Bridge Gate, Montana. Population....

first chapter. introducing the scene...

 

01

 It’s Thursday, October 30^th, 2008 at 7:48 AM. I’m standing alone at the bus stop; the rain is falling lightly above my head; I’ve got with me one bag of luggage. This is my beginning. A new beginning.. I hope.

It’s been exactly 5 days, 21 hours, 37 seconds… 38... Since it happened. I haven’t been able to clear my mind, not even for the moments I was saying goodbye. I was stiff, cold, and now I’m positive no one back home regrets sending me off.

The rain is picking up. My eyes flicker to the sky; drops of rain soak my face. The clouds are only a light color of grey, but they cover every inch of the visible sky. I’d miss the sun. This isn’t looking so good.

A rough engine of a car sounds from the east. I focus my eyes down the vacant road, seeing nothing at first. I start to feel the rainwater soaking through my shoes. Great. I see a truck coming over the hill, running rough over the gravel road. Must be my ride.

I brush over my clothing, quickly tuck my wavy locks behind my ear, and wait on the truck to arrive at my side. The driver pulls off the road, the breaks squealing as he comes to a stop. From the instant he looks at me, his smile never falters. “Ej?” He calls as he climbs out of the truck. I nod as I bend over to grab my bag.

Before I can pick it up, he’s at my side. “Let me get that, you just go ahead and get out of the rain.” The boy says, taking it up in his grasp. I stand upright and nod again, finally getting a good look at him. His brown hair is just long enough to cover a portion of his eyes. The part of his eyes you can see are a sea green color; they sparkle the way mine used to. His skin is fair, but it does not match mine.

“Well, in you go.” He chuckles, leading me to the truck. I feel myself floating, just following orders, not really wanting to go with him. He already seems to peppy, and I don’t know who he even is. He opens the door for me, sliding my luggage in first. “Thanks.” I manage, stepping up into the rusted truck.

He closes the door behind me before walking around to the other side, getting in. “I’m Aden.” He informs me, as he backs out, heading back down the road from the way he came. “One of my cousins?” I ask, watching him. He drives with only one hand, the other rests against the window. He wears a solid black t-shirt. It’s fitted to his average body. His jeans are old, worn, and a darker blue jean color.

His chuckle makes me find his eyes. “Just one of seven.” He says, giving me another trying smile. I turn my head back to the road ahead. “And their names?” I’m not sure how I’m supposed to adapt to living with such a large family of people I’ve never met.

“Well..” He begins, “You’ve got Adela and Lilia. They’re the youngest. 11 and 13.” I know I wont remember this once we arrive at the house, but it’s good now to get an idea. “Then there’s Darin. He’s 14. Tyson and Tanner are the twins, they’re 16.” Aden’s eyes focus on me for a moment before continuing. “I’m 17 and Landon is 19.”

So they’re all close in age too. Strong woman.

I begin watching the rain out the window. It seems to fall harder the farther down the road we go. Ahead, I believe I see remains of an old town. We pass a sign, it reads: Welcome to Bridge Gate. The smallest town in Montana. “How far?” I ask, squinting ahead. “About a 10 minute drive, with no traffic.” I can sense Aden smiling. No problem.

I lean my arm against the window and lay my head against it. Hopefully the house is near civilization. As we pass through the small, town, I realize it isn’t so vacant. But it’s close. A few stores are open, and I can see two people. An old man sitting in a rocking chair, in front of a hardware store. And a younger woman, jogging on the opposite side of the street.

Maybe if I close my eyes, it won’t seem as bad. Right as my eyes close, we hit a bump, my forehead smacks against the window. Ouch. “Whoa there, you ok?” Aden asks. I look over to him and nod. “Fine.” I lean my head back against the seat; a safer option. My eyes close once more.

Aden begins to hum to himself as the silence drags on. I listen to the sound of the tires running over the gravel road. It sounds like an ice maker, or a blender almost. Crunchy, rough. Almost like a man clearing his throat right before a cough. A sick man, one fighting an illness.

 

 

I picture the man. His eyes, blacker than coal. His skin, rough.. Especially his hands. His navy blue, plaid shirt tucked into his old blue jeans. His hair an aging color of grey and white. His crooked smile, lighting up his face, even through all this pain.

 

My lips separate, letting a small gasp escape them while my eyes shoot open. In the same instant, we’re off the road. The ground is more rough than the gravel road. I look ahead and see nothing but trees, and maybe the remains of a path. It has gotten darker, and the trees keep the rain from falling as hard.

“Where are we going?” I ask, focusing on Aden’s face. He chuckles, glancing my way for a moment. “Home.” I look back out the window at the forest. “In here?” We hit a root of a tree and the truck makes a loud sound as it the metal scrapes against the ground. “S**t.” Aden says, looking into the rear view mirror.

I grip the seat, trying to hold on. I’ve gone off road before, back home.. But I’ve never been on a ride this rough before in my life. I spot a small clearing ahead. It’s a little brighter, and I can see the outline of a house. “There?” I ask.

Aden begins slowing down the truck as we find a better path; maybe the driveway? “Home sweet home.” He says, pulling up to the house. The yard stretches out far, meeting the trees which surround the house in a circle. The house is tall, and wide. Out front, three other cars are parked. A burgundy jeep, doors missing, another truck, similar to the one we’re in, and an older convertible that looks like it needs work.

I lean forward to look up to the top of the house. It looks abandoned almost, or haunted. Vines and moss cover the sides, and most of the windows on the bottom floor. On the second floor, one of the windows is broken, while another hangs open; curtains moving swiftly with the wind.

The truck stops, the breaks squealing loudly again. I swallow the air caught in my mouth and look over to Aden. “Well out you go,” He smiles again. “Time to meet the family.” I nod, opening the door and climbing out. I grab my one bag, and close the door. This was it, my new beginning.

 

 

I meet Aden around on the other side of the truck and he takes my bag from me. “Ready?” he asks, and I glance up at the house, towering over us. “I guess I have to be.” I say, retrieving a laugh from him. It wasn’t meant to be funny. “Guess so.” He says, leading the way up the path to the house. I take one, final, deep breath and follow him, ready to meet the family I never even knew.

Author's Note

sorry the first one didnt post right!

Reviews

[Norma M Sutton]

This makes me want to read more of it.

[bluessadmood]

Oh this was so good ,the style ,the structure ,and the whole build is very promising..
I always like to read the beginning for i have visions of how i could turn it out into ways
so many wats and shapes form in my mind..off course i will let you surprise me..
its really sorry that others all start with a good beginning but then they falter and looks like
they get lost in the middle or the very beginning ..i always when i start something at least
I should have some known course to go along in my mind ,but i let things go as they like ,like i let
them rolling from a cliff and just stand there and look and see where things will settle or ..never settle however it goes..
I am waiting for more surprises..wants you to shake me and thrill me with coming events,as the beginning is really promising..
lovely write..