A/N: I was only going to post a few chapters of the 4th draft, so from here on it's 3rd draft from the beginning!! 

3rd Draft edited by M.A. Trev

Chapter One: Hello World Pt. 1

1:00 pm. Friday. April 16th, 2010.

Broken like I'm never gonna heal.

It wasn't what the song was about, but the Lady Antebellum lyric stuck. It became an unintentional mantra. Reminding her of what they'd left behind, of who they'd left behind.

The leathery smell of 'new car' imprinted on sixteen-year-old Bailey Roberts' mind as the first day of her new life without her father. She would always hate Mondays, the day things changed forever, but now she would hate Fridays too. It would no longer signify the end of a grueling school week, but the beginning of an unwanted change.

Bailey sighed and the gust of air ruffled her chocolate brown bangs, causing a tickling sensation across her forehead. Resisting the urge to scratch, she rested her head on the cool glass of the window in the front seat of the fire hydrant colored hybrid. Rows of different crops and live stock flashed by as her mom drove through miles of country. Taking her and Matt, her eleven-year-old brother, away from the home they'd known, away from their father.

And shouldn't she be angry? Not about the move, not about the different life, but that it was his fault. His fault! He'd forced it to happen, he'd... Bailey bit her bottom lip to stop the trembling. Her eyes burned with the accumulation of unshed tears. She wouldn't cry, not in front of them.

She supposed it wasn't every day a father got caught with a mother's social enemy in a compromising situation; the cliché of a cliché. Why any self respecting person would cheat to begin with was beyond her.

Derrick Roberts, Bailey's father, had respect for himself and other people. Until he struck rich playing the lottery. He played the game like it was his religion, with the same numbers every time, until Bailey told him to purchase another ticket. He wanted to play his numbers, but she told him to have the machine do it at random. It was the winning ticket and after that day everything changed about him. He went from a loving family man, stuck in an unhappy, but successful car salesman career to a multi-million dollar cheating scumbag. When he won, he promised them everything, but followed through on nothing.

It's funny how money can change priorities, isn't it?

It only took two weeks after receiving the money for him to become unrecognizable to his family. He'd been like a snowball at the top of a frozen hill. Had every opportunity to roll through the pure white snow, but somehow he veered and picked up the yellow snow and all the trash it could manage. Then it smashed into smithereens when her mom found out and decided to leave. Just up and decided for all of them.

Bailey wished she'd been away at college like her older sister Amanda. Maybe then she wouldn't have had to deal with this move to another state. At college she could've been away from these foolish people. At college, she wouldn't have had to see the hurt on her mothers' face when she found out the love of her life was banging his younger secretary.

The subtle buzzing noise and the vibration against her foot, tore Bailey's attention from her thoughts. She glanced at her feet, roughly pushing fingers through her frizzy hair before reaching down into her mother's purse.  Bailey pulled the golden zipper and shuffled the contents around before clamping her hand on the cell phone.

"Who is it?" Matt asked, bouncing around the back seat to get closer. His grubby Cheeto covered hand reached forward. "Is it Dad? Let me talk to him."

Bailey jerked the phone away from his wondering hands and read the caller id.  

Derrick. It read. It was him.

Scowling, she pushed the talk button.  "Hello?" She paused for two seconds. "Goodbye." Her pointer finger jammed at the end button, knowing the act and the bitter finality in her voice would get her in trouble. Only she didn't care. He didn't have the right to call them after what he'd done.

"Mooom!" Matt whined, his voice quivering.

Bailey swiveled in her seat, causing the seatbelt to cut into her neck. She cringed before glaring back at Matt. "What? Are you gonna cry? Dad doesn't—"

"Bailey!" Gale Roberts's voice seemed to echo through the SUV. Even Matt jiggled his finger in his ear. "Leave your brother alone... Did you just hang up on your father?" The astonishment in her mother's voice was nauseating.

Bailey shrugged, using her hand to flip her hair behind her shoulders. "So?"

"You call him back right now young lady and apologize."

Bailey felt a painful thud in her chest. She swallowed down the lump of hurt forming in her throat at the anger she heard.  Turning her head she stared out the window, batting at the single tear that slipped down her cheek. Her mom should be thanking her, not reprimanding her. "I wouldn't talk to him even if he was on his death bed."

"Young lady..."

"Why are you being so mean to Dad?" Matt sniffled from the back seat.

Bailey resisted the urge to turn. Instead, she glared at her reflection in the window. If she squinted hard enough she could see the shadows of farm houses playing against the surface.  "Mattie, you're old enough to know what cheating is."

Gale reached over and smacked her on the shoulder. The loud clap stung and Bailey decided it was his fault too.  Her mother had never hit her. It was just another new unwanted change, she supposed. Her fixed gaze turned towards Matt. "Do you see what his cheating has done?" she asked as she reached for her drink, which was currently dripping into the cup holder between the two front seats.

Matt pouted, his straw colored hair disheveled due to the nap he'd recently woken up from. "He didn't cheat on you."

The syrupy flavor of Dr. Pepper that had been delightfully clinging to her tongue, turned flat. The growl emanating from her throat could've rivaled a pack of wolves.  "Yes, he did. Don't you understand that? He cheated on all of us. Mom left him, I'm leaving him, and if you know what's good for you, Mattie, you will too."

"Bailey," Gale whispered.  Bailey shifted in her seat, but refused to acknowledge her. Out of the corner of her eye she watched as Gale's shoulders slumped. "Not everything is so black and white."

 "It is with me."

It seemed to be the conversation breaker, because not even Gale spoke after that.

Good. I don't want to talk about it anymore.

Clenching her jaw, she popped her earphones in with the sole intention of spending the rest of the trip listening to nothing but music. She'd managed for two hours before the welcoming sign from hell appeared. Haven, New Hampshire (occasionally called New Haven) population: three thousand.

Bile rose in her throat as she glared at the passing green and white sign. She tugged the cord linked to her headphones, popping the tiny ear pieces out, and gave Gale a scowl. "This place looks like a postcard," she said with disdain and then reached for a piece of balled up paper to throw it back at her sleeping brother. "Mattie, stop snoring! You sound like a freight train."

"Do not!" His muffled argument came before he stretched heartily towards the roof of the car. "Oh, we're here."

Bailey rolled her eyes. "You're a real genius Mattie, you know that?"

"Bailey, please. Can't you at least be civil to your brother? I-I really need you to be with me on this." Gale finished her voice cracking, sounding like she hadn't had a sip of water in years.

It was the first time she'd seen more than a fake emotion on her mothers' face. The first time in weeks she'd seen anything that made her believe this was as devastating to Gale as it was to them.  An ice cube couldn't have attempted to be colder than Gale the past few weeks. She had really loved Derrick, Bailey knew that.

It's not always about you, Bails.

Her father's words echoed in her head. Before the money ruined everything, it had been something he would say to her when she was being unreasonable. He wouldn't say it mean though. Derrick always talked to Bailey about how she was feeling. He and Amanda were the ones that tried to get her out of her close minded ways.

Bailey gritted her teeth against the feeling of loss filling the pit of her stomach. He'd made his choice, she would make hers, and right now her mother needed her strength. She needed Bailey's help do deal with the situation and she felt guilty for making it about herself.

Working internally hard to keep her voice from trembling, Bailey turned towards Gale, and smiled. "Mom, I'm proud of you, ya know."

Her lips parted. With a sniffle, her fingers tightened on the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white. "What?"

On a subliminal level, she knew she wasn't angry with her mom. It was just misplaced. The real culprit was her dad, Bailey knew that too. So she took a deep breath and spoke truth. "I don't pretend to know what you're going through. He was my father, but he was your husband and I know you loved him very much. I don't know what you're feeling. I've never been in love.  That's really downplaying it, but you were strong enough to leave a bad situation.  I respect you and your decision to leave and I'll try to be more supportive."

I just won't necessarily like that we had to leave, Bailey added to herself. He should've left, not us.

A tear left a wet trail down Gale's reddened cheek. She sniffled and gave Bailey a smile that finally filled her eyes. She reached over and ran her fingers down the side of Bailey's face. "My smart little-bee," she whispered, her voice catching before she cleared her throat and wiped at her tears.

Recalculating.

Bailey turned and blinked in surprise as the digital road map interrupted their moment. It was speaking again.

"You missed a turn."

Gale groaned. "I hate that GPS system," she cried out with exasperation and then let out a tiny laugh,  lightening the mood. She did a U-turn, the tires squealing against the pavement at the fast turn. Bailey gripped the arm rest, eyes widening as Gale whipped the car down the hidden, winding road she'd missed.

"Whip lash!" Matt hollered, gripping onto the head rest of Bailey's seat.

Recalculating.

Bailey scowled. "If it keeps doing that I'm putting my headphones back on."

"Oh, sure, make us have to deal with it." Gale teased.

Bailey shrugged nonchalantly. "You bought it, not me."

 "I feel like I've entered The Twilight Zone." Matt interrupted, speaking eerily. Bailey turned to see his eyes glued to the window as the shadows of trees crossed his face. "Where are all the people?"

"Do you even know what The Twilight Zone is?" Bailey asked in a snarky tone. "Besides why would there be people on a road like this?"

It was a long winding road, lined with red, green, orange and yellow leaved trees. Stretching so high it was like the branches were fingers reaching into the multicolored sky. The setting sun and black pavement, surprisingly, added to the picturesque scene.

Gale snorted. "Do you know what The Twilight Zone is, Bails?"

Bailey shifted her gaze out the window. "Of course, I know Mom! You know," Bailey said pausing briefly before continuing. "Mattie's right. This is the stepford wives of towns. This is the place they come for picture perfect postcards... and where serial killers live."

"Don't be ridiculous!"

"The people here are probably all rich and superficial... a text book cliché, Ma." Bailey whimpered as she spoke the words, hoping it wasn't true.

Gale shrugged and lifted the corner of her mouth into a half smile. "It looks like a story book, don'tcha think?"

"If people start going missing and we start dying, I'm blaming you, Mom," Bailey said.

Gale clucked her tongue and shook her head with disapproval. "Honestly, I never should've let you watch those horror movies with your sister."

Bailey pursed her lips before responding. "Funny, wasn't it Amanda that got scared? Wasn't she the one that came to sleep with me? I'm perfectly level-headed about these things."

"Fine, miss smarty pants."

Bailey grinned. "I'm pretty sure no one cool says that anymore."

 "She's right, Mom," Matt said, deciding to add his two cents.

Gale gave Matt a pointed stare in the review mirror and tried to change the subject, "Oh, come on, guys! A beautiful town, a new beginning, what more could we ask for?"

"A Starbucks," Bailey added promptly, giving her mother a mischievous look.

"A dōjō," Matt supplied.

Bailey had been a confirmed addict at thirteen thanks to Amanda and after what had happened at school. When she'd turned fifteen it had been her first and only job too.

"You'll live without Starbucks, besides that place isn't the coffee of all coffee you know. You need to spread your taste out a little more. And Mattie, I've already taken care of classes for you. Unfortunately, it's a town over. Half and hour drive every Tuesdays and Thursday."

"I don't care, so long as I get to practice," he said.

"Of course, you don't care. You're not paying for gas," Gale said.

 "Dad's rich now, we'll get him to pay."

Gale winked in the rearview mirror. "Sounds like a plan."

Bailey raised an eyebrow as she shifted in her seat, her leg bending underneath her, as she perched herself higher. "Well, even if Mattie can continue karate, I'd just like to say that if there isn't a Starbucks, we're leaving."

Gale gave Bailey a bemused look, her eyes showing signs of the twinkle she'd lost only two weeks ago. "I guess it was a good idea I double checked that too. There's one right by your new school. Look in my purse."

She pulled the leather bag into her lap. She shifted through the contents to find a print out with the familiar green siren that was the Starbucks logo and a map showing that the coffee shop was indeed only two blocks from Haven Prep, or at least that's what it said in the box.

"You know me well," Bailey mumbled, tracing the symbol of the half woman, half mermaid man killer.

"I even noticed that they're looking for help. If you talk to Van they may let you transfer to this one." Van was her old manager from the Starbucks she worked at up until the impromptu move.

Bailey looked down at the wrinkled piece of paper skeptically. "I didn't even put in a two week notice."

Gale shrugged, flipping the turning signal on. "I'll be surprised if the whole town doesn't know what happened by now," she spoke soft, clearly hurt by her own comment. "He'll understand you not putting your two week notice in."

"I guess."

"It'll also be another opportunity for you to meet new people. You need friends, Bails. You were alone way too much back home. It's the only Starbucks in town and I was told, by the realtor I've been speaking with, that it's a favorite hangout for Haven Prep students."

Bailey's stomach turned. She'd never been much for people. Really, they'd never been much for her or her strange ability to guess impossible things correctly. It was like a sixth sense. Sometimes she just knew something would happen. Because of that the only real socializing she did outside her family was when she asked questions about her school work or waited on customers at her job. She hadn't had friends, she'd had acquaintances and if she had her way, that's all it would be again.

 __________________________

"Broken like I'm never gonna heal." – Lady Antebellum