Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I arrived at the Moonlight Falls small airport just after midnight. I was nervous, unsure of what to expect. All I had been told was once my plane touched down everything would be taken care of. After I called Mr. Johnston and accepted the terms he wired me some money. I immediately went to the registers office and requested a name change. It took a few days but I had been wired enough money to stay at a hotel and eat for those few days.  After my name change was approved and I received the paperwork with my new name on it, I went to the airport in Bridgeport. From there I flew straight to Moonlight Falls. The trip had been long and tiring. I received the normal reaction I was so used to from growing up.  

I walked out of the airport in the small group of people that had been on the plane with me.  As we walked through the buildings doors I noticed off to the side was an elderly man holding a sign that read “McAllister”. Before I could say anything he smiled at me and said “Hello, Miss McAllister”. I was confused. How did he even know who I was? I was not the only young female walking out of the airport. I had never met anyone in this town and as far as I knew there were no pictures that had been sent of me.

“My name is Jerrold” the sign holder explained “I am your butler”

I have a butler? I thought to myself. I could not wrap my mind around the concept.

Jerrold walked me to a sleek black car that was parked at the curb only a few paces from the entrance to the building. He nimbly opened the rear passenger door and waited for me to enter the vehicle. After I was settled in the back seat he securely shut the door and ambled to the driver side, sat down, and promptly started the vehicle. 

As we drove off I started to think back on the way my life had changed since my birthday. Less than a week ago I had been nothing. Someone others didn’t even want to be around an orphan that was pushed from house to house unsure of what the future held and where I would find a place to call home. That changed though. Now I was in control of an estate and the fortune that went with it. I had a place in this world. As we drove into Moonlight Falls I felt like I was home. As if I had belonged in this town all along. However how I would be treated was yet to be seen.

I was jarred out of my contemplation as a shaggy dog started to lop through the trees about 20 feet from the vehicle. Surprisingly it seemed the dog was keeping pace with the car. The vehicle had to have been going at least 60 miles an hour.

“It shouldn’t be long now Miss”

I started at the sound of his voice. It was rare that anyone spoke to me after the initial hello. Yet Jerrold was looking in the rear view mirror with a smile on his face. I smiled back and thanked him, unsure of what else to say. As I glanced out the side window again I noticed the dog was gone. Had it been a figment of my tired mind?

I decided to pay a little more attention to my surroundings since this was to be my new home. It was unlike me to go anywhere without being attentive to what is going on around me.

As we slowed into the center of town and stopped at the four way light I had a chance to really look around. There was no one around. I was used to the lights and sound that was a constant in Bridgeport. This in comparison was like a ghost town. In the far distance I heard a howl. The sound of it sent shivers down my spine. It was a bestial howl as if the creature that emitted it was on a hunt and was toying with its prey.

“The town rolls up the sidewalk at 6 pm” the butler illuminated. “Not much to do here after dark”

“That is just fine” Brianna confirmed “I don’t normally go out after dark anyways.” The truth was Brianna rarely went out at all. She could not stand to be in public surrounded by so many people who could not stand to be near her.

The light turned green and the car slowly started forward. It picked up speed as Jerrold drove them through the other side of town. They passed out of the town and into more forest. 

How far out is the house she wondered?

A few minutes into the woods and Jerrold turned off onto a gravel road.

They drove deeper into the forest. The farther they went the more the trees seemed to be encroaching on the vehicle. It felt like the trees where trying to keep them out, trying to crush them in place.

That is nonsense she told herself. It is simply your imagination running away with you again. You need some sleep.

The butler slowed the vehicle. As Brianna looked out the front window a house loomed ahead of them. Her breath caught in her throat. The house was huge. Built in what seemed to be a Victorian style it looked dark and foreboding. As if the house was a living breathing being.

Remembering to breath she exhaled slowly as the butler pulled up to the front door.

“Here we are Miss. She’s been expecting you”