The truth is that Paul had always had a secret crush on Daphne. Which was
weird. Did they have things in common? Yes, they were both incredibly stubborn when it
came to something that they felt strongly about, (only Daphne would be more, 'No! You
can't cheat, it's wrong,' and Paul would be more, 'Hey kid, give me your lunch money,
now.') They both did not take being offended lightly. (Although Daphne would verbally
confront her antagonist and talk the problem out. And Paul would physically confront
who ever was bugging him and beat the crap out of them.) And they both shared a
common interest in school. Daphne was a straight A, all AP* student who was in
advanced Latin, and volunteered at shelters, hospitals, and churches. (And on top of
that she practiced Tai Chi.) While Paul, Paul enjoyed almost daily invitations to the
office. He was very popular, all of the teachers knew who he was. And they even named
a new type of wedgy after him.
But the chances of the two, of seeming different species, ever clicking, was
highly improbable.
Daphne was smart and knew what she wanted to do with her life. It was because
of her brains and her ability to stand out that got her selected to go abroad to Oxford in
England for one year on a scholarship.
When this opportunity came, she jumped at it. Daphne was excited to break from
the repetitive cycle that governed La Push and Forks and start something new. And
since it was a really small town, practically microscopic, word traveled really fast. So,
within a week everyone knew what was happening. Paul heard about this and
pretended not to notice, even though he was a little downhearted. He decided that he
would just have to forget about her. He thought that this would be easy, after all, his
emotions ran about as deep as a puddle. Anger was what tipped his yin and yang.
But, the law of the yin and the yang must be obeyed. Eventually Paul would have
to face the music, while Daphne set out to compose it.
BEGINNING
Daphne looked out of her window into the deep night sky. She couldn't see the
stars, which meant that it was cloudy. Not wanting to sleep on the plane, Daphne stayed
awake watching movies and reading.
But, no matter what she did, memories of her incredible adventure came
crashing down on her and it seemed impossible to expel them.
Memories of her England, all of the friends that she made, and the pubs, the
sweet shops, the cool morning mist that fogged the streets. Her little school flat she
shared with thirty-two other teenagers and some eight adults who served as teachers
and chaperones. All of the things that she couldn't find in her own world. That's
what it seemed like to her, two different worlds.
One thing that was not going to be different was the weather, because it rained
more in La Push than in England.
'Ding, ding,' "Ladies and gentlemen, we are preparing to our descent please
begin to pack up your belongings and fasten your seat belt." The pilot announced over
the intercom.
Daphne buckled her seat belt and began to collect her book as one of the flight
attendants were walking up the isle. She stopped at Daphne.
"Daphne?" She looked down at Daphne with a pleasant face, "Oh, Daphne!
Do...do you remember me? Miss. Lahote, Paul's mom." She hinted.
"Oh yes Miss. Lahote, how have you been?" Daphne had known Miss. Lahote
since she was ten years old. She had helped Daphne's mom bake five dozen cupcakes
for a school function and they had been friends ever since.
"Fine, just fine. Well, there was the divorce, but other than that good." She knelt
down next to Daphne's chair.
"Aw, I'm so sorry." She sympathized.
Miss. Lahote nodded but brushed it aside. "Anyway, how was England?"
"Oh, it was amazing..." She was interrupted by the pilot making another
announcement.
"Flight attendants, please prepare for landing."
"That's good." Miss. Lahote said eagerly. "I've got to go but you're going to have
to tell me all about it sometime."
"Definitely, I look forward to it." Miss. Lahote walked back over to the galley and
sat down on the jump seat. Daphne put the video screen back into place, raised her
chair back up, and folded her blanket. At last she felt the plane decline.
Daphne found her bags that she checked in the bag claim area. There
were other planes that landed around a similar time so the checked bags from the other
planes were mingled in with ones from hers. She got her suit case. It was red with
brown zippers and weighed a ton due to it's aluminum frame and it's interior being filled
to an over flowing extend. With the large suit case in one hand, another suit case of a
smaller mass but similar color in the other hand and a tote bag over her shoulder,
Daphne headed to arrivals.
Many people were waiting for someone, a loved one, a friend, a client, whatever
the case was, Daphne was touched by this. People coming all the way up to the airport
just to ensure a welcomed return, it was sweet. But as her eyes swept through the
crowd she failed to locate her mom.
"Daphne!" Her mom called from behind the pack of people. She snapped her
head toward the familiar voice and saw her mom, her older sister, Emma, and her best
friend, Rachel standing on top of the base of a pillar. The base gave them an extra foot
so Daphne could see their heads popping out from everyone else's. All that she could
do was laugh as she read the large sign that Rachel held up saying, 'Welcome Home,'
in large florescent colors.
A great smile spread across her face as she ran towards them. She crunched up
and slid under the crowd control belt while still holding her luggage. People parted for
her, not wanting to get rammed into by a five foot three girl running at full speed.
Daphne dropped her suit cases and leaped into the air, her family and her all but
attacked each other as they came into an embrace.
Golden tears of pure love and happiness wetted mom's face as they rolled down
her rosy warm cheeks. Instead of individually embracing in a hug, they all cocooned
Daphne, holding her in a hug that was long over due. And as mother, sibling, and friend
held tight to a prolonged reunion the world went on quietly without them, leaving them in
their few moments of joy.
"We missed you so much." Rachel broke the silence.
"You are never leaving home again." Mom said. Daphne laughed, knowing that
she was joking, because she couldn't stay here, and her mom knew that, too.
"I missed you guys, too." Daphne tightened her grip on everyone, giving a last
squeeze and letting go. Mom let out a breath and laughed, she wiped the tears from her
cheeks. Rachel picked up her poster that she had dropped, and Daphne retrieved her
suit cases that she had also dropped.
They left before more people rushed out of the claims area and swamped the
room. As they headed out of the door, tiny rain droplets were dropped from the sky. 'Oh
Forks,' Daphne thought, 'you never change.'
The car ride was all of forty-five minutes. In these forty-five minutes, it was
nonstop talking.
"So, how was it? Oh my gosh, tell me everything! Where did you go? Were
there cute boys? Did you make a lot of friends?" Rachel fired out one question after
another.
"Ok, ok, one question at a time, please. Yes, there were a lot of cute guys. I'm
guessing that was your main concern."
"Oh, you know me so well." Rachel scrunched her nose and made a funny face
that caused Daphne to laugh. She then yawned.
"You must be tired sweetie." Mom looked into the vanity mirror and saw Daphne
yawn and smiled. She missed Daphne's yawns. The way here face looked all worn after
doing hours of tedious homework. While that was one of her least favorite faces that
Daphne wore all to regularly, she missed it.
"Yes, five hour time difference really takes its toll." she said running her fingers
through her layered light mahogany chestnut hair that reached to the bottom of her
shoulders.
"Well, once we get home leave your big suit cases down stairs and go straight to
bed. Ok? Well take care of them tomorrow morning."
They turned off of the freeway and onto the road the lead to a twenty minute ride
home. The trees had started to border the roads when they first started driving, but
those trees didn't belong to Forks, or Daphne's memory. The evergreens that she saw
now were the trees that she was familiar with. They gave her a feeling of, for lack of a
better word, home. The roads, cracked with age, were Forks'. As the first break in the
trees came, so did the first house, and a sign; 'Welcome to Forks.' But to Daphne it
read, welcome home.
Although, she didn't actually live in Forks, she lived right on the border between
Forks and La Push. The school board decided that she would attend La Push High
School. Its student population was smaller than that of Forks High School, and that was
saying something.
The drive through Forks was only ten minutes. Those ten minutes rejoined her
with the town that she called home. Despite the darkness, some people were still out.
She saw Mr. and Mrs. Square, a couple that had married young and had been fighting
ever since. They were leaving the drug store. Then Mr. Matty, he was, as usual, exiting
a bar and puking up what ever it was that he just consumed.
Then their was a sign that said, 'Welcome to La Push.' The border between La
Push and Forks was not a straight line, more a curve. They had to drive through a part
of the town to get to their house. Once again, a few town members where out. Mr.
Longwood, the local fisherman, who, well, fished, was around fifty, with a gray beard
that sprouted out of his lower face and long gray hair that matched and a tan
complexion.
Miss. Fex, was going into the grocery store. Also with a tan complexion, she had
long dark hair. In her late thirties, she was divorced.
It was normal to be tan here, seeing as typically everyone was Native American.
Then there were the local boys she saw walking towards the woods. There were
about five of them. They were all incredibly tall, like, six foot would be the minimum. A
deep tan covered all of their bodies. They bore a similar hair style, black hair with the
cut somewhere between cropped and spiked. Daphne couldn't see their faces because
they were facing away from the car.
"Gosh, how tall can you get?" Daphne opened her eyes wide with shock.
"I know, right?" Emma said.
"When did that happen?" Daphne asked, still looking at them.
"Different times for each. But one day the just disappeared then they came back
like... that." She motioned to the boys.
"What do you mean?" Daphne didn't understand what she meant.
"One day they, like... just didn't go to school," Rachel paused, "and no one saw
them for a while. When they came back, they looked like that." Once again motioning
towards them. Everyone in the town was used to it, so when the subject came up, they
just brushed it aside. That's what the locals encouraged, but some of the teenagers
rumored about it.
"When did it start?" Daphne's brow crunched in thought and confusion.
"A couple of months ago." Emma answered, "Any way, they stick together and
keep to themselves so..."
"Yeah, you won't get much out of them." Rachel finished.
Daphne quietly computed the information she was just given.
"Oh Daphne," her mom interrupted her thought, " Dad says 'Welcome Home' and
he sends his love. He'll be back before Christmas and he's sorry he couldn't be here."
Mom started to pay attentive attention to the road as it began to get ruff.
"Where is he again?" Daphne had lost track.
"Machu Piccu." Emma answered.
"Well, at least he's coming home soon." Daphne got all of her travel inspiration
from her dad since he traveled so much. That was his job, he would go to different
locations, compile information and write articles based on said information and opinions
from himself and colleagues.
Daphne would always convey her excitement for him, but she never admitted just
how much she missed him when he was gone.
UNPACKING
Daphne left her giant red suit cases down stairs and brought her tote bag
upstairs into her room. She lay it on the floor next to the black quilt covered bed. It was
filled to capacity with books that she had bought in England; books on history, and
romance, literature and fiction. It also contained her electronics, a laptop, an ipod, and a
camera.
The camera had also been filled completely. Thousands of pictures held the
memory of the camera and of Daphne's past year on earth.
Exhausted, she sat on the bed with her legs criss-cross. She looked over at the
clock, it read 9:47, which was about 2:47 in England. As tired as she was, her legs
managed to straighten and took her to her little bathroom. Her bathroom had four black
walls, and decorating these walls where golden stars. Each star was placed on the wall
in honor of a person that Daphne felt made some good substantial change in the world
or to her. There where fifty-two stars on her walls. She put them there because they all
inspired her. Every time she walked into her bathroom Daphne looked at one and
thought of that person and what they did. And what she would do.
Her arms managed to find the drawers which held the toothpaste and they got a
new toothbrush. After she brushed she walked back into her room.
And then it hit her, she was home. She was back in the bedroom that she hadn't
been in in a year. The bed, the lamp, the cabinet, they were her own. Quiet whispers
from distant memories shared in that very room welcomed her back. Despite her
exhaustion the realization hit her that one chapter of her life was officially and
irrevocably over.
To avoid crying, Daphne walked back over to her bed, leaned down and
unzipped her tote bag, she reached in and grabbed her camera. Turning it on, she
looked at the photos of her friends and places she had been. These pictures held her
intangible memories. After looking at the pictures for a little while, she became tired and
just wanted to go to bed.
Daphne turned off her camera and climbed into bed. Sinking into bed, sleep took
her, filling her restless body and mind with relief.
