Into the Fog (Fisher's Bay 1) ✅

Friend or Foe?

Yet again, Nadia found herself seated in her car, wondering if or when she was going to get out. This time, she was in a gravel parking lot at one of the beaches on the outskirts of town, watching as young strangers made their way towards a large bonfire near the water's edge.

She had to admit that it looked like it could be fun. And she was grateful to be around people her age. There were more than a few moments throughout the day that she worried there would be no one else besides Chloe that she could get along with in Fisher's Bay.

But for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to get out of the car.

Music was playing over speakers that she couldn't see and a six-pack of beer sat in the front seat of her SUV even though Chloe told her she didn't need to bring anything. There were already several coolers around the fire, along with a couple of grills set up and a few camping tables loaded down with more food than Nadia thought possible for the 20 or 30 people lingering around. But maybe more were expected to come?

Just how many young people were there in Fisher's Bay, anyway?

Part of Nadia was thinking that maybe she should just turn around and go back home. Outside of her obvious anxiety about hanging out on the beach with a bunch of strangers in an odd town, she still hadn't made any progress on going through her grandmother's things. Though she was pretty sure even if she went back now, she was unlikely to actually work on something productive.

No, she'd probably sit on the deck with a bottle of wine, lamenting the current state of her life or worrying about when her mother would finally call her back. Or worse, if Mara was about to show up.

"What the fuck am I doing?" Nadia muttered to herself as she glanced down at her phone in the seat next to the beer.

She probably should have called Trevor, now that she really thought about it, but she had avoided that as well. Instead she sent yet another text message that she was in town and safe, and that she would call later.

For a moment, Nadia's hand hovered over her keys. But instead of turning the car on, she pulled the keys out of the ignition and stuck them in her jacket pocket along with her phone.

Best to get this over with. Who knows? Maybe she would actually end up having fun.

Cautiously, Nadia made her way from the parking lot to the beach, glancing around as she searched for Chloe. She didn't see her yet, but caught the looks of shock and interest on the other faces as she passed by. While these were less antagonistic than the older folks in town, Nadia still wasn't used to it.

The only time she had the undivided attention of a large group of people was the day she was fired, but that was a memory she was trying to quickly push out of her head. It had been a particularly harsh firing (as deserving as it was) and the entire office had been witness to it. Kyle hadn't even bothered pulling her into the privacy of his office, choosing instead to scream and shout at her in the middle of the newsroom at her desk before demanding that she clear out her desk before he called security on her.

Looking back, he could have handled that situation better. Granted, Nadia could have also handled her story better. As in not have written it at all.

"Is that her?"

"God, I've always wanted to see one."

"Shut up, she'll hear you. And don't say that."

"But it's true..."

What the actual fuck was going on?

"NADIA!"

She jumped suddenly, Chloe's loud exclamation startling out of her thoughts of the strange reception she continued to get. Out of the corners of her eyes, she noticed people quickly looking away, though their lips were still moving, now speaking so softly she couldn't hear them.