called Silver Springs, and when I looked it up online, there wasn’t much to be found, except some weird conspiracy theories.
As soon as I got in the car, I raised the privacy window. I knew the town, city, village, whatever it was, was still a couple hour’s drive, and I didn’t want to be stuck making awkward conversation with a stranger. He was probably a nice guy, but I preferred my privacy and quiet. At least when I was in a car.
When I was out on the town, it was a whole different story.
I think I’d made more drunk friends in bathrooms than I ever had in real life. Which was kinda sad when I thought about it.
So I didn’t.
The scenery flew by until I found myself almost nodding off. When we hit a pothole that felt like it was the size of Manhattan, I jolted awake. There were some buildings in the distance, and when I glanced at my phone, I realized I had actually slept for a little bit, long enough that this may well be Silver Springs.
It was cute, in that small-town way. Lots of little shops that were probably owned by moms and pops and grannies. I knew there would be some supernatural beings in the town, but I had no idea how many. It was pretty standard to find a couple in every town, but whether they were shifters or vampires or witches was luck of the draw.
We drove around the outskirts of town so I didn’t get a good look at it, but it was fairly dark anyway and I was tired after my trip. Tomorrow would be my day for exploring and feeling out what kind of vibe the town had. They would probably think of me as an interloper. A foreigner.
Just what I needed—somewhere else I didn’t belong.
When the car came to a stop in front of one of the biggest buildings in town, I was relieved. I was over traveling if I was going somewhere I didn’t want to. The driver popped my door open a moment later.
I climbed out and felt the first few drops of rain fall on my head like cold wet spikes as I waited for the driver to get my bags. I glanced around and thought I saw some curtains twitching, but the main thing I noticed was that Daddy had gone as far as getting me an apartment, not a hotel room, which told me everything I needed to know about his opinion of how quickly I’d turn the paper around.
“Did my father tell you which apartment was mine?” I asked nonchalantly as though I’d known I was coming to an apartment building the whole time.
“Yes, miss. Number four thirteen.” He pulled a set of keys from his pocket. “Would you like me to bring your bags up for you?”
“Please.”
He nodded, the shiny black rim of his hat dipping in the light. Evidently, he already had a key since he used it to open the door for me. Once I was inside, he grabbed the luggage and we moved toward the elevator, only to see the ‘Out of Order’ sign that had been hastily scrawled on some blank paper and taped to it.
Looking past the note, I could see an ancient looking contraption and was immediately glad it wasn’t working, so that we didn’t have to fall to our deaths in an elevator.
“Looks like we’ll have to take the stairs, miss.”
Thank you, Captain Obvious. I turned and nodded with a slight smile.
I grabbed my carry-on and headed up the stairs, feeling a little guilty for leaving the driver with the larger cases, but I doubted I’d be able to haul them up three flights of stairs. Well, that was probably a lie, but I didn’t want the poor man to feel useless, now did I?
Once we were up the stairs with the driver looking red in the face and sweat rolling down his temples, I searched for the door that would welcome me into my new home. The flat brown, faux wood was not as welcoming as I would have hoped.
I stood staring at it for a moment, hating it with every fiber of my being, until the driver cleared his throat and I realized I was blocking him from opening the door. After I stepped aside, he put an ancient looking key in the lock and turned. The deadbolt thunked, and he twisted the handle, swinging the door open in front of me before