Beauty of Blue Hills [SAMPLE]

Barrier

“Are you sure it’s okay?” Christina asked for the millionth time. “I can miss one day of work; Derek won’t mind.”

Derek, as Anna learned, was Christina’s boss at the animal shelter. Christina told her that Derekwas actually the owner’s son, who wanted to be a vet and had taken up most of the work at his mother’s shelter. He was still in college, though most of his courses were online and only one required him to leave the shelter once a week, and he was due to graduate in two years.

Though she didn’t know much about having a job, Anna was sure she couldn’t let Christina miss a day because of her. She only worked for three days as it was. So, once again, she assured her she would be fine if she left.

“Don’t worry,” she told her again. “Emily and Sophie will keep me company for an hour, and the rest of the time, I’ll be unpacking, anyway. Plus, I need a nap, so I probably won’t even notice you guys were gone.”

“Actually, my shift doesn’t start until 6:30, so you’ll have me for an hour and a half,” Emily bragged. “Except for the ten minutes I’ll be gone to drive Chris to the shelter. But still, I can help you unpack.”

Anna smiled gratefully at her. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

Christina finally relented with an overly dramatic sigh. “Alright, fine, I’ll go, then. Let’s roll, Em.”

Emily rolled her eyes at her youngest sister’s over-acting, and then turned to her twin and Anna. “I’ll be back in ten minutes. Don’t break anything while I’m gone.”

Sophie took advantage of her sisters’ absence to take Anna for another tour of the house, stopping at every room to tell her about ‘traditions’ they held in each one.

Anna learned that the front porch was where they all sat down for an evening hot chocolate drink together before they went to bed. She couldn’t imagine being able to fall asleep after chocolate, but Sophie said they were used to it, and that she would have to humor them –although she assured her no one would force her to drink a sip if she didn’t want to.

The kitchen was where they started their mornings. They woke up around 7 every morning, making breakfast and gathering to have the meal together before they left for school. They took turns as to who did the dishes, because they didn’t want them to accumulate.

In the living room, they usually sat and watched a movie together after school, with Sophie making popcorn, before they went to their separate jobs or to do homework. But on the days they all stayed home, they left that part for the evening, right before the hot cocoa on the porch.

“Do you guys ever worry about security?” Anna wanted to know once they were at the window, Sophie explaining what they did in the backyard during the summer.

The question didn’t surprise Sophie. “We got robbed once. We were at school and we had only just moved in. Whoever it was took Christina’s laptop and some cash, but thankfully nothing more was done. After that, dad gave us two options; either we move back in with him and mom or we let him put up as much security measures as he likes. Naturally, we chose option number two.”

“So what did your dad do for security?” she asked.

Sophie grinned to the side. “You’re really scared of that, aren’t you? You can’t deny it; I can see it on your face. I take it you’ve been robbed before?”

Anna looked away. “You could say that.”

Sophie watched her for a couple of silent seconds. “Was someone in your family ever kidnapped?” she asked her kindly.

Anna was surprised how close her guess was. Though it would be easier to lie to Sophie, she chose not to. It would be the first time she talked about it to anyone.