3 days to the full moon.

Ruby sat in the living room of her new home. She curled her legs around her on a plush three-piece cream and coffee coloured couch. Her hands nursed a cup of hot chocolate and she took stock. The blonde still couldn’t believe it. This morning she and Ruby left Portland and arrived in Glenn Valley with their mouths open. It was a suburban paradise hidden by forest on all sides. Very different from the noise and densely packed city they’d both lived in their whole lives. Frankie, who had talked the whole drive here, acted as a tour guide as he pointed out various sites of interest. Ruby never had a car so the three of them had to sit in the moving van with Frankie. He was free, therefore, to point out local shops. Grocers, clothing boutiques, thrift shops, salons, bakers and so much more. Glenn Valley had everything an isolated town could ever need and they were all owned by locals. Frankie sounded very proud to tell her about the history and community spirit of his home. He cleared his throat and made a point of slowing down to point out a tall redbrick building. He called it the city council building, but Ruby didn’t notice any sign that said so. Didn’t they usually have a plaque on the wall with the year it was built when it was a state-owned building? He drove them towards the other side of town and houses that looked like the ones on the front of magazines. Picket fences, three stories high, neat lawns, love swings on the porch, and not the slightest hint of graffiti anywhere. Young children were playing on the front lawns whilst parents looked on from their front porch. Some holding coffee and nibbling on baked goods.

So many people waved at the moving truck as they drove through that Ruby got the strong impression that Frankie was very popular. Was the fire chief a pillar of the community? It looked that way as he made a point of nodding and waving when it was safe to whilst driving. He seemed to know all their names and gave Ruby and Nella a brief overview of who everyone was.

He parked briefly on the side of the road opposite a massive barn that had been converted into the dance hall. It even had a neon sign calling it ‘GV Dance Hall’. Concrete parking large enough to accommodate half the town was mostly empty, but Frankie told them how it was the social heart of the town. ‘If’ Ruby got the job, she could expect to be busy.

When Frankie parked and turned off the engine outside of a detached pastel blue house with a garage, crazy paving on the drive beside a modest lawn, two stories tall, an idyllic porch complete with a bench overlooking the front yard, and lacy netting in the windows? Ruby looked to Frankie with confusion. This couldn’t be where they were going to live. She panicked and worried that this was his house and he was going to pull a fast one and try and move them in with him. Before the blonde could unleash her alarm her green eyes spotted a ‘to rent’ sign sticking up proudly from the lawn near the pavement.

Sure enough, Frankie got out of the truck and held the door open for the ladies to join him…oh…and his friends. Even Frankie was surprised when the front door opened and out came the entire fire department.

“Don’t worry Chief, Mandy will call if we’re needed. Now let’s do this GV style.” One of the tallest firefighters, an African American with short black hair and warm brown eyes came right up to them and shook Ruby’s hand. “You are in good hands Mam. I’m Frankie’s deputy at the station. Dillon Marsh. Welcome to Glen Valley.”

Frankie shook his head, laughing, and then introduced Ruby and Nella to all the firefighters. It was a procession that moved from the house, to the ladies in greeting, and then to the back of the truck to collect a box or piece of furniture, before returning to the house. Ruby took Nella’s hand and raised an amused brow at the way she was blushing up at some of the more muscular firefighters. Well, she was 17, and some of them were hot, but all of them were too old for her teenage daughter. She engaged mother hen mode and ushered Nella into the house to explore the rooms and distract her from their company.

Less than an hour, and everything was moved in. They didn’t have much to bring across from their apartment in Portland, really. Frankie told them the house would be fully furnished so they didn’t even bring their beds or the two brown comfy chairs that were older than Nella. Glen Valley’s fire department cleared out and spoke to Frankie outside for a while, before he came inside to check they were all settled in. Nella squealed when she realised she had a walk-in wardrobe and an ensuite bathroom. Ruby looked forward to not having to get up extra early to get a shower before Nella began her beauty routine each morning. It also meant they could keep their toiletries separate.

“If you need anything at all, you have my number. Glenn Valley is a friendly place and if you ask anyone for directions they’ll happily help you. We don’t get many visitors so they will probably suss who you are right away. I’ll let you get used to the place and come and see you tomorrow?”

Ruby agreed, only half listening as she watched Nella running around their new home giddily. She moved in a blur of pink and grey, her long brown hair swaying as she skidded around corners and bound up the stairs. Nella was on cloud nine.

Ruby was in a state of whiplash. They ordered takeout for dinner and Nella went from cooing over their new home to grumbling over having no cell service or wifi. She spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking and filling her wardrobe, which left Ruby to get her head around the move.

It doesn’t feel right. This place is beautiful and way more than I could ever afford on my own. Nella loves the place already. She’s so excited about starting school next week. She’s excited about getting to know Frankie. She’s looking forward to everything. And then here I am? She sighed and sipped her hot chocolate. Unable to say no as I can’t afford to go to court against Frankie to fight him getting custody. Nella wants to know him, and I won’t get in the way of that as long as she’s safe and secure. She needs to start a new school and this one seems to be a safe place for her. Even so? I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.

It was just too easy. Vince didn’t make her work her notice. Her landlord used her safety deposit to cover the notice on the apartment. Frankie got Nella transferred to GV High and rented out this dream home the next day? It’s fishy. Frankie seems too good to be true. It can’t be unreasonable to be suspicious of all this, can I?

A howl startled Ruby and she put her coffee cup down on a side table with a start. Is that a dog? She stared at the window, heard another howl, and staggered over to the window. That sounded nearby. Ruby checked all the doors windows were locked, just to be safe. Whatever that was it sounded big…and angry.