Deadwood

Deadwood; what a fitting name for such a sleepy little town. I stared moodily out the window as we rolled through town on our way to our new home. Mom had always had this dream of owning a home out in the country; looked like she finally got her wish.

“This place looks riveting.” I commented dryly, twirling a strand of wavy black hair around my index finger.

Mom glanced sideways at me, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “I’m sure you’ll still find some way to get into trouble.” She teased.

That’s what I loved about her – most mothers would have been upset. She just fired back with her own sarcasm. A smile escaped despite my inner protest.

As we turned off the main road onto a tree-lined drive, I sat up a little straighter. Even though this was Mom’s dream, I was pretty excited too. There’d be lots of space for me to explore. Most people thought it was strange that a seventeen year old liked to traipse around looking for adventure. I just thought they were crazy for not doing the same.

I could hardly believe my stormy gray eyes when I finally caught sight of the house. A pretty little one story with a wrap-around porch sat nestled in a clearing, sun shining down on it. “It’s like a little piece of heaven.” I murmured, still in awe.

“My thoughts exactly,” Mom had a crazy grin on her face, like a little kid who just opened the one present they wanted more than anything else.

The sound of the moving truck behind us coming to a stop brought me out of my trance. Trying to appear as nonchalant as possible, I threw open the car door and attempted to get out with my seat belt still firmly in place. Mom reached over and c licked the release button for me, hiding her giggles behind her other hand. I stuck my nose in the air and carefully extracted myself from the seat. It was time to see the inside of the house.

I waited for what seemed like ages as Mom got out of the car and climbed the porch steps with the key in hand. The large front door was some sort of wood, with delicate flower carvings running around the edges.

Finally, finally the lock clicked open and Mom turned the knob, being dramatically slow as she pushed open the door. There was a small entry way, with what looked like the kitchen and living room leading off from it. I bounced through all the rooms with Mom close on my heels. “I thought you’d like this for your bedroom.” She was saying, stopping in front of a door that had a half moon carved near the top.

I realized she was waiting for me to open the door instead of her. Feeling pretty self-conscious and more than a little excited, I grasped the cool brass knob in my hand and turned. The room was empty, of course. But as soon as I laid eyes on it, I knew it was supposed to be mine. Delicate little lace curtains hung on the small window, and the wallpaper looked like a Victorian-era rose pattern. It had a cool vintage feel to it, and it suited me just fine.

“So what do you think?” Mom asked hopefully.

I threw my arms around her and gave her a bone-crushing hug. “It’s absolutely awesome! I love it so much.” I said sincerely, a huge grin plastered to my face.

“Great,” Mom smiled back. “I’ll have the movers start bringing your stuff up here.”

Mom left the room, leaving me alone to look around contently. I walked over to the window and pushed the curtains aside, taking in the view of the woods behind the house. Excitement was already rushing through me as my eyes scanned the wall of welcoming trees. A shout from Mom brought me out of my contented little bubble and I left to seek her out.

When I exited the house via the front door, Mom was talking to a strange boy who looked to be around my age. He was turned sideways, so I could only get a partial view. Mom caught sight of me and beckoned me over excitedly. “Alyss, this is Oliver Holmes. He lives on the property next to ours. He saw the moving trucks and came over to help.”

I surveyed him out of the corner of my eye while Mom spoke. He was about medium height and slightly muscular. After she finished, I turned to introduce myself and a funny thing happened. His eyes caught mine and I felt the breath knocked out of me. They were pale green with enchanting gold flecks scattered through out; and in one glance I got lost. “Hey, nice to meet you.” He said, breaking my trance.

“Hi,” I managed to get out. “I’m Alyss Skelton.”

He ran a hand through his already slightly messy sandy colored hair and chuckled. It sounded like music to my ears. “Yes, I know.” He grinned. “Mind if I help carry some stuff to your room?”

After nearly tripping over myself letting him know that of course I didn’t mind, I trudged along behind him, peeking over the top of the boxes at the back of his head. So absorbed in thought was I that when he stopped just inside the entryway I almost ran into him. He looked like he was trying not to smile. “I don’t know where your room is. Maybe you should lead the way from here.”

“Oh, right.” I laughed nervously, feeling like a complete idiot. What was wrong with me? I was acting like a nut job.

Oliver stepped aside and bowed his head slightly, an oddly gentlemanly gesture that I found myself appreciating. “So your mom tells me you like to get yourself into trouble.” I heard him say behind me.

“I like to explore.” I corrected him. “Trouble just seems to find me.”

There was the sound of a throat being cleared and a stifled chuckle. By now we had reached my room and I set the boxes I was carrying down, folding my arms and looking at him sternly. “It’s true! It’s not my fault crazy things happen around me.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that.” Oliver said with a twinkle in his eye. “You look like the trouble-making type to me.”

I snorted indignantly and stuck my nose up in the air. Silence greeted this gesture. Curious, I peeked in his direction. He was leaning against the door frame, smiling widely at my dramatic antics. A light blush crept over my cheeks when I noticed he was studying me just as intently as I was studying him. His smile got wider. “See anything you like?” He did a couple of silly poses, getting some giggles out of me.

“Hm…I’ll let you know.” I teased, sauntering past him to go grab more boxes from the truck.