Prologue

Moving back to Ipswich, Massachusetts was a decision I felt compelled to make. When my sister asked me to move back there with her and her husband Travis to raise their then-unborn child, I agreed. I was born and raised there, and the place had always held my heart with the romantic landscapes and its peculiar history, but I still should have felt a little reservation about going back after two years. Even so, the word "no" never even crossed my mind; and I didn't think twice about it.

Two years before, two days after my 16th birthday, my mother, half-sister Celeste, and I had moved from Essex County to the small town of Marion, Virginia. My father had died a month before, and my mother nearly had a nervous breakdown every time she left the house; she said everything reminded her of him. They'd both lived their entire lives there, and neither ever considered leaving. My mother was sinking into depression, and trying to cure it with alcohol, so when she decided to move, Celeste was all for it. I, being a 16 year old girl, threw a fit and screamed how it was unfair to me that I had to leave all of my friends behind just because she was a depressed alcoholic expressing symptoms of psychosis. She slapped me and told me I was an unappreciative little bitch.

The next day, Celeste and I were packing up a rented U-Haul truck and the back of my mother's Cadillac XLR Roadster. We were, of course, under the instruction of my mother, who was sitting on the steps with a glass of brandy clutched in her hand. My closest friends and Celeste's closest friends showed up later that afternoon for a small going away party, but we had to end it early so that we could get on the road. Celeste drove the U-Haul, and I drove the Roadster, my mother passed out in the front seat.

We drove through the night, stopping every few hours to get snacks, drinks, and to use the bathroom. Nearly fourteen hours later, we arrived in front of our new apartment building. An old friend of my mother's had made arrangements for us to live there, and it was a beautiful place, but it still wasn't Ipswich.

Celeste went off to college, but quit a year later when she married Rutherford Travis Henderson III, or Travis as he preferred. Travis came from old money like we did. He treated my sister like a queen; he was the kind of man she deserved. He was a bit geeky, but worshiped Celeste, and she worshiped him back. They wanted to start a family right away, but had trouble getting pregnant. Well, no, that's wrong. Celeste didn't have any problem getting pregnant, she had a problem staying pregnant. She went through miscarriage after miscarriage. The doctors could never find anything wrong with her, so they said it must have been stress. Then we finally all realized that my mother was the stress. She had sunken so low in her depression that the only reason she got out of bed at all was to refresh her scotch. She never left the apartment, pretty much leaving Celeste and Travis to raise me. I moved into their house with them, and when Celeste got pregnant that last time, she and Travis didn't hesitate to pack up all of their belongings. Maybe that's why I didn't hesitate when Celeste asked me to move with her and Travis back to Ipswich. Maybe.

Chapter One

"I can't believe Mom didn't sell the house," Celeste said, bringing in a small box from the truck. The house was exactly how I had remembered it. Other than the few things we took with us, it had all of it's original trinkets, right down to Celeste's senior pictures and my Spenser Academy report card on the refrigerator. I just walked around shaking my head. I'd never asked about it, but I had always assumed that my mother had sold the house and everything inside it. It was just mind boggling to find out that it had just been sitting here for two years.

The house was to go to me when my mother died, unless she died before I turned 18, in which case Celeste would be responsible for it until my 18th birthday. The house had belonged to my father's family, and while the family fortune was to be divided between myself and Celeste, before he died my father had requested that the house be solely mine. Celeste couldn't have cared less, she was just excited about the huge bank account that she was inheriting.

Celeste had been born out of wedlock when my mother was only 18 years old. Her parents had kicked her out, but only after telling her what a disgrace she was and how she had shamed the family. The Osment family had taken her in and helped her with Celeste, and that's where she met Carter Osment, my father. They fell in love and moved out, eventually marrying when they turned 19 and then having me when they turned 20. When his parents died, my mother and father moved back into the Osment Estate where Celeste and I grew up. They tried again and again to have another baby but nothing ever came of it, and other than Celeste my father refused to adopt.

"This place is beautiful," Travis said, motioning the movers through the door and instructing them on where to put the boxes.

"Yeah," I joined in, running my hand along the stairs' banister, "it certainly is." I walked up the stairs slowly, enjoying the familiarity before I reached the door to my old room. I twisted the doorknob and slowly walked in, feeling the tears burn my eyes. I blinked them back and ran my hand over my old bedspread. I looked at myself in the mirror and finally cried. After all this time, I was finally home. Just in time for my 18th birthday.

: x : x : x :

Being back at Nicky's after so long wasn't strange in the least. Other than new barstools, the place was exactly the same as I had left it. I approached the bar to get a Coke, and when Nicky saw me he didn't even recognize me.

"You new around here?" I slid my money across the bar and squinted my eyes at him.

"What? No, Nicky, it's me, Karlissa Osment." He stared at me for a minute before he widened his eyes at me.

"God, Karli, how you been? I haven't seen you in forever."

"Nearly two years."

"You back permanently?"

"Yeah. I moved back here with Celeste and her husband Travis." He sucked his breathe in really fast and laughed.

"Oh, yeah, how could I forget Celeste? That girl drove me crazy." He looked down at the money I had sitting on the counter and pushed it back towards me. "This one's on the house."

"Thanks, Nicky."

"You're welcome. Hey, tell Celeste I asked about her."

"Will do." I leaned my back against the bar and slipped my drink, surveying the room for a familiar face. When I finally found one of the ones I wanted, I approached his table. He nor the girl sitting in front of him didn't notice me at first, but I cleared my throat and smiled.

"Hi, Pogue." He nearly choked on whatever was in his mouth and gave me a wide-eyed look.

"Karli? Are you even kidding me?" He stood up and hugged me tightly, and I just hugged him back, amazed at how well we still fit in each others arms. We pulled back and he held me at arms' length.

"How are you doing, sweetie?" He just stared at me and I started laughing. "Jeez, Pogue, you look like you've seen a ghost."

"I think I may have. Sit down, sit down." I sat in the chair he pulled out and smiled at the girl he was with.

"Hi, I'm Karli."

"Ashley." I stuck out my hand and she shook it, sending me a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"So, Karli, what are you doing here?"

"I just moved back. Me and Celeste and her husband."

"She's married?"

"Yeah, and pregnant."

"Wow, that's a scary thought, man." I smiled at him and he smiled back, still staring at me. "What about your mom?"

"She's still in Marion, Virginia. That's where we moved to from here." He nodded and sipped his drink.

"You seen any of the other boys?" I shook my head and stole a fry from his plate.

"Nah, I came straight here, and you were the first one I laid eyes on." I heard Ashley cough.

"Well, they should be here soon, but I can call them if you'd like."

"They'll come in their own time. I've got nothing better to do, so if it's okay with you and Ashley, I think I'll just chill here until they show." He nodded and that was that.