Appleberry(Completed)

Part One-Ch. 1: Moving

There is something about small counties. They seem to suck people in. Not because they are cute or the friendly people. I think it's the mystery. What secrets does a small town have? What are the people like? Can you make it out once you are in?
I've only ever lived in the city. When my dad left Appleberry, it was to go to university. Then he met my mom. They were university sweethearts. After, they got married, moved to a loft in the city, miles away from Appleberry.
A few years later, I came along. Three years later, out popped my little sister. We were a small happy little family living in the big city.
Two years ago, our mom passed away. Dad was left to raise not one but two teenage daughters. We knew she was a goner as soon as the doctor told us she had a tumor on her brain along with others.
At first, she started getting headaches and dizziness. Then came falling and constantly wanting to sleep. She would forget things too. We had to beg her to go see a doctor. I guess she knew. Because she never made a big fuss over it.
The tumor was growing rapidly. The little tumors were right behind following every move the big tumor was doing. All we could do is give her medicine to cope and a place she could rest until the brain cancer took her away.
That's why we moved. Dad had gotten really depressed after mom died. Which left me to take care of things.
One day he comes in and says, "Pack your things. We are moving." We weren't happy about it. But if dad was going to get better by moving. Then that is what we would do.
Dad had never mentioned where he grew up. Not until we started the drive to Appleberry. It was a small county of one hundred twenty people. Now, it was one hundred and twenty-three people.
I never understood why dad never talked about growing up here. He would just tell us it was in the past. So, we left it at that.
Appleberry has five major families. At least that's what I gathered from what I found on the internet. There are the Appleberry's, who basically own the town. They are old blood. Twenty generations of Appleberry's lived there. Hence, the name.
The families underneath them are; Barlow, Hardy, Alderman, Devlin, and low on the totem pole the Ashby's. That was us.
We were outsiders to their small county miles away from nowhere. I mean that, it takes you two hours to reach the town from a highway that is four hours from the nearest city. Just to get out, takes twice as long. At least, that is what it seems like. The whole drive in, was nothing but wooded areas.
I am sure some stopped to visit the small town of Appleberry. Maybe take pictures or go on hikes. But to live here, that would be a very different story.