Buried

03: A new home

She wasn't worried. It was true enough. At least, about what Gale thought she should be worried about. Bailey was more concerned with something else. That something started around her thirteenth birthday. At first, her friends had thought it was cool, after all, Bailey hadn't always been right about her guesses. As that year progressed people became uncomfortable with it and then, very subtly, she wasn't asked to go to birthday parties anymore, or out to the movies with friends, sleepovers were unheard of by fourteen.

Bryan, the hunk of seventh grade wouldn't even look her in the eye. Bailey thought it was because he liked her. When she asked him if he wanted to go to the movies with her, he'd never once looked her in the eye as he politely declined, saying he and his family were very devout Catholics. At the time, Bailey wasn't sure what being Catholic had to do with going out to a PG movie, but as she got older she realized what he'd meant. No one ever outright called her a witch, but it was insinuated every chance someone got.

It happened at her old school, it was going to happen here. No matter how much more control she had over her mouth. No matter how much she suppressed it. People didn't understand that it was just luck. Everybody makes lucky guesses. It's getting so many correct in a row that started to make them afraid, but it had been an accident.

Gale glanced at her. "Look at this as an opportunity to reinvent yourself."

Bailey frowned. It was probably a good thing, her thoughts being interrupted, but her family didn't understand, except her dad. He'd even teased her for being so 'lucky' and 'smart,' and then that fateful Monday, but he couldn't help her now, not that she needed it anyway. She didn't need anything from him.

"Mom, I don't-"

The GPS interrupted again before she could finish the sentence, letting them know they'd arrived at their destination. When Gale gasped with delighted approval, Bailey lifted her gaze towards the house as they pulled into the driveway. Its design looked ancient but was preserved so well that it appeared brand new. Old and huge were the only words Bailey could think of. The dark and sky blue siding could've just been applied for all they knew. There were eight circular, stark white, columns surrounding the front door, four on each side of a set of matching stairs that widen at the bottom.

"There's a balcony," Bailey whispered, thinking 'there is a God' and things were looking up. "If that's a room, I call it!"

"No! We haven't even—" Matt started to argue.

"I'm older, end of the story."

"Mom!"

Gale shook her head, clearly on Bailey's side. "Mattie, I don't want you near a balcony at night. You sleepwalk baby."

"I don't either," he mumbled, sounding highly offended as he shifted the green and brown blanket off of his lap when the car stopped. "I can't find my shoes." He complained more about unfairness and 'older his butt' as he bent forward, shuffling through the empty candy and chip wrappers.

Bailey smiled and reached for her empty cup of Dr. Pepper, throwing it his way. "Twerp."

He lifted his chubby eleven-year-old face and gave her a master glare. Bailey was almost proud.

"Well, come on, let's get our stuff inside. I had everything furnished ahead of time so we should have everything we need. I even got you that new pillow top bed you've been asking about, Bails."

Bailey clasped her hands together, attempting to contain her excitement. "You didn't!" When Gale nodded, Bailey decided things weren't going to be completely bad here in Haven after all.

Leaping out of the seat, she followed Gale around to the trunk of the car, hauled out her red and black rolling suitcase, and purposely let Matt's fall out. His bag had been on top of hers and she simply couldn't resist.

"Hey!" His red face showed his outrage as he scrambled to try and catch it.

"Bailey, after we're finished unloading everything remind me to call Mrs. Stone. She was nice enough to offer her daughter's uniform for you."

Bailey slipped her arms through the straps of her book bag and hauled it up. "Uniform?"

"I can't carry this! It's too heavy." Matt grunted with exertion as he tried to lift one of his heavier bags from the trunk.

Heaving a sigh, Bailey snatched up his second bag, grunting with surprise at the added weight of the bag. It was probably the only one that didn't have rollers and it happened to be the one that weighed a ton. "What's in here? Bricks?"

Matt shook his head, giving her a generous flash of white teeth. "Comics, some books and movies too."

Bailey sneered at him but followed Gale towards the house. "Uniforms?" Bailey prompted again, still waiting for a response from Gale.

"Oh-um-Haven Prep, you have to wear a uniform. It was the last thing on my mind when I was speaking to her about the house. Thankfully, she seems to be a well-rounded realtor and thought of it for me. However, we'll have to eventually get you sized for one," Gale said as she set her bag against the side of the house and jostled around her purse searching for something.

It took the glinting of metal from the key her mom pulled out for Bailey to register what she'd said. The bags in her hands and the book bag on her back dropped simultaneously. "Hand me downs from Amanda is one thing, but from an unknown person is just unacceptable and unsanitary!"

Gale rolled her eyes. "I'm sure they've washed it," she said, pushing the key into the door.

"That is entirely beside the point," Bailey started, but the argument lost its way as she tilted her head to peek inside when the door creaked fully open. It was completely dark.

Gale muttered a curse as Bailey heard a light switch flickering on and off. "No power. I'll have to call and let them know we're here a day early. Let's just put our bags on the porch for now."

Bags forgot, Bailey took a step backward and rubbed the goosebumps from her arms. It was pretty cold for them to not have power for the night. Bailey hoped this small town was quick in getting things done because she didn't know if any of them could handle another hotel. It was fun at first, but after a week it all seemed monotonous.

Matt darted off the porch with boisterous shouts of glee and circled the large oak tree in the middle of the yard before heading towards the car to grab another bag. Gale and Bailey followed, less enthusiastic about actually having to do work. Gale continued to the car, but curiosity got the better of Bailey. Taking a detour, she walked through the green crunching grass towards the side of the house, peeking to see that the woods surrounding the front of the house went all the way around. She inhaled the smell of nature, a two-sided smell of crisp pine and unknown wild animal feces. There are always two sides to nature.

"Yep. We're isolated from any kind of civilization," Bailey called to them. "This forest just wraps around the house. What type of wild animals are around here? What if we get attacked by one? Or worse an escaped killer... where's the closest prison?"

Gale glanced around the open trunk door and Bailey could just make out her irritated sigh. "Bailey, stop that nonsense! You can explore later. Let's get this stuff out of the car."

A shiver ran down her spine as she turned in a circle, taking in her surroundings, trees, trees, and more trees. They were everywhere. A town of a few thousand Haven maybe, but isolated they were.

"Great, now I want to watch Star Wars," Bailey mumbled. Folding her arms across her chest, she strolled towards the car again, contemplating the situation.

A smirk popped on her face as she noticed Matt rummaging through one of his bags. Letting out a snicker she tiptoed towards him, put her lips next to his ear and screamed. "Hello, serial killers. Welcome your new residents!"

He yelped and dropped the pile of socks he'd been digging in. "You jerk!"

"I'm hoping for Killer Klowns from Outer Space, but I think this looks like Jason territory. Jason's that guy with the hockey mask and machete. Remember that movie I made you watch? You cried like a baby the entire time..." Bailey threw her head back, letting her laugh escape towards the sky as she spread her arms wide and twirled. "No one's gonna hear us scream, you know. We're ripe for the taking."

"Bailey, stop frightening your brother!"

"You mean stop frightening you?" Gale was scared of her own shadow sometimes, just like Amanda and Matt. Bailey, on the other hand, loved horror movies and scaring people. She always imagined, at thirteen, the killer going after the people who'd claimed to be her friends. Once she got over them, horror movies, and movies, in general, were how she passed the time when she wasn't working or busy with school work.

She had this tally of 'who could scare the most' going on with her dad... Bailey stopped in the middle of the yard as the ache of betrayal and pain thumped through her heart again. He wouldn't ruin her fun now.

She shook her head, which succeeded in two things: no more thoughts and crazy hair. She held her hands up, slicing them through the air, and made her eyes widen in mock fear. "Wait, do you hear that?"

Gale frowned, subtly glancing around before she scowled and plunked her hands on her hips. "Bailey Anne..."

"It's a chainsaw!" Bailey squealed as she mimicked a victim running around in circles. "It's Leatherface. Run for your lives-oomph." She grunted as she slammed into something hard. Bouncing off it, she fell to the ground, flat on her back. Gasping for breath, she remained still, staring up at the dimly lit pink, blue, and orange sky in surprise.