Well because the prologue was so short I figured i'd go ahead and put chapter one up. Enjoy!
Across The Bridge
Chapter One:
Noah
With a sigh, a teenage boy leaned into his hand. He closed his eyes and listened as the family SUV hummed as it drove along the Georgia road. He pinched his nose with the hand that was not holding him up. Georgia, of all the places those people had to live, it was in Georgia!
Feeling a tug on his arm, the boy looked over at a toothless, brown haired, pigtailed, little girl. She was gripping one small hand onto his sleeve, and she held her other small hand to her curious mouth. She was sitting with her knees in the seat as she tugged twice on his arm. Letting out another sigh the boy turned to her, lifting her up onto his lap.
When he looked down at her, she was staring up at him. He raised a questioning brow and a smirk as to what she was looking at. She smiled giddily and reached a hand to touch his chin.
"Big brother no wook happy." She said sadly in her baby voice.
The boy smiled gently at her and kissed her head. Her questioning look made him laugh at how adorable she could be. This caused a giggle out of the small child, but only to be interrupted by a hiccup. She crossed her hands over her mouth, and gasped when another hiccup lifted her slightly off the ground.
While suppressing a fit of laughter, the teen puffed his cheeks out and held his breath, hoping that she would do the same. His assumptions were correct as he soon saw her repeating his face. For a few seconds it seemed as if his attempt had actually worked. That was until the car came to a sudden stop and both the girl and him lunged forward. She hiccupped and they both slammed into the back of their seat.
A woman from the front seat turned around, her long brown hair settling against her neck from the blowing wind. She had indigo eyes that clouded with worry as she looked at the two.
"Noah, Jamie are you two okay? Oh maybe your father should have drove-" She stopped to stare at her son with an apologetic look.
He just smiled. "It's fine mom. Robert's not too bad for a step dad."
His mother let out a long held in breath. "Noah honey, would you mind mentioning to Robert that he needs to change the oil in this old thing?" She asked.
The boy, Noah, looked down at the little girl still in his lap, her face pointed downwards. He sent a glance at his mother saying 'If I do that, she'll cry.' His mother nodded her head in understanding.
"Jamie, how about you come with me to meet the nice people who live here?" The woman asked.
The little girl, Jamie, beamed with excitement and, after grinning at Noah, climbed over to her mother. Noah smiled at Jamie's enthusiasm. Jamie wasn't his sister by blood, but rather marriage. His mother, Theresa, had married Jamie's father two years prior to now. Jamie was only six years old, and very fond of Noah.
Noah would admit that Robert was not exactly the person he pictured his mom with, but he made her happy. Nothing he ever did would change that. Of course he missed his dad, who was stationed in Iraq. His mother and father had divorced after his father's long distance had torn them apart. Noah felt as though he did not belong with his family anymore. His mother had inherited Robert and Jamie's last name, Lynn, while he was the only one with his father's last name, Carter.
Noah found himself leaning against the back door of their car watching Robert pull bags out of the back. He knew he should have asked if he needed help, but he just could not bring himself to do it. When the car's trunk slammed, Robert turned to look at him.
"Hey, Noah, do you mind taking this bag up to the house? It has Jamie's sleeping gear in it, and when she's in a new place she needs her bunny." Robert asked holding the care-bear back pack out for him to grab.
Noah bit his lip and looked off to the side. He did not particularly want to do anything for Robert, but after thinking about it he was not. He was doing it for Jamie. So he squeezed his lips together, nodded, and grabbed the back pack. He turned around immediately and headed towards the open wooden fence just a few feet away.
When he reached the open fence he stopped and creased his eyebrows together. Sitting atop the fence was a teenage girl, maybe about his age. She had seemingly short light brown pony tailed hair with longer braided bangs in the front, with light violet ribbons attached to each. By looking at her clothing it was easy to tell she was a country girl. She had cropped short jeans, cut to wear they looked like short shorts, white sneakers, and a brown and white checkered patterned shirt that was tied in a knot slightly above her belly button.
The girl seemed to have noticed him as she glanced in his direction. He saw that her eyes are of a light maroon color, an odd trait he had to admit. Without a word she turned back to staring at the road, or maybe she was looking into the trees on the other side, and began swinging her feet. Noah had to note that she looked rather childish with her posture, but it was easy to tell she was older and closer to his age by the look of her alone.
Decided that standing there was accomplishing absolutely nothing he walked past her and into the open gate. The area they were in was rather nice,despite the lonely factor. All around him was green and blue, with the small strip of road that clung along the outer layer. In front of him a few yards was a small house where his mother and sister stood with another woman. A little ways away from the house was a rusty barn that needed a new coat of paint. In the opposite direction he noticed a small building about half the size of the barn, which was decent sized. That, he assumed, was where his family would be staying.
His house had burned down thanks to his mother attempting to use the stove, a terrible idea considering his dad always did all the cooking. Luckily Robert had an old friend in Georgia who had spare land and a small house they could use. This would only be temporary, of course, just until summer ended. So Noah was stuck an entire summer on a farm with 'stinky, stupid animals' as he calls them, and having to take care of them. The worst part of the fire was that all his writing material, and stories, had been burned with it.
Noah enjoyed writing, it was a free expression for him. He couldn't really say and do the things he wrote but he could imagine he did, and it took a load of stress off. All those stories, adventures, were gone. They had never happened. It was like he had to start his whole life over, not something he would enjoy.
After reaching his mother he handed Jamie her stuff and followed the adults inside, who were soon joined by Robert. It wasn't a very productive thing for him, but it gave him some knowledge of who he was living with. Turns out that the woman had a husband who died in Iraq, and a thirteen year old daughter named Savannah.
Noah leaned his head back against the couch and closed his eyes, ready for sleep to claim him.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Later That Day. . . . .
Noah sat on the floor in front of the door tying his sneakers when the owner of the house came up behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see the smiling face of the owner.
"Noah, could you go out and give Savannah a hand with feeding the horses? It's about that time." She asked sweetly.
Noah in took a breath and smiled, nodding his head.
"The food is by the barn. If you need anything ask Savannah." She said before walking back into the kitchen where she had been preparing dinner.
Noah stood up, checking to make sure his shoes were snug, then headed out the door to find Savannah. As he made his way towards the barn, he saw the same girl from before still sitting on the fence in practically the same position she had been in four hours ago. Rolling his eyes he made his way to where she was. When he reached her, he leaned against the wooden fence and looked out across the small patch of road.
For a few minutes no one spoke. She didn't attempt and he just enjoyed the breeze. He had gotten lost in thought for a while it would seem, as when he came to the girl was watching him through the corner of her eye. He looked down at himself, in hope he didn't have something on him. After checking he was just normal. His red oversized shirt still had the picture of a green tractor, and his jeans were still hanging slightly near his sneakers. Observing his hair, it was just as normal. Messy, golden brown hair still hung loosely near his golden yellow eyes.
Glancing at the girl, she still had her eye watching him. He decided if she was going to stop, he had to make her. So he turned his head in her direction and began the conversation.
"I saw you out here earlier, right?" He asked even though he knew the answer.
She refocused her eyes towards where they had been all day, and after a few minutes he began to wonder if she was going to answer. He had turned to stare in the direction she was, but he saw nothing there. He turned to her, watching her. After a moment, she looked towards him with the corner of her eye again.
"What?" She asked in a slight 'stop staring at me' way.
"Didn't know you could speak." He said with a tone of bitterness.
She turned her head to him and leaned it against her shoulder. "Of course I can speak, I'm human aren't I?" She asked.
Noah rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Yeah well I guess you just find it so polite to ignore people when they talk to you."
"I'm talking to you now. How does that qualify as ignoring you?" Her voice was soft and she didn't seem angry.
"I tried speaking to you, and you didn't say a word. That means you were ignoring me." he answered anger rising in him.
"I wasn't ignoring you." The girl replied.
"Then what would you call not answer when I ask you a question?" He screamed.
She didn't flinch but looked back in her old direction.
"You knew the answer. Why point out the obvious?" She asked.
He bit his tongue only for a moment before exploding.
"Maybe because it would have been polite. Maybe it would have been a way of recognizing the fact that I tried to talk to you since you've been sitting out here all day!" He screamed.
She seemed un phased and shrugged. "If you think it's polite to keep telling someone something they already know than that's your business. I find it rather rude." replied her voice that never seemed to waver.
Noah took in a deep breath and decided it was best to drop it.
"So. . . .what are you doing out here, I don't know that?" He asked.
"I know." She said in a matter of fact voice. "I'm waiting."
"For what?" His voice proved his surprise.
The odd girl shrugged. "Don't know yet."
"If you don't know, how are you going to know when it get's here?" He asked dumbstruck.
"I don't know." She answered.
He stared at her in exasperation. She was honestly sitting her alone, doing absolutely nothing, waiting, and she ddidn't even know what she was waiting for? He thought she was definitely weird.
"So you've been sitting here all day, for you don't know what?" He asked.
She shook her head. "No, I've been out here for three days." If he wasn't sure if she was crazy before, he was now.
There was a long moment where nothing was said. It didn't last too long though.
"I'm Savannah."
He turned to her. "Hu?" He asked.
"I said, I'm Savannah. Savannah Miles. You?" Savannah asked for his introduction.
"Well, I'm Noah Carter. You're Mrs. Miles daughter?" He asked in disbelief.
She looked at him with a mixed expression.
"What's your point?" She asked, her voice straying lightly from it's usual tone.
"You're nothing alike." He pointed out.
Savannah sighed and closed her eyes.
"Not talking to someone will do that to you." She said quietly, though he heard it.
Noah decided that changing the subject would be the next step in the conversation.
"Hey, your mom sent me out here to help you feed the horses. Should we do that?" Noah asked.
Savannah smiled brightly, her eyes now open, and hopped down from the fence.
"Sure." She answered and ran towards the barn.
Noah stared in shock for a moment before shaking his head and following her.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
It was now dinner time in the Miles household and Noah noticed Savannah had still yet to come in. He wasn't sure where she went after they fed the horses, but he figured she would be hungry by now. He saw the plate that he knew was meant for Savannah and picked it up.
"I'm going to find Savannah and take her, her food." He said heading for the door.
"Wait Noah!" He stopped and turned his head, "Savannah will come get it when she wants it. She'll bring it to the barn." Mrs. Miles said.
"Why?" Noah asked.
"Her and her older brother, Thomas, would eat there every night. Ever since Thomas died. . she won't eat in here at all, just in that barn." She explained.
Noah just stepped into his shoes and ran out of the house, ignoring Mrs. Miles calls. He ran around the lot for a few minutes before her heard the humming of a voice he had become so annoyed by. He noticed a large oak tree standing alone in the middle of the open field and approached it. Savannah was hanging upside down from a strong, thick branch, her legs wrapped around it.
He stopped and looked downward slightly to see her face. He raised his brow in question.
Savannah looked up and smiled. "Hello Noah." She said in her normal voice.
"Hey, here's your food." He said in a laid back tone, not one he used too often with strangers.
Savannah crinkled her nose and shook her head, her braided bangs whipping her face.
"I'm not ready to go to the barn." She said.
He pushed it towards her. "Then eat here." He ordered.
"I can't. Thomas and I always eat in the barn." She said in a confused state.
He put the plate in her hands which was hard because of her position.
"You know your brothers dead right?" Noah asked.
Savannah's eyes opened wide and she dropped the plate, and it shattered to the ground. Noah looked at it in shock and slight anger. Her face softened and she released herself from the tree and landed on her knees.
Noah waited for her to speak, which she didn't. The silence began to gnaw at him and he spoke up.
"Are you ignoring me again. Come on Savannah." He said in hopes of her responding.
She didn't and he became annoyed.
"Savannah! Earth to freaky girl! Savannah!" He yelled now in anger.
She didn't flinch or reply. Savannah didn't do anything. Noah huffed and shook his head at her. Then he began to walk away, back towards the main house. He cursed several times under his breath before he made it back.
Savannah looked up in the direction that Noah had left and crossed her arms across her chest. Salty, clear liquid fell onto her lips and she closed her eyes. Silently she cried and curled up on the ground. Thomas, she thought.
Well that's it for chapter one! Reply if I made any mistakes. Reply if you liked it! Reply if you didn't like it, but tell me why! Please reply! Thank you!