Girl Next Door (Complete)

Chapter 1: Owen

As I'm driving up to my house on the outskirts of Charleston, after a successful mission with my brothers, I see a bird coming in and out of the abandoned house next door. That house has been on the market since before I fully moved into mine. It was owned by my Grandmother, and left to me in her will. I would often visit with my mother when I was younger, and even then the house was as old and decrepit as it is today. I remember asking my Grandmother once why it was in such disrepair, and she told me that the owners passed on with no living relatives to take over the home. It automatically went to the state, and since there aren't many people who would want to live out on the edge of town, they left the house as it was. After I moved in I often thought of buying the property to add to my own house, but seeing this curious little bird, I'm glad I didn't.

When I make it to my porch, I see that she's carrying in a box. I haven't seen anyone else come out of the house, and there's no car in the drive, so I'm left to assume that she's alone. At least for the time being.

I offer her my assistance, which she courteously turns down, before going into the house and closing the door.

I guess there's someone else inside after all.

Shrugging to myself, I enter my home and go into my study. Once at my desk, I get started on writing the report for the Academy for our latest mission.

I finish up the report an hour later, and take a look out my window at the sun high in the sky. Movement from next door catches my attention, and I see the little bird leaving the home by herself. She's has the hood of her sweater off of her head, showing long blonde hair that catches the light perfectly. With a small book in her hands, she walks down the driveway and makes a left, going away from the house and into the city.

Is she meeting someone? Why didn't they just come and pick her up?

Feeling curious about my new neighbor, I make a note to ask Victor to look into finding out who bought the house.

Figuring now would be a good time as any to have lunch, I go into my kitchen to put together a sandwich.

I'm due to go shopping soon. Perhaps I can do that after I get some more paperwork done.

A few hours and a sandwich later, I've finished up my paperwork, but the girl still hasn't made it back to the house.

It's when I'm pulling back into my driveway after going food shopping, that I see a cab pull up to the residence and watch as she gets out, pulling a few bags with her. The cab driver removes even more bags from the trunk and places them at her feel. All the while I'm wondering where her help is.

I watch her make two trips into the house alone, before deciding to offer my assistance.

"Excuse me? Miss?" She stops in her tracks and looks over to me, puzzlement clear on her face. "Do you need help with those?"

She looks over at the remaining bags on her driveway before looking back at me and responding, "No thank you."

Her silky soft voice washes over me, even with her rejection. I carry my own bags to my porch and watch as she walks into the house to deposit the bags, and comes back out alone once again.

The manners instilled in me as at a young age, won't allow me to watch as she brings in her load on her own, so once all of my bags are on my porch, I walk down my drive and go over to her lawn. Her back is to me as she brings in more of the rather large bags, now that I can see them up close.

She must be struggling carrying 2 of these at a time.

I grab the remaining 6 bags and follow her at a distance. As a heavy wind crosses the yard, she stops at the base of the steps and makes a sharp turn to look behind her...at me.

"What are you doing?" She asks with suspicion clouding her eyes.

"I'm simply trying to help miss..." I drift off, waiting for her to fill in the blank.

"Sang." She answers. "And thanks, but I don't need any help. You can leave the bags where you are."

She turns back around and goes up the stairs, placing the bags in the open foyer. Somehow I managed to get my feet to move even after her clear dismissal, and without the input of my brain. It was too busy getting lost in those wounded green eyes, heart shaped face, and small bow lips of hers.

My feet managed to carry me up the steps to her house, where she makes another sharp turn to face me, as the stairs creak under my weight.

"I told you, I don't need any help." She tells me as she stands in the doorway.

"Are you here alone? You can't be more than 16." I comment.

"I'm 18, and I'm just fine. Now please drop the bags and be on your way. I don't need or want any assistance." She mumbles the last part.

Knowing when to bow out gracefully, I place the bags at her feet, and walk backwards down the stairs as she watches me with curious eyes.

"Well, if you should ever need any help, I live right next door. My name is Owen Blackbourne."

"Thanks for the offer Owen, but I'm fine. Enjoy your evening."

With all the strength in her tiny body, she picks up the 6 bags that I carried to her door, pulls them inside the house, and closes the door behind her. I didn't even bother correcting her use of my first name since it sounded so lovely coming from her lips. I'll have to keep an eye out for this one. No young girl should be living alone out here, and it doesn't escape my notice that she's only a few years younger than I am.

Yes, I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this little bird.