Black Sun [New Horizon Trilogy]

01 ~ Interview With The Newbie

Chapter One

Interview With The Newbie

"First and last name, please."

"Claire Danvers."

Claire looked up at the young woman, tilting her chin upwards in a hopeful attempt of confidence and brushed strands of auburn-brown hair from her eyes. The woman in front of her had to be in her mid-twenties, and she wore a silky white blouse tucked into a smooth pencil skirt. That was an odd sight to see in dusty old Morganville, but the elegant outfit looked nice, and Claire wasn't about to lash out because of her choice in clothing. That wasn't her thing. The woman's name was Angel, which matched her appearance a great deal. Her hair was black and sleek, and even when tied back into a ponytail, danced at the small of her back. Glossy bangs hung above her light blue eyes, and she had a faint beauty mark above her left eyebrow. Angel was new to Morganville, obviously; with her stunning looks and classy taste in fashion, she stood out greatly in the small town. 

"Okay, thank you, Claire," Angel said sweetly, and her red lips turned into a pleasant smile. She spread paper documents out in front of her, and when Claire leant her elbows against the wooden table to peek, Angel simply smiled at her and hid them from her view. With a small huff of defeat, Claire leant back in her seat, careful to maintain her posture. "So, you weren't born in Morganville, right? You told me that earlier."

"Yes, that's right." Claire felt herself involuntarily nodding, and she watched in comfortable silence as the black-haired girl excused herself to quickly check her papers. She's checking to see if I'm lying, Claire thought to herself, but nevertheless, she didn't accuse the journalist. Seemingly satisfied, Angel tilted her head back up and met Claire's eyes once more. Her kind smile stayed put, and Claire was beginning to wonder just how she managed to keep the act playing for so long. 

"Can you please tell me about the town of Morganville?" Angel asked, and she flipped something with her thumb, a small click emitting from inside her hand. It was a small voice recorder, not a bomb, and Claire felt herself relax. 

"It's --" 

"Could you please state the name of the town in your answer? Thank you." Still, Angel's smile stayed in place, and it had begun to make Claire feel uneasy. 

"Morganville," Claire corrected, and she got a nod of approval from the journalist. "Is just like any small town in Southern Texas, I suppose. I mean, you've got the heat and the rednecks. Nothing too interesting happens, and when something does happen, almost everybody knows about it within the time-span of a day." 

"Uh-huh," Angel nodded and she held up her finger as she rummaged through her handbag, throwing Claire an apologetic smile as she fished out a ball-point pen. "And what do you think of the spirit sightings in Morganville?"

"Spirit sightings?" Claire repeated, and she bit down on her bottom lip as she raised her eyebrows. She laughed, a small and breathy sigh that escaped from her lips, as if she were having a difficult time understanding what Angel was asking. Claire knew exactly what she was talking about though. A similar occurrence had happened a year or two back when a television show came to town searching for ghosts. Claire suspected that word had gotten out, and that was the reason as to why Angel was in town now. "You think that Morganville is haunted?"

Angel tapped her pen against the paper, but she didn't write a single letter. Instead, she tilted her head to the side, and black hair spilt over her shoulder. "Don't you? Old town like this, surely there's something unusual."

"Believe me, the only unusual thing going on in Morganville is how quiet it is."

"Is it always quiet?" Claire was only equipping the journalist with more material. Suddenly, there was a droning vibration in Claire's hands, and for a panicked moment, she thought that there was something horribly wrong, but Angel let out a small sigh of irritation and slipped her mobile phone from her handbag. She looked down at it, frowned, and quickly typed something back using her two thumbs. "I'm really sorry, Claire, but it looks like I'm going to have to cut our interview short."