Baile Siochanta (Southern Vampire Mysteries)

Prologue ~ A Simple Life

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

They moved to Pennsylvania after Daddy changed jobs again. It was hard leaving Indiana. In the three years they lived there, Sookie made friends. There were girls who came to her house and houses she visited in return. There were girls she liked and girls she didn't like so much. There were girls who played with her after school and who called out her name as she walked by. She was chosen for teams and Sookie had friends who passed her notes and included her in jokes.

The places where they lived before, Massachusetts and California and Wisconsin, Sookie hadn't made real friends. She had one, maybe two girls she played with, but it was different. Sometimes that girl already had a best friend, or sometimes she spent most of her time with her cousins. When Sookie was included it was because she was convenient, not because she was anyone's special friend.

When her parents called her and her brother, Jason, together after dinner, they knew right away what was coming, so Sookie ran into her bedroom and locked her door.

It always started the same way. Daddy would come home looking worried. He and Mama would talk in quiet voices, stopping whenever Jason or Sookie came close. Daddy would spend hours staring out the window, night after night, his face drawn, almost as though he was looking for someone. Then, one day, Daddy wouldn't go to work at all. When he started to leave on Sundays and not return home for days, or sometimes weeks, they knew he was looking for a new job, which would mean a 'new life' for them. Sometimes he would spend months only coming home for days at a time, but sometimes he didn't take so long to find them a new place. Sookie's Mother explained that she and Sookie's Daddy had a deal. Daddy agreed that whenever it was possible, he would let them stay where they were to finish their school year, even if it meant he couldn't stay with them. Sookie hated having to move, but she hated missing Daddy most. Mama would become sadder and sadder, and then, around April, the packing would start. Sookie learned to hate summers.

"Sookie?" her Daddy called from the hallway. "Sookie, open the door and let me in."

"Why?" Sookie could feel her heart breaking. They would move far away and she would never see her friends again. Her mother would tell her she would make new friends as if replacing people was as easy as changing your shoes. She would leave this place where she had made happy memories. She would leave the church she had come to love, and the teachers she trusted. She would never again see the swans in the park along the river, or the swings where she and her friends played and told secrets.

"You'll see," her Daddy called through the door, "Pennsylvania is a wonderful place! I've found us a beautiful house in a neighborhood full of kids. Our backyard goes right into the schoolyard. You'll never have to look around for friends. There they'll all be!"

Sookie opened her door and Daddy came in, sitting on the edge of her bed. Even though he was her Father, Sookie knew her Daddy was handsome. His features were chiseled and his gold hair was thick and curly. When he smiled, people stared, and Sookie's Mama hung on Daddy's every word. "It won't be bad, Peanut," Daddy said sympathetically. "Besides, we'll be together, and that's what counts."

When Sookie didn't look convinced, Daddy drew a deep breath through his nose, held his hand out flat, and blew out through his mouth. The Will 'o the Wisp that formed in his palm was nearly perfect. It drew the light and colors from all the things in Sookie's room. As it started to twirl and then bend from side to side, Sookie couldn't stop her giggle. She held out her own hand and, with just a little effort, formed her own miniature funnel of light and color. It wasn't as well-shaped as Daddy's, but Sookie had learned to make hers dance, too, and the two of them played this game that was just theirs, sending their creations to dance on the dresser and then to twirl on the shelf near Sookie's horse statues. Jason couldn't make Will 'o the Wisps, and neither could Mama. Daddy told her it was their shared gift, and Sookie started to feel better. It was inevitable. Just sitting near Daddy felt wonderful, and when they played like this, it made the glowing feeling Sookie had inside grow.