In This Town

1. Beginnings

It was seven o'clock in the morning, and for what must have been the first time in her life, Imogen found herself desperately wishing that she could be attending school. On a day that she wished to define as simply "Thursday" was actually so much more than that. It was the day that Imogen was moving, not just to a new neighbourhood, nor just outside the town in which she was already residing. After almost 18 years of living in what she was sure was the closest thing to home she would ever find, Imogen was being forced to pack up and move to an entirely different province, to a city called Ashenfort.

As far as Imogen knew, the town was drastically smaller than the bustling city of Henderson, where she'd spent the entirety of her life so far growing up. With a population of roughly 6,500 people and an abundance of forest territory, Imogen knew she would be making quite a change in lifestyles. She didn't quite mind that part, though. Imogen liked the idea of being somewhere where everyone seemed to know everyone and she could get lost in the beauty of the trees as she walked through the forest. She didn't have that in Henderson - instead, she just settled for the looming structure of the singular maple tree that sat in her backyard.

As Imogen's thoughts continued to unravel, thinking about how today would be her last day in this house – in this town – she heard a voice cut through her thought process.

"Imogen, honey, are you awake?" She heard her mom yell from the bottom of the staircase. Though, with her mother's loud voice, it sounded as if she were a mere three feet away.

Imogen then listened to the footsteps begin to move up the stairs, a sound that caused a pit to grow in her stomach. She didn't want her mother to come in and rip her covers off her; didn't want her to make Imogen get up and begin to move the boxes piled around her otherwise empty room. As soon as her mom swung open that door and drew the blinds on her window, everything would become real. Imogen would really have to say goodbye to her friends, to her home, and to everything she had ever known. But it was too late. As soon as her feelings began to swallow her whole and her eyes began to pool with tears, she found herself looking straight into the pity-filled eyes of her mom.

"Im, you've got to get up. There's so much to do today, and I just can't get it all done without everyone's help," her mom said softly, trying to tread lightly so as not to strike any cords with her daughters feelings.

Imogen frowned. "Mom, maybe I should just stay here," she proposed, only half joking. "I can ask for my job back at the book store, and I can live in this house alone! You guys can visit me whenever." Imogen's mother immediately put her hand to her mouth at Imogen's words to stifle a laugh. While Imogen knew her mother wished she could give her daughter more time to come to terms with the move, there was just too much to do. In a swift movement, her hands had come down to Imogen's bedsheets, pulling them back.

"Sorry, my dear daughter. You're only 17, that won't be an option. Now please, Im, can you start getting your boxes into the moving truck?"

Imogen's frown only deepened further, but she bit her tongue on retorting with the fact that she'd be 18 in only two months. Her mother, she decided, was already a little bit too stressed out to deal with a sassy kid. Sitting up and planting her bare feet onto the cool surface of her hardwood floor, Imogen allowed her mother to pull her into a warm embrace. Though, Imogen only sighed in response, leaning into her mom's body.

"I know this is difficult for you, Imogen," she said, kissing her daughter on the top of her head. "This is hard for us all. But you'll love it in Ashenfort, I just know it."

With those words, her mother left Imogen in her room to get ready and finish packing the last of her things.

Imogen had never seen any pictures beforehand. In fact, except for the little information she had about Ashenfort as a town, she knew nothing about the house that she soon would be residing in. So, it went without saying that Imogen was quite shocked when, after a 15 hour drive – which, by the way, she was about to go crazy on if she had to spend another minute next to her nine year old twin sisters – she pulled up to a beautiful three story house that she thought she'd only ever be able to live in, in her dreams.

"So, guys, first impressions?" her dad's voice suddenly cut in, looking back at his three kids with a smile on his face. "Do you love it? I knew you guys would!"

One of the twins, Lucy, spoke up next to Imogen, pressing her face against the car window in awe to stare at the place. "Daddy, is this our home?" Lucy asked in disbelief, eyes widening at the nod her father gave in response. Scarlett chimed in next, moving from her place in the middle seat to mimic the actions of her twin.

"This place is like a palace! I feel like a princess already," Scarlett giggled.

When Imogen finally found the words to say, her family was already hopping out of the car to unpack the boxes they brought with them and make their first entrance to the new house. "It's actually... Really gorgeous," she muttered, mostly to herself before swinging open her door to the car and walking around to the trunk. As she reached in and grabbed the closest box that she could comfortably carry, Imogen felt a presence up behind her.

"Wait until you see the inside," a voice whispered in her ear, making her jump and almost drop the box in her arms. The identity of the voice wasn't clear due to the person's quiet volume, but her heart rate slowed when she turned and saw her mother with a grin on her face.

"Mom," Imogen breathed, "you scared the crap out of me."

In response, her mother only giggled and reached an arm comfortingly around Imogen's shoulder. "Sorry, honey. Now, what do you say we check this place out?"