Chapter Five

My mom’s quiet steps whispered across the beige carpet when she came back from talking with my dad. She did not go back to sorting photos. Instead I heard the ripping of packing tape off of boxes in the kitchen. I could see her emptying each box of kitchen supplies and finding places for them as I walked out of my bedroom and across the living room floor. I got the hint that we were done sorting photos for the day, but I wanted to know more about the girls, and I knew exactly who to go to for answers.

My parents had forced me to move to the middle of nowhere for one main reason. To be closer to my grandfather. He was lonely in his old house, and his weekly invitations to visit were rarely accepted when we lived in Manhattan because of the distance and my dad’s busy job. Even though before the move I had only seen my grandfather once or twice a year, and even less over the past few years, I remembered the visits well and looked forward to seeing him each time.

My grandpa’s stories had always entertained and enthralled me. I remembered sitting in his lap for hours as a small girl as he fed me cookies and tall tales. Even now I could easily sit down with him to hear about crab fishing in Alaska or trekking through South American jungles. I knew he would gladly talk about most any topic, but would he tell me anything more about Maera and Katie than my dad had?

He would not be too afraid to talk about a sister who died nearly fifty years ago, would he? My mom said that I just needed to give my dad time to come to grips with his guilt over Katie’s death. How much time did it take, though? Something told me I could not afford to wait too long for answers. Thinking of ways to approach the subject of Maera’s death, I piled a stack of stray photos back into a box and wandered into the kitchen.

“Hey, Mom,” I began, “would it be okay if I went to see Grandpa this afternoon?”

My mom smiled. “I would love for you to spend some time with Grandpa, but it will have to wait until tomorrow.”

“Why,” I asked, my voice dangerously close to whining. Did she have some other pointless task for me to do?

“Your grandpa had to go to the city for a doctor’s appointment today. He’ll be back this evening,” she said. “Why don’t you plan on visiting him tomorrow morning?”

“Why couldn’t Dad just check him out?” I knew my constant complaining irritated my mom on a regular basis, especially lately, but it annoyed me that the one time I really wanted to visit Grandpa was the one day I couldn’t. My mom was constantly reminding me that growing up often meant things did not always go the way you wanted them to. Every time she said it just made me clench my teeth in frustration and wish time would speed up for me. Things always seemed to work out just fine for the adults I knew. I was the only one who was constantly being handed the short stick.

“Your father is not a cardiologist, Arra. I think it is a much wiser choice for Grandpa to continue seeing his regular doctor.” Her eyes rolled lightly in my direction, though a little less poignant than usual. “I’m sure his stories will keep until tomorrow.”

“They don’t even have the doctors they need in this town,” I muttered under my breath. I knew that in all actuality that issue had been the exact reason the local hospital had been so ecstatic to hire my dad. Grainer had a hospital half the size of what a real hospital would be and not enough doctors to staff even that. Nobody wanted to move to Grainer. Nobody but my parents.

I started to leave the kitchen, but the thought of spending another day sitting alone in my box filled room sounded much less appealing than usual. Perhaps it was the photos I had decided to put away in my nightstand after lunch. I did not want to go near them at the moment. Every time I looked at them, the girl’s smiles seemed a little less happy and somewhat more desperate. It had been a very strange morning. I wanted a break from my dad’s foul mood, my mom’s smothering concern, and the strange pictures.

“Do you mind if I go walk around town, then. I need to get out of the house for a while.”

The surprise on my mom’s face was enough to make me laugh. She had nearly been reduced to threats earlier that day just to get me to run to the grocery store. The change that had come over me was abrupt, but my mom always knew how to make the best of any situation.

“That sounds lovely, dear. Just don’t wander off anywhere, and be home in time for supper,” my mom cautioned. “I might need some help getting dinner ready tonight.”

I could not imagine anything too dreadful, or even vaguely interesting, happening to me in this tiny town, but twenty-five years living in Manhattan was hard for my mom to overcome. Pleasure that I was finally leaving the house of my own accord was mixed with worry on her motherly face. It would be nearly impossible for my mom to adjust in the few short weeks since we had moved. Even I still felt the need to peek over my shoulder when walking alone through the town. That little hint of fear in my mom’s eyes felt oddly natural. I would have been more bothered if my mom didn’t worry than by her cautious nature.

I doubt I could even get into trouble here if I wanted to, I thought. “I’ll be fine, Mom. I just want to see what’s here.”

“Have fun, dear.”

A soft breeze blew through the little town as I walked its length. Glancing at the shop windows, I found nothing that caught my interest. Wandering away from the main road, I turned randomly down some of the side streets. When the hard pavement eventually turned to gravel the change made me pause, but only for a moment. The main bulk of the town could still be seen easily. I strained my eyes and thought I could even see my house from where I stood.

Kicking pebbles along the way, it felt good being out of the house, out of my room especially. I had barely come out since the move in protest of being here, but after the first few days it had become incredibly boring. Of course I could have entertained myself forever if I had just unpacked my room. Somewhere in those boxes were my computer and video games and DVD’s. If I had unpacked though, it would hardly have looked like I was angry about moving.

I sighed. It made no sense, of course, and only made me even more miserable while my parents simply went about their business, but I felt like I had to make some kind of attempt at protest. As I took in the sweet smells of the trees and plants and let the wind toss my hair, I had a feeling that I would start unpacking my room soon enough.

A quick rustling of leaves, followed by a small rabbit darting across the road, drew a strangled cry from me. My heart was pumping as I watched it disappear into another set of bushes. Annoyed that the animal had surprised me so much, I kicked a rock in the direction it had run.

“It’s just a rabbit,” someone said. A quick laugh followed the voice.

Spinning around I looked for the source. I hadn’t seen anyone else on the dirt road since stepping onto it. It was the main reason I’d kept going. I had assumed it was just an access road to the nearby forest. Three boys, about my age, or maybe a little older, watched me from less than ten feet away. I couldn’t stop myself from gawking at them. Where had they come from? A crimson blush crept over my cheeks until the laughter started again. My eyes narrowed. What were they doing just standing there laughing at me? I wished I had another rock to kick at them.

“Sorry, we didn’t mean to scare you,” the middle one said. “We’ve just never seen anyone get so scared by a rabbit before.”

“I wasn’t scared of it,” I snapped, “it just startled me. I’m just not used to Bambi’s little friends running under my feet.”

The shortest of the three snickered again, but a swift elbow to the ribs from the leader ended it quickly. Embarrassed and annoyed at their immaturity, I turned away, just wanting to continue my walk. If these three were the only boys in town, I could definitely do without dating for the next few years. The crunch of gravel behind me only made me walk faster.

“Wait a minute,” the same boy who had elbowed his friend called out. Running over to me, he came up short right in front of me, forcing me to either stop walking or run right into him. I stopped. “Sorry, we didn’t mean to embarrass you. Evan can be a real jerk sometimes.”

Evan. That must have been the chuckler’s name. Evan and the quieter one were still in their original positions. “What are you guys doing out here?” My desire for a quiet place to think had led me to the gravel path, but I could not fathom the reason anyone else would want to come out here. It was just a dirt path through the trees. What on earth do you do in a place like this?

The boy held up his right hand. At first I thought he was trying to keep me from walk off, but that hardly made any sense since I was still just standing in front of him. Then I realized he was trying to show me something. A leather strip draped from his middle finger to his wrist and was held in place by thin leather ties. The strap meant nothing to me. Was it some kind of backwoodsy jewelry? If it was, I’d have to make it a point to never get into that fad. My expression must have relayed as much.

“Archery,” he explained. “We were shooting at targets in the field.” He gestured to the field behind where his friends were standing.

I was shocked to find three portable targets sitting amid the tall grass. The brightly colored rings were plainly visible from the road. I had not even noticed them before. I looked back and the other two, one of them, the quiet one, still had a bow in his hand. How did I not notice that, I wondered, even more annoyed with myself than before. I was pretty used to being careful about who and what was around me when I was alone. Shaking my head, I marveled at how much this place was already affecting me.

“Oh,” was all I could say.

“What, you’ve never seen a bow and arrow before either?” he asked.

“No, actually, I haven’t.” My smug voice matched my stance, but the sweet smile in the boy’s face made me falter. “Except for on TV, if that counts.”

“Not really,” he said, his smile growing even wider. He shrugged his shoulders and looked back at his friends before turning back to me. Extending his hand, he said, “I’m Tanner. You must be the new doctor’s kid, right?”

My smile slipped immediately. I hated small towns. Was that how I’d be known for the next few years? The new doctor’s kid? I managed to force a smile back on my face before I tried to speak again. “Yep, that would be me. My name’s Arra though.”

“Arra, huh?”

“Arrabella, actually, but I prefer Arra,” I said.

“Cool, I like it,” Tanner said. He was a completely random person, who could turn out to be a total freak for all I knew, but the fact that he liked my name had me trying to hide a delighted smile. He was pretty cute.

Motioning for his friends to join us, Tanner pointed to the shorter one. “This is Evan and that’s Jackson.” The quiet one raised a hand with a quick wave.

“Where are you from?” Tanner asked.

“Manhattan,” I replied, wishing I was there now. The three boys looked impressed, like being born in a big city was some kind of accomplishment. They should have been looking at me with pity.

“How do you like Grainer?” Evan asked.

I made a face that made answering unnecessary.

“That bad, huh?” Tanner said with a laugh.

“I miss the city,” I admitted.

“Grainer’s not so bad,” the quiet Jackson replied.

“There’s nothing to do here.”

“There’s archery,” Tanner said. “Come on, we’ll show you.”

Evan and Jackson started back toward the field where the targets were set up. Tanner lagged behind, probably making sure I was not going to run off. I looked back at the dirt road. There was no chance of returning to the peaceful walk now. Reluctantly, I followed Tanner into the high grasses.

I had never really enjoyed participating in sports, but watching the boys practice did seem like it might be a welcomed distraction. My thoughts had been consumed by strange dreams and disturbing photos all day. Suddenly playing at bows and arrows with three teenage boys sounded very appealing, if somewhat dangerous.