Summer Fling?

Chapter 3: Welcome

*ALEX*

We suddenly began driving though rolling green hills surrounded by trees. This town was nested in a forest. It was an amazing thing to absorb. My eyes were so used to the concrete jungle that I almost felt a culture shock.

                I rolled down the window and took in a deep breath and didn’t smell car exhausts, or putrid garbage, or human waste. It was nothing remarkably close to down town Los Angeles. It smelled of fresh cut grass and pine trees. No nasty carbon monoxide emissions from what I could see.

                The houses in this area were not starving for space as I noticed every home being at least two acres away from the next.

                All of a sudden Stephanie made a sharp left hand turn onto a paved driveway. And like most of these houses, privacy seemed key.

                The driveway winded into the forest like its own private road. Soon I saw a large open clearing of finely cut grass. And there was my current home, tucked away like a mystical cottage with its angled roofing and cute gingerbread cut, but it was nothing shy of small.

                The car came to a halt.

“Well, here we are…” Stephanie said as she turned off the engine and began to get out.

I climbed out of the car and stretched and began to look around. I looked at the large grass field that surrounded the home. It was nothing but rolling grass that surrounded the front and back of the house and continued to roll into the back drop of forest.

I peered out over the lawn towards the forest and could see another home tucked away a few acres away.

Stephanie interrupted my thoughts and said “In case you were wondering, that is where Seth lives. On the Powell Estate. Well, the pool house on the Powell Estate anyways”

I grabbed my duffle and said “Powell Estate??”

“Yea, his dad is some lobbyist or politician or something so he owns that area and all the way to the lake”

“The lake?” I asked.

“So many questions!  Mapleton Lake is just behind the house, but there is also a river that runs right through town that most people frequent. The lake shore has a lot of private property but people swim and boat in it sometimes”

“Oh…”

“C’mon. My mom is probably dying to see you”

I nodded but continued to look off in the distance and squinted trying to see between the tree trunks at Seth’s house.

I had to turn away. What was I hoping to see?

I walked through the front door with my duffle around my shoulder. The house smelled like fresh cut grass just like the outside, with a hint of cinnamon.

Suddenly a beautiful, but batty looking women came around the corner from the kitchen. She was holding a cup spilling over with green slime.

                It frightened me for a moment. She looked like a mad scientist as she grinned at the sight of me but still cradled the goop in her hands.

My aunt did not say hello or hug me she simply said, “Alex, try this!” and she shoved the drink in my face. “Tell me what you think?” She asked and continued to insist as she placed the drink in front of me.

Was this normal? Was this some sort of crazy initiation into the crazy house on the hill? But I felt like there was no room to refuse or I might be rude. The woman is letting me say in her home for the summer, the least I could do is try her slime.