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The drive to her grandparents property was unfamiliar, and that alone was enough to give Charlotte anxiety. The girl wasn't usually one to step outside of her box, her comfort zone, but upon receiving the letter that her grandfather-- who she had no idea if she'd ever even met-- had left her his home in his will, she knew she couldn't just let it sit and rot. She didn't owe her grandparents anything, after all. She didn't know either of them. They'd never called, never written, never tried to get in touch with her at all. No, instead she'd been brought up by her crazy mother in a crummy apartment that was barely big enough for the two of them.<br/>
<br/>
Without realizing it, her tiny fingers tightened their grip on the steering wheel and her jaw locked. The GPS spoke, telling her that it was recalculating the route. "What?" She snapped at the thing, tearing her eyes from the back country road to look at the device. Sure enough, it was in the process of recalculating, and she groaned. Of course. Thinking about her mother had made her miss the turn. "Damnit." Loosening her grip on the wheel, she let go completely with one hand to run her fingers through her long blonde hair, resting her elbow on the window and her cheek in her hand.<br/>
<br/>
A spot approached where she could pop a u-turn, and she did so, keeping watch for the little dirt road that she'd missed the first time. She almost missed it again, spotting the gnarled tree beside the old road at the last second that the man at the convenience store had told her about. She'd stopped there for a drink and to fill up, and had asked him about her grandparents place. He'd cast her a confused look, but wiped it clean before she could mention it. He'd told her that she would probably miss the turn the first time, and sure enough, he'd been right.</span><br/><br/><span style="font-family:Amaranth">"Jackass." She muttered, navigating her little Toyota down the dirt road slowly. After about a mile and a half, the large home came into view. For a split second, a feeling of deja vu overtook her, knocking into her like a load of bricks and almost making her throw up. She reached for the window and smashed her finger down on the button to roll it down, needing the fresh air. Gulping it in like a fish would with water after being dumped back into the ocean, she pressed on the gas a little harder than she meant to. The car jerked forward, and even though she yanked her foot back quickly, she heard the sickening crunch of something dragging on the underside of her hood.<br/>
<br/>
"Not happening." Cici groaned, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel before sliding the gearshift into reverse, wincing noticeably as she backed off of the tree stump she'd hit. "Who put that there?" She glared at the thing before shifting back into drive, driving around it and up the rest of the driveway. Parking, she studied the house before her. It looked pretty run down already, and she couldn't tell if that was a good thing or not. On the one hand, if it was too bad inside she could just declare it a loss and move on. On the other hand, if it could be saved and cleaned she could do so and get the money from it.<br/>
<br/>
With a sigh, she turned her car off and got out, slowly closing the car door behind her. Her petite frame started towards the impending house, reaching into her back pocket for the key she'd tucked there. Pulling out the brass item, she walked up the front steps, her breath blowing out tiny clouds in the cold. Wanting to get inside and find out if this place had heat quickly, she stuffed the key into the lock and twisted. It opened easily, and she crossed the threshold fast, shutting the door behind her with more force than necessary.<br/>
<br/>
Locking the door as an afterthought, she turned to face the rest of the house, shivering slightly. It was warmer in here for some reason, but still not a furnace. Tugging her fur lined jacket tighter around her thin frame, she moved her knee high boot clad feet forward, not even really sure where to begin. <i>Heat.</i> She told herself again, nodding in response, before heading down the main hall. Hopefully the thermostat was this way.</span>