Legends

CHAPTER ONE: Denver, Colorado

-----------------------2020----------------------------

Saint Charles. Idaho. A town of about 150 people, next to Bear Lake.

150 people.

Yup, everyone knew everyone's business.

Elena Hunter left five years ago. Her parents were not very happy about it, but what could they say? Their three children left to live in the same apartment in a different state. They were old enough to do what they liked without burning down the building.

Many people move away from their hometown. They all hope for a new chance. A second life. To start over and do it better this time.

But that was bullshit. Life did not work that way. The past had happened, could never be changed and never forgotten. Running away from Saint Charles had not solved anything, but at least it had provided a distraction.

Their mom and dad had begged so many times for their return. Neither understood how someone could leave Saint Charles behind and never return. They had so much history there. So many memories. But none of their words had ever convinced the three Hunter children.

Now they lived in Denver, Colorado. A city of about 680.000 people, near the Rocky Mountains.

Not far from home, yet far enough to forget it – or at least try.

When their parents would visit, they would have to drive for more than seven hours. That was why they did not visit often – or so they said. Their favorite way of communicating was over the phone – or not at all.

Elena did not hate her parents. Of course they had disagreed in the past, but they were still the people who raised her and taught her the values of life. They were not the reason she left.

They were the reason why she regretted leaving.

But her regret was not big enough to make her return to Saint Charles. She had made a new life here with a career that had taken off and two great roomies that made her laugh so often.

Her brother, Kay, was openly gay. He had had many boyfriends in the past, but the last year he had spent with no one besides Damon. It was amazing to see how much her brother loved the man.

Kay was an interior designer, working inside their rather large apartment. Her sister, Emily, was a secretary. She worked for both Kay and Elena, as well as bigger businesses who offered her money to check their papers.

Emily was also openly gay, but she was not dating anyone. It had been a very long time since Emily had met someone she was interested in. or maybe she was also still stuck in the past.

Elena sighed. The past was still so active in their lives. Why could they not just forget everything and really start with a blank slate? Why was every memory they had in Saint Charles with those people of their youth? Why could they not make new friends in Denver?

Looking through the small screen of the camera, Elena sighed again. A beautiful, red haired model with a bright blue dress was holding a small, blue bottle of perfume. The ground was filled with confetti and balloons in a similar shade of blue. In her mind these would be great photos for the advertisement. But the reality turned out to be different.

Lifting her face away from the camera, Elena told the model: "that's enough for today. Can you come back tomorrow? We can try again."

The woman nodded, then entered the small room they had transformed into a dressing room. With another sigh, Elena stepped back and fell on the couch, in between her siblings.

"What's wrong?" Emily asked, a worried look on her face.

"The photos are no good," Elena responded.