Night Changes [Zayn Malik AU]

Chapter One

Chapter One

The first thing I see when I came into the city is the Welcome to Walla Walla sign; the great state of Washington. I had closed my eyes and placed my finger on the map, hoping to find my destiny. I had to admit the name was pretty strange and I spent hours vigorously searching google to make sure this in fact would be the perfect place to be. It turns out the town is exactly the place where I would fit in, the artistic themed community called out to me in my temporary blindness; fate certainly had a funny sense of humor.

I pulled up into the driveway of the house I would be renting on the outskirts of town. A pretty small little farmhouse called the Gite (holiday house in French). I never in a million years thought that I, Jayde Abrams would be on farm in beginning of winter in Washington.

Unpacking my bags in the well worn and old fashioned master bedroom I hear a knocking sound coming from the front door. I open it to see my new landlord with a cheery smile taking up her face and flat-iron straight brunette hair with honey highlights placed on certain strands to give it dimension.

"Hello Darlin'. I'm Mrs. Bates, the woman you spoke with over the phone. I'm awfully sorry I couldn't make it here to welcome you in I had an issue with one of our goats and I wasn't able to make it."

"Oh," I offered my hand to shake, "that's fine, I'm just unpacking everything before I get sidetracked and go look around at the scenery." I played with the previously curled hair in my pony tail, praying I did not look like crap after all those hours of driving.

"Well, it is beautiful out here especially in the winter when it really starts snowing although the animals prefer the summer." She stated with laugh.

I ushered her inside the house to offer her a drink of hot chocolate from already stocked cabinets that she had graciously filled for free. She then begins going into detail about how the farm had belonged to her French great, great grandparents.

"It was in the late 1890's when they built this house, it was all they could afford until my great grandfather was able to build the house I live in up the road." She sips carefully on the hot cocoa and stares at me where I am sitting in one of the chairs that went along with the couch.

"How interesting" I murmur and look out the window facing the goats. "You have a lovely farm Mrs. Bates."

"Please, call me Karlene, I'm not as old as mother-in-law and I'd really like for us to be great friends during your stay." I watch her down the rest of the cocoa before she jumps up and announces her departure.

"I'm terribly sorry but I have to get back to the house to help Bobby, my husband, do some repairs to the cow shed, but please do make yourself at home and if you need me you know exactly where to find me."

I had decided on taking a luxurious bubble bath in big cast iron tub that was included in my bedroom. Boy was I glad I had brought along some of my favorite novels with me, Anna Karenina would be my friend for the next forty minutes. After I got out and checked the TV, I couldn't find anything interesting to watch and settled on heading on to bed a bit early for the first day of class that would be tomorrow.