Chapter 2
As hard as we tried to stay in contact, even Nana couldn't keep up with the contact as she didn't have a computer only a telephone and it was expensive. My mother wouldn't let me phone every day to my Nana and my friends. Weeks turned into months, then months moved into the first year and we slowly but surely starting losing touch with each other. Life in London was okay, but I missed my friends and my Nana painfully. As the years went by living in London got easier and my yearning for my friends was healing.
I still wore my armband and my bracelet, my photo was in a frame next to my bed. I mostly kept to myself and I did well at school, brought home good grades. Brian (my mother's new husband) was nice, he was a good man to my mother, and he loved her dearly. He was never married before and only had one sister Kim. He tried very hard to treat me like a daughter but he understood it was hard for me to return the feelings, although I was never rude or anything nasty to him, I just couldn't show him the love he probably wanted from a daughter.
We lived a lovely little townhouse with three bedrooms, shortly after moving in he had the house renovated that I now had my own bathroom in my bedroom as they did. The house had a lovely cosy entrance hall which entered into a passage that led one into a large living room and slightly smaller dining room which led into a large kitchen. There was a guest loo underneath the stairs. The dining room had French doors which led out into the conservatory and then out into a lovely garden. Upstairs was the three bedrooms with a family bathroom and a study at the back of the house where Brian used to do his work sometimes. In my room I didn't short a thing, I had anything and everything my heart desired, this was Brian trying very hard, I appreciated what I had, coming from middle class family.
FFWD to seven years later…..
At least seven years had passed I had just turned seventeen years old, I had lost my chubbiness, grew a lot taller. My now long dark hair formed curls near the ends, and clearly my accent had changed. People always commented on my hair, complexion and the green of my eyes. They were amazed at the colour and always said how beautiful they were. I started dressing more girly like and wearing a touch of make up.
One evening while at home waiting for my mom and Brian to return from their evening out, there was a knock at the door. I opened the door to find two uniformed police officers standing there. "Hello" I greeted. "Evening, I am PC Schole and this is PC Taylor, are you Miss Harris?" questioned the male officer. "No, my name is Kayla Hawkes, my mum is Mrs Harris, she and her husband should be here soon, is there a problem officer?" I asked quite concerned now. "Can we please come in Miss Hawkes, we have some news about your parents" he said not sounding too happy about delivering the news. "Of course" I offered and let them in. They walked into the living room where I followed them. The lady officer moved over closer to me. "Miss Hawkes, is there anyone we can call to be here with you?" he asked. "No, what is this about?" I insisted. "We have some unfortunate news regarding your parents, they have been killed in a fatal car accident" he stated.
All I remember was the lady officer helping me to sit down. "Is there anyone we can call Miss Hawkes, family, friends?" they offered. I just nodded, my brain wasn't working, shocked! "Miss Hawkes, who would you like us to call?" asked the lady officer. "Brian's sister Kim, her name is in the phone book there" I pointed to the phone book next to the phone.
I couldn't anymore, the tears came and that was it. Brian's sister was over there in no time and took over. The officers spoke to her a bit further before they left.
The next couple of days were a blur, I didn't remember much of it, not that I wanted to. Kim made all the necessary arrangements for the funeral etc.
The funeral was a nice small one, only close friends came and paid their respects.
One evening while Kim was trying to sort through things she asked me if I wanted to stay with her, and that is when I finally came out of my zombie state and realised three weeks had passed.
I was alone, no family in the UK except for Kim who has never married and didn't have any children. After discussing this with Kim and agreeing, I decided that I was going back home to La Push to my Nana Hawkes. That afternoon I had phoned my Nana to tell her of the news and of our decision, before confirming everything I needed to know it was fine from her. And after a tearful phone call to Nana, how could I think it wouldn't be okay for me to come back.
Kim and I packed the things that I would want to keep and shipped them over back home. Kim made the necessary flight arrangements for me and because I was a minor she arranged all the legal details. She put the house up for sale; the reading of the Will took place the day before I was due to fly out. I inherited everything; most of the things like furniture etc, I offered it to Kim; there were policies that were paid out into a banking account for me. Brian had also left a policy to his sister. I was set financially; they made sure I would never be short of anything.
Kim drove me to the airport early the next morning to catch my flight, we said our tearful good byes but knew this would be the last time we saw each other than by communication.
