VEILED MYSTERIES ↝ S. HARRINGTON [1]

[1]

Riley's eyes opened to the feeling of the sun peeking through the crack in the curtains covering the window, and she pulled the covers over her head, obscuring the rays from view. With a groggy groan, she forced herself up until she was sitting back against the headboard of the bed, taking in her surroundings.

Her new bedroom was mostly empty, her luggage still packed and stuffed into the corner of the room with the exception of the pair of pajamas she'd pulled from the bottom of one of her suitcases, her travel clothes sitting in a hamper on the other end of the room. Riley stumbled over to the open suitcase, pulling out the first pair of jeans she could find and a knit sweater and changing out of her pajamas, tossing them into the hamper on top of the travel clothes.

As she left her bedroom and wandered down the hall to the living room, the first thing she noticed was the sound of snoring, her uncle fast asleep on the couch with an empty can of beer laying on its side next to him. She tiptoed past him into the kitchen, where her shoes lay near the front door, and quickly laced up her boots before quietly slipping outside into the November Indiana morning.

It'd been years since she last visited her uncle in Hawkins with her parents, but she remembered enough to know that he didn't live far from the hustle and bustle of the small town's main street, and a walk to clear her head after the long drive was just what Riley needed. She took a deep breath of fresh air as she walked down the gravel driveway, following the path as the first shops began to come into view once she'd rounded the corner into town. Already, the shops were opening for the morning, Closed signs being turned to Open and cars parking in front of the local cafe where Hawkins residents no doubt stopped for a caffeine fix on their daily commute to work.

The bell resting on top of the door in the cafe jingled as Riley entered the building, announcing her entrance, though nobody seemed to pay her any mind as she took her spot in line behind the early morning rush. Directly in front of her, two men wearing professional suits chatted back and forth about a meeting they were on their way to that morning, and whether or not corporate budget cuts would leave either of them searching for a new job before Christmas. In the corner of the room, a group of teenagers sat together with their drinks, getting a head start on that weekend's homework. They looked to be about Riley's age, but she couldn't quite be sure.

"Good morning," the barista greeted Riley with a friendly smile as she finally reached the front of the line. "What can I get you?"

"Two cups of coffee, please." she said, handing her money over to the girl, and in return, a carrying tray was placed in front of her, the two steaming cups of coffee nestled inside. "Thank you," she said, turning back to the crowd in search of the exit. While she would've loved to stay in the cafe a while longer, take a seat and pretend to be a local for a few minutes, she also knew she should get the coffee back to her uncle before he woke up and it got cold.

However, instead of leaving the way she came, Riley's eyes were drawn to a town bulletin board hanging on one wall, where a woman was pinning up a sheet of paper amidst the other Help Wanted ads, and fliers for upcoming town events. As she stepped back, Riley could read the words Babysitter Wanted, accompanied with strips of paper at the bottom detailing a family's phone number to call for more information. Riley stepped forward towards the woman, reading the ad.

"You're looking for a babysitter?" Riley spoke up, causing the woman to turn to the girl.

"Yes, I am." she confirmed with a neighborly nod. "For my daughter. Are you looking for a job?" she asked, studying Riley as if making sure she were the type of girl to be up to the task.

Riley nodded back. "I'm new in town, so I haven't had much of an opportunity to apply anywhere yet." she explained quickly. "But yes."

Recognition lit on the woman's face, and she began to smile. "You're Chief Hopper's niece that just moved in with him, aren't you?"

"Y-yeah," Riley stumbled over her words briefly, surprised that the woman knew who she was. "That's me."

"Small town," she quickly explained with a wave of her hand. "Word travels fast around here. My name is Karen Wheeler."

"Riley Hopper," she said in return. "So, you said you were looking for a sitter for your daughter?"

Karen nodded. "My daughter Holly. She's three. Great kid, sweetest girl you could ever meet. Typically my eldest daughter Nancy watches her if we aren't home, but she's involved with so much at school these days, and our son Mike is always off with his friends, so my husband Ted and I thought it would be best if we got some help."

Riley reached up, ripping one of the phone number tabs from the ad and glancing at the phone number written under Karen's name before she placed it in her pocket.

"I'll tell you what," Karen offered. "Why don't you come over on Friday and watch Holly for a bit, and we'll see if the two of you get along? How does that sound?"

"Sure," Riley agreed. "Yeah, that sounds great." she looked back toward the carrying tray resting in her other hand. "I should really get going, I need to get back to my uncle before this gets cold, but it was so nice to meet you."

"Of course," Karen said with a relieved smile. "We'll see you Friday. And, if you have any questions before then, please don't hesitate to call."

"Will do," Riley said. "I'll see you Friday. Thank you so much, Mrs. Wheeler."