Safe Haven: A Young Adult Fantasy, by Cynthia DiFilippo Elomaa

Chapter One

?? Inventory has to be one of the most boring jobs in the world. All the counting, sorting and tallying- It’s no wonder the mind wanders. That’s what I get stuck doing once a month when the deliveries come in. I count up the last of the napkins, making tally marks on the inventory list before I snap the lid shut on the clipboard and walk into the office. I toss the clipboard onto the desk and make my way back into the main dining room.

???? The Haven is a bar for middle and high school kids, it’s always stocked with soda, juice and bottled water. At dinner time, hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken are our? big sellers. My mom, Sharon, wanted to stay home but as a single mom we needed extra cash. Instead of going back to work she decided to create her own business by making a place kids could go to after school. So, with endless wishes and prayers, and some sizable loans, The Haven came to be. At first it was great to come here after school, but lately, I’m finding I’m helping my mom out more than hanging out with my friends. Money is tight though, and help is expensive.

??? In the back hallway I scan the brightly lit room. Jake and Karla are in the back corner playing pool.?

“Hey Kate, come here, Jake is winning.” Karla says?

“Just a second,” I answer as I walk over to my mom.? “Mom, am I done yet?.” I try not to whine as I slide onto a barstool as she serves drinks behind the bar.? She’s barely listening to me as she pours a glass of soda and hands it over to Myles, one of the employees.?

“Mom,” I let out another whine trying to get her attention. She wipes her hands on her apron and looks up. “Sorry honey, what did you say?”

“Am I done yet? I want to hang out with my friends and it’s almost closing time.”

“Just one more thing. Can you take out the trash? I was going to have Myles do it, but he’s busy.”?

“But he gets paid to do it, I don’t.” I whine again, popping a pretzel in my mouth from the tiny dish on the counter. Mom puts her hands on her hips and gives? me her patented annoyed look.

“Kate, go take out the garbage, please.”.

“Fine,” Ignoring the sarcasm I slide off my chair and grab the garbage bag. No wonder Myles doesn’t want to take out the trash. This thing is gross. I push open the back door and a burst of freezing air slams against me, almost knocking me against the door frame. I prop the door open and walk the few feet to the dumpster?

“Shit it’s cold,” I mutter, throwing? the garage into the dumpster. At the end of the alley something catches my eye. With my arms wrapped around myself I walk towards it. There’s a person on the ground and someone is leaning over them.?

“What the hell?” The sound of my voice is hollow in the cold air. The kneeling figure picks up his head and looks right at me then takes off. Without thinking I ran after him.

“Hey, what the hell are you doing?” I yell and slow down to pick up a rock, and throw it. All the pitching in softball over the past few years must have paid off, because I hit him square in the head, making him stumble and fall against the brick wall. ?My heart races and I try to ignore the knot forming in my stomach. My breath echoes in my ears, seeming to bounce off the walls of the dark alley.

“I didn’t do it. I didn’t do it. I swear.”? A male voice says.

??? Up closer, I recognized the figure. It’s Max Michaels, the high school drug dealer. He stands against the wall wearing all black as usual and he looks a little green, like he’s going to be sick.?

“Oh, it’s you.” He says and he peels himself off the wall. Taking a deep breath he walks back towards the body on the ground. Shaking, though from cold or nerves I’m not sure, I follow him like a fly drawn to a light and watch as he reaches out and goes through the body’s pockets.?

“What are you doing?” I ask, finding my voice, and hit Max on the top of the head with the back of my hand.

“What? She isn’t going to need these anymore.” Max answers, waving me away.

“She’s hurt. We need to call for help.” I see the face then, it’s a girl, a young girl, definitely high school age. My stomach flips and I back away.

“You call for help,” Max says, still going through the girl’s pockets. He takes off her jewelry and stuffs it into his pockets.?

Mesmerized, I Watch Max as I reach for my cell phone and start dialing. ?“I will,” I say as I swallow the taste of bile in the back of my mouth. Max stands up and reaches for my phone. “You can’t do that.”

“Why? Why wouldn’t I?” Confused, I moved my phone out of his reach. I noticed my hand shaking and tightened my grip.

“They’ll think I did it. My fingerprints are all over her clothes.”?

“You should have thought about that before you touched her dumb ass.” I snap, sounding braver than I feel. The phone is still ringing. I wish someone would hurry up and answer it.

“Kate. You don’t understand.” The look of terror on Max’s face made me freeze and I realized he was scared. The ringing of the phone sounds muffled and distant in my ear.

?? ? I’ve seen Max many times at school, he’s the troublemaker, the drug dealer, nothing can touch me, I don’t give a shit kid. Max doesn’t look like that kid now. He looks scared, he looks really scared.

“I broke my parole. They won’t send me back to Juvie for this, they’ll put me away.”

????? The phone stops ringing and an officer picks up. The words come out before I have a chance to think things through.?

Not breaking eye contact with Max, I hear my own voice. “Yes, I’d like to report a body.” Max's face turns white. He gets up and starts running towards the end of the alley leaving me alone with? the dead girl.