| | Chapter #2Background: Settingsby: Seuzz    Saratoga Falls: Metropolitan area in the state of mumble mumble. Population: 65,000. Major employment centers include the Keyserling School of Mining and Technology (an engineering college) and the Fort Suffolk military base.Acheson: A village of 5000, independent of Saratoga Falls but nearly engulfed by its neighbor. This is where Will and his family live.
 Fell's Lake Wilderness lake at the north end of town
 Stewart's Hole: Preserved nature pond with an ornamental Chinese pagoda
 Water Towers: Cluster of utilities east of town. Notoriously dangerous spot with roving youth.
 Saratoga Falls Rock and Gravel: Long-closed business east of town; quarry out back is a hangout for thrill seekers.
 
 Fort Suffolk: A military base with a small contingent. An engineering corps on site secretly does "black technology" research.
 Saratoga Falls Municipal Airport
 Madison Memorial Library: Downtown municipal library
 Saratoga Falls Convention Center
 Morris Clevenger Community Athletic Fields: Soccer, baseball, football fields next to South Creek Park.
 Saratoga Falls Country Club: Members include the Blankenship, Ansell, Kirk, Gardenhire, Mansfield families. Workplace for Gary Chen, Chris Trantham (dishwashers), Martin Gardinhire (waiter).
 Sunset Hills Retirement Village
 St. Michael's Episcopal Church: Prescott family's church
 King's Methodist Church: Oldest Methodist church in town. Looks like a cross between a cathedral and a castle.
 
 Suffolk Wilderness Park: Wilderness preserve near Fort Suffolk.
 South Creek Park: Small park located near Stewart's Hole
 Hochstetter Park: Small, dangerous park in a bad part of town
 
 Westside High School: Will's high school, one of two serving Saratoga Falls and Acheson.
 Eastman High School: The other high school in Saratoga Falls/Acheson
 Agape Christian Academy: Christian school
 Keyserling School of Mining and Technology: A land-grant college that has evolved into a major engineering college, closely associated with Fort Suffolk.
 Schuyler Middle School: Robert Prescott's school
 James K. Polk Elementary School
 William McKinley Elementary School
 Thomas Jefferson Elementary School
 Acheson Elementary School: Abandoned elementary school some blocks from Will's house. He has a padlock on the basement (reachable through an outside door). Part of the school has been turned into a recreational center.
 Coolidge High School: School in another, undetermined city.
 
 Northgate Mall: Large retail center
 Northgate Place: Giant strip center adjacent to the mall
 The Shoppes at Fell's Lake: High-end retail shops
 Redway Plaza: Located across the street from Eastman High
 Hoover Shopping Center: Run-down shopping center next to the Walmart
 100 Twentieth Street: Six-story commercial residential building across from the university. Houses luxury apartments, Arnholms, The Crystal Cave, and Arundel Jewelers.
 Appalachian Square
 Carriage Hills Shopping Center
 South Creek Shopping Center
 Mellon Village Shopping Center
 
 Silver Cineplex: Movie theater adjacent to the mall. Alec Brown works there.
 Palace Theater: Former movie theater, since repurposed as a community theater.
 Monte Viso's: Mini golf / go-cart race track / retro-arcade. Popular for date nights. Commonly referred to as just “the Montie”.
 The Warehouse: Dangerous, popular night spot. High-schoolers only can attend; run secretly by Karol Mathis, managed by kids themselves.
 Legends: Upscale dance club, the haunt of the rich and respectable teen set.
 Vaqueros: Mexican-themed dance club.
 Two of Clubs: Dance club, with separate rooms for over and under 18.
 The EndZone: Dance club near college campus. Aka, "The FriendZone" for its bright, plastic atmosphere and lack of real sex appeal.
 State Theater: Old movie theater, long abandoned.
 
 Salopak Aerospace: Small engineering company that employs Will's father and Sean Mitchell.
 Proteus Technologies: High-tech firm with ties to Fane. Owned by Jonathan Straussler's father
 Blankenship Motors
 Ansell Auto Alliance
 Brampton & Wolf Law Offices
 
 Layzee-Nites Motel: Cheap motel
 Donna Motor Court: Cheap motel, surreptitiously rents by the hour; owned by Kim Walsh's dad.
 Executive Inn: Long-closed motel near the municipal airport.
 
 Wal-mart
 Nirdlinger's: Oldest and most prestigious department store in town.
 Larsen's Department Store: Located at Northgate Mall
 Feldman's Clothiers: Located at Northgate Mall
 Silberman Jewelers: Located at Fell's Lake
 Chesterbrook Clothiers: Located at Fell's Lake
 Anbrog: Shoe shop. Located at Fell's Lake
 Eve: Makeup shot. Located at Fell's Lake
 Dollar Save: Generic run of the mill dollar store located near Eastman High.
 Second Pickins: Vintage clothier, located downtown
 Thrifty Nifties: Vintage clothing at Northgate Plaza. Cassie Harper works there
 Supreme Furniture & Mattresses: Old-line, locally owned store
 Argosy Furniture: Second-hand furniture shop, owned by Stephanie Wyatt's father. Large online presence with worldwide shipping and buying.
 Top S(h)elf Storage: Storage units, owned by Carlos Montoya's uncle. He has a weight room and video studio in two of the AC-cooled units
 Arnholm's Used Books: Large used-book store. Will finds the BoM there.
 Level Cap: Video game retail store in an old Blockbuster storefront.
 King Kong Comics: Eric Kim's place. Christian Knouse's hangout.
 Ginormous Robot Comics: Located at Redway Plaza
 Tempting Fates: Fortuneteller in Hoover Shopping Center. Owner is actually Will's aunt.
 Michael's Hobby and Craft: Located at South Creek
 CVS Drug: Located in Mellon Village
 White Fang Outdoor Equipment: Large shop for hunting, hiking, camping equipment
 Steel 24-Hour Gym
 Saratoga Falls Tae Kwon Do
 Knobb's Hardware
 Ace Hardware
 
 Ristorante Locarno: Most expensive restaurant in town. Heather Varnsworth is a waitress-manager.
 Le Metropolitain: Second-most expensive restaurant in town. Located at Fells' Lake
 Besandwiched: Occult-themed restaurant
 Panda Garden Chinese Buffet: Owned by Gary Chen's uncle and aunt (Lee and Sue Jiang)
 Ben's BBQ: Restaurant. Home of the "Stick to Your Ribs Platter". Owned by Karol Mathis, local gangster
 Ray's BBQ: Beloved barbecue shack located near Sutton Wilderness on edge of town.
 Osaka - A casual and tiny Japanese restaurant. Popular at lunch.
 Arriba Mexican Cantina: Located at Northgate Mall
 La Cocina Cantina and Restaurant:
 Balducci's Pizza: Famous, high-end pizza
 Cluck-for-a-Buck Chicken-to-Go: Located at Redway Plaza
 Taco Famoso: Fast-food Mexican. Infamously awful
 The Smilin' Marlin: Seafood restaurant
 The Coldest Cut: Delicatessen located in Northgate Place
 Milagro Beanfield Warehouse: Coffee shop.
 The Koffee Kauldron: Coffee shop.
 The Crystal Cave: Coffee shop, located in the same building as Arnholm's.
 The Flying Saucer: Coffee shop
 Dunn Brewin': Coffee shop located on Keyserling campus
 Cafe Oro; Coffee shop. Located at Fell's Lake
 Paris Baguette: Located at Redway Plaza
 La Patisserie: Bakery and restaurant. Located at Fell's Lake
 Cherry Brook Breads and Cakes: Long-established bakery, supplies baked goods to restaurants as well as consumers.
 Don's Donuts: Donut shop. Keith works there.
 Salvation Donuts: Donut shop. Owned by the family that operates Agape Christian Academy. Located at Mellon Village
 Very-Berry Frozen Yogurt: Next to the theater. Open late and a common post-movie hangout.
 Alamo Freeze/Dairy Queen: Hybrid store combining a DQ and an upscale ice creamery.
 Thai Won On: Thai restaurant located in Hoover Shopping Center
 The Estate: Bar/music venue close to the college
 IHOP
 Panera
 Starbucks (2)
 McDonald's
 Carl's Jr.
 Five Guys Hamburgers
 
 Eagle Foods: Locally owned food store. Managed by Steve Patterson's father.
 Canopies Food Store: Locally owned organic/health/alternative food mart
 AAA Liquor and Wines: Staff known to overlook even obviously fake IDs.
 
 Crane's Pointe Apartments: Cheap, rundown apartment complex.
 Lexington Park: Cheap trailer park.
 Keyserling Presidential Suites: Luxury apartments, located across from the university. In same building as Arnholms and the Crystal Cave.
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