Summer's Loss

Chapter 1

Abigail

It was hot when her mom pulled into the old yellow house's driveway. It was much hotter than her home in Bozeman, Montana. The hottest it got there was the low 90's, and that could be rare. Here, it had to be at least 100. The town her uncle lived in was called Brans Valley, in Northern California near the Oregon border. It was surrounded by wooded hills and mountains making it a great bowl of a valley. At the southern side of the valley stood the tallest mountain, the tip still barley peaked with snow.

"This place is too hot." Abigail said to her mom without turning her head away from the window.

"Isn't it beautiful Abby?" Her mom said. She reached over and touched Abigail's arm, "Oh Honey, it will only be for a few months, three at tops. Besides you need the money for a car if you're planning on going anywhere with that brand new license of yours." Her mom looked at her and smiled, "It'll be fun!"

Abigail looked at her and gave her a half hearted smile. She didn't look much like her mother. Her mom had bright blue eyes and light blond hair. She had a round face and thin lips. Her mom was almost a foot shorter than her too. Abigail had long dark brown hair and green eyes. She had high cheecks and full lips. She got her looks from her Grandmother on her mom's side. Her grandmother always said her eyes were the color of a Montana valley.

Her uncle was waiting for them outside the car. Abigail had only met her uncle a few times, due to the distance between Montana and California. He was short, like her mom, and had blue eyes too. He and her mom could have been twins. Abigail's mom got out of the car and gave her brother a hug.

"Hey there little brother, thanks for letting her stay with you." Her mom was talking to her brother while Abigail started pulling her bags out of the trunk.

"No problem, Annie." He looked over at Abigail, "Look at you, you've grown since I saw you last." He walked over and hugged her.

"Hey, Uncle Tom." He picked up two of her bags and helped her carry them in, with her mom following them. The inside of the house was simple. There was a plain leather couch on one wall of the living room and a tv on the other side. Her uncle's room was on the side of the house closest to the door. Abigail followed him down a short hallway to the other side of the house and opened the door.

"This is your room." He held the door for her and her mom to walk in. Abigail set her bags on the bed and looked around. The walls were a simple white and the there was only one window. It was a small room and had a closet and a small bathroom on the left side. It looked more like a cell then a room to her.

"Isn't this great?" Her mom hugged her and said.

"Ya." Abigail pretended to be as excited as her mom, but what she really wanted was to climb back in the car and go home to her friends in Bozeman. It wasn't her idea to move to California for the summer, her mom had come up with the idea the last week of school and wouldn't let Abigail say no.

Her mom took another look around the room, "Well sweetie, I better be going," she hugged Abigail, "I'm gonna try and make it to Baker City before dark." She hugged Abigail and her brother, "Have fun baby, call me if you need anything. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too, mom." She followed her mom out to the car and hugged her one last time. Then her mom climbed in the car, waved, and drove away. Abigail was already homesick for Montana and her mom. She stood in the driveway for a moment and looked around the valley again. It was dry with great flat areas covered with sage and weeds, but the forested mountains were green and beautiful.

"Well, you better come in and get settled," her uncle said, "you have work tomorrow." She turned and looked at her uncle. He smiled at her and said, "Don't worry, you'll be doing the easy stuff." They went back in and Abigail began to unpack her things.

"Welcome home." She said to herself.