Harper's Hill, Chapter 2: The Glimmer of the West

Emily knew that there was no reason for her to feel anxious when she was on the West side of Harper's Hill. Like her brother had said, she was good at making herself seem like a nobody. People ignored her that way, and in the West side, she was the only one that wasn't trying to stand out.

As she drove down the hill and into the West side, she started to see the difference between the two sides of Harper's Hill. The trees here had more leaves, the grass was greener, and even the air seemed to flow through her lungs easier. She opened up her driver's side window in the car and let the air surround her. Sometimes she wondered if the people from the West side were the way that they were because there was something in their oxygen. It was addicting.

She didn't have many stops to make today, so it was one of her smaller grocery runs. She knew she wasn't in a rush, so she drove the long way around to her usual grocery store, which was one out of about 10 in town. All of them were on the West side. She looked out the window at the people who walked the streets here, who looked like aliens to her. They all had flashy clothes, and every street corner seemed to have someone performing for tips.

She couldn't imagine living a life where you spend your whole existence trying to get everybody's attention, because what would you do when you finally got that attention? What if you fucked it up? You've been waiting your whole life for your chance and then it's over all in one shot, just because you forgot to practice your art due to focusing on wanting everybody to look at you.

She saw a woman who looked lost. This was rare in the West side. Everyone here had purpose and a direction, unlike Emily. This woman had a look on her face that looked like it could be a cousin of Emily's constant state of heightened awareness. The more you're aware of, the more there is to be afraid of.

Emily debated pulling over and asking the woman if she needed help, but for some reason, she just kept driving. She considered turning around right up until she couldn't see the woman in her rearview mirror anymore, and then she thought about it again. She didn't really know why she didn't want to stop. She wasn't afraid of these people, not at all. It wasn't that. It was that she didn't believe her help would be any good. What would she be able to do for the woman that someone else around here couldn't do better?

Emily kept thinking about this all the way up until she reached the store. She stopped her car and parked it, closing the window quickly before turning off the engine. Walking through the store and getting her groceries was a blur, just like it always was. When you're trying to avoid everyone around you, you tend to become trapped in a vacuum. Even though she wanted to observe the people around her and learn more, she felt like she didn't have the privilege to.

Once all of her shopping was done, Emily started her drive back home. Sometimes she would stop at the top of the hill and look down at the two sides of the town. Parking on the grass at the top of the hill, she got out of her car and walked over to look at the West side. It was clean, it was nice, it looked like it was safe. And then she looked at her own side, the East, which looked anything but. She could see her home from here, seeing her brother's girlfriend arriving home from work for the day. She saw other people too — a couple walking by the general store, a man standing at the edge of the darkest part of the forest, and a little girl riding her bike with her dad following along.

Figuring she should get home and help with dinner, she got back in the car and drove back down to her side of town. She sighed as she thought about the life she could have had if things had turned out differently for her and her parents. Maybe they could've had a real family and been happy.

After a few stops, she finished her grocery run. Pulling into her driveway, she saw James and Riley through the window, standing in the kitchen. They had their arms around each other and he was telling her something sweet, as her cheeks turned red and she looked down to the floor with an embarrassed giggle.

Emily stayed in the car to let her brother have his moment with his girlfriend. She knew the way James was, and she knew that he would never be affectionate like this with Riley if he knew that Emily was watching. He was weird about that. So she took her time getting her stuff together and getting out of the car, letting the couple soak in their moment.

James' girlfriend Riley was a sweetheart. She seemed to love everyone, and she always saw the good in the world, even if there was absolutely none around her. Emily would never understand why Riley actually chose to move to the East side, as she was from Redwood Valley and had a pretty good life there. However, Riley would correct her and say that she had a pretty good life now in the East side, too.

"I'm home," Emily announced as she walked in the front door, closing it behind her. She hung up her keys and took off her shoes, walking further into the house and finally into the kitchen. James was standing at the stove, stirring a pasta sauce, while Riley was setting the table.

"Just in time, Emily," Riley smiled. "Dinner is about to be ready. We're having spaghetti."

This was the second time this week that they'd had spaghetti for dinner, but Emily knew that everyone in the house was going through a tough time financially right now. James was usually in charge of cooking dinner, and he could only work with what was in the cupboard, which wasn't much when everything was so damn expensive.

"Sorry Emmy," James said as he turned off the heat on the stove. "I know you're tired of spaghetti." He looked at Riley with an inquisitive look on his face, asking, "maybe next week we can get some alfredo sauce instead?"

Riley smiled and nodded. "Of course," She said, but she had a look on her face indicating that she felt a bit bad.

Emily didn't want everyone to jump through hoops just because she was tired of spaghetti. "It's okay guys, really, I know that food is expensive right now. Spaghetti is one of the cheaper options," She said. "It's really no big deal. I'm just happy to have food."

Emily's words softened Riley's face a bit, and James started serving as both of the females sat down at the table. "Plus, it's my spaghetti..." James chuckled. "It's not just regular spaghetti, you know."

Riley giggled and Emily let out a small laugh, too. "Whatever you say, Gordon Ramsay."

"Oh please!" Riley exclaimed. "He wishes that he could cook that good."

As this makeshift family sat in the kitchen and started to eat their dinner, a man stood outside on a street corner, watching the house. He could only see one person through the window, Emily. He had been watching her for years, but had been too afraid to make his presence known.

The night was quiet, but his resolve was loud and clear. He couldn't stand by anymore and do nothing. He took a hesitant step towards the house, nto quite ready for whatever was next, but willing to face it anyway.