Seek the Devil (NaNo) Ch 1
The farmlands buzzed by through the large glass windows of the U-Haul truck. In the passenger seat, a girl lay asleep, long auburn hair strewn across the back of her cushioned seat. An older-looking woman was at the wheel of the truck, brown eyes drooping as they grew closer to their destination. Her hands fiddled with the dial as the volume on the radio was turned up.
"Good Afternoon, Atlantic County!", a sing-songy voice said. The girl in the passenger seat opened her blue eyes slowly as the weather forecast for the next day came over the truck's speakers.
"Mom, do you always have to wake me up like that?", she said. The girl yawned, and her mom chuckled.
"Fiona, this is how I always wake you up"
"Leave me alone", Fiona mumbled. She attempted to cover her face with her long hair, while her mother laughed again.
"You're going to have to wake up soon, anyways. We're almost there"
Fiona looked up through the side window and saw a faded green sign - Welcome to Egg Harbor Township. She rubbed her freckled cheeks as the suburbs came into view.
"So, this is where we're going to live?"
"Yes. Our house is on Timber Drive", her mom said as the van turned into a small suburban development - Great Pines South.
Houses painted in various shades of brown and blacktop driveways surrounded by pine trees appeared on all sides of the small orange U-Haul truck. It made another turn, this time onto a street marked 'Dead End'.
"Is this our street?", Fiona asked. Her mother nodded as the truck pulled into a driveway with several larger trucks already there.
"We're here", her mom said. She stopped the truck, unbuckled and stepped out. Fiona did the same, watching as people dressed in brown suits moved their furniture into their new home.
"Excuse me, miss", a man's voice said. Fiona's mother turned around. A man in a black button-down shirt handed her a piece of paper on a clipboard and a pen. "Sign here, please"
Fiona's mother scribbled her name on the line on the bottom of the paper. Fiona smiled. She knew that signature anywhere - it looked like gibberish, but it really said 'Joan Taylor'.
"Thank you, ma'am", the man said. He grabbed the clipboard and pen and walked away, motioning for Fiona and her mother to follow.
"This is your new home", the man said, smiling. He gestured to the beige house in front of them. There were stone steps leading up to the door, and Joan walked up to the white entrance and asked the man for the housekey. He obliged, and she opened the door.
"It's beautiful", she said. The red carpet and white paint looked brand new, as if they had just been put in that day. She walked inside. "Fiona, come see the house"
"In a minute, mom", she called back. Fiona was busy at the side yard, looking at a large spot where no grass seemed to be growing. She kneeled down and drew a smiley face into the dirt.
"Hey! What're you doing digging up my grave!?", a man's voice shouted. Fiona looked up in alarm, seeing an old, bearded man holding a shovel looking down at her.
"N-nothing, sir", Fiona stuttered. "I didn't know that was where you were buried. Please, forgive me"
"Why should I?", the man yelled back. "I don't go around digging where you're buried, do I!?"
"Sir, I think you're confused. I'm not a-"
The man brought his shovel down with such force that Fiona shrunk back, even if she knew it couldn't hurt her. She then noticed the man staring at her, and pretended to faint.
"Serves her right", the bearded man said. He faded from view, and Fiona opened her eyes. Blowing her blunt bangs out of her face, she saw a boy around her age looking down at her.
"What were you doing?"
"Nothing", Fiona said, shivering. It was November, and the sun was starting to set. Fiona was surprised it wasn't snowing.
"No, I mean, who were you talking to?", the boy asked. Fiona looked up at the boy, who stroked the black bangs covering one eye out of the way so he could see better.
"Nobody"
"Why are you laying on the ground, then?"
Fiona was at a loss for words. She had been able to explain talking to spirits before, but fainting because of one?
She heard her mom calling her again. "I'll tell you later", Fiona said. The boy looked at her, puzzled, then turned away, his jacket blowing in the cold breeze.
"Good Afternoon, Atlantic County!", a sing-songy voice said. The girl in the passenger seat opened her blue eyes slowly as the weather forecast for the next day came over the truck's speakers.
"Mom, do you always have to wake me up like that?", she said. The girl yawned, and her mom chuckled.
"Fiona, this is how I always wake you up"
"Leave me alone", Fiona mumbled. She attempted to cover her face with her long hair, while her mother laughed again.
"You're going to have to wake up soon, anyways. We're almost there"
Fiona looked up through the side window and saw a faded green sign - Welcome to Egg Harbor Township. She rubbed her freckled cheeks as the suburbs came into view.
"So, this is where we're going to live?"
"Yes. Our house is on Timber Drive", her mom said as the van turned into a small suburban development - Great Pines South.
Houses painted in various shades of brown and blacktop driveways surrounded by pine trees appeared on all sides of the small orange U-Haul truck. It made another turn, this time onto a street marked 'Dead End'.
"Is this our street?", Fiona asked. Her mother nodded as the truck pulled into a driveway with several larger trucks already there.
"We're here", her mom said. She stopped the truck, unbuckled and stepped out. Fiona did the same, watching as people dressed in brown suits moved their furniture into their new home.
"Excuse me, miss", a man's voice said. Fiona's mother turned around. A man in a black button-down shirt handed her a piece of paper on a clipboard and a pen. "Sign here, please"
Fiona's mother scribbled her name on the line on the bottom of the paper. Fiona smiled. She knew that signature anywhere - it looked like gibberish, but it really said 'Joan Taylor'.
"Thank you, ma'am", the man said. He grabbed the clipboard and pen and walked away, motioning for Fiona and her mother to follow.
"This is your new home", the man said, smiling. He gestured to the beige house in front of them. There were stone steps leading up to the door, and Joan walked up to the white entrance and asked the man for the housekey. He obliged, and she opened the door.
"It's beautiful", she said. The red carpet and white paint looked brand new, as if they had just been put in that day. She walked inside. "Fiona, come see the house"
"In a minute, mom", she called back. Fiona was busy at the side yard, looking at a large spot where no grass seemed to be growing. She kneeled down and drew a smiley face into the dirt.
"Hey! What're you doing digging up my grave!?", a man's voice shouted. Fiona looked up in alarm, seeing an old, bearded man holding a shovel looking down at her.
"N-nothing, sir", Fiona stuttered. "I didn't know that was where you were buried. Please, forgive me"
"Why should I?", the man yelled back. "I don't go around digging where you're buried, do I!?"
"Sir, I think you're confused. I'm not a-"
The man brought his shovel down with such force that Fiona shrunk back, even if she knew it couldn't hurt her. She then noticed the man staring at her, and pretended to faint.
"Serves her right", the bearded man said. He faded from view, and Fiona opened her eyes. Blowing her blunt bangs out of her face, she saw a boy around her age looking down at her.
"What were you doing?"
"Nothing", Fiona said, shivering. It was November, and the sun was starting to set. Fiona was surprised it wasn't snowing.
"No, I mean, who were you talking to?", the boy asked. Fiona looked up at the boy, who stroked the black bangs covering one eye out of the way so he could see better.
"Nobody"
"Why are you laying on the ground, then?"
Fiona was at a loss for words. She had been able to explain talking to spirits before, but fainting because of one?
She heard her mom calling her again. "I'll tell you later", Fiona said. The boy looked at her, puzzled, then turned away, his jacket blowing in the cold breeze.