Chapter One 

The only sound that could be heard inside of the Ford Explorer as it drove down the narrow two lane road was the rain pelting the glass and the steady swish of the windshield wipers. The lights from the equally spaced utility poles illuminated the interior before thrusting it back into darkness again. 

Sixteen year old Charlee Quad leaned her head against the cold glass, watching the rain drops form little ridges of water, tracing patterns down the window. She was petite in stature, much like her mother had been. She wore her long black hair in a single braid across her shoulder and an old baseball hat pulled down her face, hiding her tired brown eyes. 

She truly wasn’t trying to give off a troubled, distressed teenage vibe. Although she was most certainly troubled, she didn’t feel distressed. So what her mother had died just a few years earlier from breast cancer? She missed her, but Charlee knew that no amount of sulking or acts of rebellion would bring her back, or change her father’s mind about moving across state lines to River Fork, Indiana. 

After her mother’s death, her father had jumped on the opportunity to return to his hometown. It was where his family and friends were, where he could find the support he wouldn’t admit he needed. He had lost interest in his job at the university where he taught historical languages. In fact, he had all but lost interest in about everything, including Charlee’s personal life. 

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She didn’t blame him. After all, her mother and he had been inseparable, adjusting could not have come easily. So when her father announced that he was moving them from the lone star state to Indiana, Charlee didn’t object. 

Not because she wouldn’t miss her school and friends, but because she knew it was what was best for him. Yeah, some might call her mature for her age, but outside of her best friend Sam, her father and grandmother back in River Fork were all she had left. 

She had never gotten to be real close to her grandmother, Caitlin Quad. Not just because of the distance, but because she had always come off real standoffish towards Charlee. She was from the high class society, prim and proper. She never approved of Charlee slightly tom boyish appearance, or her lack of interest in the ‘finer arts’ such as piano lessons or ballet dance classes. In fact, outside of Charlee’s books and sketchbooks, there was little else Charlee really enjoyed doing. But they were good escapes for her. 

So when her father told her he was buying an old shop in the historical district of River Fork, she had smiled and graciously helped him pack. He didn’t have an escape, only to get away from the house he had shared with her mother for so many years. 

She turned her attention to the road ahead of her. It was dark, except for what the headlights illuminated. The fog was settling in and thickening, making the winding road ahead harder to see. She squinted, trying to make out what was ahead. It just looked like more road, more trees and more fog. 

Her father tapped the steering wheel with his thumb, using his other to adjust the gps on the dashboard. 

“Looks like we are just a few miles outside of town.” He said, a forced cheerfulness in his voice. 

Charlee nodded and cast a sideways glance at him, the brim of her hat and the darkness hiding most of her facial expression and his. She could sense he was lost in his own thoughts, so she continued looking out the window. 

Up ahead she could barely make out a sign that said Welcome to River Fork, Indiana. They were officially in their new town. It wasn’t much to see in the dark, but Charlee couldn’t imagine it being much better in the daylight. 

“I guess we’ll have to get used to all this fog” Nathan said, turning on his fog lights. “Welcome to the midwest.”