Status: hoping for updates every wednesday!

Dark Paradise

Ā¢armen

Sirens blared through the hot air as Carmen lay upon the trampoline, catching some rays in the backyard of her grandparents' house. For most of the year, the large trampoline went unused seeing as her grandparents had absolutely no use for it. But, during the summer months, they knew it would be put to good use. It seemed Carmen's true home during the summer was not actually in the house but in the backyard, sunbathing.

As Carmen lay there, the sound of the sirens grew closer - to the point where they sounded like they were just next door. Rising from her position, she bounded across the yard to the fence where she could just barely get a glimpse of the rest of the houses in the cul-de-sac. Just next door, two police cars sat in front of the house. Carmen sat in the grass a few moments, waiting for something to happen. Nearly five minutes later, a woman not much older than Carmen herself - probably 18 or 19 - emerged in handcuffs and was escorted to one of the awaiting police cars. Every few seconds she shot back angry glares to someone who was standing just out of view.

"New neighbors," a voice from behind Carmen spoke. She turned, only to find her grandma standing right behind her with a gardening trowel in her hand and dirt on her clothes. "They moved in about two months ago. They're a bit shady, if you ask me. People are always coming and going at all times of the day."

"What happened to the Schefflers?" Carmen asked, remember the couple in their mid-thirties who had lived next door. She had babysat their children a few times in the past.

"Divorce," her grandmother said. "We would hear them arguing all the time and suddenly they moved out."

Carmen frowned. "That's too bad."

"It sure is. They were great neighbors. Great people, in fact. Now, it seems like the whole neighborhood's been replaced, and with people like this." She pointed to the girl getting into the police car who was now crying hysterically.

As they both watched, a man came into view - the man the girl had been shooting dirty looks at. He stood there - tall, proud, smiling - as they put her into the police car. Carmen wondered what the girl could've done to deserve being arrested and how it could've possibly made the man happy to see her carted away to jail like that.

As the car pulled out of the driveway, the man turned and headed back to the house. But, before doing so, he stopped and paused, looking in Carmen's direction. Still smiling, he winked and quickly waved to the two of them before heading back into his house.

For reasons unknown to Carmen, she was hit with a sudden desire to know more about the man. From that moment on, Carmen couldn't stop thinking about him. From that moment on, Carmen's life was changed forever.
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So I've got a ton of sudden inspiration for this baby (especially since my summer playist consists of nothing but LDR) so hopefully I'll be updating quite frequently. Feedback is greatly appreciated!