Kim Blackrock brushed back her long hair and looked in the mirror one last time before packing it away. Today was the day she hopefully got to finally leave and move to La Push, Washington to live with her grandparents.
Her grandparents lived on the reservation her parents couldn't wait to leave.
Kim's mother and father moved across the country, to escape La Push and the suffocating atmosphere they felt. They never married, but Kim was born a few months after they moved, and Anne Blackrock and Thomas Smith swore they would never bring their daughter to the small reservation they used to call home. Anne and Thomas got involved with the wrong people and became addicted to drugs. Anne was addicted to meth and Thomas to heroin. During one of the rare recovery attempts, Kim was conceived and born. Soon after, they relapsed.
Kim made straight A's, and refused to do any less then her best when it came to schoolwork. She wanted to be a teacher, and wanted to make sure she was eligible for all academic scholarships. She dreamed of escaping her parents and planned on using college for an excuse to leave the horrible place she was forced to call home.
Thomas was very controlling and would never allow Kim to cut her hair short. She had long silky coffee colored waves that cascaded down to the middle of her back, which only complemented her wide vibrant green eyes. Her lips were naturally plump, with a constant pink tint. Kim was a tad on the short side, standing at about 5'3, but she had long legs that were kept in shape, connected to her hips and narrow waist giving her a petite bell shaped body. She knew boys noticed her in school, but never paid enough attention to them, preferring to concentrate on her studies. Anne and Thomas had never cared for Kim, and used her obvious beauty to help them with their addiction, often finding dealers who wouldn't mind handing out a free bag or two for a few moments alone with the beautiful Native-American girl.
The one thread of respect her parents kept for her was that none of the men were allowed to actually have sex with her. They would demand oral sex, and weren't afraid to use a weapon to intimidate her. Of course, they were starting to want more, and Kim's father was getting more and more desperate as the old and new dealers were threatening to start refusing the blow jobs in lieu of something more.
While sitting in the attic one night, to escape the memories of the horror she just experienced one to many times, Kim began snooping around her parents boxes in the attic, and found an old telephone directory of her mothers containing an address and phone number under the heading "Mother and Daddy." She hid the book in her room, trying to decide if she should contact them, perhaps the information was wrong, or it was code for something else. Kim held onto the directory and made sure it was hidden the next morning as she went to school, in fear her parents might find it if they went into her room to look for more money for their addiction. After the long night, Kim made the decision to try and contact her grandparents. She knew very little about them, just that her mother's parent's names were Lori and Gary, and her grandfather was a very important man on the reservation.
Arriving home from school later that afternoon, Kim realized it was a rare day that neither of her parents were home. She took the blessing as a sign she needed to call her maternal grandparents.
When Kim called the number she had for her grandparents she was nervous as the phone rang once…. Then twice…. Then a third time….
"Hello, Blackrock residence." A sugary voice spoke.
"Um, yea, Hi! Uh, is, um, Lori or uh, Gary available?" Kim stammered out.
"Yes, this is Lori, May I ask who is calling?"
"Um, yes, my name is Kimberly Marie Blackrock-" Kim began.
"Oh my Lord, Are you Anne's daughter?" Lori choked out.
"Yes-" Kim was cut off again.
"Oh child! I am so happy to hear from you! Is your mother ok? Is she hurt!?" Lori exclaimed. Kim hearing the excitement and joy in her voice,
"Grandmother, I need help." Kim stated quietly.
"Anything you need dear! Are you in trouble?" Lori asked
"No, nothing like that. I need to leave here. Mom and Dad are addicts, they don't care about me. I can't take it anymore! I hate it here! I have to get out, I want to know what La Push is like, I saw a few pictures and it looks beautiful! Kim rambled nervously. "What if she doesn't let me come?" She thought nervously.
"Tell me where the nearest Western Union is, and nearest airport and I there will be money and a ticket waiting." Lori declared. "I've got a pen and pad ready."
Kim burst into tears. "Thank you!" She sobbed "I have enough money I just need a ticket, if you don't mind, Grandmother."
"It's Grammy to you darling, now, tell me where you are!"
"The closest airport would probably be Newark, please, get me out of here soon!"
"Tonight, I'm online now; thank heavens for Emily, convincing Gary to upgrade this internet connection! Alright, how quickly can you be at the airport? There is a direct flight from Newark to Seattle tonight at six," Lori claimed after a few moments of silence. "Is that enough time? It's what? 3:30 there now?"
Kim began to cry again. "Yes, it's plenty of time, I'll pack-"She began to say, before Lori interrupted her.
"Pack only the necessities, we can get anything you need, just get to the airport safely darling."
"Thank you Grammy, you don't know me and you are doing this, thank you so much."
"Please, No thanks are necessary. Your grandfather and I will be waiting for you at the gate. This says on here that you just need some sort of photo ID, that isn't a problem is it?"
"Not at all, I have my school ID, birth certificate and social security card. I'm wearing blue jeans and a blue sweatshirt, I'll have a white and black coat on, with a tan carry on bag."
"Ok I'll be on the look-out! Take down my cell phone number, in case we can not find you. Ready? It's 555-555-1234." Lori said without hesitation.
"Got it Grammy, I'd better get ready, the next train leaves in 20 minutes, which gives me ten to pack. I'll call you again before the plane boards. Is that alright?"
"Anything, we will be there, I promise, I'll see you soon dear, remember, anything you need, we will get, so just pack your favorites! I love you darling." With that, Lori and Kim both hung up their phones, and both wept with joy.
Three hours later, Kim was settled into her seat on the plane. The stewardess had made a round with the dinner tray, and the chicken sandwich looked the most edible. She sipped her Sprite and took small bites of her sandwich until her stomach was satisfied. She pushed the back of her seat down a tad and relaxed, closing her eyes. She thought back to the afternoon, not believing where she was. She left a short note on the refrigerator stating she was done helping them with their addiction, and was going to La Push.
She knew they would be angry, but now felt that she had some support in her corner. After a five minute phone conversation, Kim knew she would be loved. Something in her voice told Kim that Lori is a kind, caring person. She still hadn't spoken with her grandfather and was ecstatic to meet the people she knew existed, but knew barely anything about. She hoped she wasn't going to be a burden, and shuttered a little when she glanced at her ticket and re-read the price of it. It seemed a little much for business class, but Kim swore she would pay her grandparents back the $482 the ticket cost.
Kim closed her eyes and tried to erase the previous 16 years of her life away. She was vowing to start fresh, and begin a new life. She began thinking of all the possibilities of a new life when she drifted off to sleep.
"Attention passengers. This is your captain speaking. I would like to thank you on behalf of myself and the flight crew for flying Continental, and enjoy your time in the Seattle area. We will be landing in approximately 10 minutes, so please fasten your seatbelts and return your seats to the upright position for landing." Came an electronic voice over the loud speaker on the plane.
As the plane began to descend, Kim gulped nervously. There was no turning back now. Her stomach was suddenly consumed with butterflies as she made her way towards the front of the plane. Dozens of thoughts were flying through her head as she walked to the gate. Her eyes nervously scanned the airport looking for something that might look familiar when she heard her name being screamed from behind.
"KIM!" A familiar sweet sounding voice called. "KIM" It yelled again, this time obviously closer. "KIM!" The voice rang out through the airport for a third and final time as the girl in question turned to see a slightly older woman, who seemed to be dragging an older man, rushing to her. Kim's heart swelled and fluttered nervously as she realized she was looking at her grandparents.
Just as she began to open her arms the woman enveloped her in bone-crushing hug and was peppering kisses over her head.
"Lori! Calm down, you are going to scare the poor girl!" The man scolded his wife with a smile on his face. "Kim! I'm your grandfather, Gary Blackrock, this is your grandmother, if you hadn't realized." He continued with a smile on his face. "You are more beautiful then I ever could have imagined, we got the letter your mother wrote to announce your birth, but never could have imagined my granddaughter would look like you!" He said proudly. "Do you have any checked bags?"
"Um, no, I packed a carry on with toiletries and a few changes of clothes. I was very eager to get the airport." Kim said as she gazed down at the pale tan floor of the airport.
"Oh goody, shopping, I know just the girls you could go with, Emily Young and Rachel Black. They are the loveliest girls, and they do have some very attractive young male friends. My word, if I was only a few years younger, they would give your grandfather a run for his money!" Lori cheerfully said as she slipped the tote bag off of Kim's shoulder and handed it to Gary, who simply smiled at his wife a took the bag. "And we must get you registered for school, we could do that tomorrow, first thing in the morning." She continued leading the way to the parking garage.
"Thank you." Kim whispered as they came near a newer model Chevy Tahoe.
"Now, what have I said!?" Lori exclaimed. "No thanks are wanted or required. You have nothing more to worry about. When you are ready to talk, you come to us, until then, no questions will be asked. All we ask of you is have fun, no drugs, and no getting arrested. Deal?"
"Deal." Kim agreed as she got into the backseat of the Tahoe.
"Now you rest your eyes, my dear, and we will wake you when we get to our home." Gary said, slipping the keys in the ignition.
Kim obliged as she settled in against the window, staring out into the darkness, wondering what was going to happen come tomorrow, when reality has finally sunk in.
A/N:
Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING!
Please review, I'd love to know what you think! This was just a starter chapter, I plan on having them be longer, this was just kinda a feeler, please let me know what you think!