This is the edited first chapter of my completed novel, Huntress, which I wrote during NaNoWriMo. I hope you enjoy!Chapter One
Chandra Lynne Graves stared out the front window at the dreary weather. She had been reading a book, but the hypnotizing sound of the rain had drawn her gaze, and she found herself lost in thought. The rain had started the night before and didn't seem like it was going to let up anytime soon, which was a change from the forcasted sunshine. There was no wind; just falling rain drenching everything in its path.
From the window Chandra sat next to she could see the large empty house and its smaller neighbors, and she wondered, like she always did when she saw it, if there was ever going to be someone living there.
She was about to turn back to her book when she saw a large U-Haul van pull in to the empty house’s drive way and two men began unloading the van in to the garage. She raised her eyebrows in curiosity. There hadn’t been anyone living in that house for years, not since the last tenets had moved out suddenly.
Obvious from the van, someone was moving in. She could barely make out the moving van’s plates through the rain but recognized the style as being from New York. It wasn't everyday the small coastal town got move ins from so far away and her curiosity was sparked
Since it was Sunday Chandra didn’t have school, and it had always been her mom's rule that she didn't go anywhere on Sunday. So reading by the window was a fairly normal activity for Chandra on Sundays, but it had never been this exciting. She watched the men unload box after box, as well as large pieces of lavish wood furniture into the house. The men worked quickly and were soon done with the van. They loaded up their packing blankets and dollies and drove off again, leaving the house not as empty as before, but still devoid of people.
Chandra returned to her book, but was too distracted to really get into it again, so she returned to staring out the window at the gray sky and falling rain. Half an hour later, an expensive looking black car pulled into the driveway. Chandra watched with fascination as the occupants climbed out of the car to survey the house before hurrying inside out of the rain.
The first to come out was a tall older man, probably in his thirties, who was in a nice suit and had blond hair that was combed in a professional way. He quickly unfurled an umbrella and walked around the car to help someone out of the passenger side.
The lady he helped out was about a head shorter than the him, with black hair that brushed her back as she turned her head to look at the old house. She was dressed in a dress suit that was dark green and dark blue, and she looked to be about the same age as the man. The couple, arm in arm, then walked from the driveway to the front door and stepped inside.
Following the couple was another tall man, not quite as tall as the first, but about the same age, with long black hair and a little more casual dress. He did not even bother to look at the house, instead reached in to help a young woman out, who looked to be in her early twenties out. The young woman was much shorter than the man was, barely coming to his chest, with dark blond hair that was longer than the first woman’s hair and partially swept up in to a messy bun. She wore a beautiful dress that looked like it should be worn in the spring time instead of November and she shivered as soon as she stepped out of the car. The man pulled of his coat and handed it to her before taking her arm and following the first couple into the house.
A third woman climbed out of the car and opened an umbrella. She was probably between the heights of the previous two women, with golden brown hair that was cut around her shoulders. She wore a more homely outfit, and more weather appropriate, of a long skirt and long sleeve button up shirt. She waited at the edge of the large umbrella and another man came out of the car.
This third man was probably between the heights of the first two men, with brown hair cut around his ears. He wore another business suit, though was a little more casual about it with no tie. He took the umbrella from the woman, but the two didn't act like they were a couple, possibly siblings. They followed the others in to the house and the door was shut.
Chandra sighed. She had been hoping that there would be someone her age, but it looked like it was a group of adults. But soon another dark car pulled into the driveway, parking next to the first one.
Out of the second car, there was first a woman, not as tall as the first woman, but taller than Chandra was, with white blond hair, dressed in a slinky black dress that looked more appropriate for a bar. After climbing out of the driver's side, she pulled on a long coat and hurried to the back of the car to pull a wheelchair from the trunk. She then took the chair to the passenger side and opened an umbrella.
The person who climbed from the car into the wheelchair was a man and because he was set in the wheelchair right away, Chandra couldn't guess what his height was. He had short brown hair and was wearing another business suit.
Chandra began to think that the people who were moving in were all one big family of business adults.
The woman handed the umbrella to the man then pushed the wheelchair up the walk to the stairs where they stopped and waited for the next passenger.
Another man stepped out, tall, with dark red hair that was long enough to fall in his eyes. He didn't open an umbrella, but instead hurried to the steps to help the wheelchaired man up the stairs.
The next to come out of the car was a much shorter and rounder man. He had bright orange red hair that stuck out all over the place and was wearing a business suit that looked too small for him. He had the look of a comical mafia uncle. He glared up at the sky and hurried into the house without an umbrella.
Chandra expected another car to show up, but after waiting a few minutes and no car she figured that was everyone. She sighed, resigned to the fact that there was not going to be anyone her age. She could have used some new faces to hang out with.
It was another half an hour before a third car pulled up, this one more sporty then the first too, but still expensive looking.
The first to step out of the car from the passenger side was a short but slender young woman who looked like she was Chandra’s age. She had light brown hair and was dressed in jeans and a fancy shirt. She opened an umbrella and, without waiting for the next person, strode in to the house.
Next were two boys, probably only about 14 or 15, one taller than the other, but both thin. They both had blond hair, and Chandra entertained the thought that they might be twins, and one wore jeans and a tee shirt along with a messenger bag, while the shorter one wore tan pants and a sweater. They shared an umbrella to the door.
Then from the driver's side came a boy about Chandra’s age, possibly a year older, who looked different from anyone Chandra had ever seen, except in movies. He had golden blond hair that was cut just below his ears and he had golden tanned skin. She couldn't help but stare at his lean figure as he looked around at the neighborhood. He wore jeans and a long sleeve shirt along with several chains around his neck. He checked all the doors on the car, and Chandra assumed it was his car, before heading inside.
Chandra continued reading on and off by the window, every so often checking the house for more cars, there didn't seem to be another car coming. She soon decided that she could be more productive doing something else, so she closed her book.
She left the front room, exchanged greetings with her mom in the kitchen, and headed for her bedroom where she turned her computer on. While the old computer took its time loading she pulled her homework folder from her backpack and pulled out her English assignment. When the computer had finished load she opened a new document and began working on her paper.
She knew that homework was important, but after only a paragraph, she got so bored and frustrated with the lack of ideas that she saved and closed it. She could always do it later.
Instead, she peeked out her bedroom window, which faced the front of the house and the house across the street. There was another moving van parked in the driveway being unloaded by most of the men who had arrived as well as a pair of movers. She was surprised at first that there was another van, but then she remembered that she had seen fourteen people go into the house, so of course there would be another moving van.
She wanted to watch them longer, especially the golden colored boy, but her mom called her out for dinner.
Meals at the Graves home were simple, since there were only two of them. Chandra chatted with her mom a little about school, and about the new family that were moving in across the street, then she excused herself so that she could attempted her homework again.
She checked out her window as soon as she returned to her room and caught sight of the moving van disappearing down the road. After a moment though, a third van pulled into the driveway and the unloading process began again. One of Chandra’s eyebrows went up and began to wonder how big the house really was, to be able to fit so much stuff inside.
She tried to get her homework done, but she ended up giving into the temptation the check out the window every few minutes. Around nine she finally gave up and went to bed, after watching a fourth van being unloaded.
