chapter two
1074 Words
North Dakota,
One week later.
"Please, please, please! Just one more
mile, Blue." Scarlet Miller said as her car
jerked and hissed. It had taken her this
far, and she had hoped that it took her
farther from where she was coming
from.
She had been on the road for the past
two days, two long days and nights;
sleeping in the car since she couldn't
afford to waste the money she had on
her, only stopping for gas. She had
exactly two hundred and eighty nine
thousand dollars and seventy five cents.
She had promised that she would stop
wherever Blue took her, but she still
hoped it was further away from Florida
than this.
Blue was the only luck she owned since
she was a teen. It was the first car she
drove, a gift from her mother.
Blue didn't seem to hear her pleading
because it did a final jerk and stopped.
It was an old car but not that old. She
was driving a Chevrolet Corvette, the
grand sport. A car that was a hybrid of a
kind between the normal run-of-the-mill
Corvette Z51 and the high-performance
Corvette Z06.
It had been a gift when she entered
college at nineteen. Now, she was
twenty five. Do the math.
She had been driving, more like running
from Florida, and Blue was bent on
stopping in a small town in North
Dakota, only she wasn't making it past
the welcome-to-town signpost. She
read the sign to know where she was
and saw 'Pleasant Hill Springs.
She knew her car wasn't a typical car to
run away with because of the attention
it will bring, but it was a fast car and
she loved the thrill that came with it.
This was where she wished she hadn't
broken off her sim card. She would
have called a mechanic service or
something. She would get a new one in
town.
She hoped this town was going tobe
pleasant for her because now she had
no choice but to stop.
She got down from her car to stand
outside the door. She prayed someone
came by soon or she was going to have
to drag the two bags she'd manage to
take into town.
The sky was still bright, but it was
getter close to the end of the day. The
atmosphere in this town was clean and
something made her feel a little bit
comfortable.
She closed her eyes and breathe in the
clean air, with a silly huge grin on her
face.
The slam of a car door jolted her from
her euphoria and she jumped. She
opened her eyes and looked at the
offender. He was an old man of about
sixty years old by Scarlet's guess.
She swallowed hard as he approached
her, but she reminded herself that this
wasn't Florida. She wasn't in that creepy
place anymore. She was more than two
thousand miles away from that place.
No one was out to hurt her here.
"Hello, young lady. How may I help you?
He asked when he got to her. He was
polite, but he didn't offer her his name.
He was probably as skeptical of her as
she was of him.
Scarlet gave a small smile. "Hi, I'm
Scarlet but you can call me Scar. Blue
just broke down on me, and I need a
ride into town. I can find my way when I
get there" She said.
"Are you visiting someone, Scar?" He
asked. Scarlet could see the questions
in his eyes.
Scarlet shook her head. "No sir, l'm not.
I'm actually new in town. I need new
scenery, and my car just decided I
should stop here." She gave a little
shrug. "Maybe fate just wants to talk to
me through Blue."
The man looked behind Scarlet to the
car. "And Blue is your car, right?" He
asked with a chuckle.
Scarlet grinned. "Yep, that's right. That's
Blue"
"That's a funny name for a red car, don't
you think?" He said, asking. He looked
to the car, and then back
She shrugged. "Well, we can't have two
red in a family now can we." She said,
but when she saw the frown on his face,
she explained. "My Mom named me
Scarlet because of my red hair, and she
gave me the nickname Red. I've always
had a fascination with naming things
according to color. The only reason i
named her Blue,' she said touching the
car. "is because I already got the name
red. Blue is my next favorite color."
"I see. Well, I'm John O'Brien. My wife
calls me Johnny. Would you like for me
to take you into town and get your car to
the local mechanic shop in town?" He
asked.
"Nice to meet you, John. I would love
and appreciate that" She said. She
opened her car and dragged out the two
bags she had with her and locked her
car.
John came to help her put them in his
truck and helped her climb into it, then
he went around to the driver's side.
As John sat in the driver's seat,he
asked. "Do you have somewhere to stay
Scarlet shook her head. "No, I'll try to
get a hotel or something for tonight.
Tomorrow I'll try to get an apartment or
a house or something" She said.
John nodded. She was planning on
getting a house.Judging from the
seventh-generation Chevrolet Corvette,
the car she drove, and the clothes she's
wearing, he could tell she was rich, or
from a rich family. Either way, she
wasn't poor.
He cleared his throat. "I'll take you to
the only Bed and Breakfast in town
because the only hotel in town is under
renovation. I'm sure Linda will have a
place for you until you can get an
apartment.
Getting a house in Pleasant Hill Springs
seemed farfetched. There are only two
houses vacant in two for sale but one is
too big for a young woman like you to
live alone in and the other isn't going to
be in shape until it's been sold. Unless
you plan to buy and hire a local
carpenter to help rebuilt the kitchen,
front porch, and bedroom." He said.
Scarlet shrugged. "Who knows." That
was all she said.
She hoped this town was safe and
pleasant like the name suggested. That
was all she cared about for now. After
that, she could always find something.
- Writer
