Cold Blood by Heather Hildenbrand

Chapter Two


“Elizabeth, let’s get a move on,” Grandma called from the open doorway.

The sky was beginning to lighten from black to gray–the sun hadn’t yet made its appearance – and in the dim light of morning, the black Hummer parked at the curb looked more like an army tank. A very shiny army tank.

“Coming,” my mother called, hauling the last of the bags from my room and maneuvering carefully down the stairs under their weight. She’d made it clear she wasn’t excited about taking the Hummer, but I suspected she dreaded the ride home alone with Grandma.

I stood, bleary eyed on the porch, with my duffel bag slung over my shoulder, a pillow in one hand and a travel coffee mug in the other. I was as ready as I would ever be, especially at five thirty in the morning.

“We've gotta roll if we want to make it out of town before rush hour,” Grandma said.

My mother glared at Grandma as she shuffled past her with the bags, arms straining under the weight. “We’d already be on our way if you’d help carry something.”

Grandma held up her quilted purse that was the size of a small suitcase. “I have this, don’t I? It’s got snacks for the car.”

My mother muttered something under her breath that she’d once told me a lady should never say and heaved the last bag into the back of the Hummer with a thunk.

Grandma closed and locked the front door, and I slid into the cold backseat of the car/truck/weapon of mass destruction. It had a leathery new car smell that I didn’t remember from the first time I’d ridden in it; then again, I’d been barely conscious and clinging to life, so a smell going unnoticed was to be expected.
Grandma and my mother climbed into the front seats, and I do mean climbed. Grandma had to use the metal bar hanging below her open door, like a step ladder, and then another above her head to pull herself up. The massive front seat seemed to swallow her. My mother didn’t notice the extra step or the pull-bar, so she gripped the corners of the seat and climbed in like a toddler. I muffled a laugh, and she glared at me.

At the turn of the key the engine roared to life, and Grandma eased us out of the neighborhood. I turned back once before we rounded the corner at the stop sign and watched my house disappear from view. I couldn’t help but feel a certain finality to it all, like home would never feel the same again.

Grandma and my mother were quiet on the drive out of Frederick Falls, and I forced myself to sleep. The only other choice would’ve been to stare out the window and watch everything that was familiar fade away, until nothing was recognizable.
*
To find out where you can read the next installment of Cold Blood, visit http://www.heatherhildenbrand.blogspot.com/

Question/Answer With The Author!

1) The all important...Chocolate or Vanilla (there IS a right answer, whahahah :)
CHOCOLATE!!
2) Mountains or Beaches
A beach near the mountains.
3) Italian Food or French Food
Italian - I love spaghetti!
4) Poems or Nonfiction
Poems - something dark and inspiring.
5) The Game of Life or Monopoly
Monopoly - I like money =)
6) Striped or Polka-dotted socks
Hmm... either - as long as they're cute and not 'old people-ish'
7) 3 Small Wishes or 1 Big Wish
I think 3 small. I can change more things at once that way. Small things DO make a difference.
8) SpongeBob or Rugrats (or substitute another show you know)
Rugrats was good... but I LOVE Phineas and Ferb. I'm possibly a bigger fan of Perry the Platypus than my kids are!
9) Bread or Steak
Bread - but that's my pregnancy talking. Haven't been very big on meat.
10) Pants or Skirt
Pants. But it's winter and again.... pregnant.

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