CHAPTER ONE
Heart pounding and covered in sweat, Erin woke up with a start. Through sheer panic she noted she was sleeping in a strange bed, in an unknown room that looked pretty shabby. It was a motel room.
Before her panic could escalate any further, she firmly closed her eyes again and tried to take a couple of deep breaths.
You are free.
You are safe.
They can’t hurt you now.
She repeated this simple mantra to herself, patiently waiting for her heart rate to return to normal.
Today is the day.
Knowing that left her with a strange mixture of excitement and dread.
Erin tried her best to focus on the excitement part. This would be the best thing that happened to her. This was what she wanted, after all. This was what she needed.
She opened her eyes again just in time to see Fenix coming out of the bathroom. Noticing she was up, he jumped onto the bed and immediately started licking her face.
She laughed, petting him. “Good morning to you too.” She loved their morning snuggles.
“Are you hungry?” she asked after some time.
He didn’t necessarily bark, he knew how to behave, but he let out a sound, a chuff, which she interpreted as a yes.
After taking care of her companion, Erin went to wash up and dress.
Some of the nervousness remained inside her as she gathered her stuff, and she purposefully ignored it. This would be the best thing that happened to her in a long time, and she wouldn’t let anything ruin that experience. Not even herself.
After returning the room key to a skinny, acne-infested teenager who worked at the reception desk, she got into her car. There was a trailer with all her belongings behind it. A part of her was glad she didn’t own that much stuff. It made traveling across the country a bit easier. Besides, it wasn’t like she couldn’t buy all she needed afterward. Online shopping was a thing even where she was headed.
Feeling slightly better, with Fenix dutifully sitting on the passenger seat, Erin put on some shades, since the sun was coming straight at her, and started up the car. Parking with that trailer attached to her car took some getting used to, but by now, she had the hang of it.
“Buckle up, because here we go,” she joked as they left that ratty place behind them.
The drive to the coastline wasn’t a long one. She could have done it last night, but she’d still stopped to rest. She had been tired and hoped a good night’s sleep would help. Sadly, sleeping in an unfamiliar bed only made matters with her insomnia worse.
However, there was one more reason she’d made a stop. There were no ferries that could take her to the island during the night, and she needed to take one to reach her new hometown. The town she chose for herself.
Reaching the harbor, she was relieved to see that the next ferry was leaving in twenty minutes, so she bought the ticket and made sure to speak with Fenix so he would be on his best behavior before they boarded. They left the car, moving to the upper decks once the boat left the docks. With Fenix by her side, Erin looked at the shores they were leaving behind.
Wasn’t that a great metaphor for her leaving the old life behind? Unfortunately, she couldn’t leave everything behind—that wasn’t possible—yet she would still do her best to start fresh and make a good life for herself away from all that drama and pain.
She moved to the bow. The island was shrouded in fog, so she couldn’t see her future home in all its glory.
At some point, a little girl around ten came to greet her. She was enamored with Fenix. Her words of praise confirmed as much.
“You can pet him if you want,” Erin offered.
She nodded enthusiastically before doing just that. She giggled as Fenix licked her face as both of her hands were buried deep inside his fur. It went without saying that Fenix loved every minute of it. He was such a mollycoddle at times.
About forty-five minutes later, they could see the island of King James in front of them. It came into full view, including the harbor they were trying to reach.
Erin had never heard of this place before, not until she’d decided to move there, of course. It sounded strange but true. Nevertheless, the small island was perfect for what she needed, a true fresh start.
After they docked, Erin decided to linger for a while. The town she was trying to reach was located on the other side of the island. There was nothing here, only the harbor and a few resting places. No one actually lived here, but she was starting to get pretty hungry, since she’d skipped breakfast that morning, and deemed that was the perfect time for a little break.
There was a fish restaurant not ten paces away from where she parked her car, and they didn’t mind her bringing her dog with her, so it was the perfect happenstance.
Erin gave half of her grilled fish filet to Fenix, excruciatingly slowly going through every piece, making sure there were no bones left in it. It was hard to ignore him when he looked at her with those big, pleading eyes that were saying he hadn’t eaten in days.
Naturally, that was not true. He’d had his breakfast this morning. Erin would never forget to feed him, although she constantly forgot to feed herself, and then he’d had a snack too while they were on the ferry.
That didn’t stop him from looking at her pleadingly. She spoiled him, that much was true. I swear, he belongs in a movie, she mused while they made haste on her meal.
Fenix nudged her leg purposefully, and she rolled her eyes.
“Last piece, okay?” she said before giving him his share, which he devoured in one go.
Erin had stumbled upon him by accident a year ago in an animal shelter. He was such a small thing, too delicate for this cruel world, and she stopped to pet him. He waggled his tail enthusiastically, licking her hands as though beyond grateful someone had actually decided to pay attention to him.
She heard his story, and her heart broke. They were kindred spirits, in a way. It was love at first sight. She took him home, and they had been best friends ever since. Under her care and love, Fenix grew and grew right in front of her eyes. He looked like a border collie, only much bigger, like a collie but with a slightly different snout, and black and white. He was a mixed breed, and to Erin, he was the most beautiful dog in the world.
He nudged her again, and she showed him her plate. “You ate everything. There’s nothing else,” she explained.
He looked unapologetically at her while sniffing the clean plate, as though to make sure.
She scratched him behind the ears. “Let’s go.”
A few locals looked at her as they passed, yet not too intently. This place got a fair share of tourists, so she didn’t stand out that much.
Or so she liked to tell herself.
Returning to the car, they continued their journey. Pretty soon, the scenery around them became breathtakingly beautiful. She understood why so many people decided to come here to visit. It was picturesque, serene, beautiful.
Erin could look at the pretty scene in front of her as long as she wanted because she was driving on the only road, so there was no danger of her getting lost. She liked how everything was left to be as it was. People here didn’t try to change nature but let it thrive the way it pleased. All around her were green hills, and since it was the beginning of spring, the first touches of wildflowers were everywhere.
Checking her GPS just in case, her excitement started to grow as she realized they were only ten minutes away.
And sure enough, she reached a bend in the road, and when she made it, the town below her came into full view. It took her breath away.
Welcome to Misty Cliffs, she thought.
The small town of Misty Cliffs, population seven thousand and some change, was nestled along a gulf surrounded by a mountain range. This whole island was made of volcanic debris, so it was very rocky.
The city was very picturesque with its small buildings painted in all the colors of the rainbow. The first time Erin visited this place was about a month ago when she came to make all the necessary preparations. She had looked at the real estate for the big move, and she had to stop at this place and marvel at the sheer beauty of it. She snapped a couple of pictures as well, but her phone was not able to capture the beauty of it or the feelings the view instilled in her.
This is my new home. She could hardly believe it. The notion that she was to live here almost brought tears to her eyes, yet she forced herself to get a grip on herself. She was driving, after all.
As she started her slow descent toward Misty Cliffs on the winding road, she gave it her full attention. She was never much of a driver, yet that hadn’t stopped her from starting this journey. It only made her more determined.
The turns were the worst, and she really concentrated on those since the road was pretty narrow, and she was pulling a trailer, after all. Eventually, she made it all the way to the bottom without a problem. She grinned, pretty proud of herself, and the fact that only Fenix witnessed her savviness did not diminish the experience or her feelings about it.
It was midday when she found her way to the cottage she’d bought.
“We made it in record time,” she informed her companion, feeling proud of that fact. Even with all the stops they’d made, Erin had managed to drive them here faster than she anticipated.
Then again, she was motivated.
After parking very carefully, they both got out of the car. Although this last driving section wasn’t long, Erin still felt good stretching her legs a bit. After days of driving, it was good to be out of the car and use her legs for walking for a change.
Fenix happily ran around her, trying to get a feel of their new home.
“Do you like it?”
He came to get a pat on the back before dashing off again.
As he played, Erin went to the cottage to unlock the door. Since the place had stood empty for a while, she made haste to open all the windows to air it out.
She adored her little cottage. The wooden house was nestled between the trees, which offered not only shade but privacy as well. However, that was not to imply she was in the middle of nowhere. She had plenty of neighbors.
Between the foliage, she could see three more houses in the distance. Two were much larger than hers, the other smaller. People were definitely coming and going around here. And in a way, that gave her comfort. That was one of the reasons she’d bought this small estate in the first place. She hated the thought of being all alone in the world, isolated, powerless.
Never again.
She had Fenix now, too.
Although tired, she felt like her strength was renewed simply by finally being here, so she set to unpack.
It took her a couple of hours to move all the things inside and unpack.
In a movie, some friendly neighbor in his prime—and of course, drop-dead gorgeous was implied—would come and offer his services. She would accept, and they would pleasantly chat while working. She would pretty soon hear his sad story, and they would bond. Fall in love.
Erin made an expression of pure disgust. Luckily for her, this was not a movie, so Erin worked in peace.
After all that driving, insomnia, and stressing about everything, she was finally here. Finally home. It was no wonder she felt bone-tired, yet at the same time, she felt like she could run a marathon. Not that she was about to test that theory.
Moving the last piece, the rocking chair she’d bought on impulse since she had always wanted one, Erin sat on the couch, marveling at her accomplishments. Fenix was in her lap in the next instant, and she absentmindedly moved her fingers through his long fur while taking it all in.
This house was so much different from the last place she lived in, and she adored it. This cottage was lovely and charming in its simplicity.
It had a large living room with a huge stone fireplace that definitely dominated the space. Erin was sure it would keep her warm during winter.
Through the door to the right was the kitchen with a small dining room table. Erin knew her way in the kitchen enough not to starve, and she was looking forward to the opportunity to improve her skills.
Next to the huge fireplace, to the left was a door to the bathroom. For some reason, the cottage had a bathtub and a shower, and she hoped the room would always be warm, even in the midst of winter, thanks to the clever placement of the fireplace, provided she learned how to start a fire in the first place. Luckily, she would have plenty of time to learn.
Behind her was a glass double door that led to a small patio and the garden beyond that. Nestled in the far-right corner were the stairs that led to the upper level. It was basically a loft turned into a huge bedroom, and above was a small terrace from where she could gaze at the downstairs floor.
Overall, she loved every detail of it, from the few chosen furniture pieces to the exposed wooden beams. It was cozy and simply perfect in every way.
At the same time, she was kind of biased.
The last touch was placing Fenix’s bowls and sleeping mat. He rarely used it, preferring to sleep with her, yet she liked him to have his place, nevertheless.
Erin just thought how it would be nice to sit outside for a bit, watch the lights of the day slowly change, and simply be in the moment without worrying about tomorrow, when her phone started ringing. It startled her from her musings, making her frown since not many people had her new phone number.
She tried really hard not to think of certain things, certain people while checking the caller ID.
I should have known, she thought with a small amount of relief. It was Dr. Weathers.
“Yes?” Erin answered immediately.
“Hello, Erin,” the other woman greeted. “Are you busy?”
“No, taking a break, actually.” She still had some unpacking to do, but those were details. The main work was done.
In Erin’s life, it was imperative to always keep busy. Time spent with nothing to do, alone and left to her thoughts, was something she tended to avoid like the plague.
“You arrived, then?”
“Yes, a couple of hours ago, which I spent unpacking, trying to settle, and all that . . .” She trailed off.
“Great.” And she sounded as though she truly meant it. “Did you have a pleasant journey?”
Erin decided to ignore the under question and answered in the most obvious of ways. “It was pleasant enough, and the weather served us well.”
It had rained only two times while she made her journey, and she’d stopped both times at truck stops and treated Fenix with something nice while they waited for the rain to pass.
“Did you sleep all right?”
“The usual,” Erin hedged.
“Flashbacks?”
“No.” And she was relieved that was the case.
It would have been ten times more difficult to make this trip if she’d had to deal with that shit on top of everything else she was forced to deal with. Luckily, her crazy head had decided to give her a break.
“Good. So we’ll be seeing each other tomorrow?”
Erin made a face even though the other woman couldn’t see her.
“I was thinking Friday. I need a couple more days to settle everything down, open my shop.” That was very important to her. She needed to start working as soon as possible.
She wasn’t stalling, though. Erin simply had a million things to do and not enough time to do them. As it turned out, it wasn’t easy uprooting her life and moving someplace else to start fresh. So, for now, the appointment with Dr. Weathers had to wait.
“Of course. I understand.”
They set up a time, and Erin thanked her.
“Alright then, see you on Friday,” Dr. Weathers said.
“Okay,” Erin replied.
“Oh, and Erin?”
“Yes?”
“Hang in there. You did a wonderful thing,” she offered as encouragement.
“Thanks,” she replied, and they finished their conversation. It felt nice hearing that.
Dr. Weathers seemed like a nice woman, although Erin had only spoken with her a handful of times and had never met her in person. Not yet, at least.
Some would think it was a bit depressing that her new therapist had her on speed dial, and vice versa, while checking up on her to make sure she arrived, but Erin knew how important all of this was, so she wouldn’t let details like that bring her down.
She was finally here, ready to start a new chapter in her life, maybe even write a new book altogether, and that was wonderful.
Besides, it was kind of comforting knowing there was at least one person in this new, strange place that knew of her and would have her back.
Putting the phone away, she whistled, getting Fenix’s attention. “Come on, boy, it’s dinnertime.”
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