A/N I don't own anything but Trina. All rights belong to Stephanie Meyer. Enjoy!
Chapter 3
I slept off and on for the remainder of the flight, just for something to do. I didn't need to get up so I kept my seatbelt on, that way if I was asleep when the seatbelt light went back on, I wouldn't have to worry about it. When I woke up for the second time, I found myself covered with a blanket. I looked down at it, trying to remember if I had covered myself with it during my first round waking up. I didn't recall it, so I shrugged. Maybe that nice stewardess did it. I looked out the window, and saw that it was raining. The stewardess came by to pick up the trash, and saw that I was awake. "I took the liberty of covering you with that blanket, you were shivering in your sleep. We're about to make our decent into Seattle. I will be walking you to your gate to fly to Port Angeles." She said, as I handed her my empty soda can and empty Goldfish bag. "Thanks. I was worried about how I would find my way on my own." I said as I folded up my tray and put my seat into the upright position. She smiled and walked away.
Five minutes after she left, I felt the plane angle down. I was getting excited to touch down. I would have enough time to stop at a Starbucks and get some hot chocolate before I had to board for Port Angeles. I kept my eyes on the window, watching as the huge city of Seattle came into focus. It was like using a telescope from up here, starting out fuzzy and far away, then becoming clear and close. I took my eyes off the window long enough to put my tablet back in my purse and pick it up. My coat was in my carry-on above my head, so I didn't need to worry about that. I quickly turned back to the window and saw that the airport was now in my sights, and we were coming up on the runway. I started to bounce up and down in my seat with excitement.
Fifteen minutes, and one smooth landing later, we were pulling up at the gate and we were getting our carry-on items out from the compartments or from our feet. The stewardess came by my seat and helped me get my carry-on from above and escorted me off the plane. I had my purse over my shoulder and I was dragging my carry-on bag behind us. She kept her hand on my back to guide me, but when we passed Starbucks, I turned around. She saw where I was heading and laughed lightly. I smiled at her, timidly. "Sorry, but I'm thirsty and I wanted some hot chocolate." I explained. She smiled at me as I stepped forward to order my drink. I told the lady behind the counter what I wanted and paid quickly, then waited for the drink to be made.
My order was called a few minutes later and I picked up my drink, added a dash of chocolate powder and turned back to the stewardess who was walking me to the gate. "Okay, I got my drink, let's go." I said. She laughed again and resumed guiding me in the direction of the gate. We finally reached it and I sat down in the nearest seat. "There will be another stewardess to take care of you on this flight. I'll go to the desk to make sure of that, but this is where I've got to leave you." She said and I sighed. "Well, I kind of figured that you wouldn't be able to fly the whole way with me. But thank you for all that you've done for me." I said, smiling at her. She returned the smile and went up to the information desk to arrange for a stewardess to take care of me on this flight. I didn't know why I needed to be taken care of on an hour flight, but I didn't argue. I sat back and waited for first class boarding to be called. It didn't matter that this was a smaller plane, there was a first glass boarding to be called. It didn't matter that this was a smaller plane, there was a first class section in it, and I was going to be in one of those seats.
As I waited for the plane, I drank my hot chocolate, and saw one of the ladies from the information desk come toward me. I knew that she was probably checking up on me, and letting me know that we'd be boarding soon. I was right. "Hello, sweetheart. Are you the one that's flying alone?" She asked, and once again I sighed. "Yes, that would be me." I responded. The lady smiled at me. "The plane just landed, once everyone is off, we'll begin boarding. You will be going on with priority boarding. Is there anything that you need?" She asked. "No. I don't need anything at the moment, but thank you anyway." I said. The lady smiled at me again, and left. I waited the remainder of the five minutes for he plane to arrive at the gate in silence and alone. Soon enough, I saw the door of the walkway open and people start to stream out. I stood up and grabbed my stuff from the seat next to me, then headed over to get in line for priority boarding. I was fifth in line until the woman from the information counter saw me. She left her station and came over to the line to grab me and pull me up front.
I heard the other four people formerly in front of me complain, but before I could say anything, the lady responded. "Listen, she is a minor flying alone, so you can stop complaining. It is my job to make sure she gets on the plane and settled." She snapped. Everyone stopped complaining at once and when she got the okay, she walked me to the door of the plane. "Have a nice flight." She told me with a smile. I nodded and turned back to face the plane and saw another kindly-looking stewardess smiling at me. "Hello, allow me to help you with your carry-on." She said, reaching for the bag. I handed it to her willingly enough, shocked, but still lead the way to find my seat. I found it easy enough. I was sitting in seat 1A so I found it immediately and put my purse in my seat, while the stewardess popped the overhead compartment and put my bag in it. I noticed that there was only one seat on each side of the isle in first class, but when I looked back into coach, I saw that there was one on the left and two on the right.
I shrugged my shoulders and sat down just in time for the others to file onto the plane. I was still very tired from the flight from Jacksonville to Seattle, so I put my seatbelt on and leaned back, closing my eyes. I must've slept through the entire flight, because the next thing I was aware of was someone shaking my shoulder. I opened my eyes and saw the stewardess smiling at me. "We've landed and it's time to get off the plane." She said and reached up to retrieve my bag. I got up and stretched then reached down to get my purse. She handed me my carry-on with a smile and escorted me off the plane while the others were still grabbing their bags.
As we exited the walkway, I saw Charlie waiting for me at the gate. I was surprised that the security guards let him past the checkpoint. But then again, he was picking me up. Security would let you past if you were picking up a minor flying alone, or helping a disabled person. He smiled when he saw me, and I knew that I was smiling as well. After all, this was the first time that we had seen each other in person for quite a while. I was in foster care back in Alaska, but when they had run out of room, they moved some of the older kids to the nearest state, and that was Washington.
Charlie had started the process of adopting me but since I wasn't fully adopted yet, they sent me to Florida. I don't know why they sent me so far, but since they sent me there, Charlie had Renee finish adopting me for him. "Hi, Katrina! Welcome back to Washington, hope you like it here." He said to welcome me. I threw my arms around him. "Thanks for the welcome dad. But I told you that I prefer to be called Trina." I told him, and felt his laugh. It was a very comforting feeling to me. He grabbed my carry-on and we walked down to retrieve my checked bag from baggage claim.
I found it easily enough. Renee had bought me a hard plastic white suitcase that I painted pink and hot-glued sparkles onto. Charlie laughed as I reached for it and pulled it off the luggage carousel. "Did you decorate that yourself?" He asked, still laughing. I nodded, unashamed. "When I was in foster care, I would do crafts to sell and make some extra cash that way I would be able to start a college fund. I spent some of the money on my plane ticket, but I still have a surprisingly large amount. People would give me things they wanted me to decorate and designs for custom jobs and I would do them and charge accordingly. The biggest project I've ever done was fairly large, and I charged $50 for it, but they paid me $150 because of my good job." I said proudly.
I planned to do the same thing here. Charlie seemed impressed as we walked out to his police cruiser. "If you don't mind my asking, how much do you have saved up?" He asked, and I giggled. "Quite a bit. Last time I checked, I was hovering around $4,000. But then again, I have been doing this since I was about eight, so I've been saving for about seven years. Renee and Phil refused to let me pay for my plane ticket myself, they insisted on helping." I said, and I could see that he was very impressed. When he spoke, he showed it. "You have managed to save up $4,000 over seven years and have not blown it all? How did you manage that?" He asked. I shrugged as if it was nothing. "It was easy, the foster program bought the clothes and fed us, I had a few pairs of shoes, so it was all too easy. I had it all hidden and I still do." I said.
I knew that he wouldn't go looking for it, he was a cop after all. We were at a stop light now, so he looked over at me. "It's good that you have your money hidden. Makes it harder for it to be stolen. I'm proud of you for that." He said, then turned to look back at the road. I felt elated that he had just said that he was proud of me. The only time that I had ever been told that was with satisfied customers and Renee for managing so long. I smiled widely at that. "So, would it be okay if I still did that here, or do I need a permit?" I asked. I saw him smile, glad that I was asking him I guessed.
"In Forks, you'd need to get a permit if you're going to charge now that you've been adopted. I can take you to the place you need to get a business permit. Are you going to do this out of the house?" He asked. I smiled slightly at him. "Yeah, if that's okay. I mean, I'm going to be home alone a lot, so I'm going to need something to keep myself from getting too bored after I finish homework and before I start making dinner. Renee told me that you can't cook much." I told him, after seeing the look on his face. He laughed at my comment. "Well, she was telling the truth. I really can't cook much, so if you want kitchen duty, you can have it. And I'll pay you by letting you do the crafting out of the house. You can work from home, but you will have to spend some time with me. Do you like sports?" He asked and I once again, laughed.
"I love basketball and baseball, but that's it. You a big sports fanatic?" I asked, and he nodded. I laughed at that. "Well, I'll only watch basketball and baseball. I don't like many other sports. In fact, those are the only two sports I like besides ice skating. And yes, it is a sport. It's done in the Olympics, therefore it is a sport." I said, since he opened his mouth to argue.
He shut it once he discovered that I was right. He seemed to like it, the fact that he was shut down about sports.
"I have never been told off about sports by someone other than Billy Black, he's my closest friend, just so you know. I love this, I think we're going to have a lot of fun." He said smiling. The rest of the hour drive to Forks was spent talking about our favorite teams and who our favorite players were. Once we were finally in city limits, I looked around in awe of all the surroundings. I hadn't seen anything so beautiful since Alaska.
We pulled into the driveway of a little house, and Charlie got out to grab my bag. I took a deep breath and opened my door then stepped out to look at my new home.
This was it. This was the beginning of my new life.
I grabbed my purse and my carry-on from the trunk and followed Charlie to the door. He opened it up and gestured for me to go in first and I walked in, looking around as I did so. The living room was small, but cozy and there was a small banner hanging above the fireplace that read: 'Welcome home, Katrina!' I saw that and smiled. I heard the door close, indicating that Charlie was inside.
"It's not much, but at least it's better than foster care. Follow me to your room." He said, then turned to head upstairs. I followed him up and into a small room that had a full sized bed, vaulted ceiling, and was just perfect for me. It even had a desk in there big enough for me to have a work station for my crafts. The bed was made up with purple sheets and had a few pillows.
I put my stuff on the bed, then turned to Charlie. "It's beautiful. I was wondering though if I could paint the walls, you know, to make it feel more mine. If not, it's okay, I just want to make it feel even more like home to me." I said, hoping that he would understand. It looked like he did, because he smiled. "Renee called ahead and said that your favorite color was pink, so I figured that I had enough time to go to the paint store and get you some samples. They're on the desk. Go ahead and look through them and tell me which one you like the best. After you decide and after we make dinner and eat, we'll go and buy the paint." He said. I laughed and followed him down to the kitchen.
After looking through the pantry, I found a box of macaroni and cheese and pulled it out, then went to hunt for a pot to make it in. Charlie handed one to me and I went over to the sink to fill it with the water. I put it on the stove and turned toward Charlie. He startled me by being right behind me. "Go up and pick a color, I know how to make this at least. I can handle it. I'll call you when dinner is ready." He said. I smiled at him, grateful that I had been adopted by such a cool dad. "Okay, thanks." I said, then darted to the stairs.
I could've sworn I heard him laugh as I went up. I turned into my room and went to the desk. The samples were right in the middle. I giggled at the chances of that if it were an accident and picked them up. I put the first card to the wall and took my time looking at all the colors on the little strip. None of them suited me.
I was on the last strip when Charlie called that dinner was ready. It was perfect timing too, because I had found the perfect shade of pink. It was titled 'Rose Petal', and indeed, the color of it was the exact shade of a pink rose. It was perfect for me I decided.
I took the strip down with me as I bounded down the stairs for dinner. Charlie was just filling his bowl when I came into the kitchen. "Hey, did you find a color that you liked?" He asked as he got a bowl down for me and handed it over. "Actually, yes. I found the perfect one just as you called." I said and handed over the strip of pinks. "I like 'Rose Petal'. It's absolutely perfect. It's light enough to where it'll make my room feel lighter, and dark enough so that it's comfortable. Plus he color should stimulate my creative juices when I get my permit to do the crafts out of home." I said. He was looking at me like I had just spoken a different language, his spoon paused halfway to his mouth.
"What? Do you mind repeating that in English?" He asked, shoveling the spoon full of mac and cheese into his mouth. I laughed and did the same, then tried again. "The color will make me feel comfortable and help me think better when it comes to the crafts. Is that better?" I asked sarcastically. He laughed and nodded. "Yeah, much better. I'm glad that you found the perfect color. Do you have your own stuff or do I need to take you to the arts and crafts store?" He asked. I waved my hand to indicate that I was fine.
"I have my own stuff. I brought it all, that's what was mostly in my carry-on. I will need paint brushes for the walls though, oh and plastic for the floors and trays for the paint." I said, listing the items for painting my room. He shrugged since his mouth was full. Once he swallowed, he was able to speak. "Don't worry about that. We'll get those when we go to the store. Now, do you want to paint your room by yourself, or do you want my help?" He asked. I thought about it for a minute, considering the thought. "Well if you're too busy, then I can do it by myself. But if you want to help, you're more than welcome and I wouldn't mind. I'll just have to crack the window open so that we're not suffocating on the paint fumes." I said, laughing.
Charlie joined in the laughter as well. "Well, I'd love to help you paint. It could be a father/daughter thing to bond over, that is if you want it to be." He added, and I looked at him wondering how behind he was on teenage daughters. "That does count as a father/daughter activity, so yeah, I want it to be." I said, and he smiled brightly at the idea.
A/N: longest chapter yet! 3,438 words! Hope you guys like this chapter because I am now tired from writing it! R&R guys, love ya!
