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TWENTY-SIXTEEN
SUMMER DANIELS slipped off her heeled shoes as she made her way into her dark penthouse apartment. It was extravagantly large, the walls painted a pale gray-blue. Shadows from the expensive, modern furniture were cast upon the floor, the crystal chandelier hanging delicately from the ceiling. Marble countertops, a state-of-the-art refrigerator, and a fully equipped bar were just a few aspects of the kitchen, and the living room was decked out with flower-filled vases and plush armchairs.
The forty-year old woman walked across the living room, bare feet with perfectly pedicured toes meeting plush carpet as she stepped over to the huge wall to wall window overlooking New York City at night. The buildings were illuminated with lights twinkling glittering stars, the streets golden hued as cars rushed past, headlights on. All this against a velvety dark blue backdrop scattered with pinpricks of light.
Summer Daniels had left Derry at age eighteen, running for California shores and college in the passenger seat of a friend-that she-could-no-longer-recall-the-name-of's broken down car. While in school for drama, she decided to start edging her way into the business—show business. Hollywood was where dreams came true, and so she began to try out for as many things as she could. After numerous auditions, she had landed a role on a TV show in Hollywood, and it was only up from there. The successful actress had done extremely well for herself. She was wealthy and independent, and she had grown very beautiful, out of the awkward, bruised limbs of her youth into a tall woman with thick red hair cascading in waves down her back, and a few freckles sprinkled over her cheeks in an endearing sort of way. Summer Daniels had grown up, and the bright lights of fame and fortune shone upon her confident smile and the impish flash of her eyes that drew people towards her, men and women alike.
Summer had had many romantic partners in the past, boyfriends and girlfriends over the years. Her confidence, beauty, and the way she carried herself, like she knew she was a goddess, caused many to fall under her charm and spell, and Summer was very experienced in romance. Her openness and confidence about her sexuality was shocking to some, but Summer felt free every time she talked about it.
Her last romantic encounter had been when she had privately dated a woman for about two years, one of her co-stars in a 2013 movie,. The two had broken up about a year ago, and Summer was back on her own. She had had several one night stands since, in fact, one had left that morning, her long brown hair swinging and obstructing her bra strap as she had moved through the apartment to take a shower, casting her big brown eyes on Summer and winking. The woman had given Summer her number.
Summer didn't plan to call her.
Sighing, she made her way into her bedroom, throwing her jacket to the floor in exhaustion, and unzipping her black cocktail dress. She let it slide to the floor, before she flicked the light on and went to grab a pair of pyjamas.
Pulling on her pyjama bottoms, the woman reached for the top, when her phone rang.
Sighing in irritation, Summer abandoned her pyjama top and made her way over to the black jacket on the floor in her lace bra, and fishing around in the inside pocket, grabbed at the ringing device.
The number wasn't familiar or known to Summer at all, but the location of it was, displayed in small letters below the digits. Her blood ran cold and she tensed up when she saw the town name, despite not quite remembering why. There was terror lurking in the name, she could sense it without reason, terror in the name of the town.
Derry, Maine.
Fingers shaking, Summer pressed the green Answer Call button and brought the phone up to her ear. "Hello?"
"Hello, Summer? Summer Daniels?" The voice was deep, yet achingly familiar, and she stilled.
"Who is this?"
The voice coughed. "Summer, this is Mike Hanlon. It's been a long time."
