“It won’t be bad, Amy,” my father told Amy, as we drove through the Appalachian Mountains to a town called Morgantown.

Amy glared at my father as her head sunk lower and lower under the dash board as she texted her ‘friends’ from home on her cell phone. She placed her feet on the dashboard in front of her with her phone in her lap, as she typed away on the key board made for her thumbs on an Ipod phone thing. “Yeah, because you’re dumping us off on your dad,” she said her voice traced with anger and annoyance.

I looked at Maisy to see her moving one piece then putting it back before moving another one, unsure of what decision to make. Amy sunk so low in front of me that I couldn’t see a blonde head that was supposed to be there. “Amy, we’ve been over this, I have to take this one, and I’m not sure how long I’ll be away,” he said gently placing his hand on her knee. “Besides look at your sisters and Bethany, they don’t mind the move,” he said.

At the sound of her name, Bethany let out a loud bark and started whimpering wanting to be let out of her crate. I looked at the board; Maisy had already made a move. I quickly moved my red piece jumping four of her black pieces. Maisy looked from the board to me, her light brown curls bobbing as she looked. I examined the board, making sure that my plan was in action.

“My sisters?” she asked with her voice filled with venom this time. “Maisy doesn’t know any better, and well-,” she started half yelling but my dad spoke over her.

“Enough, and don’t give me that, Jenny said you could stay with her, because it isn’t working,” he said in the I’ve-ruled-now-drop-it voice.

I looked at the board Maisy realized the move she could do, quickly taking the rest of my red pieces. I smiled as Maisy started yelling and doing a victory dance in her seat as she picked up the pieces. Dad and Amy argued for a while more about Amy going to live with a friend of hers called Jenny, while Maisy continued to sing about her victory at checkers.

I quietly placed an earbud into my left and right ear, turning on Klove soon after. Music filled my ears, as I settled back into my seat, listening to what was being sung. That was one thing I loved and still love about the station, no matter how tense I am or what’s going on, I just listen and I know that things are going to be fine.

“Get up,” I heard someone yell as they poked me in the thigh and arm. My eyes opened slowly as I blinked, Maisy sat next to me with her hands on her hips. I looked at her, “We’re here,” she squealed jumping from her side of the car and onto the ground.

I sat still for a moment, seeing that Dad and Amy were inside already. I undid my seatbelt pushing my Ipod into my bag, and grabbing my bag before getting out. As I walked around the back of the car, I saw a small house.

The looked to be a two story house, done in yellow siding. Leading up to the house was a walkway done in grey stone outlined with pink peonies which lead up to a small porch that wrapped around the house. The floorboards on the stairs and the porch were painted a grey color, with white railing that stood proudly at the edges outlining the porch. When you got to the ends of the porch, there were thin white boards that went to the roof that covered the porch. On the far right end of the porch was a swing made out of whicker with a pink cushion on the swing with a pillow that matched the cushion at either end of the swing. Near the white door sat two whicker chairs with the same cushions on them, and in between the chairs, was a small circular table made out of whicker with a sheet of glass on top. There were many white windows in each room, so that you could see into the house. Each window on the front of the house had grey shutters that matched the porch floor on the first and second floors. The grass was green with a tall white tree with pealing bark and deep green leaves near the white fence that separated Nelly and Pap-pap’s lawn from the neighbor’s.

I stood for a moment as I heard footsteps pounding on the floor, stopping at the foot of the porch stairs. “COME ON!” Maisy yelled.

I looked at her, walking up to the porch where Maisy had already disappeared into the house. In the door’s entrance, I could hear chatter coming from the living room. I stood there for a minute taking in the smell of baking apples with cinnamon…before taking my shoes off and stepping into the house.