by Amy Machelle
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ISBN: 9780983755265
Amy: Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting with us today. Start off by telling us a little about yourself.
Elizabeth: Thanks for inviting me. There’s not much to tell really. My name is Elizabeth Grace Bridges, and I’m just your average seventeen year old girl. I love to read, shop, and spend time with friends. I was born in Santa Barbara, California, and was raised right on the beach. It was pretty awesome. I’m an only child, which means I spent a lot of time entertaining myself. I probably would have hated growing up without brothers or sisters to play with had it not been for the beach in my backyard. Nine times out of ten you could find me there either soaking up the rays or taking a swim in the surf. Dad always said he wouldn’t be surprised if one day I sprouted gills and traded land life for water living. Sometimes, I wish we were still there.
Amy: Speaking of your dad, what was your relationship like with your father?
Elizabeth: My dad was the best. I know a lot of kids my age complain about their parents, but looking back, I have absolutely nothing to complain about. I’d give anything for him to be here again with me and mom. Our relationship wasn’t perfect, by any means, but I was a huge daddy’s girl and wanted nothing more than to make him proud. I really miss him.
Amy: Tell us what it was like when you first found out your father had cancer.
Elizabeth: I had just turned sixteen the day he came home from his doctor’s appointment and told me. That was the second worst day of my life. The day he died was the first. I locked myself in my room and cried after he broke the news. I couldn’t understand why in the world this was happening to our family. My dad was a Christian man who had served God for as long as I could remember. I was convinced that if I just prayed, God would remember my dad’s faithfulness to Him and take the cancer away, but every day my dad grew weaker and weaker. It was a pretty terrible time. I don’t like to think about it.
Amy: Your dad was a Christian. Does that mean you believe in God?
Elizabeth: I believed at one time, but I’d rather not talk about it. I was stupid then. Next question, please.
Amy: Umm, okay. How did your mom handle the death of your father?
Elizabeth: My mom and I are very different. I tried to pretend things were fine...to resume life as normal. I’m just like that. I’d rather keep everything inside and mask my feelings than face reality. She shut everyone out entirely and got really depressed. She didn’t want to do anything at all except sleep. I can count on one hand the times she spoke to me during the next year. It was almost as if she died right along with my dad. There for a while, I felt like I was the mother and she was the kid.
Amy: What finally snapped her out of her depression?
Elizabeth: It was a move… a move to Kalispell, Montana. I still don’t know why she chose that place. We traded sand for snow and sun for the freezing cold. I was pretty miserable about it at first, but I tried to hide my feelings for Mom. I think she just needed to get away from that house. There were too many memories there…too many things that reminded her of Dad.
Amy: Since your move, some people say you’ve been spending an awful lot of time with a handsome young man. Do you have a boyfriend?
Elizabeth: Sorry to disappoint all you gossipers out there, but no. Contrary to what many people have been saying, there’s no love interest in my life, and least not right now. I’ve been pretty busy since moving to Kalispell, and I don’t have time for a boyfriend. Another thing is that I get the feeling many people around here aren’t what they seem. There have been some strange things going on since our move…very strange, and I’m not just talking about the flirty, redneck cowboys. I’m talking about spooky, giving you nightmares if you can even go to sleep kind of strange. There is this one guy I’ve been spending some time with. I’m sure he’s the guy you’ve heard about. His name is Riel, but I’m still trying to figure out whether he’s part of all this spookiness or not.
Amy: What do you plan on doing with your life after high school?
Elizabeth: Did my mother put you up to asking that question? lol I seriously think she asks me that at least once a day. I honestly don’t know. I haven’t really given it much thought. To tell you the truth, I’m just taking things a day at a time. High school can be a war zone…literally. I’m lucky just to make it through each day alive.
Amy: You seem pretty tough. Are you a girly girl, or a tomboy?
Elizabeth: I like to think I fall somewhere in between. My nails are always painted, and I keep up with the latest fashions, but I could definitely fight evil forces if I needed to… umm, that is, if evil forces actually existed, and I’m not saying that they do, or don’t. I’m just sayin’.
Amy: What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
Elizabeth: My dad used to tell me to be careful because you never know when you entertain angels unaware. For some reason, I’ve not been able to stop thinking about that lately. He was right. You better be careful because you never really know…
