I was groggy, confused, and couldn't see out of my right eye. Half of my vision blurred into a mess of dark colours as I attempted to rub the sleep out of my eyes. My mouth was dry, and tasted of stale bread. I had been sleeping with my mouth open, I concluded, as I wiped the small drool trail from the side of my mouth.
That's attractive.
I cracked my knuckles and attempted to strech out my legs, deeming it too risky to stretch my arms as I might hit Quil.
"How long have I been out?" I asked, muffling my yawn with the back of my hand.
"Oh, only around an hour and a half." He smiled back at me, and I silently watched him drumming his fingers on the wheel. He glanced out of the window, and I watched him stiffen. Odd...
"How much father are we going?" I inquired, looking out the window too to try and see what he had.
"We just have to pass through Forks on the way back to the Rez. We should be home in about ten minutes, I think." Quil informed me, suddenly intent on the road. He kept looking off to the side and into the forest, making me wonder what suddenly got him so antsy.
"Quil, are you okay? You seem nervous..." I asked him, yawning again.
"Well, technically I'm not supposed to be here," He smiled as a child would when they were caught stealing from the cookie jar. I raised an eyebrow (which I'm sure he noticed) but remained silent.
"But I'm sure it's fine, since I'm picking you up and all!" He didn't believe his own words, and I suddenly felt very embarrassed that I had made him break the rules, just so he could collect me. I looked down, ashamed, and folded my hands into my lap.
You've barely been here five minutes and already you're ruining people's lives.
Hah! As if Quil breaking some silly rule would ruin his life. Why shouldn't he be allowed into Forks? Unless someone here had some sort of restraining order on him, I couldn't fathom a reason. Maybe he had an ankle bracelet that tracked him whenever he went to Forks, who knew. I debated weather I should ask him for a while, before deciding against it. I shouldn't snoop, I thought. If he wanted me to know he would have told me.
Glancing at the window, I was greeted with my own pale and bedraggled reflection. My hair was atrocious, drying flat on one side from where my head had been resting against the window. The other side was a wild mess of frizzy brown waves. With a sigh, I began to try and fix my 'mane'. It had dried somewhat in the warm interior of the car, but had returned to it's natural wavy state. The rain had also caused my hair to 'frizz up', meaning that the non-flattened side had become a mess of flyaway curls. After tugging at it for a while, I decided to try and brush it back into place. I reached around into the back seats off the car and grabbed my carry on, rummaging through until I found my brush. I made a small noise of triumph when I found it, causing Quil to raise an eyebrow at me when I turned around. I hid my face beneath my hair, causing him to smirk and chuckle slightly.
God, that's embarrassing.
I pulled the sun visor down and used the small mirror to fix my hair. I was used to this, my hair frequently came out of place (much to my annoyance) but today was one day I needed to look half decent for. I needed to make a good impression on Joy and Old Quil, even if my impression on Quil Jr wasn't all that great. My hair was slowly calming down, much to my delight, and after a few final brushes I decided I looked ready. I can't say I looked better than I did when I got on the plane, but halfway decent was better than nothing, right?
Glancing out the window, I noticed that the rain that was so prevalent by the airport only an hour ago had now lessened into a light drizzle. It was spitting, at best, and I was grateful that I wouldn't have to endure the 'death by rain' ordeal again. The greying city walls of Seattle had given away to an abundance of greenery, so thick that it was near impossible to see more than two feet into the tree line. Large pine and spruce trees seemed to loom over the road, which seemed oddly quiet to me at this time of night.
"Quil, can I roll the window down a bit? It's a little stuffy in here..." I asked, biting my lip and fiddling with my hands. He gave a hearty laugh, and patted me on the shoulder.
"Hey, no need to keep asking all the time! Mi casa es su casa, right? If we're going to be living together for the next two years, cuz, you should loosen up a little!" He gave me a genuine smile then, making his eyes crinkle and a single dimple on his left cheek to appear. I laughed too, emitting an apology before cranking down the window halfway.
The smell of conifers hit me like a ton of bricks, reminding me how far into the woods of America we actually were. It was one of the smells prevalent in the car before, and I deduced that Quil must have spent some time in the woods recently to have his car interior smell so strongly of it. Other scents passed in the wind, too; moss, bark and freshly rained on soil were some of the many to assault my senses. It reminded me of comfort, of home and family. Memories of long walks and picnics ghosted just beneath my eyelids, triggering a faint feeling of nostalgia to creep into my heart.
New life, remember?
I hurriedly tried to quell the rise of these feelings inside of me. No use reminiscing now. This was the time for new memories and a new life, I had to remember that.
I glanced at the clock; it was nearing half six now. I would usually be starting to prepare dinner by now, if my mum wasn't already home. The thought of this made my stomach grumble and Quil to smirk.
"Don't worry, we'll literally be a minute or two. Look, we're into La Push now!" He visibly relaxed at this statement, his hands loosening from the wheel and slouching in his seat more. I made a sound of acknowledgement before glancing out the window again. The freeness of the forest greeted me, a blur of vivid greens and browns and hey wait what was that sandy colour then-
"Home sweet home!" Quil suddenly exclaimed, making a sharp turn onto a residential street that was home to four very new looking houses. Each seemed to be around three stories high, with an almost gothic design. Wooden awnings that formed into front porches adorned each house, some housing rocking chairs for comfy viewing of the road and forest beyond. I quickly rolled up my window again, preparing to exit the car. Quil drove to the third house and slowly pulled up on the curb outside, gingerly shutting down the engine and opening his door.
This house seemed to be the brightest in colour, with pale blue paint and greying slate. It seemed odd, as all the other photos I had seen of American houses were either smaller or more modernized. Quil must have seen my look of confusion as I opened the door, because he began to explain the existence of the houses.
"These are some of the tallest houses in La Push," He started, opening the back doors so I could grab a suitcase.
"None of the other houses around here look like this. It's kind of weird really, but because they were built so recently they kind of stick out from the others."
"Maybe because they're closer to Forks than the rest of the Rez?" I suggested, hauling one of my suitcases out while grabbing the strap of my carry on. Quil was having no trouble with my other suitcase, as he pulled it behind him as if it were as light as a feather. I frowned at his level of strength and continued to struggle with my own bags.
"Here, need help with that?" He offered, smiling and out stretching a hand. I refused with a dismissive shake of my head, motioning towards the door.
"I can manage, it's okay! You... You go on ahead, I'll be right with you." I grunted, slowly tugging my suitcase forward. He shrugged, locking the car before walking up the front steps of the house and unlocking the door. The drizzle was beginning to seep into my skin, only ever so slightly dampening my clothes and baggage. I began grumbling again and collected all of my energy into pushing my suitcase up the porch steps.
Quil was in the doorway, looking at me quizzically with a raised eyebrow. I responded with my own confused expression, causing him to lean forward and collect my suitcase. How he had the strength to haul those cases up the steps was beyond me. I followed him onto the porch and into the house, immediately being greeted by the smell of fresh cooking. Savoury smells wafted around my nostrils, enticing me to venture further into the house. I struggled to not dash inside; the only food I had had throughout the whole day was a terrible airplane meal that I refused to finish. Even a cookie would be appreciated at this point.
My resolve remained iron clad as I stuck by Quil while he shut and locked the front door, pushing my bags off to the side. I took this brief pause as a chance to take in my surroundings. The hallway itself was relatively normal sized, and housed the stairs to the upper floors. Another door, similar to the one I just entered into, was set into the end of left wall; presumably leading to the rest of the house. The hall was wide enough to fit a small cabinet down it lengthwise, upon which had a small mirror and some family photos that I was too shy to look at in detail. The wooden floor was old, and some floorboards seemed to be slightly loose from the original layout. I took a step forward, causing the boards to creak.
This seemed to alert Quil as he whipped around and cast a shockingly bright grin towards me.
"Mom's in the kitchen," He informed me, dusting his hands off and placing his keys onto the rack situated next to the door.
"She can be... very enthusiastic at times. She's nice though, don't worry. You're all she's been talking about for the past few months." Dear god, I hope he was joking. To have anyone talk about me was bad enough, let alone my own estranged family!
"Mom! We're back!" Quill yelled, and I followed him down the hall into a large living room. The walls were painted a pale cream colour, and all the furniture looked relatively old. A large television was propped up on a stand in front of a withered looking couch set, upon which a small and greying cat slept. I could see through the rest of the room there was a dining set, that looked out of the large bay window I had seen at the front of the house. Behind the dining set, a large wooden door was propped open, showing the inside of the kitchen. Quil ushered me further into the room, shutting the hall door behind us.
It was then when a small, round-faced woman popped out from behind the ajar door.
There was little resemblance between her and Quil; his strong jawline and borderline angular features contrasted his mother's round face quite dramatically. However, their eyes were the same shade of dark mahogany and both mother and son held an impish grin as if they were born with it. Her hair was tied up in a bun, salt-and-pepper strands falling out in a tired disarray. She had a small and rounded nose, with deep-set laugh lines around her eyes and cheeks, and I couldn't stop myself from thinking how someone as large and terrifying as Quil came from someone like her.
When she saw us, her eyes lit up. Her grin stretched so far I feared it would break her face, and she charged at us with open arms.
"Honey, I'm so glad you're back!" She crooned up at Quil, being smaller than the both of us at around 5"6'. Her arms tightened around him, and he bent down to place a kiss on her cheek.
"And you! Look at you, my little niece! You're so pretty~" She gushed at me, pinching my cheeks and then wrapping her arms around me in a bone-crushing hug.
Now I know where Quil gets his personal space invasion from.
Technically, my 'Auntie Joy' was my cousin. Quil and I shared a great - grandfather, on his fathers side. My grandma was the result of one drunken affair that had not been brought to light until fairly recently. She married my grandfather, a German by the name of Josef Grimes, and had my father, who they named Michael. He then married my mother and she had me, Charlotte Emma Grimes. We only found out about the family connection when an old letter my great-grandfather was found by my mother, who thought it would be a great opportunity to get in touch with the rest of my family.
Turns out that they lived close to Seattle, where I was planning on taking my college courses. My mother suggested to Joy that I stay over in America for the two years I would have to wait before starting college, to help me get 'accustomed' to life in the states. Joy immediately agreed, much to my displeasure, and she and my mother began discussing the moving arrangements. Four months later, and here I am; A certified American citizen ( I have a green card, thank you very much!).
I had thought that the move had happened very fast, considering we had only known about each other for around four months. My mother had assured me that Joy was wonderful, and I was hesitant to believe her up until now.
She wouldn't hurt a fly, I thought. I don't even think she could if she tried.
Quil smiled at his mother as she backed away to 'get a good look the two of us', draping one of his arms around my shoulders. Joy pulled a camera out of nowhere, and before I knew it I had heard three little click click clicks and been blinded by the flash. I blinked and rubbed my eyes, attempting to regain my vision.
"What's for dinner, mom? I haven't eaten in hours!" Quil complained, removing his arm from me and walking through the dining room into the kitchen. I remained by the door to the hall, unsure of where to go. Joy smiled at me and motioned for me to sit in the dining room.
"You're just in time! The lasagna is almost finished; please, sit! Sit!" She ushered me towards one of the chairs, just as Quil emerged from the kitchen with some plates and cutlery. He set out three places, and then turned towards his mother.
"Is gramps back yet?" He questioned, hesitating to put the fourth set down.
"No, the old coot said he was staying out at the lodge tonight. It will be the death of him, I swear! Crazy old man..." Joy replied, and at my place by the table I could see her shake her head in the kitchen. Quil shrugged at me, and returned to the kitchen to put the set away. Ah, at least I wouldn't have to meet Old Quil yet. That was a plus, I guess.
"Oh, we'll take you up to your room after dinner!" Joy called over her shoulder, bending down to pull a lasagna tray out of the oven. I muttered an 'okay' back to her, not entirely sure how to respond.
Quil joined me at the table as his mother brought the tray of lasagna in. Eagerly, he began to reach for it, but was abruptly stopped as Joy slapped his hand away with a spatula.
"Ladies first!" She chastised.
"You would eat all of it if I let you have your way!" Quil muttered a sheepish apology, retracting his hands from the tray.
"Now, Charlotte, how much would you like?" She smiled, positioning the spatula over a generous portion.
"Ah, just Charlie or Lottie will be okay! And um, that looks like enough." I smiled back, trying not to seem too greedy.
"Oh! Why didn't you say so before?" Joy laughed, scooping the meal onto my plate and hers before handing it over to Quil. He proceeded to put the rest of it onto his plate, looking at the both of us expectantly. His mother frowned at him, and then turned towards me with a tired look.
"Please excuse him," She smiled, handing me the vegetable bowl.
"He does a lot of exercise, and needs to eat a lot to stay a healthy weight."
Something about her explanation seemed rehearsed, but it wasn't my place to question it. I nodded in understanding, and looked down at my meal. Was I supposed to say grace, or something? I had never been very religious, and neither had anyone I had known. I knew that some Americans were very religious, but I wasn't sure if the Atearas were.
Apparently not, it would seem. As soon as the remainder of the vegetables were on his plate, Quil began wolfing down his meal. I looked to Joy, seeing that she had also began eating. I reached for my own cutlery, cutting off a small slice of lasagna and beginning to eat it. I would usually eat like Quil was currently eating, as in shoving as much into my mouth as possible, but I didn't want them thinking bad of me. What was I, a pig?
By the time I was half done, Quil had finished and was all but licking the remains off his plate. He sat back, with one hand behind his head and one on his stomach. A small sigh of content escaped his lips, before an odd noise outside made him perk up.
"Oh, crap!" I heard him mutter, before bolting up from his seat.
"Thanks for the food, mom! It was delicious." He grinned, grabbing his plate and rushing to put it into the sink. He then dashed to the other side of the kitchen, opening the back door that I hadn't been previously aware of. Joy called a 'stay safe' to his back as he retreated into the garden, quickly shutting the door behind him.
My confused expression didn't go unnoticed by Joy, who turned to me, smiling.
"He does a lot of community work," She explained, continuing to cut up her own meal.
"Security on the reservation, things like that. He's out quite a lot, so don't be surprised when he comes in at random times."
I nodded again, and continued eating.
I knew there was something weird about this place.