Chapter 1

I didnt want to look up. Maybe if I ignored it, the house would go away. Maybe West By God Virginia would return to being this oddly state shape on a map I had no intentions of ever visiting. But I had to look. Hiding in the car wouldnt work for the next year or so of my life. That would be strange, and besides, it wasnt like any of this was going to disappear. I peeked first, just a small peek. The first thing I noticed was the flower bed in front of the long porch. Weeds choked the faded mulch, overgrowing the stone edging that separated it from the front yard. That would have to be fixed. Mom had probably insisted the realtor let the flower bed go to crap, knowing Id quickly make a project out of it. Where was Mom? Oh, yeah. She was already inside, making happy plans in her happy head. I squeezed my eyes shut and took a deep breath. This is for mom. She needed this. We both needed this. I climbed out the car, my butt numb and legs tingly from the car ride that would not end. Stepping around the U-Haul, I saw my trusty, little four door sedan that had been towed up with the rest of our belongings. Man, I missed that car. I ran my fingers along the side as I neared the porch. My homethis was my new home. The house looked like something straight out of a haunted house movie. It even had a turreta freaking turret. What was I supposed to do with that? The dull white house raised two stories high with a possible no mans land attic situated at the top. Shutters lining every window were a deep black. Trees spotted the sides of the house and completely obscured the land out

back. It was identical to the house next door and two at the beginning of the road. Mom? No answer. Maybe the house ate her. The steps to the porch groaned as I stepped on them. I glanced at the house next door before I headed inside, greeted by a rush of cold air. At least the place seemed to have been updated with central air. Score. The small foyer was dark and lined with unopened boxes. Straight ahead were stairs that led upstairs and at the end of the hallway there were two doors opened to a combined dining and kitchen area. A living room was on the other side. My mother had completely vanished, and after standing in the hallway for a few moments I knew I needed to make a decision. Either move further into the house or run like crazy from here and join a traveling magazine sales team. I gave a heaving, dramatic sigh as I headed into the large, mostly outdated kitchen and grabbed one of the many boxes that littered the house. I was sure my mom was already in her bedroom, but I was more practical. Start unpacking. Get things done. Dwell on how unfair life was later, because thered be tons of time for that. # Much later, when I was covered in dust and had stopped jumping at every little creaking sound, my mom reappeared, showered and dressed in scrubs. I stood in disbelief, wiping my hands over my shorts. Are you working tonight? You havent even checked out your room, have you? She smoothed the stray hairs back into a neat ponytail. Her eyes were once again excited, almost childlike. Three years since Id seen her this happy about anything. Didnt I tell you? Grant Memorial wanted me to start

as soon as possible. I cant imagine them being busy, so I may look into Winchester. They have a large medical complex there. Winchester? I whispered. I knew I shouldnt be surprised that she was skipping out on the first night here. Ever since Dad died, Mom had started working more and more. She didnt let down time. Didnt we pass that about an hour before we got here? She picked up the rest of the cups and put them in a cabinet. Winchester is not that far at all. You just hop on route 22 and then route 55 and bang, youre there. She wiped her hands absently on her scrubs. I drew in a deep breath, but it got stuck in my throat. So youre not going to be home tonight? She looked at me, almost confused for a moment. Katy, this is probably one of the safest places to live. She grabbed her unpacked travel mug. You were never this nervous before. Even in Florida where all you heard in the night was police sirens. You dont have to worry about home invasions or ending up on a back of a milk carton here. From the looks of the dense trees surrounding the little clusters of homes, the only kind of home invasion I had to worry about was a grizzly bear busting up in the house. Patting me on the shoulder, she smiled. If you need anything, I left the number on my dresser upstairs. She headed for the front door. I dont know how busy Ill be, but I am sure you can leave a message. I followed her outside. The sun was beginning to set, turning the air much cooler. Hugging my elbows, I watched her climb back into her Prius. If you decide to go out tonight, be careful. These roads can be somewhat curvy. She popped her head back out of the car window. Oh! And the extra key is on my dresser too. See

you tomorrow! Love you! Go out where? Ketterman was unincorporated. Meaning it wasnt even a real town. The closest place was Petersburg. A two or three stop light town near a few other towns that probably didnt even have a Wal-Mart in them. We wouldnt even get mail at our house. We would have to drive into Petersburg to get our mail. Barbaric. She frowned. Where did you get that shirt? Now she was just noticing, after being in the car with me for an eternity? Mom. Not the observant one in the family. Kind of scary considering shes a highly skilled ER nurse. Whats wrong with it? Nothing, she replied. Its cute. Cute as in not so much. I glanced down at my shirt and shrugged. It read MY BLOG IS BETTE R THAN YOUR VLOG. I hearted this shirt. Before I could demand what was wrong with my shirt, she was out of the driveway. The cool mountain breeze hit my bare legs, and I shivered. Mid-July and I was getting goosebumps. I was in another world compared to Florida. A wealth of sadness rose inside, forming a lump in my throat. It wasnt so much that Id miss Gainesville, the weather, my old school, or even our apartment. I missed Dad. And Florida was dad. It was where hed been born, where he met my mom and where all my memories were. My eyes burned, but the tears didnt fall. Crying didnt change the past and dad wouldve hated it, but it was like losing him all over again. Taking a deep breath, I looked up. I could see just the tops of large mountain pine and

various other types of trees. The vegetation below was dense. I couldnt see any ground or even judge the actual entrance to the rocks that cast a heavy shadow over everything. It was nature at its finest, which meant me at my worst. Even though I loved nature and as a kid I was happy to roam off into nearby woods, but now I had a horrible likelihood of getting loss. The idea of surviving off of wild berries until someone found me was less then A strange tickling sensation inched over the nape of my neck and down my spine. I came to a complete standstill, suddenly feeling hot in one second and then icy cold. It was a certain feeling easily recognizable. I was being watched. My heart leapt into my throat. I whirled around, scanning the front yard and the few trees I could see before the shadows swallowed the rest. There was nothing there but a few birds, maybe some rapid deer. Could deer get rabies? I needed to check that out, but I doubted that was what was causing me to freak out. The feeling was still there. Visions of three fingered men danced in my head. I really shouldnt have watched Wrong Turn before moving here. Sweat covered my palms, and I couldnt shake the feeling that someone was going to suddenly jump out and give me a heart attack. It was such a strong feeling. Like someone was standing right next to me. Fine shivers ran up my spine, like some kind of internal warning system that screamed youre not alone. Shuffling to the railing, I leaned over. From this vantage point I could see the house to my left. Heavy curtains covered all the windows facing me. There was no The tiny hairs on the back of my neck stirred as if someone had blown a warm breath

along the nape of my neck. I pushed off the railed and whirled around, fully expecting someone to be standing there. There was no one. The floorboards on the porch creaked. Holding my breath, I listened as the boards groaned all the way to the edge of the steps, pause and then pick up on the stairs leading to the driveway. Holy crap My heart thudded. Hello? My voice came out a whisper. No answer. Swallowing the lump of fear that had formed in my throat, I slowly made my way over to the door, frantically searching out of empty space in front of me. Was the house haunted? Because seriously, Id swear someone had just blew air along the back of my neck and then walked off the porch like a creepy, pervy ghost. It had to be stress of being stuck in the car with my mom for hours and the move and maybe Id inhaled too much dust, and now I was hallucinating. Because it couldnt be a ghost and it sure as hell wasnt an invisible person. Taking a deep breath, I went back inside and forced what just happened out of my mind. I grabbed the nearest box and slammed it down on the old wooden floor. The need to cry, to have a real good sob fest, hit me in the gut. My fingers shook as I ripped open the packing tape. Anger and frustration drop kicked me in the stomach. I stood and walked to the landing that led upstairs. Pressing my balled fists against my mouth, I screamed as loud as I could. The sound was muffled, barely audible, but it made me feel better. Just like working nonstop made Mom feel better. And just like gardening was a brain numbing solace for me.

After a few minutes of just standing there staring off into nothing, I went back to the boxes. They werent going to unpack themselves. A heavy feeling centered over my chest. I started pulling out various packed items and tried to think of nothing. Every so often, Id looked up at the large picture window in the front of the house. The feeling of being watched would pass over me again and then disappear.