We took Daisy's old car, which she'd left to her sister with a promise that she would get a license to drive. It hadn't happened yet, and Daisy was annoyed that her younger sister didn't seem to be making any changes, but she was happy the car was ours for the time we were staying.
Her grandmother's house was only ten minutes from her mother's, the streets busier and the houses closer together. There were families on the streets, sitting in driveways on fold-out chairs, on their porches outside of their houses. The Christmas spirit was in the air and being celebrated by those who were taking time from work for the holidays, though the warm air confused me as it didn't feel like the season I was used to.
She pulled into a short driveway, shutting off the car and jumping out excitedly. We hadn't changed from being at the beach, but our clothes were completely dry from our walk in the hot air before we'd made it back with our towels, so we were comfortable.
There were several loud, deep howls from inside the little house, and I heard Peggie insist to Juniper she was getting the door and telling her to calm down.
"My baby girl!" Daisy was emotional as she pulled the beagle into her arms, collapsing on the hot cement underneath her, holding the dog tightly. She cried into her fur. Juniper fell into my imprint's lap, crying desperately to be close to her. They held each other for a long time, and I watched with a small smile. I'd never seen her hold Hugo in such a way, as loving as she was with him.
"Are you taking care of grandma? You're such a beautiful girl! I've missed you so much!" she nuzzled her nose into Juniper's forehead, kissing her strongly, breathing her in with her eyes closed.
"I'm jealous," the elderly woman at the door chuckled. Daisy stood and embraced her grandmother, harder than she had with her sister and mother.
Peggie was about a head shorter than Daisy, plump and mostly grey, with quite a large amount of jet black hair for someone her age. Her skin was dark and wrinkled, and her almost-black eyes were milky from age.
"Who's this?"
"This is Seth," Daisy grinned up at me. "He's from La Push, it's the reservation near Forks."
"I know all about La Push," she scoffed. "Come here, Seth, let me look at you."
She was a very likeable woman, and I felt comfortable around her immediately. I walked to her and stood in front of her, offering my hand, but she wrapped her arms around me in a quick hug. "Ooh, he's tall. We like the tall ones," she threw Daisy a conspicuous wink, and the young woman giggled in response. "Your grandfather was tall, you know."
"Yeah, I remember," Daisy held open the door for us, and called in Juniper, who left the garden she was sniffing in to follow us in. "June's not overly social, Seth, so don't be offended if she doesn't pay you any attention."
I followed Peggie to the small, round dining room table in the middle of her carpeted living area. Juniper immediately came to my side, her hackles raised and her neck lowered as she approached me. Dogs weren't stupid. I usually got this response from them when meeting them. I held my hand out to her, and she took a long while sniffing me, then swapped to relaxing her posture and sniffing my knees, then my arms, her neck craning to get closer to my face.
"I should have known. Seth's the dog-whisperer. Hugo was exactly the same. They told me he hated men, and he didn't trust people, but he was all over him in a heartbeat."
"Dogs have a good sense of knowing people." Peggie said dismissively. "Are you hungry? I can make sandwiches."
"You relax, grandma, we'll make them." Daisy made her way into the kitchen, pointing at the table to tell Peggie to take a seat.
We ate lunch easily, Daisy showing photos she'd taken from the couple of months she'd been in Forks, explaining her house and the area around her. Despite her mother being from the area, Peggie had never been. She listened with interest, adding details about the area that she'd found out through investigating her ancestry.
"So you're Native American, Seth?" Peggie asked with interest. I nodded around my mouth full of salad and bread, and she continued. "I think we're Native American, Daisy-girl. Your great-grandmother was the world's best secret keeper, but just looking at her and your father was enough for me to see that."
"You could definitely pass," I told her. More than pass. She had similar features to almost ever elderly person I knew from the reservation. I wondered if Daisy's great grandmother had come from La Push, rather than Forks, and the information had been crossed in the years it had taken to reach her grandmother.
"Ooh, we should show him the braids!" Peggie chuckled, smacking Daisy on the arm. My imprint rolled her eyes in response, but smirked lovingly. I raised my eyebrows in question, but Daisy shook her head.
"Don't humor her. She always raves about how amazing her hair was when she was growing up. She had it all hacked off when she was…how old, grandma? Thirty? She's got two braids in one of her drawers, and she gets them out to show off."
"They were as thick as a tree trunk! And black! Jet black!" Peggie was all chuckles as she told me about her odd trinket. I couldn't resist laughing back. "They're still as good as they ever were, Daisy. Your hair could be like that, if you hadn't ruined it."
"My hair's not that dark. It's back to being natural now, after the chop," Daisy mumbled under her breath. Juniper spent the entirety of our lunch under the table, leaning against Daisy's ankles. She released a long sigh every few minutes, just to let us know she was there. Her age showed in the white hairs on her face, and her lack of begging for food like I was used to with Hugo, but Daisy told me she was only five and she's aged quickly.
"Has she been good for you, grandma?"
"She's been the best company in the world. I forgot what it was like to live with someone, after sixteen years."
"She's happy to be here. She's gained a bit of weight."
"I'm taking care of her." Peggie dismissed her worry. "Tell me what you do, Seth."
"I work at a restaurant," I began modestly.
"Seth is a really amazing chef," Daisy finished for me. "He's been giving me cooking lessons, that's how we became friends."
"She roped you into being friends with her, because she's hopeless in the kitchen." Peggie smirked at me. "How long have you been doing that for?"
"Only a couple of years," I told her. "I like it, but I wish it was closer to home."
"Do you have any siblings?"
"I have an older sister, Leah. She and Daisy are getting quite close."
"Leah's the best," Daisy smiled. "She's tall like Seth, grandma. You should see some of his friends, though. They make Seth look tiny. There's something in the water in La Push."
"Well, bring me some of it bottled next time you're here. I'm shrinking. You'll be searching for me in a few months."
Peggie told me about her travels. She'd lived in a caravan and toured Australia when Daisy's father and aunt had moved out of home and gotten married. She brought out a thick photo album, all pictures of her and Daisy's grandfather, pointing out red-dirt roads, reefs and bushland, telling us stories. She told me about her travels once her husband had passed away, how she would just up and leave, get on a plan and travel overseas. Her favorite place was Italy, and she'd studied the language for a number of years, but after a few strokes while away from home, she'd decided to put an end to her travels.
"I'll be here until I die, now."
"I hate it when you talk like that," Daisy rolled her eyes, and her grandmother looked at her seriously.
"You and Raina are the same with that stuff. You've got to accept it, though. I'm not going to be here forever."
"Well, you'll have to be. You're the only one I like."
That was enough to get Peggie to laugh, her lips pressed together as if she shouldn't. "Your father is much better. He's actually been visiting me, you know. And your sister! I don't even know who she is anymore. This baby's made her a whole new woman."
"I know," Daisy's eyebrows were raised as she stared down at her now-bare plate, as if she couldn't believe the words that had left her own mouth.
It was easy being in the little house, listening in on their conversations and being a part of them where I was able. Daisy was as comfortable around her grandmother as she was in her little house in Forks, which I hadn't seen in the house with her mother and sister. Her carefree expression and ease of speaking put me in a good mood, and she caught me grinning at her on multiple occasions.
It was dark outside when we finally left. Peggie had made us dinner, which was a simple pasta and mince meat with a sauce she let simmer while Daisy showed me the tricks she'd taught Juniper when she was younger. The dog was infatuated with her human mother, watching her closely and falling asleep against her when we relaxed once more into speaking around the table.
We would be seeing Peggie again for Christmas lunch, in two day's time. Daisy thanked her for dinner, and for having us over, and her grandmother told her to drive safe, waving us off with Juniper at her side as we made our departure.
Christmas Eve was spent back at the beach, and relaxing around the house with Daisy's mother, sister and nephew. The more I watched the sisters together, the more I saw how different they were. Nena was tall, a sturdier build, and her blonde ringlets hung heavily to her chest. Her deep blue eyes, wide nose and thin lips were completely different features to that of my imprint, even her face shape and hairline uncommon. They got along relatively well, but bickered and disagreed on most things, the way sisters tended to do.
Daisy loved her nephew, and was good with him, entertaining him easily and laughing when he reacted. But she was happy to hand him back to her sister and have time to herself, talking to me quietly about feeling slightly out of place while we sat on the swinging chair in the little back yard, the grass struggling to grow through the sand.
We woke not too early on Christmas morning. Daisy grabbed a few of the wrapped presents out of her suitcase and walked me to the car.
"We're going to Jasmine's house, first. I usually have breakfast with them, but I told her we wouldn't be able to make it in time. I just wanted to drop off their presents, and we'll head straight to lunch. It usually starts early, and we hang around for a few hours before we eat."
Her friend's house was a longer drive than any of the others we'd taken so far. She sang to the songs on the radio as she drove, her fingers tapping nervously on the steering wheel.
"Are you okay?"
"Mm-hm," she said quickly. "It's just going to be a big day, and I want to get it over and done with so we can get back to our holiday." I knew there was something left unsaid, and I let it go.
She pulled up on the street in front of a long wooden house, the front yard almost a jungle, hiding the majority of the building from view. Her eyes scanned the cars parked outside as she removed her seatbelt and grabbed the presents.
"I'm just running in. Did you want to wait here?"
"Sure," her eyes were wide and guarded, but she smiled at me.
"I'll be right back."
I could hear a loud chorus of welcomes as she made her way into the house, but I tried not to listen in on the majority of the conversation. She was only a minute, and another voice, one I recognized from the day I'd listened in on her phone call, accompanied hers as I heard her near the front of the house, making her way back to the car.
"You're going to freak him out, Jas,"
"I promise I'll be on my best behavior. I just want to say hello."
"Don't be weird...don't be you."
"No promises,"
Daisy threw me an apologetic smile as they approached, and I tore my eyes away from her to take in her friend. Long platinum blonde hair and full black eyelashes were the first thing I noticed, then the plump lips and heavy makeup. Jasmine wore a loose dress and no shoes, her skin an unnatural tanned color that enhanced her overall look.
"Seth, this is Jasmine. She wanted to say hello."
I stood out of the car and shook her friend's hand. Jasmine looked me up and down a few times, as if trying to figure me out, and smiled in welcome.
"Nice to finally meet you, Seth. I've heard a lot."
"Shut up," Daisy breathed, looking up at the clear blue sky and looking as though she wished this was all over.
I chuckled. "Nice to meet you as well, Jasmine."
"How are you finding Down Under, so far?"
"Warm," I said honestly. "I approve of your beaches."
"Yeah, Daisy said it was too cold to bother with yours," she chuckled. "You're taking good care of her?"
"Trying to, she's doing well enough on her own." I smiled down at Daisy, who looked up at me with her eyebrows pulled together, seeming a little lost in the conversation. "She's fitting in at home really well."
"I wanted to say thank you for looking out for her. She told me you introduced her to your friends. It's nice she's met someone who actually wants her to be a part of their life."
"You can stop now," Daisy's voice was louder and she shook her head lovingly at her best friend.
"What? I just wanted to get to know him a bit."
"Yeah, and you're being weird."
I chuckled. "It's okay. She's not scaring me." I nudged her, and Jasmine smirked.
"Well, I'm not allowed to talk to you on my own today, but I'd like to have a chat in the next few days, if that's okay."
"Of course," I answered easily. I wondered where this would be going. "Daisy said we might be staying with you for a few nights?"
"If I'm lucky. I thought she might want to escape the crazy at home. It'll just be me and you guys, so you'll be able to relax and enjoy yourselves more."
"Can't wait," Daisy said impatiently, taking a step toward the car and turning to lean her thighs against it. She and her sister paused, and the three of us watched as a silver car made its way down the hill, slowing and stopping outside of the house. Daisy immediately stood and walked to the driver's side, slipping in, and Jasmine's face fell into a bitter frown.
"Got to go, Jas! I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yeah, leave me to deal with this. It was nice meeting you, Seth. I'll see you soon."
I gave her a slightly confused goodbye as I slid into the car. Daisy didn't wait for me to put my seatbelt on and pulled out of her place, driving quickly down the road. The person in the silver car was speaking to Jasmine as we left the street, a boy slightly taller than her but sharing her features.
"What am I missing?" I wanted her to tell me, not make my own assumptions.
"Jasmine's brother," Daisy scoffed. "That's Alex. He's my ex. He's an idiot."
"The one you stayed with for too long?"
"Yep," she said bitterly. She sighed and leaned her head back against her seat. "He has to choose this one year to be on time."
I thought over the look of him. He wasn't what I'd expected, no where near attractive enough to be someone I'd consider with Daisy. He was a lot shorter than me, and smaller allover. He didn't seem intimidating at all, but apparently he'd been enough to make her feel small while they'd been together.
"I didn't expect him to look like that." I said simply.
Daisy laughed humorlessly. "He asked me out for three years before I finally said yes. I wasn't interested for a long time, but I guess his persistence paid off. And look where it got me."
"Don't worry about him," I reached over to rest a comforting hand on her thigh, and her shoulders visibly relaxed.
She was quiet on the drive to her father and stepmother's house, where we would be meeting for her family lunch. She'd made a plate of fruit to take in with her, and I helped her gather the presents she'd brought for everyone to take in. Nena was already there when we arrived. Daisy had told me her mother usually worked on Christmas Day, and we probably wouldn't see her until the festivities were over and done with.
Her father's house was nice, small, but modern, and kept tidily. Exotic plants filled the garden beds out the front, and cars were crammed into their wide driveway and out, onto the street. She led me up the drive silently, opening the side gate and walking in ahead of me.
Juniper found her immediately, and Daisy chatted to her excitedly as she walked toward the large group in the lush backyard.
I almost stopped dead in my tracks. A young girl, who was obviously Daisy's cousin, from the photo I'd seen of them in her house, had her back to us as she spoke to the family, and for a moment I could have believed it to be Claire. But she turned, and her face was different, and she enveloped Daisy in her arms, holding her tightly as they swayed from side to side.
I wandered up behind her, feeling very out of place, but Nena found me and pulled me into a conversation to avoid me having to introduce myself to anyone.
Daisy's father's side of the family was very welcoming, seeming honestly interested in asking me about my life and where I was from. They accepted our friendship as nothing more than that, and didn't throw any snide questions the way her mother and Nena had the first day we were here. Peggie and Nena sat on either side of me, and I fell into a long conversation with Daisy's father about his work and the area they lived in. I told him about Daisy's work at home, and how well she was doing. He seemed proud of his daughter. His skin was even darker than mine, looking as though he'd spent a great deal of time in the sun each day. He had a hold of his grandson whenever he could, but his wife fought over him for the most part, ignoring our conversation to speak baby-talk while Noah looked back up at her with a wide smile.
Daisy and Raina found us shortly after we'd taken our seats, and Raina spoke to me, her eyes intrigued as I answered her questions and she did the same for me. I knew she was Nena's age from Daisy's stories of her, but she was much more mature, and seemed intelligent from the words she chose and the way she chose her answers. Her parents were the ones who worked for the airline we'd flown over with, and they chuckled when Daisy thanked them for organizing the tickets and told them about the flight attendant greeting us when we got on the plane.
It was only three in the afternoon when the party wrapped up and people started leaving. Daisy seemed hesitant to let Juniper go, but Peggie was tired and ready to head home. Daisy promised to visit them again in the next couple of days, and I was looking forward to being in the little house again.
Daisy was driving Nena home, seeing as there was a car seat for Noah in the back. They got him settled and I took the passenger seat again while Nena sat next to her son in the back.
"Dad liked you, Seth," Nena said with a hint of amusement in her voice.
"He did," Daisy agreed. "I don't think I've ever seen him talk that much."
"He's a nice guy," I offered, not knowing what else to say.
"He's definitely better than he used to be," Daisy sighed. "Nena, I'm proud of you. I can't even imagine you being there just with dad's side of the family a couple of years ago."
"Noah's been a big help." Nena turned to playing with her baby in the back seat, and I caught Daisy's eye and gave her a comforting smile. Her big day was finished. Her uncle on her mother's side was throwing a get-together for dinner, and Daisy had said she would call in at some point, but not stay. She wasn't overly close with that side of the family, and they only saw each other once every couple of years, so they wouldn't miss her the way the rest of the family had.
Nena seemed as excited to go to dinner as Daisy was. She put it off and sat on the floor in the living room once we'd gotten back to the house, going through all of the gifts Noah had received and waving them around for him. Daisy and I sat at the small dining room table and watched them, making our way through bottles of ice water from the fridge.
"I'm going to walk down with Nena, my uncle only lives just down the road. I think mum's heading straight there after work, so they won't be back for hours. I'm not trying to get rid of you or anything, but I feel like you'd be more comfortable staying here. I won't be long, and they're…painful. Watch a movie or something, and I'll be home for the second-half."
"Okay," I smiled gently. Her eyes were back to being guarded, and I didn't want to follow her there and make it any harder on her. She said she was going to blame jet lag on her mood, and tell them she was heading home to catch up on sleep. She told Nena repeatedly not to tell them I'd accompanied her for our stay, saying they would ask too many questions and make assumptions she couldn't be bothered discussing.
I watched them go, retiring to the room we'd been sleeping in to catch up on missed conversation with my brothers.
It was half-past-ten at night at home, and it only took a couple of minutes after my message had been sent, wishing them a good Christmas for the following day, when my phone started ringing.
"Hey, Ness,"
"What's going on! Has anything happened?"
"Don't get too excited," I chuckled. Nessie was back to her usual self around me, when we weren't discussing the awkward situation between her and my imprint. "I'm keeping my hands to myself. I believe you haven't been doing the same thing?"
She breathed a laugh into the phone. "He's finally woken up to himself. I'm so happy, Seth. I feel like just about everything in my life is exactly where I want it to be."
"I'm glad," I said honestly, wishing I knew the feeling. "Tell Jake I said hello."
"I will. Mom and dad send their love. They said they want to hear all about your trip when you get back. Neither of them have ever been to Australia before."
"I don't know how well they'd do, honestly. I haven't seen a single cloud since I've been here."
She laughed happily. "How is Daisy? Is she happy to be home?"
"Mostly, yeah. I think she'll be more herself tomorrow, she was looking forward to getting all the family stuff over and done with so we could enjoy our time out here."
"It will be nice for you to have some time together, away from everything. How are you feeling? Is it nice to have everyone out of your business for a while?"
"It's weird," I said slowly. "I miss you guys, it was strange not having Christmas with you guys. But I'd rather be with her than at home, as shitty as that makes me sound."
"Not at all," she insisted. "You know, I bet if you started swimming now, you'd make it home by the time we had the fire tomorrow night. It's not Christmas here, yet. You're quick at dog-paddling, aren't you?"
We both laughed, and fell into an easy conversation about what I'd missed, and what Daisy and I had been doing since we'd arrived. Nessie was excited to hear about all the time we'd been spending together, even though our relationship hadn't progressed any further. I told her about our conversation on the beach, a couple of days earlier, and she was silent as she thought over it.
"Leah told me there's something she's keeping to herself. She said she hinted at something while they were talking a few weeks ago, but she wouldn't go into detail. She won't stay closed-off forever, Seth. The imprint won't let her."
I paused as I heard footsteps in front of the house, recognizing them immediately. "Ness, I've got to go. Tell everyone I said hello, okay? And eat as much as you can for me tomorrow night."
"Ew, no. I'll have one burger for you, but that's it. I love you, Seth. Keep in touch."
"I will. Take care of Jake."
I ended the call as Daisy neared the bedroom, sticking her head in with a drained smile. "Were you talking to Ness?"
"Yeah, just letting her know I was doing well and missing the rain."
Daisy fell onto the bed beside me, laying out so her feet were off the ground. "I'm so glad that's over."
"Were they happy to see you?"
She pursed her lips and turned her head to look at me. "Not really sure. They're just weird. They were all drunk, I don't even know if they'll remember I was there. Nena wanted to get out of it and come home with me, but I left her there to deal with it all." She grinned. "I'm thinking of having a shower, and getting my pajamas on. Do you want to sit in bed and watch movies for the rest of the night? I feel like I should have been in a food coma hours ago, and I can't be bothered doing anything else."
We both showered and settled in for the night, the sun starting its descent in the sky and the wind picking up. Daisy noted the cooler air and pushed the windows open wider. "Southerly's hit. It should be cooler tomorrow."
"Thank God," I murmured, scrolling through the new release movies on her sister's laptop. I chose one that looked relatively good, and we both reclined back against the headboard, watching it silently. It was an action movie, so I was interested, but I'm not sure about Daisy. She paid attention enough, but I wasn't sure if it was her exhausted attitude of her lack of enthusiasm with the movie that kept her from commenting on things like she usually did. It was a good three-quarters of the way through the movie when a scene started with a girl being taken advantage of, and Daisy sighed heavily and grabbed her phone, turning on her pillow to face the wall and shut out the movie.
I immediately took in her change in mood and switched the movie off, closing the laptop so roughly I briefly worried about damaging the screen setting it on the floor as I sat up and turned to her. "You okay?"
She nodded, completely silent, and I sat there feeling hopeless for a long moment. "That got to you."
"Yeah,"
I sighed and fell back onto my pillow, turning my body to face her. "You know you can talk to me. I'm not going to run away, Daisy. I'm a good listener."
"I don't talk about it," she said quietly, but her voice shook with nerves. She opened her mouth and drew in a breath, as if she were about to say something, but stopped herself.
"When?" I asked quietly. The room was now dark, the only light from the moon above us and her phone screen as she scrolled through different photos of artwork, and she swallowed heavily.
"When I was nine, and ten. After my parents separated. I was staying at a friend's house a lot to get away from all the divorce crap. Her dad..."
I clenched my fists, not knowing what to say. My arms were moving before I was able to stop them, and I pulled her to me, adjusting as she turned in my arms and buried her face in my t-shirt. "Don't make me say anything else."
"I'm not going to," I said softly, holding her. Her breathing all but stopped, just sucking in deep lungfuls of air and letting them go when she absolutely needed to. I stared out of the window while I held her, my arm under her head acting as a pillow and the other holding her safely, blocking out the rest of the world while we sat in complete silence.
Her hand eventually moved to rest on my waist, and her fingers bunched in the fabric of my shirt, hanging onto me as if there were any chance I was going to move her. I could feel her forehead sweating where it leaned against my chest, but she didn't adjust herself.
After a long time, her breaths evened out and I knew she was asleep. I released my arm from its tight grip on her, resting it over her easily instead, and struggled a little longer until I felt myself slipping into sleep beside her.