SONGBIRD 01_ FIRST TIME IN FOREVER - JC AMATO.pdf

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The First Time in Forever

The Songbird Series: Book 1

Written by J. C. Amato

This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely

coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used

fictitiously.

Forte

Pronunciation:

/ˈfɔrte/

Bright; heavy; strong, loud; severe; great; considerable;

large; fast; strong point; an asset of special worth or utility; the

magnitude of sound; specialty

Chapter 1

Despite the blistering heat of the summer day, Melody shivered as she walked along

the sidewalk of the busy little tourist town. She was so tired, hungry and thirsty. She

needed to find a drinking fountain soon. She glanced around, avoiding the eyes of the

families and tourists bustling about around her. Her self-imposed isolation was beginning

to wear on her. The need to stay hidden in plain sight was making her increasingly lonely

and depressed. She fought her feelings of despair and continued down the sidewalk,

shifting the weight of her backpack as she went. She couldn’t allow herself to succumb to

her loneliness; she just had to keep moving.

As she zipped up her well-worn grey hoodie a few more inches, her stomach growled

again. Along with intense hunger, her feet were killing her. Her old grubby gym shoes

were showing their wear. A small hole started to form along the inside of her left foot.

Before long it would need reinforcement in the form of a duct tape patch. She was glad

she remembered to throw a roll in her backpack when she left home two months ago.

Duct tape had come in very useful on more than one occasion.

Home, what a strange word, she thought to herself. No, it wasn’t her home, not

really, just the place she was living at the time. A roof over your head didn’t make it a

home, the people who love you inside it do, and she hadn’t had that in a very long time.

She had felt loved once, so she knew the difference.

The crowd of people she was walking with suddenly stopped moving and she realized

they’d come to a stop at the stoplight. Melody shifted her weight as she waited for the

walk sign to light up. Lake Geneva was going to be a zoo today; it was already crawling

with tourists and weekenders. The beautiful, deep, spring fed waters of the lake were a

huge draw. Prominent businessmen had built elaborate and sometimes gaudy summer

homes along its shores over a century ago. One look at Stone Manor, the towering castle

like home that could be seen across the lake from town was testament to that extravagant

and insane wealth. It truly was the “playground of the Midwest.”

It was Friday morning, the beginning of August. Like every summer since its

founding, wealthy tourists were pouring into town to take over. Luxury cars, expensive

SUVs and packed minivans were lined up as far as the eye could see along Main Street.