The jet vibrated with turbulence and aroused me from my quite slumber

The jet vibrated with turbulence and aroused me from my quite slumber. The tiny green marble around my neck glittered in the morning sun, and Castor City felt miles away. The green country of home must have long ago fallen away. The fake happy ladies walked up the isle and disregarded many of the other passengers wanting food.

'They always were bitches.' I thought with a laugh.

I stretched as much as I could from my seat by the window. Damn, did I ever hate airplanes! I hope this is the last time I ever ride on one again. The pilot came to explain the turbulence-thing and we all continued our ride.

'God dang, does everybody have a baby on this plane?'

I pressed my head on the glass and looked out to see the rising sun's rays. This promised to be a long day for me.

- + -

So this is Amity Park. It's so busy. These people need to slow down man. I adjusted the bandana around my flat hair and realized just how bad I looked. I didn't even need eyeliner to look like the panda my mom used to call me. My hair was in a ponytail and I had no doubts that at least one of my tracts was showing, but whatever. I just got off of a plane going from Wyoming to Amity Park; so give me a break here.

I knocked on the door to the Foley household and pulled my jacket closer to me. Who knew this place was so freakin cold? I heard some quiet scurrying and a bit of mumbled shouts, but in good time, the door was opened by some teen in footy pjs. I couldn't suppress the giggles. Hell, I didn't even try. When I looked up the door was closed again. 'Shittttt!' I knocked again, this time hearing his mother give a frightening yell. She opened the door and greeted me with a warm hug.

"Koa, how long has it been baby?" Mrs. Foley, my aunt, said. I smiled politely.

"Almost seven years, I think." I said with a smile. "It's nice to see you again Aunty."

"Oh, Koa, come on in. Tucker!"

Mr. Pj's came barreling down the stairs.

"Yes, ma?"

"Take Koa's stuff upstairs and show her to the guest-IMEAN her new room please." Mrs. Foley said. He picked up two of my five suitcases. I grabbed the rest and followed as he led me upstairs.

"So…" I started

"So…who are you?" I laughed. How very subtle.

"I'm Koala, your cousin, but you probably don't remember me. It's been a good seven years since I've last seen you." I said

"Hey, I remember you! You were the tiny girl in the silver tutu."

"I'm the one!" I said with a laugh. We reached the room and I just kind of sat down with Tucker.

"So, what's the story?" Tucker inquired.

"Long story short, my parental, who has never passed up an opportunity to remind me of the abortion she should have gotten, carved me up like a turkey ham," I paused to show him my scars "so after I got out of the hospital mum got jailed and I got repo-ed here."

"Oh God!" he said, looking at the deep pink scar tissue covering my abdomen. "How did you survive that?"

"You tell me." I said with a forlorn grin.

"What set her off like that?"

"I think it was the surface piercing I got." I pushed my fringe aside to show him my bridge piercing.

"How does it go in?"

"It's just a curved barbell. It slides right in. Doctor's say that my stay at the hospital gave it time to heal up too. Lucky me." I said with a smile. I brushed the tips of my fingers over the circular closure balls at the end of it. (For those of you who don't know what a bridge piercing, it's a curved barbell in between your eyes, or, on the bridge of your nose. Hence the name.)

"My mom just might kill me if I came home with that" He laughed. I gave a dry chuckle.

"Yeah, something like that." Tucker looked away, realizing that something like that probably wasn't the best wording ever…

"Hey, I'm going to head, so night man."

"Jetlag?"

"Fer reallz dude, fer reallz." I said with a yawn. "Night…Mr. Pj's"

"Th-that was a one time thing, ok!"

"Haha, night."

"Night."

The evening was sunny and pleasant. The birds were singing and God did my stomach cramps hurt. I was rolled up in a ball and I don't even know. I guess it locked in pace, but I just did what the doctor told me to do. He said it would anyways. Ugh.

Breathe.

Arch your back.

Breathe.

Straighten your thighs.

Breathe.

Repeat.

Breathe.

Arch your back.

Breathe.

Straighten your thighs.

Breathe.

Ohhh, did it feel good to let the cramps go. I got up and started to unpack all my stuff. First the shirts go into one drawer, then pants, then underwear, then bra's, then TUCKER?!

I quickly tucked it behind my back.

"Uhhh, dinner's ready. We thought you might be ummm, kind of hungry, so…uh…yea. Come down, if you want some."

"Uh, k. I'll be down in a bit." Well then. That totally wasn't one of the most awkward moments of my life. Well, I didn't even bother to change. Who knew jetlag made you pass out like that? God I hate planes.

I made it down the first few steps and noticed that the whole table was covered in meats. Dark, bloody, and sickening. Ever since 'the night' when I saw my intestine and all the tissue around it, I couldn't even look at meat. Experience really leaves nothing to imagination, does it? I almost passed out on the stairs. I walked the rest of the way down and met the family at the table.

"Well hey shuga! How ya been?"

"Fine aunty. Hey, do you have anything…um…green?"

"Oh, we have some soybeans and wheat grass, but that's just Tucker's little friend's ultra-recyclo vegetarian stuff. You need some meat on those bones. Have a steak dear." To tell you the truth, I almost threw up at the mention of steak. The meat-on-your-bones comment didn't help either. I just got up to look for the wheat grass and soybeans. I came back with it and ate quietly. It was probably one of the best things I've tasted since the hospital.

"Koa, your going to go to school with Tucker tomorrow, so make sure your ready in time."

"Yes mamá." The smell of meat was driving me away, so I said my goodnights and went back to bed again.

Tomorrow looked promising.