The Legend of Jenni-Anne: An Adventure Squad Novel

By Lloyd Jackson

When Ryan Spenzer and his family moved to the small remote mining town of Round Mountain, he never expected the adventure to follow. After meeting some of the residents, stories start to emerge about a girl who vanished and a mysterious mist that appears on a ridge during the full moon. Following the clues, Ryan and his new friends, Suzette and Alex, are led down a dangerous path that certain members of the community have tried to conceal for many years. Can the newly formed Adventure Squad crack the case, or will they vanish as well? Hang on for the ride of your life as the Adventure Squad tries to solve The Legend of Jenni-Anne.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: May 2, 2017
• ISBN: 9781635682694

Book preview

cover.jpg

The Legend of

Jenni-Anne:

An Adventure Squad Novel

Lloyd Jackson

Copyright © 2017 Lloyd Jackson

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING, INC.

New York, NY

First originally published by Page Publishing, Inc. 2017

ISBN 978-1-63568-268-7 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63568-269-4 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Author’s Note

This book is set in the small town of Round Mountain, Nevada in the early 1980s. This was a time before cell phones and video game consoles even the Internet. I lived there from 1980 to 2001. It truly is a remote desolate place that I miss every day. When I graduated the eighth grade (with twelve other kids), we rode the bus to Tonopah to go to high school sixty miles away. My high school graduating class was consisted of forty-eight people. If you wanted fast food from a chain store, you had to drive at least three hours to the next largest towns. While some of the locations and people are described accurately, some have been changed. The one thing that is absolutely true is the stunning beauty of the whole valley and the kindness of the people. Those two things I miss the most.

Ryan Spenzer awoke in a new world. Just yesterday, it was the rolling green hills and the tall pine trees of Idaho, but now it was steep mountains and the dry brown desert of Nevada. His dad had taken a new mining job several weeks before and had left driving a large moving truck. Ryan, his mom, and little sister Katie stayed behind to pack the last of their belongings.

They had moved to the little Idaho town when Ryan was four years old, and he had made a life there. He was leaving all his friends and everything he had ever known. Now, he would have to start over, be the new kid.

From what his dad had told him, Round Mountain was a ghost town that the mine had revived. This had made Ryan curious. Was it like the old west towns he had seen on TV? Where there any ghosts? Even though he knew he would miss Idaho, a tiny piece of him was looking forward to the new adventure.

They were towing a Haul-all trailer, and it was a slow trip. After crossing the Idaho–Nevada border, the scenery became nondescript; miles and miles of flat dry valleys and dull gray sagebrush. A lot of sagebrush. The only thing that kept Ryan from falling asleep was the occasional wildlife that crossed the road. Mostly rabbits and lizards but on one occasion, he had seen an antelope and another a couple deer.

They finally arrived at their new home sometime after midnight. Ryan could see his dad standing on the deck in front of the house as they pulled into the driveway.

Mom lifted Katie out of her car chair and took her into the house. Ryan walked in bleary eyed, found his room, and was out like a light.

He awoke early, excited to see his new home. He realized he was still dressed in the clothes from the day before, but figured he would shower and change later as everything was still packed, and he didn’t want to open that can of worms yet.

As quietly as he could, Ryan picked up his tennis shoes and crept through the living room to the front door. Everyone was still sleeping, and Ryan didn’t want to wake anyone else. He wanted time to look around on his own.

Now, as Ryan stood on the deck looking to the west, he could see tall jagged mountain far across the treeless valley floor. He could see a couple ranches in the valley, but he couldn’t imagine what they ranched. To the north, it was flat arid desert that abruptly ended at the foot of a huge mountain range. To the south, a dust devil whirled soundlessly in the distance. It picked up an old plastic bag and sent it flying high into the clear blue sky before the mini tornado slowly dissipated.

In this part of town, there were no buildings other than his house and one behind him. This was a new part of Round Mountain. Housing in the old ghost town was almost nonexistent, and the mine had developed this new subdivision, preparing for the influx of people due to the new expansion project. There were power lines strung everywhere, and he could see where the land had been leveled in preparation of the expected growth.

Ryan’s unruly black hair framed a face that was tanning nicely for this early in the year. He had big brown eyes and a frown.

I’m really going to miss Council, Idaho, he said under his breath as he continued to look out over the vast empty desert. All his friends and everything he had known were there. Being sixteen, he understood why they had moved, and he hoped he would adjust to his new surroundings quickly.

Ryan sat down on the steps and put his shoes on. It was a warm morning, and he thought a walk might do him good. He decided to walk up the street toward the only other house in this part of town. It was a two-tone brown double wide trailer set on a corner lot. He thought his dad had told him that the new school headmistress and her family lived there, but he wasn’t sure.

Headmistress, where I come from, they are called principals. What has dad gotten me into? He thought as he walked.

As the road passed the brown double wide home, it dropped sharply to where a large tan stucco building sat. It had a brown roof, and beside it was an all dirt baseball field. This must be the school, he thought. The playground was on opposite side of the building and combination tennis and basketball court was behind it. Across the road that ran in front of the school was the new building the mine had donated that served as the gym. Ryan’s dad had said it was built to encourage miners with families to move to Round Mountain.

This, Ryan realized, was the edge of the old part of town. The school and what looked like a little library were the last buildings before the subdivision where he lived began. Old rundown buildings, junk cars, and used up mining equipment littered the town that was Round Mountain. Other than the junk, Ryan could see the school, a library, and a few old stucco houses. In the distance, there were a few more buildings, but he couldn’t tell what they were. He figured as he continued to explore, he would figure it out.

Ryan sighed and started down the hill. As he passed the baseball field, he looked to his left. In the foothills, he could see some old mines that looked to be abandoned. They could be interesting, maybe I’ll find gold, he mused. Oh well not today, but the idea of adventure had lifted his spirits a little.

As he approached the school, Ryan stopped at the fence to look over the playground. There was an old set of swings, a rusted monkey bar, and a set of two old seesaws that he figured would squall like a wounded cat if anyone were to use them. No grass or shade trees for when the days got hot. Ryan was sinking back into the gloom of his reality when a voice from behind him almost made him leap over the fence.

Ryan turned around, and across the street by the gym, a girl and a boy about his age was walking toward him.

I said who are you? The boy called out.

My name is Ryan, he said, eyeing the two wearily.

Oh, relax, Alex, the girl said smiling slightly. You know there aren’t many kids our age around here, so let’s not get off on the wrong foot. Alex said something under his breath, but only he knew what it was.

She was the most beautiful girl Ryan had ever seen. She had shoulder length blonde hair, big blue eyes, and lightly freckled skin. She was dressed casually, sneakers, blue jeans, and a light blue top. In her hands, she held a basketball.

Do you want to shoot some hoops? she asked with that same smile.

You have me at a disadvantage, Ryan said. You have my name but I still don’t have yours.

I’m Suzette Miller, and he is Alex Christopher, she said pointing to the boy next to her. He looked like a train wreck. Dirty white sneakers, jeans with more holes than fabric, a blue tank top with the words I like cats, they taste like chicken! scrawled across the front. Dark brown hair that was parted in the middle and a face that looked as if it had seen more than its fair share of trouble. With his gruff attitude, Ryan suspected Alex had problems at home.

Well, with that out of the way, I’d love to shoot some hoops, Ryan answered.

They walked through the gate and toward the basketball court.

How long have you lived here, Alex? Ryan asked.

Since I was six.

Does your dad work for the mine?

No, Alex said, my parents and I don’t get along, so I live with my gram now.

Oh, was all Ryan said, then sorry.

It’s cool, Alex said. Gram and I make it work. With that, he jogged ahead toward the basketball court.

Ryan turned to Suzette and quietly said, I hope I didn’t cheese him off too badly.

I don’t think you did, she said, but let’s go before we do.

They walked to the old asphalt court and started to pass the ball around. Suzette turned out to be a better shot than Ryan expected. She could dribble and shoot better than him as well.

What’s your story, Suzette? Ryan asked as he shot the ball which bounced off the rim. Suzette caught it and made a shot.

"My mom is the headmistress for the school and the eighth grade teacher, and my dad is a geologist at the mine. This will be my first year here too.