The Blackburn Chronicles

Arrival At The Estate

"Are we there yet?"

Franklin Blackburn complained, kicking the front seat where his mother, Melinda, was driving.

"No, Franklin. If you don't stop kicking my seat, you'll go straight to your room when we do get there."

Basil Blackburn, Franklin's twin sister, smiled to herself as she thumbed through what she called her 'crime journal'. She was obsessed with crime, you see. Especially crimes that were never solved. She had a journal half-filled with these unsolved crimes. As she leafed through the pages, she glanced at the headings she'd written in her sloppy script. 'Keddie Cabin'. 'Black Dahlia'. 'Natalie Wood'. 'Michael Rosenblum'. 'Christmas Island'. All fascinating cases.

"What're you smiling about?" Franklin questioned.

"Mom getting on your case. Anyways, Frank, are you excited?" Basil asked.

"Yeah, I guess so. I just don't get why we couldn't stay in Philly. Why do we have to move?"

"Because we don't have enough money to stay in Philadelphia, dummy. And it's not like we're leaving the state. We're just going a little further south."

"Hey! Mo-om, Basil's making fun of me!"

"Don't make fun of your brother," their mother sighed, clearly tired of the fighting and the drive. "I don't want to deal with you two right now."

"Fine, fine."

"Oh, Basil, could you give Stephanie her bottle?"

"Sure."

She dug around in the insulated tote bag at her feet until she pulled out a baby bottle filled with milk. She handed it to her two-year-old sister, who put it to her lips and drank.

Basil looked outside the car window. Rain pattered against the glass, and trees streaked by. She wondered what this new house would be like, as she'd never been there before. She missed her old apartment, but not nearly as much as Frank. He had more friends than her. People found her weird. And she could see why, what with her introverted personality and her journal filled with murder cases. But maybe this could be a fresh new start for the whole family. Ever since Dad left...

"Oh, look. Here we are."

Melinda drove up a long, gravel path. Basil could see old, rotting wooden cross fencing lining overgrown fields. It was a shocker that anyone still lived here.

As they pulled up to the house, they finally got a good look at their new home. It was very large and rather old-looking, though in better shape than the yard. It was much bigger than their apartment. On the porch, waving at them, was who Basil presumed to be her uncle Finnigan. He had messy jet-black hair, pecan-colored skin which was spotted with ivory, and a huge grin. She thought his skin looked cool, almost like a human planet. Neat.

"He-e-llooo!" The man called out, grinning.

Melinda unbuckled her seatbelt and climbed out of the car.

"Hi, Finnigan. Here, come meet the kids."

Basil and Frank climbed out of the car, Basil holding Stephanie and her crime journal, Franklin carrying the tote bag.

"Heya, kids! I'm your uncle Finnigan. Come inside, I've got a nice, big dinner waiting for you two.

Basil and Franklin smiled to each other. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.