The Middle
Everything (everything) will be just fine, everything (everything) will be alright (alright)- Jimmy Eat World
Rowen:
We all are still as statues as Emily talks to her unknown nephew. "Are they being nice to you there? I'm so sorry to hear about you mother dear. Are
they going to split you up? Are you ok?" She says in her momma wolf tone making me smile. Emily is such a nurturing person. She doesn't even know
these people, but she worries about them like they're her own. "I, there's, he, they" Sam stumbles. Daddy gives him a pat on the back and Sam just
shakes his head. Emily turns around and places her hand over the receiver so the boy can't hear. "Sam, what do you want to do? Ash, you are part of
this decision too. I know we've never met them, or even known about them until right now but they are family. We can't just leave them to be split up in
foster care. Can we please please take them in?" Emily says to her husband and son. Now I may not be an imprintee, but I know how it works. The wolf
is basically at the mercy of their imprint, they can't deny them anything. Sam and Emily lock eyes and Sam nods defeated. She looks to Ash who just
shrugs and nods. I have never seen Emily smile so big. "Do you want to come live with us? We'll take all three of you." She squeals into the phone. Sam
just chuckles. "Always taking in the strays. Huh Uley?" Daddy says elbowing Sam in the ribs. "Ya it doesn't feel so long ago when it was your sorry ass
that needed somewhere to live Call. Just call us Hotel Uley, home for the downtrodden and abandoned." Sam says with a chuckle.
A week later Ash and I are sitting on his porch staring at the stars. "So your cousins are coming tomorrow. Watcha think about it?" I ask trying to
accomplish the task women have been working on for centuries, getting men to talk about their feelings. He shrugs. "I don't know. I think it'll be cool to
meet them, I mean they're family. On the other hand they're still strangers." He sighs scratching the back of his neck. I've known Ash since he was born.
When he scratches the back of his neck it means he's nervous, or lying about something. "What are you nervous about? Just that you've never met them
or what?" I say trying to dig it out of him. "I've never lived with girls in the house besides mom. Ryk says living with you is a nightmare. If it's anything
like he say's just kill me now." He jokes pulling my hat over my eyes. He may have been joking, but I can tell he really is nervous. "Oh I am not even that
bad. You might even like having them around" I say wrapping my sweatshirt tighter trying to fight the cold, that's only going to get worse. "Hey Rowen?
Do you think he's a wolf?" Ash says changing the subject. "I don't know, he might be." I say shrugging. "But seriously you'll be just fine. Everything will
be all right." I say leaning my head against his shoulder.
Diego:
"I want to dress like Diggy" Linah says standing on the hotel bed. Reina rolls her eyes and digs out a similar outfit to mine for the little girl. We left LA
yesterday to head to our new home in La Push, Washington. Turns out Tio lives on a reservation. We're gunna stick out like crazy, the only Mexicans in
the whole town. I feel bad for Ray. She had to leave all her friends at school and in the neighborhood. "Finish getting her ready I'm gunna put this in the
car and check out." I tell Ray grabbing a beat up suitcase. It's a good thing we don't have a lot of things to our name, or it wouldn't have all fit in the
small car I think stuffing the suitcase inside. I give the desk back our key and walk back out to the car. Reina's in the front seat and Linah's strapped in
her car seat in the back. We did most of the driving yesterday, 17 hours of it actually. "Only four hours to go." I say with a sigh. "Awesome" Ray says
sarcastically. She hates moving so far away, but she knows it was the only way we could all stay together. "Diez meses y nos podemos volver aceptar
inicio. Sólo intenta ser amable. No quiero que nos envíen atrás y, a continuación, podrá obtener divididos. (Ten months and we can go back home
ok. Just try to be nice. I don't want them to send us back, then we'll get split up.)" I say and she just nods sadly. "It'll just take some time to get settled.
You might even like them. Everything will be all right Ray." I say trying to cheer her up. "I guess the only good thing is this gets you away from those
thugs. Please promise you won't go looking for trouble here?" Ray says and I nod. Reina doesn't understand why I'm involved with the gang, but if it
weren't for DM we would have been on the street a long time ago. They offered us protection from the tough LA streets and they gave me a job so I had
money for food and rent and whatever else we needed. Now that we're in Washington though I'll do my best for her to lay low.
"Do people even live here it looks abandoned" Ray says sitting up in her seat. "They gots lots of trees!" Linah says tapping the window glass as I pull
onto a side gravel road. "Ok the house is right there. Is everybody ready?" I say looking back to Linah then Ray. They both look scared but nod. I pull
into the driveway and park. Six huge men and two small women walk out into the driveway. God they're giants, they have to be at least 6'7. Now I'm
pretty tall at 5'11, but these guys Dios Mio. I open my door and walk around to help get Linah out of her car seat. It's freezing here, even with my raised
body temperature. I set Linah on the ground and she turns to me. "Orale Diggy. Es tan frío (It is cold)." She says making me and Ray laugh almost
forgetting about the giants until I hear the gravel crunching in front of us. "Hello, I'm Sam your uncle. This is my wife Emily, our sons Gage and Ash, our
friends Embry and Briar Call, and their sons Ryker and Regan." Tio says pointing out who everyone is. He looks taken aback. I don't know if it's because
of my appearance, with the folded bandana around my head and all my tattoos, or the fact that he's just now meeting his nieces and nephew. Linah
notices how scary the men look and instantly tries to climb up into my arms. I pick her up and she buries her tiny head into the crook of my neck. "I'm
Diego, that's Reina, and this is Malinah. Say hello" I say looking at Ray. She smiles and says hello. "Linah say hello to Tio and Tia and their friends eh?" I
say to the little girl who just shakes her head and buries her face in my neck farther. "Vamos niña. Saludar a la gente agradable. Por favor,decir hola.
(Come on little girl. Say hello to the nice people. Please say hello.)" I say and she lifts her head up and waves then hides her face again. "Hi sweetheart,
I'm your Aunt Emily. I like you headband. It's really pretty and sparkly and it matches the sparkles on your shirt." Tia says trying to coax the little girl into
talking. Linah turns to look at Tia. "I look just like Diggy. Look even our shoes got checks on em" She says kicking out her little leg to display her tiny
Nikes.
"I'm so glad you're here. I was worried about you driving all that way." Tia says pulling something out of the oven. "So if your mom died a year ago, why
did we just now get called?" My cousin Ash asks bluntly. I hear Tia yell at him but I just shrug. "Well after mamá died my best friend Chuy and his mom
said that they would cover for us if CPS came by. Technically we were in their care, but we lived by ourselves. But… um… they died last week in a drive
by." I say trying to not let my anger get the better of me. I've done really well caging the Chupacabra. Ray and I decided it would be best to hold out a
little before that happened. I think it stunned everyone because nobody spoke. "What grade are you both in?" their friend Embry said. I gave Ray a glare
telling her to keep her big mouth shut. She always throws me under the bus about all the wrong shit I've done because she's pissed at me for it. "Um I'll
be a freshman. With everything's that happened I haven't gotten to start yet." Ray says. "How about you Diego?" Tia says curiously. Ray rolls her eyes
at me. I might as well just come out with it. "He dropped out" Ray says venomously beating me to the punch. "Reina! ¡Cállate! Iba a decirles.
Mantenga su boca estrecha hermanita! (Reina! Shut up! I was going to tell them. Keep your mouth close little sister!)" I say angrily turning to glare at
her but she just glares back. "Umm Ya. I stopped going right before freshman year. I had more important things going on at the time" I say steadily. I'm
not ashamed of it. I did what I had to do. "Ya like, getting thrown on lock down for a year and a half." Reina mutters under her breath. The group stiffens
a little, but it must be from me telling them I dropped out, there's no way they heard what Ray said. I barley heard it and I have increased hearing.
¿Desea enviarnos de vuelta? (do you want them to send us back?)" I hiss at her. "Well, you're going to drop back in." Tia says with a caring smile not
giving me a chance to protest.
A/N: Oh, hello. Didn't see you there... but I do see a review button. You should click it :)