Into the Fog (Fisher's Bay 1) ✅

A New Day

Nadia walked through the grocery store, carefully studying the aisles and noting where everything was as she pushed the cart in front of her. While it wasn't incredibly busy, the few people who were there seemed intent on watching her. Much as they had done since the second she drove into town to shop.

It was a bit unnerving, but she told herself that it must be a small town thing. Nadia had never been to one before, but assumed that was how people were. With a population of about 1,000, Fisher's Bay was about as small as they got.

Perhaps it was because they didn't often get newcomers.

"Is that her?"

"Looks just like Ingrid and Mara - has to be."

"Never thought another would come to town."

"Well... we don't know that. But the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

Nadia felt her cheeks heat up as she walked a little faster, her eyes trained down on her list on her phone as she pretended she hadn't heard the two older women hissing to each other. She nervously tucked a strand of her dark brown hair behind her ear, her fingers itching to rake through it, though somehow refrained.

It seems her arrival to Fisher's Bay had been well noted even though she had gotten into town late last night. Jesus, did everyone already know who she was? And just who had her grandmother been to warrant this kind of scrutiny? She figured her mother would definitely have gossip surrounding her, but the women seemed just as judgemental about the oldest Johansen.

In record time, Nadia was at the checkout counter, aware of the looks she was still getting. The cashier stared at her, a wary look in the mousy woman's eye as she silently rang her up, not even speaking to tell her the total.

Nadia handed over her card and then grabbed her bags after she paid, hightailing it to her car.

What was with this place?

After everything was loaded, Nadia's eyes fell on the post office just down the street. While part of her was ready to call it a day and retreat to the solitude of her grandmother's cabin, she knew she needed to check for mail. There could be bills.

So instead of going home, Nadia straightened her back and started walking towards the post office, smiling warmly at anyone who met her eyes. Part of it was because she wanted to make a good impression since she had to live here for the foreseeable future and would prefer that the townspeople didn't hate her. The other was because she wasn't about to let anyone know that she was bothered.

All she got in return were wide eyes and guarded looks.

In better lighting, Nadia figured Fisher's Bay would be quaint, even if the townsfolk were proving less than friendly. A slightly ominous feeling clouded the village with the overcast sky and the heavy scent of rain in the air. It was as thick as the fog that rolled in from the ocean in the morning. Nadia felt like she was in a Stephen King novel. For a second, she glanced around, worried a psycho clown or monster of some sort would leap out from behind a building.

She really needed to stop watching horror movies.

The town proper was located along the coast, docks and a marina lining one side of Main Street while shops and businesses lined the other. Nadia assumed fishing must be the main source of income, though she wasn't sure.

From what she had seen so far, there was a diner and what touted itself as a steak/Italian restaurant. There was also a hardware store and a small library. She had passed an unexpectedly large, stately City Hall building that seemed a bit out of place among the rustic shops. Nadia hadn't seen a school, but assumed there must be one hidden within the rest of the area that she had yet to explore. The town spread back from the coastline and she assumed there was a residential area as well.