Enchanted: The Run

Chapter 1 & 2

Chapter 1

Mum was shouting from the bottom of the stairs. She was telling me to get a move on. Come on, what person rushes to go somewhere they don't want to go?

"Tell me why I have to go again?" I slumped down the stairs.

"You're going," mum saw through my attempts, "your dad has paid for you to get a train out, now he's settled down...He wants to celebrate your birthday with you-"

That makes a nice change, I thought.

"-We'll celebrate it when you get back."

That was the end of it if mum dragging my suitcase out of the house was any indication.

I haven't seen my dad for almost five years. I couldn't let that fact go as mum drove us to the station.

Mum did the typical-mother's-goodbye-routine: "Bye, I love you, call me when you get there."

"I will do, love you, bye," I said, finishing off the child's part.

In reality, it was a short trip. In my mind, it took my whole life to get there. After I hopped off the train, dragging my luggage behind me, I headed to the station's car park. Looking around at the small amount cars parked, I smirked.

"He's forgotten," I muttered to myself. It was only when I whipped my head round to the entrance, looking for a bus shelter, I saw a glossy, black limousine pull up into the car park. A man with a dark tan climbed out of the car. He was wearing a suit and a chauffer's hat.

And he was heading directly for me.

"Lexi Willows?" The man asked. Willows was my father's surname.

I shook my head. "I'm Lexi Fresno, sir."

"My apologies miss. Mr Willows didn't inform me that you had changed your surname." He explained in a polite and posh voice. The posh part seemed to be forced.

"It's alright, he doesn't know himself, most likely. Anyway, where's my dead-beat-dad?"

"He sent me to pick you up," he continued, ignoring my remark about his boss, "would you like to follow me?"

"Wait – in the limousine?" The man nodded. "Yes! For once my dad not being here has perks!" I whooped, making the driver laugh.

I followed the man into the black limousine – I'd preferred a white one but beggars can't be choosers – and got into the back. There was a mini TV screen, a stereo and a mini bar. I found a tiny remote and worked out how to use it in less than a minute. I drew down the shade that blocked the driver from me and asked "So, what's your name?"

"Miss, you are the first person to ask me that in a long time," he smiled, "name's Fred. Between you and me, I'm 'driver' to your father."

"So, Fred, what's the countryside like? Is it like London?" I put my feet up on the sofa.

He just laughed, shaking his head at my question.

"What?" I laughed nervously; I didn't want to make the wrong impression.

"You've really never been to the countryside." That was more to himself than directed to me.

"No, why?"

He just winked at me.

When we finally got to my father's house – which Fred had announced – two huge iron gates opened up to swallow the limousine into the property.

I swear it was a castle.

"Here we are miss-"

"Lexi – not 'miss'," I corrected him.