Where The Raven Sits

WTRS Chapter 1

Kadie felt like her eyes were going to swell shut as she wiped away the last of the tears. She had watched as her car was towed. Her car; her baby that she had worked so many summer jobs, shoveled snow, and swept up leaves to get. She had stood on the sidewalk, blabbering incoherently and shaking her fists, drawing the attention of people passing by. Four years of her life. Four years of work that had earned her so much pride from both her parents and her little clique of friends. She had washed it four times a week, every week, by hand. She had kept the tank full pretty much every day. She bought it its own mini vacuum to keep it clean on the inside. And most importantly, she had named it. Kadie was named after her parents' favorite indie rock band drummer, so it had made sense to name the car after the guitar player. But... not long after getting her not-brand-new-yet-still-all-hers-so-totally-worth-it car named Harper, she had racked up a ton of unpaid parking violations. How could the city expect her to pay tickets when she had just spent ALL her money on the best thing in her life? She couldn't even pay that month's rent.

Rent! I haven't paid rent in four months! Mom's going to kick me out! Groaning loudly, Kadie dropped her head onto the table. She could hear her dad chuckle across from her. Why can't he take this seriously? Her dad didn't seem to think her baby getting taken away was as big a deal as she did, and something about that irritated her. Reaching over, she smacked him on the hand.

"Be supportive of your child," Kadie scolded.

"I am very supportive of you, Kay." He grabbed her hand before she could pull it away. "But this is part of being an adult. You wasted all your cash on accessories for the car that you neglected to take responsibility for the things you should have been paying for."

"Can't you just pet and baby me like a normal dad?"

"I don't think normal dads do that to their nineteen year old daughters." Her dad glanced away as a girl about Kadie's age walked by. "Talking to her would make you feel better."

Kadie turned her head to watch the girl as she entered the main building of the cafe. The girl was visible through the patio window. She was pretty, Kadie would admit, but seemed to be the boyfriend type. Besides, Kadie wasn't in the mood to talk to girls. Deciding that acting like a baby would get her nowhere, Kadie sat upright and sipped on the latte her dad so thoughtfully bought for her.

"You're a sloppy sad person," her dad noted dryly. "How do you spill so much from a cup that has a lid? You're like a three year old."

"I feel like a three year old who got her toy taken away."

"Even toddlers get punished for being irresponsible."

"Dad! Seriously, help me! What am I supposed to do? I want my car back! It was everything! I don't even have the money to pay for all those tickets! I can't go home and face Mom."

"Your choices are limited then. You don't have anywhere else to go."

"Yeah, I know, but do I have to go home right now? Immediately?" She took a big sip from her drink, imagining the disappointed looks and unspoken lectures her mother would give her. It would almost be as bad as losing her car. "Can we go someplace else for a while? A few hours? Until Mom goes to sleep?"

Her dad chuckled again and finished his coffee. "Okay, you little chicken. Why don't I drive you out to the hills and we can go for a little hike? We'll be away from home, and if you want to jump in a bush and cry for an hour you can."

"See, I know you're making fun of me there, but I'm taking you up on that offer." Kadie gulped down the rest of her drink, glad the warm weather was drying her latte covered shirt. "I know it's my turn to tip, but..."

Rolling his eyes, her dad put a three dollar tip on the table and led her out the side gate of the café patio. He unlocked his car and waited for Kadie to get in before walking around to the drivers' side. The hills and walking trails weren't far, but to Kadie the ride was long. Her car may have been older than her dad's, but she had a bias opinion that hers was a smoother ride. But her dad's was a nice ride, too. They lived in kind of a rural suburb so it didn't take long for less populated and more free growth areas to come into view. It wasn't lush or full of thriving dense green trees, but it was still pretty in a desert forest kind of way. It was strange, though, that the locals called the area hills. Most of level ground was bumpy and hill-like, but once getting to the edge of the hills, the land took an almost straight drop into a canyon. Not many people went near the edge because it was a death drop. The ledge was roped off and there was a fine for climbing over. They parked in the lot at the start of the hiking trail and got out of the car. Kadie shielded her eyes from the harsh sun. Her bottom lip quivered; her cap had been in her car when it was towed. Putting his arm around her shoulder, Kadie's dad led her off to the trail.

Despite her mood, it wasn't a bad walk. The path twisted away from any roads, so she didn't have to think about driving, and she liked looking at all the different plants that were native to the area. She preferred desert plants; they had to work harder for the water they needed to survive. She also liked the shade of tan that the bare ground was and how she had to search to see any lizards that may have been laying still. She didn't so much like the smell of the hot, dusty air, but it was something she had gotten used to. The smell barely even registered in her mind as she followed her dad. It had been a while since they had gone walking together. Her dad went out frequently in hopes of keeping in shape, so he was able to point out new blooms and animal dens that she hadn't seen before. By the time they reached the landing where hikers could look into the canyon and admire its deathly beauty, Kadie was feeling a little better.

I was hoping no one else would be here. Kadie sighed as she saw the lone person standing at the landing, looking out at the view. Can't he have something better to do? The guy had his back to them, so Kadie couldn't fix him with a dirty look to scare him off. He may be scarier than me with a head like that. From the back his black hair was all over the place like he had rolled around on a carpet covered in balloons. It was finger-combed, she figured, and styled poorly if even at all. But Kadie could tell he was shorter than her no matter how much his hair stood up. He was dressed nonthreatening in a tank top and faded jeans with a jacket tied around his waist. Are faded jeans coming back into style? She had seen some students wearing the retro pants before she had dropped out of college, but it had only been a handful.

Grabbing her arm, her dad stopped them and pointed at the teenager.

"Here we see a native of the land," her dad said in a hushed voice with a poor British accent. "A male, scientifically know as 'adolescent boy'. A truly magnificent creature, it is able to eat large sums of food, belch on command, scratch themselves without embarrassment, and ignore any and all orders given to them by the leaders of their respective packs. This one here seems to have been separated from its group. Or perhaps it is a loner who has found better luck scavenging. Yet, it seems to have lost something. See how it peers expectantly over the edge as though hoping to see something. Perhaps it dropped an extension of itself – it seems to be without its mandatory detachable survival device that scientists have named 'cellular phones'. Oh my. It is getting quite thorough in its.... HEY!" Kadie's dad stopped his narrative and sprinted forward as the guy hoisted himself over the railing. He grabbed him just as the younger male was throwing himself off. The action was just enough to make the boy stumble and look at Kadie's dad. Still holding him, her dad reared back. "What–?"

He was cut short as the momentum took them both over the edge.