Chapter 1
My dad is moving our family out of the city of Lansing, Michigan to Wolverine Lake. He doesn't want my sister and I going to school in Lansing any longer because of all the gang related crimes. Last school year three students were shot right outside of one of the local high schools, and dad said that was the last straw for him, and we were moving to a safer location this summer. I can understand why my parents were worried since that school was only about fifteen miles from my former high school.
I, for one, wasn't ready for this type of change. I liked living in Lansing, and I liked my high school. I had really good friends that I didn't want to leave behind. Plus there was a lot more to do in Lansing compared to Wolverine Lake. It's the epitome of a retirement community, which isn't an ideal location for a sixteen year old to want to hang out.
So we are moving into the new house today. The house is a charming white split foyer with blue shingles. It has red and brown brick around the entrance. I like my room and the fact that it is connected to a bathroom. The two things I don't like is that one: it's painted purple, and two: the other end of the bathroom is connected to my sister Ashley's bedroom.
We are going to pick out paint tomorrow and I can't wait. I plan on painting my room a neutral color like caramel or beige, and then I may paint on a tree, flowers, and an animal or two. I like to think of myself as an artist. Art is my favorite subject, and my dream is to become a well-known artist one day. My goal is to have at least one of my paintings in just about every gallery in the world. After high school I hope to get accepted at one of the top Art schools in the U.S such as the Art Institute of Chicago or Columbia University.
We are mostly doing cleaning today such as cleaning the walls, floors, bathrooms, and kitchen. Mom prefers we use pine cleaners for the wood. I love the smell and how it lingers through the house afterward. As I was cleaning one of the heating and air vents at the bottom of my wall I saw something lying just inside the vent. When I looked closer I could see that it was a book of some kind. I gently pulled on the vent cover, and noticed that the two top screws were loose. I was able to unscrew them using my index finger and thumb. When I finished taking out the screws I let the vent cover fall down. I slowly reached inside and pulled out the book. I blew off the four inches of dust and opened the book. The inside cover read:
The Diary of Jami Erin Reid.
How exciting! I figured that Jami must have been the girl who lived here before we bought the house. I laid the book on my bed, and planned on reading it right after dinner. I wished I could read it now, but mom was adamant about getting the cleaning finished before dinnertime. I quickly cleaned my room, and then had just finished hanging the last of my clothes up in my closet when mom called for me.
"Emery, the pizza is here."
I ran downstairs and ate as quickly as possible, but careful not to get choked. Then I went back to my room. I lay on my bed, picked up the diary, and began reading.
Copyright © 2014, R.J. Snow
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