His Special Girl

Chapter One

Lily angrily opened the mailbox, yanked out the mail and slammed the door shut. She sorted through the mail as she walked up the driveway. There was nothing for her.

The day had not been good for Lily. Naomi had forgotten to give Lily a pack of cigarettes for the one she had borrowed. And once again, she had not received a letter from her Uncle.

After her father had left Lily and her mother, Lily�s uncle had always been around. He had a job and stayed home with Lily while her mother was at hers. After her mom had married the pilot she was still with now, Lily�s uncle had been around for her birthday, half-birthday and any other time Lily wanted to do something with him.

The day he told her he had gotten a new job at a camp in Montana he had taken her out to dinner and told her that he wouldn�t be able to see her as much, but that they could keep in touch through letters and the phone.

At first he had stayed true to his word, but Lily hadn�t heard from him for two years. For a year she had tried, sending at least one letter a week and tried to contact him on the phone. Nothing had worked so she had come up with a different plan.

She walked in the house and threw the mail on the front table. By the door were some bags. Her stepfather had probably gotten another flight. He was ashamed of Lily, and she knew it.

She walked into the living room. �Mail�s here.� She said, ready to go up to her room. She stopped when she saw a strange man on a chair across from the couch where her mother and stepfather were sitting.

The man turned around and looked at Lily, standing up. Lily�s mother was close to tears as she and her husband stood up with him.

�Lily,� her stepfather spoke up. �We�re sending you to Rocky Pines.�

�What?� Lily couldn�t believe what she was hearing.

�We�re sending you to Rocky Pines.� He repeated.

�No! I won�t go!� she screamed and she ran out of the room. She began running up the spiral staircase, the man close behind. He grabbed her arms and she fell. Kicking him in the face, she got up and started running again, only to be tripped once more. The man yanked her arms behind her and put handcuffs around her wrists.

He pulled her up and pushed her in front of him. He nudged her down the stairs and past her mother who had tears streaming down her face. He pushed her out the door.

�Lily! I have your cig�� they heard a voice call from down the street. She looked up to see Naomi and Peter.

The man looked up too, but quickly pushed her to keep her moving. He opened the door to the backseat of his car. �Get in.�

Lily got in and sat down. He slammed the door and walked around to the driver�s side. Looking over to her mother and stepfather who had just finished putting her bags in their truck he said, �Follow me. The ride will be about eight hours. You have my cell phone number, call me if you need to stop.�

He got in the car and waited until they were all ready before pulling out of the driveway.

As they drove to the end of the street she could hear Naomi and Peter yelling at the man and at her parents while throwing sticks at the cars.

~~**~~

David Walters looked in his box and pulled out the papers inside.

�How are you today David?� Ally asked, as she walked out of her office and over to the coffee maker.

�Good, how are you Ally?�

�I�m fine.�

David saw that a new camper, as the staff members called them, was coming in. The request to have her join the other troubled teens at Rocky Pines had come in yesterday and Samuel had gone out to get her today, the notes at the bottom of the page said. For some reason, David always read those notes before he read anything else about the camper.

When David read the name at the top of the page his heart stopped. Lily Willis. He quickly through the notes from the mother, Linda Johnston, and stepfather, Robert Johnston. New sense of clothing style, change in attitude, change in language and an empty carton of cigarettes found in room.

Hoping his eyes had played a trick on him, his guilty conscience getting to him, he quickly reread the name of the person. It remained the same.

Looking up he cleared his throat. �Ally! When Lily comes in, I want to do the introduction.�

Ally looked up, along with everyone else in the office, shocked. David and Ally were partners and had split up the introductions to new campers so that David got the boys and Ally got the girls.

But David�� she started to protest.

�Please, Ally, let me take Lily.� David pleaded.

Ally nodded her head, �All right.�

�Thanks!� David walked into his office and shut the door. Sitting down in his chair he dropped the papers on his desk. He placed his elbows on top of them and buried his face in his hands.

After a couple minutes he looked up and stared at a picture in a black frame that sat atop his desk. It was the only picture he had up in his office, and had provoked questions from many campers who wondered who the beautiful girl sitting on the tan horse was. He had always answered telling them that it was someone who had a very special place in his heart.

He looked at his watch. It was already nearing ten. He had just gotten back from a meditating trip with the group of the juniors, the group Lily would be joining. Tomorrow the Reflective Meeting they�d have would also be her Welcoming Meeting.

He hated when he got back from a trip and didn�t have time to shower before a new camper came in. It rarely made a good impression, but today it didn�t matter. Still, out of habit, he stood up, ready to go ask Ally what time Samuel had left.

As he stood there was a knock on his door. �Come in.�

Ally entered and said, �Lily�s here.�

�Okay, thanks.� He said as he pulled a manila folder out of a drawer. He slammed the drawer shut in frustration, knocking over the picture of his strawberry blonde, hazel-eyed niece.

Ally eyed the picture. �Have you written to her lately?�

�Who?�

�Your niece?�

David shook his head. �No.�

�You should. It will make you feel better.�

Sighing, David said, �I think it may be a little late for that.�

�Oh.� Ally whispered puzzled as she walked out of the office, David close behind. �Okay.�