CLOVER-
I peer out the window of my Mom's old truck, evaluating my foreign surroundings. Large Pine trees line the side of the highway. "A little different from Florida, huh?" I hear my mom laugh. "A little?" I look out the window again, seeing nothing but trees and an occasional house. I feel my eyes watering; the lack of palm trees, sand, and waves is already getting to me.
I shiver and pull the only thin jacket I own tighter around my arms; the car heater was already turned up as high as it would go. I'm not used to cold weather after almost spending the entirety of my 17 years in Florida's warm sun. To my horror, my mother had said the freezing temperature would drop even lower as we got later into the month.
I hadn't even felt the full force of winter, yet I was already miserable.
"We're heeaaar!" I hear my mother call out in a sing-song voice. "Huh?" I look up at the old house, my mom's suburban is now parked in front of. I make a mental note of the rigged and old-looking support beams as a gust of north wind causes the whole house to shake. I shudder, not wanting to imagine what's living in a house like this.
"Hear?!"
My mom glances at me and smiles, "I know it doesn't look amazing right now, but I'm sure with a little hard work we can have it looking great in no time!"
Mom motions for me to get out of the car, but I'm frozen. Why'd Grandma and Grandpa leave us this old place? After all, I had never met them, despite receiving an occasional birthday card. I look at my mom, who was shivering outside the car, waiting for me to get out. She hadn't spoken to her in-laws in 17 years, not since my dad's funeral. Packing her bags and me, who was an infant at the time, and leaving for Florida a mere week after his untimely death.
Where I had happily been living ever since.
"Clover!" Mom taps on the car window. "Get out of the car now!" Sighing, I open the car door, wincing as a gust of north air blows against my face.
"Thank you." Mom hands me some luggage, telling me to take it into the groaning house. "No way!" I take a step back. "I am not going in there.
Unfortunately, I underestimated my mother's man-like strength. She grabs me by the wrist and easily drags me into the house. I decided to see if I could find a gym in the morning, though I doubted there would be anything worth going to. Mom had said there wasn't even a mall in this boring town.
I'd just have to suck it up for the rest of this year, and then I could move back to Miami for college.
I huddle close to the front door, shivering in the dark as my mom searches for a light.
"Found it!" I hear Mom's voice echo across the old house.
My mouth drops as I look around the shockingly tidy house. New furniture decorated the shiny marble floors, and I could almost swear that there was a hint of lavender I didn't smell before lingering in the air.
"How did?" I gasp.
"I had someone fix it up a few weeks before we were set to arrive." Mom smiles at me. "I'm glad I did too, the guy I hired to do it said the dust and cobbwebs were almost as unbearable as the dated wallpaper." She laughs and gestures to the walls that were now covered in fresh white paint. "We still have a bit of work to do on the outside, though." Mom continues.
I laugh, "I think you're right about that."
We finish moving all of our luggage into the house, and I collapse on the couch, freezing and exhausted. Mom sighs and looks at my body sprawled out against the white leather couch. "You should probably get some rest, Clover, you're starting school tomorrow."
Upon hearing those two words, I groan, "Do I have to go tomorrow?"
"Clover Bell Walsh, there is no way in hell you are skipping school, so I suggest you get to bed right now, mister!" I grimace as she says my middle name, hating how girly my full name sounds. "But MOM!" I groan, knowing there was no way I was getting out of going to school tomorrow. Heh, she'd probably still make me go even if I mysteriously started throwing up tomorrow morning.
I grumble, stomping up the still creaking stairs and collapsing on my new mattress. I stared up at a tacky popcorn ceiling. I miss my old house. Groaning, I rub my tired eyes. Though exhausted from the long trip, my somewhat unsettling new surroundings make it impossible to fall asleep.
Tossing and turning for about an hour, I can't seem to shake my unwarranted nerves. Finally, I drag myself out of bed and tiptoe down the creaking stairs. A noise startles me, and I let out a muffled yelp. Glancing over at the stiff couch, I see Mom lighly snoring.
Thank God it's just her.
Grabbing my beanie and pulling a thin jacket on, I make my way out of the house. Wincing, as I shut the front door, which was in desperate need of oil, without waking my mother.
When I hear the latch finally click behind me, I let out a gust of air I hadn't realized I had been holding.
I was free.
My celebration is cut short as cool air nips at my tanned skin. Somewhat aggressively shivering, I zip up my jacket before breaking off into a jog along the side of the highway. Sighing, as I let my legs carry me farther away from the scary old house...
farther away from my troubles.
After a couple of miles, I slow my pace to a walk, panting heavily. Gasping for air, I look up at the glimmering sky. Sure, I had seen stars in Florida, but I was nothing compared to this. Still enchanted by the twinkling lights above, I turn around and begin jogging back towards the old house; I had been gone long enough. Closing my eyes as I run, I transport back to Florida, back to my midnight runs on the beach.
Reality shakes my comforting visions when a piercing howl travels through the woods.
Wolves.
Gasping, my lackadaisical jog morphs into a full-on sprint. I should never have come out this late at night. I was no longer safe on the white beaches of Florida, where the occasional crab would give me a spook; I was running alone at night in the middle of the woods.
Pounding into the gravel with my ratty white sneakers, I sprint towards the old house. Not looking behind me. Not looking in front of me.
"Uff," I hit something hard and fell roughly onto my back, the small pebbles from the road digging into my skin. Lazily blinking my eyes, I try to wrap my head around what just happened.
"You shouldn't be out here." A low voice menacingly growls.
Still slightly dazed, I quickly begin scooting backwards, trying to get away from the gruff voice. A blurry figure follows me as I attempt to clumsily get to my feet, all while scooting backwards at a constant pace.