Dark Escape

Chapter 1

As per usual, he was late. This didn't surprise or even annoy Tara. Lateness was a pattern of her father, Ed O'Shea, for as long as she could remember. He focused his archeologist's brain on projects and all else went by the wayside. Ed traveled for work and when he was home his mind rarely joined him, preferring to focus on the job he'd just finished or would soon begin. When her mother died five months earlier, he dove even deeper into his work.

Shortly after her mother's death, the family experienced yet another loss. Her grandmother, Gertrude O'Shea, passed away at the ripe old age of ninety-two. She left stocks, bonds, and other monetary valuables to Tara's father and brother, but she surprised everyone when she left the estate and all its contents to her seventeen-year-old granddaughter. It was accompanied by a letter expressing her desire that Tara do her best to maintain and keep the property in the family. Gertrude even provided Tara with a trust fund to be used for the care and upkeep of the house as well as a modest living allowance that would support her for the rest of her life, providing she lived wisely. Tara knew her grandmother led a comfortable life, but she never imagined the old woman as well off as she proved to be, especially considering the poor condition of the old estate house that she insisted on living in right up to the moment she left this world.

Father and daughter moved into the run down ancestral home the day after Tara graduated from high school and just two months before her eighteenth birthday. They left behind the conveniences of city life, as well as lifelong friends. Of course, it was of little consequence to Ed, but Tara immediately felt the void. Even so, she'd made a solemn vow to carry out her grandmother's wishes to live in and maintain the ancestral abode and she planned on doing just that. With a little elbow grease and a lot of determination, she intended to bring things back to their original glory.

The sun glistened off the morning dew coating the roof top as she surveyed the repair work that was immediately done upon moving in. It looked almost too pristine in comparison to the weathered exterior crying out for paint, and the random spots where the wood along the awnings threatened to crumble to the touch. There were several broken windows. Those that weren't, looked crammed into the wall at an angle, but the structure itself was still solid and sound.

Her chestnut mare's shrill whinny caught her attention. She whirled around just in time to move out of the way of the racing beauty. It brought to mind the need to put fence repairs at the top of her ever-growing maintenance list.

Sugar pranced proudly around her. Having been moved from the confines of a rigidly run boarding stable to the free and easy-going environment of a country estate brought surprising vigor to Tara's equine friend. Tara could never get enough of watching her mare's powerful muscles flex beneath her flesh as they met the demands placed on them. It was a sight to behold.

She reached up to pat Sugar's muzzle as the mare gently shoved her owner off into the direction of the barn. Sugar knew that, if she didn't prompt Tara out of her daze, there would be no breakfast. Tara's mind had a way of wandering for periods of time, with little recall of what occurred during the time passed. The clever mare quickly discovered this and stayed persistent in her efforts to regain Tara's attention; especially now that she couldn't rely on stable help to step in when her mistress stepped out.

Tara slapped her forehead as she remembered Sugar's needs and shouted to her father that she'd be back as soon as she'd fed her mare. Ed popped his head out of the window of the second story den and bellowed for her to take her time, since he'd switched his flight to one an hour later. She shook her head, once again accepting his negligence in telling her this bit of information as part of his eccentric persona. He may be scattered and absent minded in matters he found mundane, but he'd made an effort to come home for short visits more than she could remember while growing up. She was just happy to have him around in any way, shape or form.