Prolog
Describe the color red. I have never seen red, or any color for that matter, but I can feel it. Right now red is seeping through my fingers, taking my life with it. So tell me, what does red look like?
Chapter 1
"We have reached our destination of Seattle Air tack. I hope you enjoyed your time on Northwestern Airlines," the captain says over the loudspeakers as the plane comes to a stop on the runway.
I can hear a rapid clicking of heels moving toward me. 3, 2, 1… "Alright honey, once the plane is taxied in you need to stay here, in your seat, and wait for me to come and get you," the stewardess tells me. It's as if she's talking to a 7 year old not the 17 year old that I am.
"That's alright, I'll be fine getting off on my own," I say as kindly as I can.
"No, I insist on helping you. Someone with your condition should never be left alone, especially when you don't know where you are!" At this I need to take a few calming breaths before I can even think straight.
I realize I'll never get her to leave me alone so I just agree to let her help me. Throughout the entire flight the same stewardess kept pestering me because of my "disability". It's like I'm a baby again and can't do anything by myself without getting hurt. I've lived with my "disability" since I was born; I think that by now I can take care of myself.
My name is Treska Peplinski, but everyone calls me Casper, and I am blind. My two older brothers, Tomeck and Terack, are twins. They live in Wyncote, Wisconsin, which is where I'm coming from. I'm moving from my brothers to my father, Sven. He lives in the town of Friendship in Washington.
Friendship is a very small town and is right near the ocean. It is almost constantly foggy (or so I'm told), raining, or snowing but I don't mind, coming from a small town in Wisconsin myself, I'm pretty used to those conditions and worse.
Anyway, it seems that because I'm blind I am incapable of doing anything without a babysitter. I have always been blind so not knowing what an airplane looks like doesn't really bother me. Although it does seem to bother other people, my family treats me like they would any other person. I have a German Sheppard for a guild dog named Lech. It's hard but I admit that I do feel a little vulnerable not having him around. Since he couldn't ride with me we had to send him to Dad a few days ago, they should both be here to pick me up if this crazy lady would just let me leave the plane.
She insists I hold her hand and walking very slowly. She also narrates the entire journey from plane to airport. I know that this woman told me her name, many times in fact, but it's just so bland I didn't commit it to memory so I start trying to think of it now to get my mind off the "babysitting". Was it Jessica? No. Janet? That's not right either. Jane! That's it, her name is Jane! Now I have a name to put with the plans of injury against the stewardess.
We finally walk onto hard, tiled floors and Jane asks me if I know what my luggage looks like. As soon as the words are out of her mouth she starts apologizing for being so "thoughtless to my feelings".
"I only have one bag that needs to be claimed and it has my name embroidered on it in light blue. I have everything else with me from my carry on," I tell her while gesturing to the backpack I have on.
"Alright," Jane says slowly.
She then proceeds to "lead" me to a bench and tells me to stay put until she gets back with my bag.
Right in the middle of devising my plan of tripping Jane down a flight of stairs I hear something familiar. It's faint, but my sensitive ears can pick up that sound from a mile away, the soft clicking of claws on the floor. The no nonsense gate tells me exactly who it is, Lech. The matching tread that is following can only belong to my father. That clicking continuously gets louder and louder until I feel two paws hop onto my lap and a hot tongue lick my face.
"Hey Dad, are you as excited to see me as Lech?" I ask to no where in particular.
"I still have no idea how you do that," Dad tells me but I know he is used to it by now.
"A ninja may never reveal her secrets," I joke as I mock bow while still trying to contain my loving dog.
I think Dad was going to say something but my soon to be victim interrupts.
"Who are you and why are you allowing that animal attack a defenseless girl?!" Jane scolds my father as she tries to force Lech off me.
Dad just chuckles and explains that I am his daughter and the furry thing on me is my guild dog. Jane gets immediately flustered and apologizes profusely, hoping the man in front of her isn't angry.
"Thank you for looking after my daughter but we really should be going now," I hear as my dog finally stops sniffing me and, as my brothers would put it, "checking for injuries".
Dad touches my shoulder so I stand up and offer my arm to him. My father is very old fashioned and keeps to Polish tradition as often as he can so, in public at least, I am treated like a lady and he my escort. Dad places my arm around his elbow and I grab the German Sheppard's collar with my free hand. My escort picks up my bag and we walk away.
"So... was the flight here as much fun as that?"
I just drop my head and make an annoyed grunting sound in reply.
"That's what I thought," he says in a smiling voice.
Once we reach the car he puts my bag in the backseat then opens the door for me. Lech, having missed me so much, decides he wants to sit on my lap the whole hour and a half long drive to Friendship.
The ride is mostly quiet except for music and a few comments now and then. Dad has always had a lot of pride in being Polish so when our family talks to each other it is usually in Polish. I always translate it to English in my head; it makes it easier to transition back and forth between the languages.
"I have to stop by the station quick and pick up a few things before we head home. You should come in too, the guys have been itching to see you again," Dad says in Polish.
He is the chief at the fire station in Friendship so all the fire fighters are like my uncles and way too over protective for their own good.
"Sounds fun."
I feel the car stop and hear Dad get out of his side. We must be there so I get even more excited about seeing my extended family again. As soon as my door is opened the fur ball on my lap jumps out and I follow as quickly as I can.
Dad and Lech lead me to what I assume is the front door then I feel my father's hands cover my eyes.
"What are you doing?" I ask, honestly confused.
"No peeking, I have a surprise for you."