Welcome to Dreadville (On Hold)

Chapter One

I cringe as I hear a slight creak under my feet as I walk down the hallway of my new home. The house is old but nice and comfortable for two people.

It was the best house we could find in this small town. I won't complain. It was a great candidate when Susan and I first saw it two months ago. A two story house with black shutters and blue siding. A nice, large backyard and two trees in the front. One peach and the other an apple tree. Flowers were growing on the sides of the house. The house contained five rooms and two bathrooms. One large kitchen and one comfortable living room. It was a nice house.

Susan, my older sister, and I had recently moved to a house in the outskirts of Neah Bay, Washington. We used to live in Bloomington, Indiana. Living there just hadn't seemed right after the accident.

Everything had grown dull. People at school would give me nothing but their sympathy. I didn't want it, though. Their sympathy would never bring my parents back.

I got violent. Anyone who mentioned my parents or about how sorry they felt for me would get themselves in the nurse's office and get me in the principal's office.

Susan couldn't take it any longer. She couldn't stand seeing me broken. Soon she was diagnosed with depression. We had to get out of there. So we moved all the way to Washington. We only brought with is what was essential. Anything that could remind us of our parents was left behind.

I made it outside to the backyard and sat on the grass. I would start my first day of school tomorrow. New town new people. What could go wrong?

"Hey, Jade." I jump at the sound of Susan's voice. I turn around and look at her.

"I was wondering if you'd like to get some ice-cream. Then maybe we could walk around town or go to the beach." That seems fun. A day at the beach couldn't hurt anyone. A walk around town also seemed great.

I shrug. "That seems fun," I say in monotone.

"Great 'cause I have to go buy some groceries."

I don't respond. I stand up and walk towards the garage. Susan seeing that I won't respond, follows me.

We get in the car in silence. She starts the engine and pulls out of the driveway. I look out the window.

Our neighborhood was another thing I liked when we moved. The houses were big and luxurious. They had enough space in between, and the yards were big enough for a pool, probably a basketball court, and enough space to ride a four wheeler. When we moved in, the neighbors were nice enough to help us unload. They're nice people.

"Are you ready for tomorrow?" Susan asks me. I could tell that she was nervous.

She's had enough moving experience to last a lifetime. Our parents used to move a lot. That was before I was born. Then they had to settle in one place.

I shrug. "I don't know."

"Well just remember, don't accept drugs from anyone. Don't go around fooling around with boys. And don't befriend any bad people," Susan says. Sometimes she acts like my mom and not my sister.

I nod. "I know, Suze. I'll see how it goes. If I need a friend, I'll get one. I'm a bit nervous about the classes. I wonder if I'll be behind or ahead of the other classmates."

She smiled. "Don't worry 'bout that. I'm sure you'll catch up."

We arrived downtown. We drove a little farther down the road. She parked in the parking lot of 'Walmart'.

"Do you want to come?" She asks me.

I shake my head. "No, but thanks for the invitation."

She nods and gets out. Leaving me on my own in the car.

I played a game on my phone while she was gone. Then I saw a black cat running around the parking lot. Just then a car comes by and heads towards the cat. Almost as if the driver didn't see the cat. I get out of the car wanting to stop the atrocity.

I got out too late. The car had run over the poor cat. But when the car moved on I didn't see a flattened dead cat on the pavement. Instead I simply saw black concrete. I shook my head and blinked three times. Was I going crazy?

Susan comes back twenty minutes later. I don't tell her about the cat. She would just worry more. She puts the grocery bags in the trunk and then gets in. She starts the car and we head back downtown.

After a while Susan parked in front of a building. 'Choco's Ice Cream' was plastered on its windows. I looked at Susan and we both got out. She started to go inside. I followed her.

The air inside was chilly. Almost making me want a jacket. The weather outside was in the mid 60's. Nice weather but not cold enough to need a jacket.

"Hello ladies," said a young man addressing to us. He looked around Susan's age: early twenties or so. He had long dark hair covered by a hat that read 'Choco's Ice Cream'. He had dark brown eyes that matched his golden skin. He shouldn't be working at an ice cream shop. He should be modeling in some big city like New York or maybe Miami.

Susan seemed to like what she was seeing because she gaped at him with big eyes. I bumped her elbow with mine.

"What can I get for you?" The young man asked us. I noticed we were the only ones in the ice cream shop.

I looked at the choices. So many to choose from. It was almost overwhelming. While I looked for the best flavor, Susan kept staring at him. It was so embarrassing.

I clear my throat and give him my order. "I'll have a large ice cream cone with the flavors mint and pistachio on it. I'd also like a cherry on top."

He smiled and gave me my cone. Then he looked at Susan and asked her, "And what will you want?"

She blinked and said, "I'll have the medium cone with vanilla and cookie dough."

"No cherry on top?" He asked her with a smile.

She smiled back and said, "No thank you."

He handed her her cone. She paid him and we walked out of the store.

"Mmm," I said. The ice cream was delicious. Especially the cherry. "This ice cream is delicious."

She smiled and replied, "It sure is."

We got in the car and started to drive down the road. I continued to enjoy my ice cream. It was only when we got to a stop sign that I realized we weren't going home.

I looked at Susan with a puzzled look. "Where are we going?" I asked her.

"We're going to the beach, dummy."

"The beach? But the water will still be cold."

"We won't be going in. We can always walk on the sand."

I nod. Susan starts the radio and we drive in silence. The relationship between us is weird. We either can't stop talking and act foolishly or we have nothing to say and nothing to do. There is really no in between. But what I have no doubt in is that we both need each other to survive.