The town was peaceful, with its lush greenery and quiet people murmuring in the marketplace. A few people glanced at us in confusion, but most didn't even bat an eye.
We were supposed to have reached Oakridge Mansion by noon, but we had been driving in circles. "Dad, what's wrong?" I finally asked. Mom and I were still mad at each other, so we avoided eye contact and conversation as much as possible. It's just kind of hard when you're stuck in a car together. That's why they say not to start a serious conversation in a car; it just becomes super awkward!
"Uhh, well, the broker told me to meet him in front of the house, but I don't know exactly where we are right now," he sighed as he made another U-turn. This town, like any horror cliché, had a reputation for bad signals and interference with electricity. They had warned us about that. Some blamed paranormal activity, others said it was just bad luck, and a few even joked about Bigfoot. I kept these rumors to myself to avoid freaking out my sister, who already seemed a bit nervous.
"Hey, Ki, everything alright, boo?" I patted her back. She was gazing out the window, lost in thought.
"Yeah... Why didn't you choose another town? Larkhill is better than this place," she pouted a little.
"Well, we're here, and we'll make the best of it!" I smiled at her, but she didn't smile back.
"I mean, it's not what I thought you said. You said 'small town,' but this is a village! Why didn't you tell me that, Trish?" she cried, looking genuinely upset. I couldn't handle seeing her sad.
"I'm sorry, Kiara, I was wrong to get your hopes up. But... there are plenty of cool things to do here too!" I clasped my hands together. She raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Like what?"
"Like dancing in the rain. It's really refreshing and fun, right?" I asked. I loved dancing in the rain; our old town was small and dry, so it had been ages since I felt that cool sensation of raindrops on my skin.
I always wanted to share that experience with Kiara, like I did with Avery.
"Ugh, rain makes me wet, and it ruins my hair!" she complained, touching her frizzy golden locks.
"Oh... um, meeting new people? That's gotta be something, right?"
"I already had tons of friends in the old town. Besides, Larkhill had cute boys; it's cute here."
Oh no, this might be bad. If she doesn't like this town, it'll be harder for me to execute my plan, and it might end up being bad for me.
I tried to win her over with the right points. "We can grow a garden, birdwatch, make our own jellies and jams, and fly kites—all without the internet." I pointed out. She considered it for a moment before responding:
"I mean... if we only grow veggies I like, then yeah, we can have our own garden." She crossed her arms with a sense of pride.
I chuckled softly. "Yeah, of course. No eggplants and absolutely no bell peppers."
We shared a smile, and Dad interrupted our moment. "Guys, I might have to ask someone for directions because we are absolutely going nowhere." We looked around and saw a burly old man with a long white beard and a shotgun in one hand.
"Sir, can we get some help here?" Dad called out to the man.