Disclaimer: SM owns everything you recognize. I only own my OCs.
Maria's POV
Silence.
Clink. Clink.
Silence.
Slurp.
Silence.
Cough.
Silence.
It was a deafening silence. Only an occasional clink of a fork against a plate to disrupt it. The men were all shoveling food into their mouths. The girls chewed pieces small enough for a child. Watching the men-Chris included- made me want to vomit. I turned to look at the girls who ate with such poise I was stricken with envy. Glancing down I saw that I had barely made an impact in my helping of lasagna.
Clink. Clink.
Silence.
I couldn't stand the silence. I was starting to feel claustrophobic. It was suffocating, wrapping its inanimate hands around my neck, slowly squeezing. I had to break its hold. Sever the cord. Get out.
It didn't take a genius to realize that nobody was going to be talking soon. I looked at Melissa screaming Help! telepathically. Nothing. She only looked up from her plate to stare at Seth. Sweet but not helpful.
No one's going to crack. Note to self: never play the silent game with Melissa's friends. I guess if I want something done I'm going to have to do it myself.
"So…" Everyone's eyes snapped into my direction, I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks.
Small talk isn't my forte, and it's a hell of a lot harder to do with 14 eyes staring in my direction. My first impulse was to ask about the weather, but that's about as cliché as it gets. Maybe if don't say anything they will all think that they imagined it. Because 7 people often times imagine hearing the same thing at the same time.
"I need my inhaler." I finally blurted. Chris tossed me the rental keys. I quickly stood, knocking my chair over in the process. Nobody said a word as I rushed out of the dining room.
When I opened the front door my nostrils where assaulted with the smell of the ocean. A cool breeze blew my dress around, causing goosebumps on my arms. I shut the front door and walked briskly to the car.
I went for my purse sitting on the front seat, digging around for the pack of Marlboro and lighter. Earlier I had made Chris stop at a gas station since the TSA had confiscated my lighter back in Hawaii. After lighting my cigarette I threw the rest of the pack in the car and shut the door.
Inhaling deeply I closed my eyes and leaned against the car. I tilted my head back and blew a smoke ring, laughing at the calming effect. After a few more drags I started to cough, like always. It's an awful thing, having asthma and being addicted to cigarettes. When the coughing subsided I proceeded to inhale the deadly sticks.
"You know smoking is bad for you. Right?" I opened my eyes to see a tan girl, thirteen or fourteen, frowning at me.
I shook my head, "Must've missed the Surgeon General's Warning."
The young girl sighed, giving me a disapproving look. "You know my grandfather died from lung cancer." I took another drag.
"No I didn't know." I said, my hand with the cigarette rested near my side.
"Well he did." She said matter-of-factly. I let the cigarette slip from between my fingers, like a torpedo headed towards Earth. I raised my foot, smashing the cigarette beneath my shoe. I removed my shoe from the smushed mess, satisfied that it was no longer lite, I raised my head. The girl had a smug smile on her face as though her story was the reason I put my cig out, not the fact that it was freezing out.
"My grandfather would be honored to know that he helped someone quit." I was right. I didn't want to hurt her feeling by telling her that I didn't quit, I had just finished my cigarette. She looked at me expectantly waiting for a reply. Instead of giving her a verbal response, I nodded my head ever so slightly. This seemed to work for her because she jumped onto her first of a series of nosy questions.
"So where are you from?" Did she mean where did I grow up? Where do I live now? Where was I born? Or the literal,' from my mother's vagina' answer? "Like, where were you born?" she clarified.
"Oh, uh. Ohio, I think?"
"What do you mean 'you think'?"
"I moved around a lot." She seemed pleased enough with my answer, nodding she minded me of a bobble-head.
"So you're Irish?"
"Italian."
"But you're a ginger!" I knit my brows together. "Ohmigod!" she exclaimed. "You are color blind!"
"Huh? No. I'm not color blind! I know I have red hair."
"Then are you stu-pid?" Jeez. This girl's mouth has no filter.
"Pardon?"
"Are. You. Stu-pid?" She asked drawing out 'stupid'.
"No, I'm not stu-pid."
"Well you must be if you think you are Italian." I rolled my eyes.
"I lived in Italy until I turned 11."
"So your ginger parents moved you there?" Damn, this girl is nosy.
"No."
"So you were sent to a boarding school."
"No."
"To live with an aunt."
"No."
"A family friend."
"No."
"Parents divorced?"
"No."
"Adopted?"
"Bingo."
"Mom was a model."
"No."
"Dad was a model?"
"No."
"Dad got a ne- wait! You were adopted?" The girl had been so into interrogating me she hadn't realized that she had already gotten her answer. Note to self: never hire this girl as a cop.
"Yeah. It's not that big of a deal." She was acting like I just told her I was born with 11 toes.
"Not that big of a deal! Are you crazy? It's a huge deal!" She stretched her arms out to emphasize 'huge'.
"No. It's really not."
"You act like you don't want to talk about it." Bingo. This girl is smarter then she looks.
"Yeah, well my friend is probably getting worried; I've been out here awhile."
"So you're friends with Melissa?" Nosy. Nosy. Nosy. She's just a little girl. I reminded myself.
"Yeah. You know her?"
Nodding, "Yes, she's my aunt."
"That's cool." She nodded once more. "Well, I'm going to go inside now. Uh…bye?"
"Okay. Bye!" She waved her hand, then started to trek down the drive way. Her head hung low as she kicked a rock in front of her.
"Are you okay?" The words flew out of my mouth before I could even stop them. She turned around to face me at lightning speed.
"Well, now that you've asked-" I was really starting to regret my question. "-well, that's really a nosy question. Don't you think?" My jaw dropped. She thought that my question was nosy? And what, hers were 'just-getting-to-know-you' questions?
She gave a slight laugh and shook her head. She turned around a starting her walk again, kicking a different rock than before. She called over her shoulder "Bye!"
I watched her walk and kick that rock until she turned a corner, disappearing from sight. It was now my turn to shake my head. Taking a final deep breath of cool air, I headed back inside.
"Feeling better?" Melissa asked me when I entered the dining room.
Nodding, "Yeah. I can breathe now."
"That's good." She gave a soft smile, "I had to threaten the boys to keep them from eating your food. I raised an eyebrow.
"Oh really?"
"Really." I sat back down and began to eat my food again. I could feel eyes burning my skin, I glanced up and saw once again, 7 pairs of eyes staring back at me.
"You know it's really hard to eat when everyone's staring."
"Sorry Maria." Seth chuckled.
Their eyes still stared.
Help! I screamed telepathically at Melissa again. This time she got the message.
"So, Chris, are you still in the military." Their eyes traveled to my brother.
"Uh, yeah. Why?"
"What branch?" Asked the man who was sitting next to a woman with scars running down her face.
Thank you. Receiving the message again, Melissa nodded.
Eating after that was a much easier task. People were making small talk and I was luckily kept out of it. I was able to finish my food in no time at all. When I finished, Melissa announced that there would be dessert.
"Finally!" Seth and another guy cried.
"But first-" they groaned "-I need help clearing the table." I stood and began grabbing plates. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! You stop right there missy!" I froze. "You are my guest and guest don't have to help."
I snorted. "Bullshit!"
"Pardon?" She asked putting her hands on her hips.
Seth started to mouth 'Don't do it! Stop!" Flailing his arms around, looking like he needed a straitjacket.
"Momma bear you don't scare me. I'm helping clear the table." She narrowed her eyes, to which I responded with a glare of my own.
"Fine!" She snapped. I grinned triumphantly.
"Thank you!" I said in a sing-song voice. Rolling her eyes, she too began picking up plates. Everyone ended up helping so clearing the table took a matter of seconds. Melissa then started to serve slices of cake which was even more delicious then the dinner, if possible. After even more small talk-that I once again avoided-we cleared the table again.
"Shit!" The guy-who's named I learned-Jared exclaimed.
"What?" Kim asked worriedly.
"I didn't realize what time it is. Brady's going to be pissed if I'm late again." Kim nodded understandingly.
"Thanks for dinner Mel. It was nice you meet you Chris-" he shook Chris' hand, then mine. "-you too Maria."
I smiled, "You too." He said a quick goodbye to his friends then exited the back door. "Didn't he park out front?" The remaining Quileutes looked caught off guard.
"It's a short cut." Melissa said.
"To his work." Seth added.
"So he works in the woods?" Worried glances were shared amongst them. "What is he a lumberjack or something?"
Kim giggled, "No."
"You sure?" she nodded her head. "Because if would explain why he's ripped."
She giggled again, "I'm sure."
"Well we should probably head out." Sam announced. "We told the sitter we'd be back by 10."
"Is it that late already?" I asked. He nodded. "Oh. Well it was nice to meet you."
"You too." The round of goodbyes and handshakes started up again. "Kim we can take you home if you'd like."
"Thanks, but I think I'll just drive Jared's truck home."
"Okay." We walked them to the door, had one more series of goodbyes.
Then they were gone.
Silence.
I followed Melissa into the Kitchen. Chris followed Seth into the living room.
Silence.
"If you want you can help with the dishes."
"Isn't that what dishwashers are for?"
"Ours is broken. We ordered one from Lowe's and it should be here in two days." I nodded as she filled one side of the sink with soapy water. "I wash, you dry?" I smiled.
"Just like old times? " I reminisced the times when we would do the dishes back in our Sorority. Water fights, gossiping, all of it.
She chuckled handing me a plate to dry, "Just like old times."
"Good." I said setting down the now dry plate.
"So…" She started, handing me another plate. "Why is Marco is prison?"
A/N: I wrote this chapter in only one POV so which type do you like better? One POV or multiple POVs a chapter? I just want to say thanks to my first reviewer ladyMiraculousNight and to suzie1107 the pictures of what some of the characters look like are on my profile. As far as ages go I was thinking something like:
Sam-28ish
Emily- 27ish
Leah- 26 or 27
Chris- 26 or 27 (I haven't decided yet)
Paul, Jared, Kim- 26
Jacob, Embry, Quil- 24 or 25
Seth, Colin, Brady- 23
Melissa- 22 almost 23
Maria- 22
I will post more ages of characters as the story progresses. Let me know what you think so far:)