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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781468539912 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | AuthorHouse |
| Publication date: | 01/27/2012 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 376 |
| File size: | 605 KB |
Read an Excerpt
Firefly
By Jennifer Kilgore
AuthorHouse
Copyright © 2012 Jennifer KilgoreAll right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4685-3993-6
Chapter One
First Arrival
The sunshine and blazing heat that existed when I left Auburn, Alabama had quickly evolved into a fierce thunderstorm as I coursed southward on Hwy 431. I could barely see the road ahead of me while walls of rain poured down my windshield. Periodically risking a glance in the rearview mirror, I noticed the same unmistakable pair of Ford headlights glaring back at me from where they had been there the entire trip. They were beginning to make me nervous. It was obvious I was being followed.
When I got closer to Dothan I decided to pull over and hopefully lose the Ford Bronco that had been riding my tail. Not only that but, my little Toyota hatchback wouldn't stand a chance against anything solid should I hydroplane. I had counted at least thirty-eight crosses along the forty mile stretch of Hwy 431 between Phoenix City and Eufaula. Thirty-eight crosses. Thirty-eight fatalities. I didn't want to add to that number.
Peering out between the feverishly swiping windshield wipers, I noticed flashing blue lights up ahead. A wreck must've happened. My guess was that the standing water in the roadway was the culprit.
As soon as the Bronco had passed and its red tail lights had disappeared on the horizon, I let out a small sigh of relief and decided to check in with my foster mom, Maggie, to let her know where I was. She was always so worried every time one of us traveled. To ease her tension, I promised to call and check in with her at different checkpoints along the way.
"Hello?" Maggie answered after three rings.
"Hey Maggie, it's me, Chloe! I'm just outside of Dothan!" I yelled. I could barely hear my own voice over the steady drumming of the rain. Maggie said something, but her words were lost in the deafening clap of thunder just outside my car. I flinched, almost dropping the phone.
"What?!" I yelled again.
"Chloe, are you alright? I just checked the weather channel and the radar shows a severe thunderstorm where you're headed!" She shouted on the other end.
"Yeah, I was just going to let you know that I had pulled over to wait it out."
"Okay!" she yelled back, "Be careful and call me when you get to Momma and Daddy's house!"
"Will do!" my voice cracked.
Instinctively, I ran my fingers through my hair, tracing the three purple scars that graced the corner of my forehead—reminders of the crash that killed my parents. It was a strange habit, but doing so always seemed to calm me down if I was angry or sad. And at that moment, I was sad. Very sad. I knew this day would come eventually, but never imagined it would be so painful. Maggie and I had grown so close in the past couple of years. Ever since the moment I woke up in the hospital after a whitewater rafting accident, she's been by my side, guiding me through the recovery process. She was kind, patient, and best of all, she knew my secret. And she kept it.
People even used to think I was her biological daughter since we had the same dark brown hair and same olive skin. Even our eyes were the same shade of hazel.
Maggie and I had both suffered personal tragedies, though I must say her situation was probably a lot worse than mine. I was too young to really know my parents before they died. You can't miss that which you never knew you had. Maggie had sixteen years with her son, Luke, and over twenty-five years with her husband, Dave before they died in a car wreck. That's a lot of bonding; a lot of memories. Perhaps that's what made it so hard for me to leave her today. I could've left on my eighteenth birthday back in May since the state no longer required her to be my guardian, but it just didn't feel like it was the right time for me to leave her. Then, her mother became ill and was in need of a live-in caregiver. Since I had an interest in geriatric care, Maggie and I decided this would be the perfect opportunity for me. In return, I would get a place to stay and the family would pay me ten dollars an hour as well as foot the bill for my education at the local college.
"Not a bad trade." I thought aloud.
After a few minutes of waiting on the side of the road, the rain finally slacked up enough for me to see the slick blacktop asphalt again. With my left blinker on and some retro 80's tune blaring through the speakers, I was ready to commence my journey into the rural abyss that is southeast Alabama.
Suddenly, an odd feeling seeped into the pit of my stomach. It was the feeling that I had forgotten something important. But what? I checked everything off that was on my list before I even left Auburn. The strange notion had me so distracted that I almost got lost when I finally made it to Dothan. Thankfully, the city's layout is constructed around a circle so it wasn't long before I found my next turn onto Hwy 84 east.
Fifteen minutes after passing through a couple of blink-and-you'll-miss-it townships consisting of a gas station and a caution light, I finally found the road I was supposed to turn off on.
When I made that last turn according to Maggie's hand-drawn map, I felt as if I was leaving civilization altogether. Rows of cotton and peanut crops painted the landscape with stripes of green, stretching as far as the eye could see. I wondered if this place could even be found on Google Maps.
Finally, a few miles and a great many prayers later, I arrived in Gordon, Alabama. As of the year 2000 census report, the population was four hundred eight, though I'd be willing to bet it was even smaller than that. This was one of those communities you only hear about when there's a severe weather bulletin scrolling across the bottom of your tv screen. With barely more than a post office and a nuclear plant to its skyline, how could this still be considered a town? The question distracted me so that I almost overlooked the driveway that marked the entrance to my destination.
Situated just off a dirt road, facing the western sky, Grady's Plantation House stood amongst rolling terraces of emerald pastures. A small silvery creek snaked its way through one of the pastures, dividing the land in two. Bordering the eastern half of the fields, far behind the house, was a cluster of towering trees draped in kudzu, obscuring the view of the Chattahoochee river that flowed just on the other side.
As I turned onto the gravel driveway, the strange, unnerving feeling made an encore. Something seemed out of place. Shrugging it off as a simple case of jitters, I put the car in park and took a deep breath.
When I got out of my car, the heat and humidity was stifling. It nearly took my breath away.
"You must be Maggie's girl, Chloe!" An elderly woman called from the front porch.
"Yes ma'am." I smiled politely, daring once more to inhale the hot, sticky air that plagues Alabama's climate year-round. Ugh! I could literally feel my hair shrinking up my back as it curled into tiny frizzy ringlets.
"I'm Nellie Grady. Nice to meet you," the older woman stated as she hobbled over.
"It's nice to finally meet you too, Mrs. Nellie." I replied, slightly shocked to see her up and about. I was under the impression that she was bedridden.
"Don't you call me 'Misses'! Someone'll hear you and think I'm old!" She playfully chided as she stroked a silvery white lock of hair out of her weathered face. Though we had spoken over the phone before, Nellie and I had never actually met in person until now. When she smiled back at me, it was easy to see that she and Maggie had the same deep set eyes and warm disposition. Her wrinkled hands felt as delicate as rose petals when she cupped them around mine.
"We're so glad to have you with us." she said. A strange, dazed smile fluttered across her face before she shook her head to herself, dismissing whatever thought had entered mind. "Need any help?" she offered while I walked around the car toward the trunk.
"No thanks. I got it." I wasn't about to let this fragile old lady carry one of my suitcases into the house.
"Hogwash! You can't piss in my ear and tell me it's raining!" Nellie scoffed as she reached around me and hauled one of the two large suitcases out of the trunk. "I'm not going to let a scrawny little girl like you carry all this in by yourself! I'm sure if there was any wind right now, it'd blow you away!"
"And I'm betting these mosquitoes could carry me away faster than any wind!" I remarked, swiping at the pesky insects buzzing around my face. Nellie simply smiled and nodded in agreement.
I could already tell I was going to like this lady. She was about as big as a Cracker Jack prize, but as feisty as a rattlesnake. In one move, before I could say anything, she had the suitcase in tow and was marching up the driveway toward the house. I grabbed the other one (I had only needed two) and followed her to the front porch where an elderly gentleman stood, holding the screen door open for us.
"Les, this is Maggie's girl, Chloe," Nellie said to the portly man. "And Chloe, this is my husband, Lester Grady."
"Well how'd ya do?" Les smiled, tipping the faded trucker cap on his head.
"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Grady." I returned with a nod.
"Please, call me Les. What else do you need from your car, Miss Chloe?" Les asked as he took the suitcase from Nellie's grip and set it on the ground. "I'll get that, Nellie. You just go sit down and take a breather." Though I couldn't be sure, I thought I spied a brief glimpse of sadness in Les's eyes as he watched Nellie shakily set the suitcase down and while she slowly hobbled over to one of the many rocking chairs that lined the massive porch.
"That's pretty much it other than a backpack." I replied, hoping to distract him from his momentary sadness.
"Well, I'll go on and carry these up to your room," he said, taking the other suitcase from my hands and heading inside.
The gravel crunched and popped beneath my feet as I trekked slowly back to my car. What have I gotten myself into? Would I be able to help take care of Nellie? Will she even like me? The questions flooded my mind, piling on top of each other until finally I looked up and saw something that stopped me dead in my tracks.
A Ford Bronco—the same black Bronco that followed me from Auburn—was creeping slowly down the road. The driver, a male wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, waved casually as if being polite. Hoping to avoid that awkward moment where you think someone is waving at you so you wave back, only to realize they were waving at the person behind you, I simply stood there glaring, confused. Glancing over my shoulder, I noticed Nellie waving back at the mystery man as if she knew him.
"That's our neighbor, Will! I think he's about your age. He's a real nice young man." She called out when she saw me staring. "We'll have to introduce you two one day!"
A simple "Oh." was my only response. I suddenly felt ridiculous for being so paranoid.
After I finished unloading the car, Nellie lead me upstairs to the first room on the right at the top of the staircase. It was a quaint little suite with all the space I would need. A mini refrigerator and microwave oven were situated in the far corner next to a small round table with two chairs; my own little dining area. An antique cherry wood bed stood against the wall to my left, opposite from the computer desk and bathroom door on my right. A large bay window overlooking the field was on the opposite wall from the doorway where I stood. I could tell that at one point, the room must have been even larger before they added a wall to create space for a bathroom. With ivory walls and white lace curtains, the room had an old-fashioned, cozy charm about it. All that was missing was an antique wash basin shoved in the corner.
"I just washed the sheets this morning." Nellie said, gesturing to the baby blue comforter and bed linens.
"Oh. Thanks." I said.
The brief awkward silence that followed was interrupted by a light tap in the door frame. We both looked up to see an attractive, middle-aged woman standing in the doorway. She was poised with a confident, yet graceful stature that, combined with her flawless ebony skin, reminded me of Viola Davis. Judging by her white scrubs and stethoscope, I assumed that she was either a doctor or a nurse.
"Miss Nellie, it's time for your medicine." The woman smiled authoritatively.
"Oh ... ok." Nellie appeared as if she was slightly confused. It was almost as if she didn't know that she needed any medication. "Dr. Jennison, this is Chloe," she said while walking toward the woman in the doorway.
"It's nice to meet you, Dr. Jennison." I smiled politely.
"Please. Call me Evie. I'm sure I'll be seeing you quite a bit around here," she nodded while putting her arm around Nellie's shoulders, coaxing her toward the hallway.
"Well, I guess I'll let you get settled in. There are plenty of towels in the hall closet if you ever need to borrow any." Nellie said as they both turned to leave the room.
"There's also a place next to your desk over there to plug in your computer so you can get onto the ... um ... the intranet—internet ... whatever you kids call it. Make yourself at home!"
Home. That last word struck me. The only home I'd ever known was with Maggie. It took me long enough to adjust even there. Would I ever come to accept this new place as home? I seriously doubted it.
After hanging a few outfits in the closet and organizing the rest of my wardrobe in the antique chiffarobe beside the window, I called Maggie to let her know I had made it safely. She didn't answer so I left her a message and recommenced unpacking.
The evening passed fairly quickly while I busied myself with organizing my whatnots and picture frames on the shelves. I even navigated my way to the nearest grocery store to pick up a few personal hygiene items for myself along with a few other things for Nellie. Even though it was only eight-thirty when I got back, I was too tired to do much else besides what I had come here to do: take care of Nellie.
Thankfully, Les had already assisted her with bathing and had already put her to bed by the time I returned.
"Today was one of her good days. She knew me," he said quietly with a faint sense of hope lingering in his expression as he closed her bedroom door. My heart sank. Earlier that night, he spoke to Nellie in the same tender voice that many would reserve for a solemn prayer. His sad old eyes rejuvenated with light and life every time she said his name. In the five hours I'd been there, I'd learned one thing: Les and Nellie had more love for one another than most will ever know in a single lifetime. How I hoped to one day discover what that felt like.
After making sure that they were both taken care of for the night, I went back to my own room and went straight to bed.
Despite the fact that I was exhausted, I had trouble falling asleep. All I could do was just lay there hoping my mind would just shut off at some point. But everything was so still and quiet as I lay there in the dark. Too peaceful I thought. I took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh lavender scent of the clean, yet unfamiliar bed sheets swaddling me. I had never spent a night in the country before. There were no familiar sounds of passing late night traffic or intoxicated neighbors and partygoers yelling at each other from across the yard. Nope. There was only the steady hum of the crickets' lullaby outside my window.
The darkness made it even harder to ignore the restless feeling I still had from earlier in the day. Did I forget something? Was I wrong for coming here?
Shifting my focus away from the unanswerable questions that bothered me, I thought of Maggie and the rest of my foster family. There was Lauren, the girl who taught me to pick a lock in case I ever wanted to sneak out past curfew. She was also the reason why we even had a curfew. Despite her bad girl façade, she actually had a heart of gold. If I had come from a family as dysfunctional as hers, I'd probably be the same way. There were the Ortega twins, Luca and Jayla. They were three when their mother dumped them on Maggie's front porch without even a backward glance in her rearview mirror as she drove off. And there was Kaylan and Dylan Walker whose juvenile records rival that of your worst hardened criminals. Still, like Lauren, they too were golden beneath the surface. Their actions were merely cries for help. All they needed was for someone like Maggie to come along and shower them with love they'd never been given.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Firefly by Jennifer Kilgore Copyright © 2012 by Jennifer Kilgore. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Table of Contents
Contents
Acknowledgements....................xiPrologue....................xiii
Chapter 1 First Arrival....................1
Chapter 2 A Discovery....................15
Chapter 3 A Ghost Story....................22
Chapter 4 New Acquaintances....................33
Chapter 5 The Confrontation....................47
Chapter 6 We All Have Secrets Don't We?....................59
Chapter 7 Just What the Doctor Prescribed....................88
Chapter 8 A Declaration....................107
Chapter 9 A New Revelation....................131
Chapter 10 Getting to Know You....................161
Chapter 11 The Murder of Uri Emerson....................177
Chapter 12 Shopping Trip....................209
Chapter 13 Trick or Treat....................230
Chapter 14 An Eclipse....................253
Chapter 15 The Lightning....................261
Chapter 16 Awakening....................275
Chapter 17 An Ultimatum....................284
Chapter 18 Buried Alive....................303
Chapter 19 Judgment Day....................326
Chapter 20 Catching Up....................344
Epilogue....................357