Gen 1: Chapter 1

*Make sure to visit "The Brennan Legacy" tab for links to the prologue!*

I rolled down the window of my cab as I passed the sign "Now Entering Sunset Valley."  The ocean air filled my lungs, and I felt the excitement and anticipation stirring inside of me.  This was a fresh start. The beginning of the rest of my life.

It wasn't hard to leave Twinbrook behind.  The pain of this past summer was too much, and my reputation too tarnished, to force myself to stay.  Besides, I had no reason to remain.  My parents had disowned me, my sister was at boarding school, my friends shunned me...there was simply nothing left.

The taxi dropped me off in the center of town to get paperwork done for the transfer. So here I was.  A new town with new faces.  And, I had heard, the population here were a bit more accepting of the "non-traditional."  I was going to need that acceptance when I started back to high school.

I was also excited because I wasn't going to be living alone, as I had feared when my parents turned me out.  My wonderful, sweet grandma had agreed to take me in, which was a big part of why I chose Sunset Valley as my new home.  On the phone, she said she was disgusted with the way my parents were treating me and that she didn't understand where my mother, her daughter, had gotten such an ill manner.  She said she would be honored for me to stay with her, and she would love to help with the baby.

Despite my relief at her offer, I couldn't help but feel a bit guilty.  Grandma teaches 2nd grade, which means that her funds are quite limited.  As a pregnant teenager, I was going to be more of a burden than an asset.  But, she claimed we would manage, as she always has before in one manner or another.

My anticipation grew as I began to recognize the streets leading to her home. We passed by the little blue house my friend Shannon had lived in growing up. Someone else lives there now.

I had always loved spending summers with Grandma as a child, and I felt that same joy now.  We hadn't visited in several years (my mother hated to be reminded of her "common" childhood), but I remember everything vividly.  The house was very much a "grandma" house, with that homey feeling and musty smell.  I think the television is as old as her.  I couldn't wait to sleep in that old upstairs bedroom that Ashley and I used to share on these vacations.

Finally, we arrived.  A wash of memories poured over me.  Standing on the balcony on a starry night gazing through the telescope.  Ashley and I swinging on the playground out back.  Grandma tending the flowers out front.  The happiness welled inside of me as I realized that my own child would be able to experience the love and joy felt in this house.

Unable to contain myself any longer, I ran toward the house and up the stairs of the front porch.  After knocking repeatedly, I finally heard footsteps coming around the house from the backyard. A woman walked up the front steps. A woman who was definitely not my grandma. "Um, can I help you?" she asked.

Who the hell is that? "Hi!" I said, "I'm Anna, and I'm moving here to stay with my grandma."

Her eyes shifted around nervously.  She gave me a weak smile and said, "That's um...that's great."

<Awkward silence>

"So..." I finally said, "is she home?"

"Is who home?"

"Er...my grandma...Maisy Brennan."

"Oh! You're Maisy's granddaughter!" she exclaimed. Geez, took her long enough.

She continued, "Sorry, I thought you were really crazy there for a minute. Some weird girl going around to random strangers saying she lives with her grandma.Yeah anyway, Maisy hasn't lived in this house in, oh, I guess about a year now."

"WHAT?!?"

"Mmhmm," she nodded, "she moved down onto Sunnyside...last summer I guess it was. Real cute place. Kinda small though."

I stared in disbelief for a few moments. "Excuse me," I said, whipping out my cell phone and dialing as I walked.

***

"477 Sunnyside Blvd. You sure you got the right place this time, darling?" my taxi driver asked with a smirk on his face.

Jerk. "Yeah, thanks," I muttered, gathering my things and stepping out of the cab. I found myself standing in front of a small (very small compared to what I was used to) log cabin. With really pretty flowers. Bright side...I kept telling myself.

Apparently after my grandpa died a few years ago, my grandma was unable to afford the maintenance on such a large house. My parents refused to help on the grounds that they "didn't want to set a precedent for handing out money." Translated, that means that they have no souls.

So, Grandma was forced to sell the home that her and Grandpa had built together 50 years ago and move to a much smaller house. The new house was right on the beach, which meant that she wasn't able to afford very nice furnishings either. But, there was a spare bed and a crib ready, which was the important thing.

So, why didn't she bother to tell me that she had moved? Seems that Grandma's mind is not what it used to be. For one, she forgot that I didn't know. Secondly, she forgot that I was coming.

"My little Anna! Oh my goodness, come here to grandma!" She didn't have to tell me twice. I ran into the arms of the one adult that I could count on to love me unconditionally.

"It's wonderful seeing you, Grandma. Thank you so much for doing this for me," I said.

"Oh pssht," she said, waving her hand, "think nothing of it, my dear. Now come on, let me show you around."

We walked into the house, and I could tell Grandma hadn't truly lived here for very long. The walls were bare of anything except the traditional "old woman" flowery wallpaper. In the old house there had been paintings everywhere. It was one of the things my parents had hated most about it.

The rooms were small. Very small. There was her bedroom with her bed and a small dog bed and toys for her pug, Fancy.

My bedroom, which was completely bare except for a full-sized bed. Not that there would be room for anything else in there.I really couldn't argue with that view though.

The nursery, which currently consisted only of a crib. Toys and decorations would have to come later.

The bathroom, where the washer was also located. There was no dryer, as Grandma was a staunch believer in the ability of the ocean breeze. The bathroom held the nicest thing in the entire house: a shower/tub combo.

Finally, there was the kitchen/dining/living room.

At least one thing hadn't changed...she still had that damn television.

***

The following months passed by quickly. School had started up shortly after my arrival, and I was pleasantly surprised at how kind most of my classmates were. Naturally, some of them stuck their noses up at me, but for the most part, I was able to make friends quickly for the first time in my life.

Things were wonderful at home. Grandma was an amazing cook, and I enjoyed a home-cooked meal every night.

I talked to Ashley regularly. She had also adjusted well and was starting to enjoy life at boarding school. She had somehow managed to get Ethan to agree to a long-distance relationship, and things were going surprisingly well for them. She was looking forward to graduation in a few months and was even considering moving to Sunset Valley afterward!

My life had settled into a kind of blissful calm. The kind of calm that anticipates that everything is about to change. One day, in the middle of a field trip to the cinema, the calm disappeared.

That was the day I became a mother.