Chatterbox: Inkwell

Chapter 1: Road Trip

Jess was having a bad day. Yes, that was a good way to describe it: a bad day. Moving day was a bad day. Getting grounded was a bad day. But other than that time that her cell phone got taken away, she couldn't remember a worse day

You see, Jess was going on this thing called a road trip. It was when you and your noisy family crowded into a smelly car. For a week.

She had gotten the news when she was playing a certain strategy game, which was one of her favorite games. Her mom, Debbie, had knocked.

"Come in."

"Hi. Are you busy?"

"No," Jess said, putting aside her game. "What's the news?"

"What do you mean," came the reply, but her mom's smiled lessened.

"You've got that 'Oh, no, why do I have to tell her? I really hope she takes it well' look on your face.

"Do I," said Debbie, suppressing a smile. "I wasn't aware I had one."

"Come on. Out with it."

Debbie burst out laughing. "Well, your father and I have decided to take a road trip."

"Really." It wasn't a question. "Where?"

"Oregon."

Jess had protested, but nothing had worked. And so she had ended up stuffed in the back of her father, David's, tiny car. Surely things couldn't get any worse.

And then things got worse. It started to rain. And not just just any drip...drip...drip sort of rain, but sheets of rain poured in torrents down from the sky. Jess had read this book that said, "Lightning speared the ground with its tendrils of light. Thunder cracked the earth." If that ever happened in real life, it was happening now.

The rain made a current across the windshield.

"I can't see!" Debbie shouted from the drivers seat, partly in panic and partly to be heard over the persistant droplets and screaming wind.