"Look at them," Rebecca said as she stared at a group of girls that were surrounded by boys near a bonfire.
It was a pleasant evening outside and all the teenagers from the Quileute Tribal School were out on the beach. Someone had brought wood to make a fire and the kids were either sitting around it, or making their way into the water. Rebecca was sitting on the sand near Rachel, her twin sister.
Rachel glanced at the girls and quickly turned her face away from the the group as if staring at them would cause her father to appear and reprimand her. Most of them were sitting in the laps of boys and others were rubbing on the boys' thighs. These girls wore their thick, long jet black hair loose and wild. They had rings in their noses, ears, and belly buttons and heavy makeup on their faces.
Rebecca and Rachel's father, a member of the Tribal Council, forbid them from behaving like many of the girls from the reservation . He expected his daughters to wear their hair in a braid down their backs, their faces had to be clean, and their clothes always had to be loose and long. These girls, however, went against tribal ways by wearing stylish clothes that Rachel often saw advertised on TV. Short skirts, tight fitting denim jeans, and many other showing ways of dress.
All of Rebecca and Rachel's clothes came from their older cousin's, who had bought the clothes from various second hand stores in the 70's. Even though Rebecca and Rachel wore handmedowns and dressed neutral, their physical beauty could not be covered up. The twins longed for the day when they would be able to wear the clothes that the other girls from the tribe wore. Especially Rebecca. It was not that she wanted to defy her father, but she did want more freedom.
Letting the twins go to First Beach had been like pulling teeth from him. He normally did not allow them to go anywhere without their little brother, Jacob. The twins were expected to take care of him, their father, and the household. Rachel didn't mind being the person that had to take care of the house, because she knew that her father needed her since their mother was gone. However, Rebecca missed the days when she was younger, when she was required to work along side her mother...not be a mother.
Rebecca stood up and dusted the sand off her shorts. She pulled her sister up to stand with her and said,"Come on, Rachel. I am tired of just sitting around the house all the time. This is our chance to have fun!"
Rebecca began to quickly undue Rachel's braid. Then she undid her own braid. The gentle breeze blew strands of their hair around their faces. As Rebecca stared at her sister, she knew that she was looking at her own image. What she saw was different. A girl of courage. A girl that no longer was bound to her father's rules.
Rebecca looked over toward the water. A group of boys with intricate markings up and down their shoulders and legs stood with boards underneath their arms. Rebecca could tell that they weren't apart of her tribe, although many of them had the same smooth and tan skin of her people. She began to walk toward them and her sister followed hesitantly behind her.
When Rebecca and Rachel got down to the water, they could see a boy riding a wave on a board. They and the rest of the boys watched him as he surfed. The boy on the board came towards the shore, and he and his board stopped directly at Rebecca's feet.
Rebecca looked down at him. She knew he wasn't from any other tribe in the area, because his eyes were slanted differently, his skin darker, and his hair was very curly. Despite this, Rebecca felt like wherever he had come from, she wanted to go back with him.
"Can I try?" Rebecca asked.