2 CHAPTER 1: NEW TOWN

Thirteen years later

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"Kylee?" Nina, Kylee's nanny, called out to her as she entered her bedroom.

Spotting the girl in her bed, Nina smiled and said, "It's morning, dear. You're going to be late for school."

A groan escaped Kylee's lips as she covered her head with the bedsheet.

"Nanny, it's too early. Let me sleep, please," she begged, her voice raspy and appalling. She inwardly cringed at the way she sounded. A sigh left Nina's lips as she walked towards Kylee and removed the cover from her body, resulting in the girl groaning once more as the sunlight melted on her milky skin. 

"It's seven in the morning, and you need to be in school by eight." Nina began to chide her. "You're already two weeks late to resume school. Your parents won't be happy with me if they should find out about this."

"And who's going to tell them?" Kylee grilled with a hint of irritation on the tip of her tongue. She rolled out of bed and fixed her T-shirt.

"As if it wasn't bad enough that I am having these annoyingly frequent flashes and blurred images in my head that I don't understand, my parents just had to make things worse by sending me away, and to where?" She went on, walking to her closet in search of clothes.

"This God forsaking backward town," she answered her own question. Giving up on finding clothes, for now, Kylee strode past her nanny and headed into the bathroom.

"It's not that bad, dear," Nina tried to assure her soothingly.

"Look at the bright side — you get to meet new people and make new friends." She gave a titer and hoped for an amiable response from the teenager.

"Who said I needed new friends?!" Kylee snapped as she undressed. Nina walked to the door and turned around, her eyes fixed on the wall. Her chest seemed to tighten at the sudden outburst, and for a second, she prayed the ground would swallow her whole.

"I'm so sorry, nanny. I didn't mean to raise my voice at you like that," Kylee promptly apologized, realizing the rudeness in her tone.

"It's just that I was fine back home at East High. Now, I have to start all over again here at Crown High — which is bothersome. You know?" Kylee paused and imagined a life in Crown High, her heart filling with sadness as that image was soon replaced with the image of her old town. Nina chuckled and nodded her head even though Kylee couldn't see her.

"It's okay, dear. I understand," she replied, heading towards the girl's bed. The sound of the shower turning on coated the air, and Nina commenced on tidying up her bed. When she finished, she went to the closet and sifted for an outfit.

"Quickly finish up and come downstairs for your breakfast, okay?" Nina placed the outfit she picked on the bed and headed for the door just as the shower turned off, and Kylee stepped out of the shower.

"Yes, nanny."

Back in Freeland, Jerry sauntered down the stairs of his house, his eyes searching for his wife. When they landed on her, he headed into the living room towards her, spotting the distress plastered on her face.

"Hey, honey," Jerry greeted as he placed his hands on his wife's shoulders.

"Where has your mind run off too?" He bantered, pressing his lips to her forehead. Elvira gave a smile as a sigh left her nostrils.

"I was thinking of Kylee," she replied and watched as her husband's smile slipped. "Did we really have to send her away? I mean, maybe we could have found another way to prevent her-"

Jerry cut her off with a hush as he sat down beside her.

"I know it's hard for you to be away from her, but it's hard for me as well." Jerry frowned. "Kylee is my daughter, too, and I hate not having her around."

Elvira's chest ached as she gripped her knees. "I know, but-"

"But, we will put Kylee's health and safety first before ours." Jerry cuts her short. "It's only for a few months and we will all be together again, okay?"

The corners of Elvira's lips sunk, and she forced herself to nod.

"Okay," she replied. Silence bled between them for a moment before she spoke up again. "I miss her."

Jerry pulled her closer, hoping the warmth of his body would bring warmth to her heart. Elvira wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his chest. Silence roamed the air, and her shoulders soon began to shake.

"Hey — Hey. What's wrong?" Jerry pulled away a bit and examined Elvira's face.

"Did we really have to send her away, Jerry? We could have found another way." Elvira choked out as tears pour out of her eyes rapidly.

"You know I never wanted Kylee to live far from us, but we had no choice. She was beginning to get flashbacks, and that means her memories are coming back, and the doctor said it was because of the familiar environment." Jerry cupped his frau's cheek and wiped a runaway tear.

Not a word left Elvira's mouth. Desolation stabbed at her throat, and a levee blocked her unsaid words. Her hold on Jerry tightened, and her body shook violently with every sob as her husband rocked the softly.

"I know it's hard being away from her — I hate it," Jerry whispered, shutting his burning eyes as he rested his chin on her head.