Leopard Moon

Chapter Three

When Kess arrived in North Carolina, it was almost winter. Her car had begun making a weird knocking noise as it struggled up the steep winding roads through the mountains. The trees, excepting the dense evergreens, were bare, having dropped their leaves after the riotous color of autumn. The day was windy; the car had been pushed all over the road on her way up here, and her hands ached from clenching the steering wheel. She had driven through the night, stopping only for caffeine and fuel and was beyond grateful that she was nearing the end of her journey.

She’d never been this far north before. She preferred places with warmer weather, but she hoped that being up in the snowy mountains of North Carolina for the winter would buy her more time. It was the beginning of November now and already the temperature was unpleasantly frigid to her. She had the heat cranked up in the car as high as it would go. Kess reminded herself that if it was uncomfortable to her, it would be doubly so to her brother, since he was so used to the pulsing heat of Miami. She could deal with the discomfort if it bought her a little space and peace. She still had some months before April and her eighteenth birthday. She'd be an adult and neither her father nor brother could force her back home; so long as she could stay on her own until that time, she might be okay.

Kess pulled off the road and into a small parking lot adjacent to the three-story Victorian boarding house that she had been looking for. She had stopped in at a nice restaurant, where the locals ate, for a quick lunch and some much-needed information. Sitting at the tidy bar, she had gotten leads on both a job and a place to stay. Being adjacent to the university and ski resorts meant there was a lot of seasonal work and plenty of places to stay in town. Kess had left with a job application and directions to the boarding house where she now stood.

The house was a traditional Queen Anne with lots of windows, extensive gingerbread and a huge porch. It was well kept, but the color seemed a bit out of place; it was painted in a collection of dark purples and greys with accents in black. It resembled nothing so much as a giant bruise in the form of a house. Kess walked up the steps and rang the bell at the front door and waited, shivering when the wind cut through her jacket, which was clearly not going to be up to the challenge of a mountain winter.

Footsteps on hardwood approached the door, which opened to reveal a petite woman who Kess took to be in her fifties. She wore dark brown corduroy pants, a cream Fairisle sweater and boots. Her hair was ash-blonde and it was pulled back in a loose bun. She had smile lines around her eyes and mouth and her skin was the healthy tan of someone used to spending time outdoors. She exuded a feeling of maternal warmth. Kess found herself tentatively smiling at the woman before she’d said anything.

"I’m here about the room for rent?" Kess pointed to the small sign that advertised a vacancy. "They said down at the Barn to come see you."

The woman stood aside and beckoned her inside. "I’m Anita Creevey. My husband and I own the house." She held out her hand.

"Kess Saroyan. Nice to meet you." Kess knew it was risky using her own name, but after trying to remember any number of aliases--and failing--this made the most sense. It was embarrassing having someone call you by your assumed name and be completely unaware that they were talking to you.

Anita offered to take her coat, but Kess declined. She still hadn’t thawed from the chill outside. Anita stopped by a large desk in the front parlor and grabbed a clipboard, then led Kess into a spacious living room. A massive stone fireplace took up one wall. It was flanked by comfortable overstuffed couches. Built-in bookshelves lined the remaining wall space.

Anita motioned for Kess to have a seat and took one for herself. Kess took the loveseat adjacent to the fireplace that also gave her a good view of the door. She hated sitting with her back to an opening--it made her feel too exposed. As she sank into the pillows, she felt the tension of the long drive and the stress of the last few days hit her, and she knew she could easily curl up in front of the fire on this couch and fall asleep if she let herself.  Anita sat on the sectional facing the fire and handed her the clipboard.