there was pretty quiet apart from his music which I had discovered he might be a reggae fan. Seems like Arlo isn't much of a talker.

We arrive at this house and damn his family was well off, it's surrounded by beautiful trees and it's massive.

" Okay we're here" Arlo talks for the first time since leaving the beach.

He took one of my bags and I followed him into his house, as he opened his front door there was a long white hallway. They must not have young kids I thought. He took my suitcase to my room as I walked through the hallway to meet his family.

"Ah Rue you made it" I'm greeted by his mother hugging me. She seems nice.

" My bad sorry love, I'm Lucia Harris Arlo's mum, I'm so sorry I couldn't pick you up. It must have been a late bus" she said

" Oh don't stress, it's nice to meet you, you have a beautiful home. Also thank you for hosting me." I said as I looked around their kitchen " I actually arrived a while ago" I say

" Oh then Arlo must have been showing you around town," Lucia said as she walked to the stove.

" You could say that" just as I spoke Arlo walks into the kitchen

" Hey mum" he greets and hugs her

" Rue I'll show you to your room" he leads the way and I follow behind him.

Arlo and I's rooms are next to each other separated by a shared ensuite bathroom. My room for the next three months is spacious that's good. There is a bay window and it looks out to a massive tree in the backyard. That's going to look beautiful on a rainy day. I put my bags away and Lucia calls us out to dinner.

I enter the kitchen and I'm greeted by someone in a rush, she's pretty young like 10 or so.

" Be careful please, Arlo and Rue can you guys please set the table?" Lucia says as the takes the pot off the stove.

I've only been in the house for about thirty minutes and I'm already on table setting duty, I must be a part of the family already. I walk to the dining table and Arlo hands me the forks. This child must be reserved because I swear he never talks.
We set the table in time as who I'm guessing is Arlo's dad walks through the front door, Arlos little sister runs to him as he closes the front door.

" Uh Cove no, dinner now. You can say hi to dad at the table"

" But mum" she whines

" No, but mum's, come sit down please," Lucia says as she places the plates on the dining table.

I sit down and Cove comes and sits in the chair next to mine.

" Oh I'm sorry I haven't introduced myself, I'm Cove," she says smiling at me.

Wow, what a unique name I thought, when I heard Lucia call her Cove I thought it must have been a nickname. I guess not.

" It's fine, nice to meet you I'm Rue," I say and bump her shoulder with mine, she smiles and her dad walks into the dining room.
He takes a seat and greets me.
" Oh hello you must be" he stops "Sorry who are you" he continues

" John that's Rue she's replacing Kate for the season, I told you she was coming today. Don't mind him love, everyone dig in," she says

We eat the really delicious dinner that Lucia cooks, I won't lie I was surprised at how good it was at first. After dinner, I say goodnight to everyone and I go to my room. I get ready and get into bed, but I remember to text my mum before sleeping. I have to let her know I'm not dead and I think Talia might have been right, summer will be fun.