The Travelers: Book One Read Free Page A

your mom is crazy. I’m not going to stick around to say ‘hi’,” she said to the dog as he licked her hand oblivious to her words.
    “See ya later, buddy. Stay out of my yard, okay?” She said with a final scratch behind the ears. She didn’t want to push her luck; the old lady could emerge from her house at any time and Gemma really wasn’t in the mood to socialize at the moment.
    As she neared her house, Gemma cringed to see a familiar leathery face stapling a flier to the the telephone pole near her stoop: Albert.
    “Good morning, Gemma!” He waved cheerfully, a wide dentured smile splitting his wrinkled face.
    “Morning Albert,” Gemma muttered with a hint of a smile. She didn’t want to be rude, but she didn’t want to get sucked into whatever he was crusading against today.
    “Hey, I know you probably haven’t seen anything yet, but there’s been a car lately that’s speeding through the streets around here. I’d hate for someone to get hurt, so if you see them, could you try to get their license plate or something for me?”
    Gemma sipped her coffee thoughtfully, trying to avoid committing to anything. She nodded without speaking and Albert took that as an agreement.
    “Thank you! I asked the police if they would set up a speed trap around here, but they said they were too busy to worry about what every crazy old man came in raving about,” he frowned for a moment, but quickly shook the melancholy look from his face, replacing it with his usual grin.
    “You don’t say,” Gemma answered, brushing past him to her front steps. “Well, I’ve got a ton of unpacking still to do. Good luck!”
    She slipped back into her house before he had a chance to respond. She had a long day ahead of her and a late start to boot; she couldn’t afford any more delays.
    Before she knew where the day had gone, she looked at the clock and it was already 6:20 PM. Gemma surveyed her house with a satisfied smile. Nearly everything was unpacked and put in its rightful place; it was definitely worth the day of hard work to have her new house feel like home.
    After a few minutes of consideration, Gemma decided to look up the place that Izzy said she worked at. Seeing that they were open until 10 o’clock, she decided to take the plunge and see what this town had to offer.
    A hot shower was just the thing to wash off the layer of grime she’d accumulated while unpacking and to relax her aching muscles. Before 7:00, she was already dressed and busy applying mascara. The drier air of Hannaford Glen did wonders to keep her golden brown hair tame; still she threw it up into a messy bun as she usually did and headed out the door in a pair of curve-hugging jeans and a sparkly tank top.
    Izzy wasn’t lying about being able to walk to work from their neighborhood; the restaurant was only a few blocks away making Gemma feel a little silly for electing to drive there. Regardless, she didn’t know how safe the streets were at night and decided to err on the side of caution.
    “Gemma! You came!” Izzy shouted across the restaurant when she walked in the door.
    Gemma smiled sheepishly and made her way to the bar. Looking around the restaurant, she could see that there were a few tables occupied, but they weren’t busy by any stretch of her imagination.
    “How’s it going, girlie?” Isabel asked as Gemma slid onto a barstool. She was preoccupied with making one of the more complicated cocktails they offered, but she was happy to see the newcomer nonetheless.
    “Good,” Gemma said with a contented sigh, “I finally finished unpacking… I think,” she finished with a grimace.
    “You move fast! I’ve been in my house for three years and I still haven’t finished unpacking,” Izzy joked, pouring the layered drink carefully into the tall glass with a sugared rim.
    “That looks fantastic,” Gemma said, her eyes growing wide at the rainbow-colored drink.
    “Oh yeah, it’s delicious too. Bitch and a half to make right,