I grew up in La Push until I was in the middle of 8th grade, which is basically the worst time a person can move. The beginning of the year has passed, and so have the initial 2 years of junior high. Everyone knows one another and tightly knit circles have been formed and solidified. I was the loner for the rest of that year and spent the summer Skyping my best friends from home and watching way too much TV.
We had moved from my childhood home of La Push to the odd and foreign Rural, Alabama. My dad had passed when I was a child and my mom had found a new love in Davis McDaniels, a rich, southern Irish man whose house was built with slave stairways and outside cabins for said slaves to live in, back in the early 1800's.
The town itself was small and filled with gossip. The boys were dirtbags hidden by gentlemanly manners and the girls all wanted to be the next homecoming queen, no matter the cost.
So basically it was the exact opposite of me and my life before we moved, the exact opposite of La Push and what I loved, but mom was happy and we didn't have to worry about money anymore. Plus, Davis was very nice to us all. He was a businessman, one that was in shape and kind, truly and from the bottom of his heart.
Over the years, Davis began to really be apart of the family. He became the father figure that I never had and even gave me my younger siblings, twins, Laina and Jaime.
My name is Ayasha Melody Cameron, and I love living with my family, and I love my family, but its time for me to go home.
"Call me when you get there, make sure your brother has been treating the Lahote's nicely, I love you, be safe!" It almost seems as if my mother has a checklist in her head of things to say to me before I leave. "I'll bring the twins to visit in a few weeks!" she kissed both of my cheeks and I hugged her back.
"I love you too, Mamma. I'll see you soon." Pulling back from the hug, I crouched down and hugged each of the twins separately, ignoring the tears running down my face. "Bye Laina, bye Jame." I kissed their soft foreheads and looked into their matching huge brown eyes. The twins are just scratching 3 years old and it seems so odd in my mind that they are so young, but I'm happy mom is so happy and in love with her life. She saved mine after all.
"Last call for flight 5748 to Seattle, Washington."
"That's me!" I sniffled, picking up my duffle carry-on and hugging my mother once more before turning to board the plane, hurrying to not upset any of the flight crew. My eyes were closed before we even took off and the next thing I knew I was being ushered onto a small plane that would fly me as close to La Push as possible, a water plane that Davis hired. The flight itself was amazing because I sat shotgun, not row 23 seat d, squished next to some overweight man wearing a Hawaiian shirt and a business man whose face suggests that his laptop bag deserves its own seat.
Instead, I got to watch Seattle and the tons of smaller cities and towns work from 10,000 up. The rain held off for once and I was able to watch the activity below with no obstruction.
"The view is always amazing from up here." The pilot's voice startled me from my haze, making me jump slightly. "It's why I decided I wanted to become a pilot." He admitted.
"I can see why, it's gorgeous up here. You seem kind of young to be a pilot." I was nervous for his reaction, I'm not going to lie, but he just shrugged his shoulders and smiled, his dark skin and dark eyes reminding me of home.
"I am, I don't fly for anything but fun, except for now. Your mom and my mom used to be best friends so I volunteered to help out when I heard you were heading back into town." He flashed me a white, gleaming grin and I couldn't help but smile back, as if his smile were an infection.
"Seth Clearwater is that you?" my eyes widened as I recognized the similarities in his face that I had remembered from the Seth Clearwater of my childhood. His eyes were still large and kind, his smile infectious and his laugh bubbly, but he was tall and muscular, big as if he were hit by 10 different growth spurts at once.
"Sure is Asha!" his grin made me smile, but I couldn't help muttering.
"It's Mel."
"What?" Seth's confusion made me realize how much has changed since I left, how much I have changed, even though maybe I didn't want to. I started going by my middle name in Alabama to try and avoid my name being made fun of, I changed who I was so that I would fit in and feel normal. I used the money Davis gave me to be dressed in the latest styles 24/7 and have the latest technology, but it didn't matter. Nothing could really make me happy.
"Nothing." I smiled. I moved home to be happy, that's what I would do.
"Oh okay. Hold on, were almost there." The nose of the plane started to dip and my hands grasped tightly onto the seatbelt.
"Eek!" a small screech escaped my lips and Seth's loud laugh made my tan face redden. My stomach dropped unapologetically as we landed on the water's surface, the landing gear creaking slightly.
"Welcome home Asha." Seth said once the plane had stopped moving. We were sitting on the water as some other people roped us in, people whose faces I couldn't see from my spot on the plane.
"Hey, you can get off now." Seth came over to me and helped me down from the plane. The other people had pulled us in to a sandy area on First Beach, one of my favorite places of the rez.
"Thanks." I mumbled slightly, suddenly nervous.
"Jared is waiting for you at Emily's house; they have a barbeque going in honor of your return." Seth told me, smiling. "I can drive you?" I wasn't sure whether it was a statement or a question, so I just nodded and followed him with my duffle bag on my arm as he tugged my luggage along. We ended up at a beat up SUV, rusty and white on the outside but warm and clean on the inside. I had forgotten the familiar scent of tobacco and old leather that had settled over everything in La Push, but I was pelted with it as soon as I opened the car door.
"Why are you smiling?" Seth asked suddenly. I jumped slightly before smiling wider and responding.
"I just really missed it here." Seth's returning grin was bright and wide as ever as he hopped into the drivers seat and gunned the engine, waiting for me to buckle up before zooming off to "Emily and Sam's", whoever that is.
"Jared really missed you, you know. It was really hard for him to be away from you, and it got a lot worse the past few months, he was just such a nervous wreck." Seth doesn't add a chuckle like I expect, instead he lets out a shaky breath and scratches the back of his head.
"Yea, a lot went down the past few months. But the past should stay in the past, so just move forward." I sent him a forced smile with warning in my eyes. Seth knew, and it's making me nervous who else knows.
"Alright, here we are." The silence was broken as the brakes made a squeak and the engine shut off. Butterflies exploded in my stomach as I opened the door and followed Seth to the house.
"Em?!" Seth called as we walked into the house.
"Kitchen!" a feminine voice called back. Seth's smile appeared and then he led me to a small but welcoming kitchen where a beautiful woman stood waiting for us.
Emily Young is Seth Clearwater's cousin who I had met a few times as a child, but I hadn't seen her since the accident. 3 long, deep scars dragged from her forehead to her ankles on one side of her body, the result of a bear attack a few years back.
"Holy cow, this can't be the same Asha I've grown up with." Her voice was in full disbelief, no mockery to be found.
"Same Asha." I smiled, stepping forward to hug Emily.
"Good to see you, Ash. Jared and the rest of the boys are all outside in the back."
"Thank you!" I shuffled forward to try and keep up with Seth as he walked out the back door to the yard.
"Hey Em, can you grab me-" a voice started, but then the owner of the voice turned and saw Seth and I and shut up. The sudden silence made the rest of the people at the gathering turn around to look at me.
Jared stood almost directly in front of me, but about 100 feet away. He turned last, but I was already starting to shift my feet to move towards him.
"Ayasha." He called my name and then suddenly I was dropping my bags and running to hug my brother again for the first time in years.
"Jared." I hugged him back tightly, tears streaming down my face. Suddenly though, a scent drifted through the air, baked beans. Next thing I knew, I was running for the woods at the side of the yard, bending over to toss the remnants of the morning's scone up.
"Well I guess that answers my next question." Jared smiled. "Baby is doing good."