Saxon McCormick, 17, moved to the remote village of Crestcastle, located in the beautiful Scottish Highlands. Ever since her mother perished in an apartment fire, Saxon felt like she needed a chance to escape the busy city life, so called up her pat...
Saxon ran her fingers through her hair after she heaved the final suitcase onto her bed. Thankfully, her grandmother's house wasn't too small, so the room had the perfect amount of space for all her things. Picking up the ice water Laurel had left on her drawers, she sat down on the window seat. It was made of a white painted wood, slightly buckled with age, paint chipping in the corners. The glass was thick and slightly warped in places, but for the most part the view was clear.
That, Saxon was thankful for, because the view was unbeatably beautiful. A sea of trees in shades of green spread their branches beneath her, spreading down the hill all the way to the road she had been driven down. The best bit of it all was that she had a wonderful view of Castle Gealach.
Saxon could have sat there staring for hours sipping the water, but Laurel knocked timidly before unlatching the door and poking her head in, pulling her out of her daydream.
"How is the room? Do you need anything?" She asked, clasping her bony hands together, wringing them with worry.
"Everything's perfect. You didn't tell me my room had such a lovely view." Saxon smiled, twirling the blonde strand of her hair as she usually did to calm her temper down. Laurel hadn't done anything wrong, of course, but for Saxon, even being interrupted in sitting and doing nothing could tip her over the edge if the day had been particularly busy.
"I'm glad you like it." Laurel smiled, nerves eased.
"Oh yeah. Is there a local store anywhere? I just need some bug spray. I forgot, and one of my friends told me it was the most important thing to bring when I came here." Saxon laughed, but was internally kicking herself for causing unnecessary bother.
"Yeah, there is one. I can bring you there now if you want- I need to get some groceries anyway." Her grandmother opened the door fully and let Saxon follow behind her as they went downstairs, towards the car in the garage.
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The bell on the door chimed as they made their way into the small convenience store that was stationed not far from what was now Saxon's new home. The store only had three short aisles, but each was rich with colourfully packaged foods and small items. Laurel bustled over to the first aisle, dragging her tartan shopping trolley behind her. Saxon on the other hand, stood fidgeting in the doorway before scouring the aisles to locate the bug spray.
Once having retrieved the shining silver can, wrapped in a piece of plastic depicting a dead mosquito, she returned to her grandmothers side as she prepared to pay.
"Got what you needed, love?" Laurel asked before placing the final apple in her trolley. Saxon nodded and glanced at the register where a sullen-faced young girl stood, resting her chin in her hands as she stared at the customers.
Saxon, offended by the girl's attitude, waited for her grandmother to approach the till first before she followed in suit. The girl scowled and stood up straight to scan the items.
"How are you, Nieve? School treating you well?"
"What do you think, Ms McCormick?" Nieve sighed and gazed out the shop window in a melancholy manner, as if she was the orphan. Saxon felt her anger bubble up inside her. People were so insolent.
"You could have at at least been polite about it." Saxon snapped, bringing the girls' attention to her. Nieve's blank mouth curled into a sneer.
"And you are?" The teenager glowered.
"Saxon McCormick." Her face contorted into a mirror image of her newfound enemy. Laurel looked bewildered as her gaze slid from one girl to the other.
"Now then, Saxon, Nieve. No need to be hostile." She asserted, with a faint quiver to her tone.
"Sorry, Grandma." Saxon apologised, her gaze still fixed on her latest opposition. Nieve scanned Laurel's shopping faster then the woman's hands could keep up with as she maintained eye contact, brimming with hostility, at the town's newest intruder.
Once the everything had been paid for, Saxon was more then happy to get out the shop as fast as she could.
