When Julie was six, her family moved from Tampa to Cutler Bay. It was because Rodger had gotten a job there. Helen's aunt owned the house, and let them stay as long as they wanted. 

Julie hated the house. It reeked of old potatoes and moldy onions, the floor creaked, the doors got stuck often, and the windows didn't open at all. Julie had a list of everything she hated about it, from the cracks in the walls to the ugly puke yellow color of the carpets. 

As she grew, she got used to it. When Julie was ten, though, something disastrous happened.

A hurricane hit the house.