Chapter 2

It isn’t long after breakfast the next morning that we hear Mrs. Bradly say, “Your ride is here, kids. Clean up, quickly, please. I don’t want the driver to come to the door.”

My brother looks at me with disappointed eyes. “It’s going to be fine, Kyle. You’ll see.” I try to stay as positive as I can considering the situation, we’re all in. I grab my eight-year-old brother’s hand and we follow Mrs. Bradly to the front door. She opens the entry and a cold breeze brushes through the house.

“Are you ready?” I ask, as I step out onto the porch with him. “Think of it as a grand adventure.” I smile, trying to keep upbeat about going to a place that neither one of us has been.

“I don’t want to go!” my brother protests.

“We have to. Don’t cause a scene,” I whisper, trying hard to stay strong for the both of us. “Remember we will always have each other. Mrs. Bradly has been very gracious to us. Don’t be rude. We must thank her for the hospitality.”

My brother grunts as he looks over his shoulder, not at all pleased with the situation. “Thank you, Mrs. Bradly,” he says. I see a tear cascade down his cheek.

“Everything will be alright,” she says, trying to assure him. Opening her arms, she gives him a comforted hug. And then looks straight into his eyes. “You be brave. Don’t worry, you will be back as soon as your parents are better.”

My friend Elise stands next to her mother. “Please write, or at lease call. You still have your cell, right?”

I grab the phone from my pocket and pull it out, raising it in the air. “Right here.”

We give each other a hug and say goodbye like it’s the last time we will see each other. I don’t want to even think like that. “We can still chat on Blue Time, too.”

The limo driver takes our bags and packs them in the trunk.

I wave to my friend again, once we reach the door of the car, and take Kyle’s hand, leading him into the vehicle first.

Inside’ there’s a counter and cabinet, along with a small refrigerator. I never dreamed of being in a car like this before. It isn’t a large limousine, but big enough for about six people. The seats are made of white leather and the floor is soft. I didn’t think they ever made cars like this. A string of lights are lit under the toe kick, allowing the inside to be bright, despite the tinted windows, shading the sun.

The driver gets in the car, and rolls the divider window down, and says, “Help yourself to anything in the kitchenette. We are in for a long drive. But plenty of food and drink for you, both.”

Thank you, sir,” I say.

“Call me, Dexter.” He smiles and rolls the window back up.

We drive most of the afternoon, and all through the night. It isn’t until the next day when the sun shines through the window, do I realize I fell asleep. The car pulls into a gas station and the driver rolls the window down. “Do you kids want anything?”

Shaking my head, no, I look over to see Kyle is still asleep, which in turn, deviates my eyes to look out the window where I notice a sign say, Lemon Cove.

The window separating the driver from us is still down and when Dexter gets back in the car I ask, “Are we almost there?”

“Yes,” he says. “Not much longer now. Your grandmother lives a few miles into the mountains, near Three Rivers.” He starts the car and rolls the window up.

It isn’t long before the car turns off the main highway and we are travelling up a windy dirt road. The car stops in front of a wrought iron gate with a sign that is placed to the side, that says, Faelan Ranch. Outlines of two fairies made of iron decorate the gate. I watch as the driver punches in a code and the entrance opens.

Large oak trees cover visibility to see beyond its branches, and so I wait for the car to reach the top of the hill.

Kyle stirs from the bumpy road and is soon awake. “Where are we?”

“A place called Three Rivers,” I reply.