Wolves of the Pacific

by greenpeach20

In 1902, Renesmee Cullen grew tired of the tedious life of moving around with her family and decided to make the journey west as a mail order bride. Yet a chance encounter with a reddish brown wolf would change her life forever.

172. Chapter 172

Chapter 172

After getting a call from Roshad telling Levi they would not be able to come, it left Levi and Nadja alone for another night. Normally he'd not be the least bit upset over this development but the circumstances under which it occurred were less than ideal. He asked Kevin to call him as soon as they returned home just for the sake of his piece of mind and finally got a call bright and early the next morning letting him know Jaedynn and Roshad had returned home with the kids and everything was fine. After getting off the phone with Kevin, he returned to his room where Nadja was still in his tiny bed. He got tucked under the covers getting really close and Nadja groaned as the movement woke her back up.

"Did they get home?" Nadja asked.

"Yeah," Levi said and turned on his side so he could hug her. "So what should we do today?"

"Ask me again when it's light out," Nadja replied.

Levi smiled and hugged her while they drifted back off to sleep. When Levi woke up, Nadja wasn't in bed with him. At first he thought she might be showering or something, but he didn't hear the shower. He didn't hear any commotion in the apartment either. He got out of bed to look for her but she wasn't there. He started looking for a note but the door to the apartment opened and Nadja stepped inside holding two coffees on a cardboard carrier and a paper bag.

"Oh, good, you're up," Nadja said and approached the kitchen. "I went to the deli and get some coffee and bagels."

"Did you get cream cheese?"

"Of course I did. What kind of heathen do you take me for?" Nadja joked and started pulling out the tiny travel container of cream cheese provided by the deli. "I got you a few Everything Bagels – you'd said those are your favorite right?"

"My absolute favorite," Levi smiled and reached into the bag pulling out three bagels. "Coffee's black?"

"As the night sky," Nadja smiled and handed the coffee over.

"Thank you," Levi said. "Happy 1976."

"Happy 1976," Nadja replied and took a sip of her own coffee. "You said Roshad and Jaedynn got home safely?"

"Yeah," Levi said. "Kids are home and out of trouble."

"And this guy that confronted them on the street is Kamron's birth father?"

"Yeah, he's Kamron's birth father. Proved in a court of law and everything. He's not allowed to be a round Jaedynn and he doesn't have any rights to see Kamron. He basically waived his rights to the other three boys that Jaedynn and Roshad ended up adopting but the guy's persistent in the worst of ways."

"So your cousin is now contending with five new born babies at once?"

"Yup," Levi said.

"Can't say I'd choose to do that, but I commend her for having such a big heart," Nadja said.

"No kidding," Levi said. He looked up at Nadja as she was sipping her coffee. "So I graduate this year."

"Yes, I recall you mentioning that," Nadja smiled.

"I wanted to ask about what we do after that. I don't know if I'll work here for a while or go straight home, but I do want to go back to Washington. I was wondering how you would feel about….you know….moving with me."

"You don't want to move to London?" Nadja asked.

"Not especially," Levi admitted. "I mean, London's great but I don't want to live there. Besides, I don't know if I'd be able to find work as easily as I would here. I certainly can't go into accounting or anything."

"You could do statistics, though. That would allow you to work in a field that doesn't require knowledge of tax law," Nadja said.

"I suppose," Levi said, but he wasn't very eager. Of course, Nadja didn't seem eager either. "Would your parents be alright with you moving to Washington with me?"

"I doubt they would be upset," Nadja said. "They'd certainly miss me, but they wouldn't drag me back home by my hair or anything. Would your family be upset?"

"Truthfully, they'd be supportive, but they wouldn't like it," Levi said. "I guess it's the same outcome either way. We'd have to gain citizenship either way as well. I doubt the process is any easier to immigrate to England than it would be to immigrate to America."

"As I hear it, immigrating to America is stricter," Nadja said. "Do you know if work visas are a thing?"

"I believe so, but I'd have to check with my dad," Levi said.

"I'll look into it too," Nadja said. "Can we strike a compromise? We'll both spend a year in each other's cities. You work a year in London; I work a year in Seattle. After we've done that, we'll make a decision."

"I assume we'll start with me working in London seeing as I'm fresh out of school without a job?" Levi smiled.

"Yes, exactly," Nadja said. "I'm assuming to get a work visa you need to go through the Embassy."

"It's a good guess. I'll start there," Levi said.

"I'll do the same," Nadja said and then reached out her hand. "So we've got a deal? You live in London for a year, I'll live in Seattle a year and we'll make a decision from there?"

Levi smiled and shook her hand, "You've got a deal."

Levi stood straight and pulled Nadja to him in a tight hug and pressed a kiss to her lips silencing her previous giggling. They didn't talk about it any further and used the remainder of their time together to just have a good time. Levi promised he'd ensure he could come to London for spring break and when he had to drop her off at the airport, he only released her after kissing her for several minutes not wanting to let her go. He returned to New Jersey going back to his dorm room. Archie wasn't there so he had time to relax and have some alone time. It was late before Archie finally got back disheveled and like he'd not gotten a wink of sleep.

"Holy shit; are you okay?" Levi asked.

"I'm fine," Archie said. "Just a wild New Year's. How'd yours go?"

"It went alright," Levi said. "We were supposed to have my cousin and her husband over at my dad's place to bring the New Year in together but some things came up and it was just Nadja and I."

"Sounds like a happy outcome," Archie said. "So how's the Brit you're seeing behind my back?"

"She's fine," Levi said. "I finally brought up closing the distance."

"And?"

"She wants me to spend a year in London," Levi said. "She wants for me to work in London for one year, then she'll work in Seattle for a year and we'd decide after that where we want to live."

"Sounds a little impractical if you ask me," Archie said. "I know you're smitten for this girl and all, but if the two of you can't agree where to be then it might be a fruitless endeavor."

"Hey, it's not like that. We're compromising," Levi said. "Asking her to leave London is a lot."

"Asking you to leave the states is a big ask too," Archie said. "I mean 'ell: I came to America for school, but that's just school. After this, I'm back off to Australia. It's where my family's at – it's where my future's at. If I meet some Sheila here and she wants to take it further, the catch is she needs to come to Australia. If she don't want to, then that's the end of it."

"Easy for you to say. You're not in a serious relationship with someone," Levi said.

"Maybe not, but that don't mean I can't have deal breakers established," Archie said. "When you're in a long distance relationship, I'd say deal breakers are more important than ever."

"I prefer to think of it in terms of doing what I can to make things work. I really love her, Archie. I want us to start a life together. I think the two of us spending a year in each other's homelands is a reasonable compromise. Hard to put into effect, sure, but it's reasonable. It's fair."

"I guess," Archie said. "Alright, well, you do what you want. If she's really 'the one' as they say then it's worth working at it."

"Exactly," Levi said. He gave Archie an appreciative smile, but as he looked at Archie, he couldn't help saying, "Seriously; what the hell happened?"

"I don't bloody remember," Archie said. "You know Ben a few doors down?"

"Yeah."

"Well, he knew a guy that was hosting a New Year's party and let me tell you, mate: it was a shit show. Someone made edibles. They were chocolate chip cookies. Tasted fokin' awful, but I got three down. Within the hour, I'm sitting in a chair unable to move as I stared at a wall. That's all I remember. Pair that with six beers and I was tripping balls. Like I said: a wild New Year's."

"Sounds like it," Levi said.

When school and work came back up, it took a while for Levi to finally be able to look into Work Visas. He started by calling Kevin for his input but when Levi called, Kevin pointed out a very serious and real possibility: what happens if Anna passes away and he's not there? When he and Nadja were talking about their compromise, the distance and how long it would take to get back home didn't even occur to him. It robbed his previous enthusiasm as well it should. He didn't call Nadja right away about it. He knew she'd understand but he didn't want to have to relay the bad news. The next day after he'd spoken to Kevin, though, proved to be a horrible follow up. He'd gotten through his school day, got most of his homework done and then went outside to leave for work. He got into his car, put the keys in the ignition and turned the key. What followed was a loud clanking sound in the engine that scared the shit out of him and he stopped turning the key. He waited a second then tried to turn the key again. The engine revved over and over and over again but never turned on. Levi tried several times but it was the same result.

"You're car not startin' wifey?" Archie said outside Levi's car. Levi jumped, not even noticing he'd come over, and then rolled down the window.

"Yeah, I heard a clanking sound and now it won't start. Do you think you could take a look?"

"Telling you now, Wifey: a 'clanking' sound is never a good sign. Pop the hood. I'll take a look," Archie said. Levi opened his car door and reached down to pull the button that popped the hood. Once release, Archie lifted the hood and looked at the engine but seconds later, Levi heard him say, "Well fuck, Levi, this puppy's totaled."

"Totaled?!" Levi yelled and ran around to the front. "What are you talking about?! I wasn't in an accident! It just sounded like something happened to the engine."

"You're damn straight something happened to the engine," Archie said. "Looks like your fan belt busted and that just broke several other things."

"Okay, so how do I fix it?"

"If you got a grand to throw at this dinosaur then maybe a mechanic could fix it, but that's the best suggestion I can make," Archie said. "You're better off getting a new car altogether."

"But…" Levi started and then plopped down sitting on the edge of the sidewalk atop the snow. "This was my grandpa's car. I don't want a new car."

"Levi, trust me, your granddad wouldn't want you driving this thing anymore. It's a miracle she didn't die on you sooner," Archie said. Levi was quiet. "I can drive you to work, mate. It's not a problem."

Eventually, Levi nodded, "Yeah. Thanks Archie."

"Any time," he said and then closed the hood of the car. "Although you may want to change your pants first." Levi realized then that his pants were wet from the snow and ran back inside to change really quick.

Archie drove Levi to work and then Levi got a ride back to the dorm. In the morning, he called a tow truck to have the car taken to a shop in a last ditch effort to save the car, hoping for a miracle. However, the mechanic told him the same thing Archie had: the engine's totaled and to replace it would cost more than the car was worth. With no other option, Levi removed his things from his car but insisted on sitting in it for just a little while. Specifically he sat in the passenger's seat where he'd sit whenever he'd go somewhere with his grandpa. He always made a point to be in the front seat unless grandma was with them. When he finally left the car, he was somber the rest of the evening until he finally called Kevin to let him know grandpa's car had died and he'd need to get a new one.

"Does he have money for a new car?" Amber asked Kevin when he'd told her the news later that night.

"He does," Kevin said. "Cash will be really tight but he can afford it. He might not be able to go to London on spring break like he was hoping, though."

"Do you think Nadja could come here to visit?"

"I don't know. As I understand it, the two of them decided to take turns visiting. She came to New York for New Years so he goes to London for Spring break and so forth. He said that he'd wanted to spend a year in London after he graduates."

"I don't know," Amber said, "would he be able to find work?"

"If he gets a Work Visa he can, but I told him to consider against it," Kevin said. "Poor kid's had a pretty rough start to the year so far."

"Things will turn up," Amber said.

The two of them went to bed that night and were off to work the next day business as usual. The twins were at school and Kevin was in the office early to prepare for a meeting with a client. Around 10, Kevin was in the conference room with his client going over everything to prepare for court the following week. They were serious accusations and there was a lot to go over. As they were talking, there was a knock at the door and it opened before Kevin permitted entry and his secretary stepped into the room.

"Mr. Black, there's a woman on the phone asking to speak with you. She said it's urgent," she said.

"Will you excuse me, Mr. Gallagher?" Kevin said as he was getting up from his seat and left once his client nodded. He went to his office phone and answered the line that was on hold. "This is Kevin Black."

"Mr. Black, it's Edna; Anna's in the hospital. You need to come right away," Edna said as calmly as possible.

Kevin ended the call, told his client they needed to reschedule and asked his secretary to cancel all appointments for that day. By the time he made it to the hospital, Amber was already there in the ER waiting room sobbing. He went to her and just held her. He didn't ask what happened or what she knew so far. This wasn't the time. Amber needed comfort more than she needed him badgering her for answers she did or didn't have. They ended up waiting in the ER waiting area for an hour not knowing what had happened or how Anna was doing but a nurse finally stepped out and pulled them aside somewhere quiet which, to Kevin, was immediately unsettling.

"I'm very sorry, but your mother has passed away," the nurse said once they were somewhere quiet. Amber had been braced for the answer, but she still cried harder when the nurse said it. Kevin was still holding her and hugged her tighter.

"Do you know what happened?" Kevin asked.

"It looks like she had another stroke while she was coming down the stairs and she fell. She hit her head when she fell that caused swelling and by the time she arrived, the swelling was too severe and she died shortly after arrival. I'm very sorry for your loss," the nurse said.

"Thank you," Kevin replied.

The nurse walked away so Kevin and Amber could have some privacy. Kevin eventually called Embry's office first so he could tell Heather what happened and also have the news relayed to Anatoli. Then he called out East but Levi was in class. He managed to get a hold of an administrator telling them they needed to notify Levi right away. At the time, Levi was in class taking a test. The room was quiet and the instructor was at the front of the class watching all the students. The sound of footsteps approaching the classroom were extremely loud but were ignored until the door opened and everyone looked up.

"Levi Black?" the man that walked in said.

"Yeah?" Levi said.

"Can you come outside please?" the man said. The instructor nodded his head and Levi left his seat and followed the man outside the classroom.

"What's going on?" Levi asked once they were outside.

"We just got a call from your father. He says your grandma passed away," he said. For a moment Levi didn't believe it. Then he didn't want to believe it. Eventually his back fell against the wall and he just stared at the floor. "My suggestion is let your professors know you will be leaving suddenly. They can retain any assignments and let you know the schedule for the upcoming days."

"Okay," Levi finally said.

"And I'm very sorry for your loss," he continued.

"Thank you," Levi answered. "Is my dad still on the phone?"

"No. He called and asked we relay the news to you right away and asked that you be able to return home immediately," the man said.

"Okay. I'll take care of it. Thank you," Levi said.

"You're welcome," the man said and finally walked away.

It took a moment before Levi sprang into action but eventually he returned into the classroom and went to his teacher first letting him know what happened. He turned in his test and what was done thus far and his teacher confirmed he'd hold it and allow Levi to finish when he returned. Levi notified his other instructors that he was leaving suddenly and then returned to the dorm so he could pack and call a taxi to take him to the airport. As he was packing, he started crying and had to stop for a moment to get a hold of himself. He went to the phone ready to call the taxi but that wasn't the first number he dialed. The number he dialed rang and rang until he got a voicemail.

"Hello, this is Nadja. I can't come to the phone. Leave me a message after the BEEP," Nadja's voice came from the recording and then there was a beep.

"Nadja….it's Levi. I just got a call from home. Oma died. I'm going home for a few days. I'll call you as soon as I can. I love you," Levi said and ended the call. He'd really wanted to hear her voice right about now, but it would have to wait.

Levi finally called the number in the yellow pages to order a taxi and made it to the airport. He wound up waiting several hours before he could finally get on a plane to Washington and by the time he made it home, it was three in the morning. He got another taxi to take him home and he let himself into the house. It was pitch black when he walked in and he had to maneuver carefully, going to Anatoli's old room which was now a guest room. He didn't wake up until nearly noon the next morning and when he stepped out, the whole family seemed to be there including Evalynn.

"When did you get here?" Levi asked Evalynn.

"I flew in last night," she said and went to give him a tight hug. "I'm so sorry, Levi."

Levi hugged her back and was soon swarmed by the twins, Anatoli, Heather and Amber. Amber's eyes were red and puffy having been crying on and off all day. Same went for his siblings. Kevin left his office to give Levi a hug as well. He'd spent all morning making calls to everyone he needed to including the Rabbi so they could make burial arrangements and needed to hug his kids as much as they needed him. The wake was going to be that evening and the following day would be the funeral after which Anna would be buried beside Levi sr. For now, however, the family was taking this time to mourn together. They all ended up walking to Anna's house so they could collect pictures they wanted to have on display for the wake. There were no old pictures. Anything from Germany was long gone except for the picture of Amber with Anna and Levi Sr. in front of the candle shop they'd opened in Berlin. They collected newspaper clippings that featured Anna in her community service, her involvement with the synagogue and anything else they could find. The immediate family brought what they could gather to the funeral home so they could put together a collage of Anna for people to look at.

Around three was when extended family and friends from the synagogue began to arrive. Boris and Illyana were among the first to arrive with Lee who soon offered emotional support to Tristan and Lilliana. They weren't really interacting with anyone, still shocked over their grandmother's death. Once friends began to arrive, they located Kevin and Amber and made sure to offer their condolences right away then moved on to look at pictures of Anna throughout the years and the obituary telling when and where Anna was born and any other snippets about her including who she was succeeded by. Caleb and Sergei were there of course to offer their own support for Levi and it was greatly appreciated.

"I'm really sorry about your grandma, Levi," Sergei said as he gave Levi a hug. Caleb took his turn to hug Levi after that.

"Do you know what happened?" Caleb asked after he released Levi.

"The doctors said she had another stroke while coming down the stairs, she fell and hit her head and the swelling killed her," Levi said.

"I'm really sorry," Caleb said again.

"I appreciate it," Levi answered. "I'd hoped when we lost her, it would be because she died in her sleep. I didn't want her to suffer like Opa had."

"She's not suffering anymore," Sergei said. "That's what matters."

"Yeah," Levi said with a sad tone.

Heather, Levi, Kevin and Amber did what they could to go around the room and thank everyone that had come to pay their respects, but it was really difficult to mingle. It was the last thing any of them wanted to do. Levi glanced at his left wrist seeing his grandpa's, grandma's and his mother's numbers. He remembered when he'd turned 18 and had gotten those numbers applied. Anna hadn't been pleased with Heather when she'd gotten those numbers tattooed to her wrist, but she'd appreciated the sentiment behind them: it's proof the Nazis hadn't won and his grandparents and mother had lived and moved on with their lives despite the cruelty they'd suffered. They hadn't died in the camps. They'd died an old man and woman that lived to know their grandchildren. Levi was happy for that at least. It didn't make it hurt any less, though. As soon as Levi could get away, he went to the collage they'd made for Anna which included her obituary. It read:

"Anna Dymek, 87, died the 8th of January 1976 at Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle, Washington after a long battle with illness. Her funeral service will be held this Saturday at Temple Mi Shebeirach followed by a burial at Bikur Cholim Cemetery where she will be buried beside her late husband Levi Dymek.

Mrs. Dymek was born 12th of February 1888 in what is now Linz, Austria to Lilliana and Han Tomasek. Her family moved to Munich, Germany in 1900 where she obtained her secondary education while she practiced her craft of candle carving alongside her mother and later went on to open her own candle shop first in Berlin then later in Seattle. She married Levi Dymek on the 19th of August 1905. Mrs. Dymek is a brave survivor of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp and started her life anew in Seattle with her husband, also fortunate to have survived, and daughter Amber- also a survivor. Mrs. Dymek was heavily involved with her community acting as a spiritual guide to her fellow congregants and has helped raise money for her community both in and out of the synagogue and is a prominent example of a woman that gave and gave and expected nothing in return except the happiness of those around her. Mrs. Dymek was a loving wife and dearly beloved mother and grandmother.

She is survived by her daughter Amber and by her cherished grandchildren: Anatoli, Anna Jr. (Heather), Levi Jr. and twins Tristan and Lilliana."

Levi's eyes burned while he'd read the obituary for the umpteenth time. It was such a brief synopsis of a remarkable woman. He looked at all the pictures they'd collected of Anna from family events like Kevin and Amber's wedding, Hanukahs, Christmases, a copy of a newspaper she and Amber had been featured in from when they'd opened their candle shop in Seattle – everything that showcased the woman he remembered from his childhood.

"Levi?" he turned around suddenly when he heard Nadja's voice.

For a moment, he thought he'd been hearing things but there she was. She was in black slakes and a long dark brown leather jacket that was still buttoned up. Her makeup was done but she definitely looked as though she'd just gotten off the plane, but he didn't care. He was no less happy to see her and went to Nadja taking her in his arms to hug her. She wrapped her arms around Levi's neck and he stood up straight with her in his arms lifting her feet off the ground. When he was holding her and his head was tucked into her neck, he started crying. Nadja hugged him tight with her hands on his head offering him comfort.

"I'm so sorry, Levi," Nadja said soothingly. Levi couldn't respond except to continue crying into her shoulder. Nadja stayed quiet while Levi cried. No one bothered them in the meantime. When Levi finally got a hold of himself, he put Nadja back on her feet, lifted his head and rubbed his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Levi said.

"Don't be," Nadja said and brought her hand up to his cheek rubbing her thumb tenderly back and forth.

"When did you get here?"

"About an hour ago," Nadja said.

"How did you know the wake was here?"

"I called the Synagogue and asked," Nadja said. "I went to the airport as soon as I got your message."

Levi smiled at her, "You have no idea how happy I am to see you. When I called you, I'd wanted to hear your voice so badly."

"Well, now you get that and more," Nadja said reassuringly and hugged him again. "I can't stay very long but I can be here for the funeral."

"I'm grateful for it," Levi said. "It means a lot having you here. Can I introduce you to everyone?"

"I'd like that," Nadja said.

While it wasn't under the happiest circumstances, everyone was happy to meet Nadja or see her again for the first time since Anatoli's and Ivory's wedding. They all thanked her for being there especially for how long of a trip this was for her. Everyone remained at the funeral home for several hours paying their respects. The Rabbi spoke with Kevin and Amber so they could prepare for the following day and then finally the immediate family left the funeral home late in the evening. Levi requested they be able to bring Nadja home with them so she didn't have to waste money on a hotel and thankfully Kevin and Amber didn't have a problem with it. When they returned home, Amber told the twins to get ready for bed and told Levi to do the same. They'd be waking up early for the funeral the following day.

"You take the guest bedroom. I'll stay on the couch," Levi said.

"Thank you," Nadja replied and brought her tiny suitcase into Anatoli's old room.

"Is there anything I can get you before bed?" Levi asked.

"No, I'm alright," Nadja said. She opened her bag to pull out her white shirt and some shorts then started getting undressed. Everyone was already upstairs so it was just her and Levi. Normally seeing her like this would instantly arouse him, but now he was just tired and still upset. He got the couch set up to sleep on and was laying down ready to get to sleep when Nadja came over and sat beside him placing a hand on his chest. "This may be silly to ask, but how are you?"

"I miss my Oma," Levi said and brought his hand up to cover hers on his chest. "My car broke down; grandpa's old car I mean."

"Oh no," Nadja said. "What happened to it?"

"Archie said the fan belt snapped and it ended up causing damage to several parts of the motor and it's totaled," Levi said.

"There's really nothing they can do to fix it?"

"I double checked with a mechanic and he basically told me the same thing: it'll cost more to fix it than the car's worth. I asked for a quote just to be sure and it's more than I can afford so I'm really better off buying a new car. I don't want to, though."

"I know," Nadja said and rubbed her hand back and forth over his chest soothingly. "So I guess when you get back to New Jersey, you'll be buying a new car?"

"I guess so," Levi said. "It's insignificant by comparison, but this and Oma's death just feels like too much." A moment of silence passed between them. "Maybe this is stupid, but losing Opa's car felt like I'd lost a part of him and now that Oma's gone, the last part that remained is gone too."

"You'll always have memories and pictures," Nadja reassured. "As long as you remember them, they'll never be completely gone."

Levi just nodded weakly and laid his head back taking a deep breath. He felt his eyes start to burn with tears again and Nadja leaned down to rest her head over his chest. Levi hugged her close needing all the comfort he could get. Nadja ended up falling asleep like that and when Levi realized it, he gently lifted her in his arms and carried her to the spare room getting her under the covers and comfortable. He squeezed her hand and planted a kiss on her forehead before returning to the couch to try getting some sleep himself. Come morning, they were all awake bright and early dressed in black and then left for the Synagogue for the funeral service. As the immediate family, Kevin, Amber and their children sat right up front while the other members of the family, friends and acquaintances filled the seats behind them. Levi was happy to see so many people there to mourn. Nadja sat beside Levi the whole time, holding his hand to help him through the service.

Amber stood to say a few words but could barely get through it. The closed casket was all that made it possible for her to manage what she had. The Rabbi said the appropriate prayers and when it was time, Levi, Kevin and a few young men from the Synagogue that had known Anna and had loved her dearly carried the casket to the Hearse for transport. Kevin and Amber's car was at the very front of that procession and they followed the Hearse through the city to the gravesite where a spot was already prepared right beside Levi Sr.'s resting place. As had been done on Levi Sr.'s gravestone, a Star of David was ornately carved into the stone along with Anna's name, date of birth and death and a epitaph that read: Geliebte Frau, Mutter und Oma. (Beloved wife, mother and grandma). Heather, Levi and the twins each put a flower on Anna's casket. Amber had carved a soap shaped into a flower that had been put in Anna's casket, but she placed yet another right on top of her casket. Levi made sure to put some flowers on his grandfather's grave as well. Afterwards, the family went back to the Synagogue to have lunch together with all the other people that had come for the funeral.

"How long can you stay?" Levi asked Nadja once they'd returned to the Synagogue.

"I need to leave tomorrow," Nadja said. "With the time difference, I'll be able to get back to London by Tuesday. That's when I promised I'd be back to work."

"Yeah, I have to be back in New Jersey by Monday," Levi said.

"When does your flight leave tomorrow? Maybe we can go to the airport together."

"I don't have my ticket back. I'll need to buy it once I get to the airport," Levi said, "but I'd like it if we could go together. What time does your flight leave?"

"Noon," Nadja said. "So by the time I get back to London, it'll probably be midday on Monday if I'm lucky."

"Time change is a bitch," Levi agreed. He was poking at the food he'd gotten for himself, not really interested at the moment. "Hell, at this point I think I'm better off just getting a bike."

"In this weather?"

"It's definitely cheaper," Levi said.

"Do you want to postpone your trip to London?"

"No," Levi said. "I'm going come hell or high water. I want to come see you."

"You're seeing me now," Nadja smiled lovingly.

"I mean I want to see you and not have a cloud over our heads," Levi said. "Not that I'm complaining. You've made this so much easier to handle."

"I'm glad I could help," Nadja said.

Once they had their food, Sergei, Caleb and Ashley sat with Caleb and Nadja while Evalynn sat with Heather. The family all stayed at Kevin's and Amber's house for the remainder of the day and a few stayed the night. It wasn't until the following day, but Kevin sat down with Amber so they could go over Anna's will though Amber had already known the majority of what was in it. She had no outstanding debts and the house was paid for, so all that was left was to say that Amber was being left the Candle Shop in its entirety where the house and her car were to be sold and the profit was to be split evenly among her grandchildren. As to personal belongings, that was to be released to Amber and to the grandchildren as desired while anything else was to be donated. Levi didn't stay for that, not wanting to go through Anna's things. As it was, Amber had no intention of doing so until later but she did know she couldn't wait too long. They needed to get everything sorted so they could put the house on the market whether Amber wanted to or not.

"I'll see you in the spring then?" Nadja said to Levi just before she was about to get on her plane. Levi's wouldn't leave for another few hours and Evalynn was waiting at her terminal.

"Yeah, I'll see you in spring. Thank you for being here. It meant a lot."

"I'm just happy I could be here for you," Nadja said.

The two shared a kiss that lasted several moments before Nadja had to leave him and get on the plane. Then Levi retreated to his terminal so he could wait for his own plane back to New Jersey. A week later, Amber finally forced herself into Anna's house so she could sort through everything and Heather was with her to help as well as Anatoli, Eun Mi, Eun Mae and Mae Yon, Kevin and Embry. Eun Mi brought several boxes she'd gotten from the General Store to get things packed but everything needed to be run by Amber first. It was already decided that furniture would be donated and a truck arrived midday to retrieve all the furniture that would be donated. Before that team arrived, Heather was packing all Anna's and Levi Sr.'s clothes while Amber was check for any money, checks and jewelry for safe keeping. While checking the dresser drawers, so found something she'd not seen in years and it made her go completely still.

"Mom?" Heather said when she noticed Amber was still for an unnatural amount of time. "Are you alright?" Amber looked up at Heather when she realized she was being addressed.

"I'm alright," Amber said and then looked at what was in her hand. "Heather?"

"Yes, mom?"

"Please have these burned," Amber said and offered what she'd been holding. Heather realized whatever she held it was striped and had lingering stains. Some were dark brown but appears as though it were blood. She accepted them and shook when she realized what she was holding: they were prison uniforms. The faded stripes dirtied after prolonged use that smelled as though they'd never been cleaned and a faded yellow star to indicate their 'race'. Below the star was a number: her Opa's number. She lifted the uniform to see the one underneath and it held her Oma's number.

"They kept these all these years?" Heather asked.

"I want them out of the house, Heather," Amber said calmly. "Please burn them."

"Mom….maybe we should at least have these –"

"I said burn them!" Amber screamed and Heather took a step back. Heather heard Kevin coming up the stairs but she ran out of the bedroom and nearly bumped into him.

"What's the matter? What is she asking to have burned?" Kevin asked when he and Heather met on the landing. But he saw the uniforms and realized what Heather was holding. "They kept those?"

"It looks like it," Heather said, still trembling a little. "Shouldn't we give these to a museum or something?"

"Give them to me; I'll look into it," Kevin said. "We just need to get these out of the house."

"Okay," Heather said and handed the uniforms over. Heather eventually returned to her grandparents' bedroom when she was no longer shaking and saw Amber just as she'd left her sitting in front of the large dresser. "Mom? Do you want me to go through the dresser?"

"Yes," Amber said and stepped away. She took a seat on the edge of the bed. Anna's scent was still there, lingering even in her absence. Anatoli came upstairs to check on Amber having heard from Kevin what happened.

"Mama? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Amber said in a quieted voice.

Anatoli walked over to the bed and sat beside Amber. He took her hand and then hugged Amber when she started crying. Heather kept at work but glanced at Amber every now and then. Since Amber was so distraught, Kevin took over as far as getting everything sorted. When the movers for the charity arrived, he made sure the bedroom was done last to give her more time. However they eventually needed to allow the movers to take the bed, the nightstands, the dresser and anything else that needed to be donated so Anatoli guided Amber off the bed and to one side so she wouldn't have to watch them taking her parents' furniture. Anna's jewelry box was brought back to the house so Amber could sort through it later assuming that time ever came. When he could, Kevin did some research and eventually had the uniforms appraised to confirm they were genuine and agreed to have them donated to the Holocaust museum. Kevin eventually told Amber he'd done this and while she wasn't thrilled, she agreed in retrospect that was the right thing to do.

Anatoli was tasked with bringing the car to the dealer for selling. It didn't bring in much – just $200 – but they hadn't been expecting much anyway. That was put to the side for after the house was sold and the funds could be properly divided among the grandchildren as Anna had wanted. Amber refused to be present when it was done, so Kevin took over getting the house on the market after Embry and Anatoli made any repairs that were needed including painting, fixing some chips or cracks, getting new appliances installed that Kevin made sure got paid for – anything that was needed. When the For Sale sign was put up, Kevin felt an ache that he knew was minimal compared to what Amber would have felt were she to see it. It was put on the market for $60,000 – more than generous as far as Kevin was concerned and it would give each grandchild $12,000. For the twins, it would be good to put towards college, for Anatoli and Heather, it would be useful for emergencies or just to enjoy and for Levi it would be a new car. At least that was the logic. Thankfully, the house sold within a month and for the asking price which was even better. That plus the sale from the car was written out as a check for each of the kids except for Tristan and Lilliana. Their shares were put in savings for later and would only grow with time and interest.

"So it's official?" Amber asked after Kevin returned home from the bank after the sale was finalized.

"Yeah, it's official," Kevin said. "The house is sold."

"Okay," Amber said.

"I already divided everything and wrote the checks out for the kids. I put Tristan's and Lilliana's shares into savings."

"Good. Thank you," Amber replied. She was finally sorting through Anna's jewelry but she didn't want to wear any of it. It didn't seem right. All of it was jewelry Levi Sr. had bought for Anna after they'd moved to America and Levi could afford such luxuries. "Mom used to have a large diamond cocktail ring," Amber said. "It was my favorite. I told myself I would make sure our daughter had that ring or I'd give it to our son as a wedding ring he could present when the time was right, but it was lost."

"Do you want to keep any of that jewelry?" Kevin asked.

"I don't want to get rid of it," Amber said. "I don't want anyone else having any more of my mother's things."

"Okay; do you want me to lock it away?"

"No," Amber said, staring at a diamond bracelet her mother used to love and always wore to weddings. Kevin walked over and sat beside Amber and holding her close.

When Levi finally received his share from the house sale, he almost didn't want to even use it. He was tempted to just hide the money away in savings and forget about it. However, the need for the car outweighed his sentiments and he went to buy himself a brand new car. He was at least relieved he didn't have to bug Archie for a ride anymore. What didn't get used to buy the car Levi put away in savings. Thankfully they weren't hit with any other hardships and Levi focused instead on going to London for Spring Break. When things had calmed down, he looked into getting a Work Visa in the UK and while it was time consuming, it was something he could earn if he started early so he began to process so that when he graduated he could move to London and work there for a year. He'd already told Kevin he was going to proceed and Kevin wished him luck and made him promise to call home whenever possible.

Friday after school let out, Levi went straight to the airport narrowly catching his flight and was in London by middle of the night Saturday their time. Levi got his dollars converted to pounds and took a taxi to Nadja's apartment. He found a payphone to call and let her know he'd arrived and she let him in taking him back to her place and hugging him once they were alone.

"I missed you so much," Levi said.

"I missed you too," Nadja said and lifted her head to look at him and give him a kiss. "I have the week off and I didn't try out for any plays for this season, so I'm all yours this week."

"Really?"

"Really," Nadja said. "Let's get to bed. We'll talk in the morning once you've recovered from the jet lag."

Levi changed into some pajamas and once he was ready for the night, he got into bed with Nadja and went right to sleep. When he woke up, the apartment was filled with the smell of bacon, beans, some eggs and toast and vegetables. He wanted to open his eyes but he just couldn't do it. He was still so tired and even the smell of breakfast couldn't rouse him. He fell back asleep then woke up again when he felt soft lips kissing his cheek and a hand trailing up and down his arms. He groaned and turned over so he was on his back and Nadja rested her chin atop his chest.

"Good morning," Nadja said.

"Morning," Levi said and took another deep breath. "What's for breakfast?"

"I made you a proper full English," she said with a big smile. "I learned a few recipes so I'll be showing off while you're here."

"It smells amazing," Levi said. He got himself out of bed and walked over to the kitchen space to a plate filled to the brim with sausage, bacon, beans, sunny side up eggs, sautéed mushrooms and tomatoes, and some toast.

"Now, I left out the blood sausage. I know that's a hit or miss for some people," Nadja said.

"Yeah, I'm not a fan personally, so thank you for omitting it," Levi said and dug in. "So I applied for a Work Visa."

"You did?" Nadja asked and perked up.

"Yeah, I did," Levi said. "Unless something crazy comes up like they find a criminal record I'm not aware of, I'll be approved by the time I graduate and I told my parents I'll be coming here. So in June when I graduate, I'll spend the summer at home and then I'll move here and start looking for work. Assuming you don't mind me bumming off you for a while."

"You bum as long as you need," Nadja said and leaned forward to give him a kiss.

"You promise after a year, you'll come to Seattle and spend the year in the states?"

"I promise," Nadja said. "I've already looking into getting a Work Visa and I'll go back to get applied when it's closer to the right time. The agent I spoke to at the US Embassy said it would take about six months to get approved."

"Sounds about right," Levi said.

"But this week isn't about work: it's about enjoying a holiday together."

"Yeah," Levi smiled, "So what did you want to do today?"

"I'd like to welcome you to London properly to start," Nadja said and made Levi put down his fork and knife so she could guide him to the bed to start kissing him.

For the week, they did some site seeing but most of it was spent in Nadja's apartment laying in bed together either making love, reading or watching something on TV together. With no work or plays to interrupt them, they were able to just be together. Levi hated to leave but when Nadja saw him off, he promised to call her and that they'd see each other again when he moved to London like they'd discussed. When he returned, Levi returned back into the swing of things preparing for graduation and saving up for his move.

For Evalynn, school was business as usual. She made sure all her work and labs were done, she got good grades and focused on keeping it that way while still finding time to go out to The Marmalade Bar to socialize. As she'd figured would occur, Jessica got back together with her high school sweetheart and things between Evalynn and Jessica ended intimately speaking. They remained good friends and that's what mattered. Evalynn didn't get back into dating right away but when she did, she just didn't have much interest in anyone. She went on a few dates here and there and some of them even lasted one or two more dates past the first one, but there was no passion. There was no joy or thrill and the sex wasn't good enough to keep her going through the motions. She found herself focusing more on her homework and school than anything else. When summer finally came, she couldn't get out of Connecticut fast enough. She needed the space and time with family. She went to Levi's graduation along with Kevin, Amber, Heather, Embry and the twins then they all went back to Washington together.

Jaedynn and Roshad set things up with Gloria so the boys could all visit one another and also to celebrate their birthdays in July. Adamant they wouldn't be going to New York City, they agreed they would instead meet in Newark, NJ so Gloria wouldn't have to travel too far. As promised, she set herself up with a P.O box so when Roshad sent her child support, there was no risk of it being stolen or intercepted and the extra money did wonders in making sure Raphael was being taken care of without bills going unpaid. Gloria made a point to ensure Alex remained none the wiser. After the altercation, it was a few days before he came back to visit Raphael and when he did, he acted like nothing had happened and it left Gloria ready to tear her hair out. Beginning of July, Gloria made the trip to Newark with her mother and Raphael in tow and met Roshad, Jaedynn and the children at the hotel where Jaedynn and Roshad were staying. He reserved a dining room in the hotel for them to use, there was cake and food out and loads of presents for the boys.

They sang Happy Birthday for Raphael, Mikie, Don and Leo and made sure they got the portions of the cake they had grabbed onto in order to start digging in. After that, they all went to a large playground together so the kids could all run around and have a good time. Jaedynn and Gloria were chasing after the boys for most of it making sure they didn't get on anything they were too young for but the kids enjoyed it all the same.

Evalynn didn't see Shyann or any of the other Tistilal kids on the tribe which she was expecting. She was really hoping someone somehow had convinced her not to buy a car and drive across the country on her own, though when she asked Kyle about it, she hadn't changed her mind and had gone to Arizona with a giant wad of cash for that very purpose. Oscar had already been called and notified as had Oliver and they assured they'd knock some sense into her one way or another. Then when it was just one more week left in Evalynn's vacation before she would be returning east, a call was placed to the school first, then to Jacob's and Renesmee's house where they finally got a hold of Renesmee to let her know that Shyann had basically, somehow, gotten herself to Phoenix, showed up at Oscar's house and waited outside until Travis had come home. When Oscar had come home, she begged and pleaded for him or Travis to help her buy a car so she could drive home and Renesmee promised they would send someone to help her.

Whether it was worry or pure frustration that made her do it, Evalynn insisted that she would go. She got on a plane to Phoenix, Oscar came to pick her up and then brought her back to the apartment where Shyann was staying, having basically refused to return to the tribe. She'd no gone to buy a car yet and was stubbornly refusing to leave until Oscar took her to buy one. When Oscar dropped Evalynn off at his place and let her in. Shyann was expecting Oscar but was shocked when she saw Evalynn come through the door with a big suitcase.

"Good luck with her. Travis and I will be back by six," Oscar said.

"Okay. Thanks, Oscar," Evalynn said.

"Behave yourself, Shyann," Oscar ordered and then left. When Shyann and Evalynn locked eyes, it was the same as before. Her hair had grown out and reached just below her chin now. It was sleek and looked adorable on her with her hair parted to the side rather than in the middle. Otherwise, nothing had changed: Evalynn still cared for and loved her, but there was no romantic pull. Right now, all she saw was a stubborn teenager that, from what she'd heard of the situation, was throwing a temper tantrum because she wasn't getting her way.

"What are you doing here?" Shyann asked.

"Someone had to come drag you home and I've got another week before I've got to go back to Connecticut," Evalynn said.

"Well, I don't care what you say. I'm getting a car and I'll drive myself back to Washington. I don't need your help."

"Oh yeah? And you think a dealership is going to sell a car to a minor that just got her license and doesn't have a guardian with her? Do you even have a line of credit?"

"I have a credit card and I keep it paid off," Shyann said. "Contrary to what the lot of you seem to think, I'm not fucking stupid. I did my homework."

"No one's calling you stupid, Shyann, but you are being a brat," Evalynn said.

"Fuck you," Shyann rebutted for lack of really anything else to say. Evalynn walked over to the living room area and took a seat in the recliner near the love seat Shyann was sitting in.

"Look, Shyann, I get it: you've earned your license and you want the freedom of a car. But can't you at least buy that car in Washington? There are plenty of dealerships in Port Angeles and at least one in Forks that you can go to and you can shop until you get a good deal. The reason everyone doesn't want you going cross country on your own I would think is pretty obvious. What if you get into an accident? What if the car breaks down? Where are you going to sleep? What if a serial killer gets you? For fuck's sake, Shyann, the possibilities of what could go wrong are endless."

"You're being overdramatic."

"I'm being overdramatic? You're throwing a tantrum and bumming off your grandpa because you're not getting your way. Is that not also 'overdramatic'?"

"Well, I didn't ask you," Shyann said.

"At this point, it doesn't matter if you're asking me," Evalynn said. "Look, let's just get on a plane, we'll fly back to Washington and you can buy yourself a car like you want. You saved up loads of money for it, so you've definitely earned buying yourself a car."

"I'm buying a car here and that's final."

"I don't understand why you're arguing with me over this," Evalynn groaned and rubbed her face.

"I'm arguing because you can't tell me what to do. You're not my mom."

"As I recall, your mom wasn't alright with you doing their either," Evalynn said. Shyann didn't say anything. She just stayed seating with her arms crossed making no effort to hide how annoyed she was. Finally, Evalynn sighed heavily. "You're not going to win this one, kid."

"Watch me," she said and stood from the couch going to the spare bedroom she'd been using slamming the door.

She heard the sound of a record being pulled out of its case and moments later, Death on Two Legs by Queen began playing. At first the volume was normal, but it quickly went much higher than was necessary or really acceptable given they were in an apartment complex. She heard the sound of Freddy Mercury antagonizing whomever the subject of the song was directed at and she couldn't help thinking Shyann had picked this album on purpose. Rather than pander or try to engage, Evalynn grabbed a magazine off the table and just started reading the People magazine with Paul McCartney on the cover and the topic 'His kids ask: "What Will Daddy Do When He Grows Up?"'. Of course, the serious subject matter of Death on Two Legs was undercut rather comically when Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon began to play. In truth, she loved the song. It was a funny little 1 minute number that never failed to make her laugh. Then on came I'm in Love with my Car. Normally Evalynn liked this song too, but right now it just made her roll her eyes.

The rest of the album continued to play way too loud. You're My Best Friend, 39, Sweet Lady and Seaside Rendezvous rang through the apartment until it was the end of Side 1 and she had to turn over the record to play Side Two starting with The Prophet's Song. Definitely not her favorite but she was engrossed in the magazine by then and wasn't paying much attention. The song then moved on to Love of My Life. She started humming along with the song and did the same when Good Company started playing. After that was Bohemian Rhapsody then finally it ended with Queen's adaptation of God Save the Queen. By then, Evalynn had gotten through two full People Magazines. She thought maybe that would be the end of it, but then there was more movement followed by David Bowie's Station to Station coming from the room.

"God damn it," Evalynn groaned to herself.

That's how the rest of the afternoon played out: Shyann played all of one album then moved on to another one at the same volume no matter what was playing. Evalynn was shocked none of the neighbors came slamming on the door. Luckily for Shyann, Travis was the first one to get back home and wasn't nearly so mean about making Shyann turn down her music as Oscar would have been. Shyann did turn her music down but not completely off and once she had, Travis left her alone.

"So how was everything today?" Travis asked.

"Basically the way you see it here," Evalynn said. "That girl's stubborn as a damn mule."

"I'm afraid that runs in the family. Oscar's stubborn as a bull," Travis smiled. "Don't tell Oscar I said that."

"You're secret's safe with me," Evalynn said.

"Now that we can hear ourselves think, do you want to help me make dinner?"

"Sure," Evalynn replied. She followed Travis to the kitchen and helped him prep some onion and garlic while he prepped a whole chicken for roasting. "So how has married life been treating you?"

"It's been great," Travis said. "Although as far as anyone in the complex is aware, we're roommates."

"Does anyone ask?"

"Only the neighbors that like to know everyone," Travis said. "I'll be elated when we can buy ourselves a house but that's further down the line."

"So you're saving up for it right now?"

"Yeah," Travis said. "Oscar really wants to move somewhere outside the city so our neighbors are far away and we don't have to pretend we're just roommates. Sadly, that's expensive."

"I can imagine," Evalynn said. "So has Shyann been acting like this since she got here?"

"More or less," Travis said. "Her parents told her they wouldn't let her drive back home so she hitched a ride to Phoenix – hell if I know how; she just said not to worry about it – and showed up at our apartment waiting outside for us to come home and wouldn't go back. She's been begging Oscar to let her buy a car since she got here and to let her drive back to Washington herself but he keeps saying no. I'm not about to try to convince Oscar otherwise."

"I see," Evalynn said. "I haven't had much luck with her either."

"I'll give her credit: she doesn't back down easy," Travis said.

"No, she certainly doesn't. It's driving me insane," Evalynn replied.

"You and me both," Travis said.

Oscar was home another half hour later and although the music wasn't blasting like she'd had it when Travis came home, it was still too loud for Oscar's liking and he went straight to her room, opened the door without knocking and ordered her to turn it down. Shyann shared a brief exchange with Oscar in which she argued with him but he wasn't having it and she finally turned it down more like Oscar asked her to. He came back to the living area pulling his keys out of his pocket and tossing them on the table.

"So how was your day?" Travis asked Oscar.

"It was fine until that bitch down the hall stopped me to complain about the noise coming out of our apartment," Oscar said irritably. Changing his voice to a high pitched patronizing voice, he said, "'I'll have you know that music was loud enough to raise the dead! My baby was trying to sleep!' Forgive me, Mrs. Jackson – pardon me while I look for a fuck to give."

"Take a deep breath, Oscar," Travis said. "Dinner will be ready in another 30 minutes."

"Good," Oscar said. "What's for dinner?"

"Roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and broccoli," Travis said.

"It smells great," Oscar said and returned to the kitchen going into the fridge to grab a beer. "Do you want one, Travis?"

"Not now; I'll have one later," Travis said.

"What about you, Evalynn?"

"Sure, I'll have a beer," Evalynn said and accepted the can Oscar offered her.

"So have you had any luck with her?" Oscar asked after a big gulp of his beer.

"I'm afraid not," Evalynn said.

"Christ almighty," Oscar said. "Well, if she thinks I'm budging, she's got another thing coming. I'll drag her to the airport by her hair if I fucking have to."

"I'll make sure she gets back safe," Evalynn said. "I guess we can give her some space until dinner."

"She'd better enjoy it," Oscar said. "After dinner, I'm kicking her out."

"Oscar, don't do that," Travis said calmly.

"No, Travis, you're being too fucking easy on her. I've been patient for nearly a week now and I'm done. She's either getting on a God damn plane back to Washington first thing tomorrow or I'm kicking her out and she can figure it out herself. She wants to be a fucking adult? Go right the fuck ahead. See how far you get."

"Oscar, try to calm down," Travis said. "We'll talk to her at dinner and we'll figure something out. We aren't going to get anywhere if you're snapping at her."

"Bullshit," Oscar said. "We'll get somewhere if it's the last thing I do."

Oscar went to the living area and sat down in an attempt to relax. When dinner was ready, Travis went to the room Shyann was using and let her know that dinner was ready and to come out. Once they were all seated with dinner on the table, Oscar got straight to the point.

"Alright, Shyann," Oscar said, "I've had about enough. Either you get on a plane tomorrow back to Washington or your shit's outside and you're on your own."

"I'm not going back until I get my car and I can drive," Shyann said.

"Shyann, we're not going to let you drive across the country on your own," Travis said before Oscar could say anything. "We're just looking out for you."

"I'll be fine. You're all worrying too much," Shyann said. "I'd be in more danger if you kicked me out with nowhere to go and no way home."

"Sounds like you'd better do what I'm telling you then," Oscar said.

"Shyann, what your uncle is trying to say is-" Travis started.

"No, no, don't try to speak for him," Shyann said flippantly. "He meant what he said."

"You're damn straight I did and don't you fucking interrupt us when we're talking to you," Oscar said. "Either you're on a plane home or you're out of the house and on your own. Take your pick."

"Can I make a suggestion?" Evalynn spoke up.

"Please," Travis said.

"You want to buy yourself a car right? And you brought your own money to do it with?"

"Yes," Shyann said, her arms crossed defiantly.

"At this point, you just need an adult present with you to buy the car?"

"I am an adult," Shyann said.

"You're a spoiled child," Oscar said. Shyann was about to speak but Travis gestured for her to keep quiet.

"You need someone over 18 to be present," Evalynn clarified.

"Yes," Shyann said.

"Okay," Evalynn said. "How about this: I'll go with you to buy the car. Once you've bought the car and there's some insurance on the car, I'll drive back to Washington with you."

"I don't need you to drive back with me," Shyann said.

"I got news for you, Shyann: it's the best offer you're going to get," Oscar said. Shyann looked between Oscar and Travis. While Travis was the more sympathetic and kind looking of the two, she knew this really was the best she'd get. She looked at Evalynn who was stone faced, not relaying anything. Shyann's shoulders slumped and she looked back at Oscar.

"Fine," she said.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Oscar said.

"Yes, Uncle Oscar," Shyann changed her wording to be more respectful.

"Good," Oscar said. "You can do that tomorrow." There was a silence as Oscar waited for Shyann to respond but she was quiet. Eventually she realized Oscar was expecting a thank you.

"Thanks, Uncle Oscar," Shyann said irritably.

"You're welcome," Oscar said. "Now, Evalynn, do you have enough money for gas and food?"

"I have about $50 with me," Evalynn said. "That should be enough if I stretch it."

"Alright. Shyann, when the two of you get back, make sure you pay Evalynn back," Oscar said.

"That's alright, Oscar. She doesn't have to," Evalynn said.

"No, she does and she will," Oscar said with a stern look. Shyann just nodded but her arms will still crossed. "Is that understood, Shyann?"

"Yes, Uncle Oscar," Shyann said.

"Good," Oscar said.

That was the end of the discussion for the evening, but Shyann was visibly irate. After dinner, having barely touched her food, Shyann went back to the guest bedroom shutting the door behind her and within minutes, she was playing music again. Travis told Oscar to take a deep breath and stay calm, but he wasn't the least bit amused by Shyann's behavior. Evalynn gave Shyann an hour to herself before knocking on the guest bedroom door and letting herself in. Shyann was sitting on the bed reading a copy of Cosmopolitan. When Evalynn stepped into the room, she looked up from the magazine.

"What?"

"Just wanted to check on you," Evalynn said and came inside the room taking a spot on one end of the bed. "So you'll be buying your first car tomorrow. That's pretty exciting."

"I suppose," Shyann said but with little to no enthusiasm.

"Do you know what kind of car you want?"

"I'm not picky," she said although Evalynn was rather certain that was a lie.

"I guess you'll know what you want once you see what's on the lot," Evalynn said. "What's your budget?"

"I brought $1000," Shyann said.

"That's a damn good down payment," Evalynn said. "They'll walk you through your monthly payments and what they'll be and for how long. With a down payment like that, it'll keep your monthly payment low. Do you want a new or used car?"

"I want a new car," Shyann said.

"In that case, you'll probably want to get yourself a Sedan. They're pretty reasonably priced."

"We'll see," Shyann replied. Another silence stretched and when it went on for too long, Evalynn sighed and crossed her legs. "Why are you here exactly?"

"Honestly, kid, I don't really know," Evalynn said.

"I'm not a kid," Shyann said.

"Sure," Evalynn said and sighed again. "I know it's not exactly the outcome you were hoping for but let's just make the best of it. You'll get your car and road trip; so what if you have to have someone with you?" Shyann didn't answer. "Alright, well, we'll get going first thing in the morning. Once you've got your car, we'll get packed and on the road."

"Fine," Shyann said.

Deciding she'd done enough, Evalynn finally left the guest room, closed the door behind her and returned to the living room where Travis and Oscar were watching the news discussing the current updates with the presidential election. Travis made sure Evalynn had a blanket and pillow so she was comfortable and Evalynn slept on the couch that night. Travis and Oscar were awake early as usual but Evalynn stayed down on the couch wanting to get more sleep. She overheard them talk to one another normally while they had breakfast and coffee together and then kiss one another goodbye wishing the other a good day before finally leaving the apartment to get to work for the day. Evalynn didn't get out from under the covers on the couch for another hour but when she did, she went straight to the kitchen and had some leftover coffee. Evalynn relaxed on the couch with her mug waiting for Shyann to come out of the guest bedroom but a half hour later, she still wasn't out. Evalynn finished her coffee and went to the door knocking gently but there was no response. She let herself in and saw that Shyann was still sound asleep.

"Figures," Evalynn muttered under her breath.

It was the most peaceful she'd ever seen Shyann look. She was on her side with her hair to the side leaving her face visible. The blanket was at her hip and she wore a torn up band shirt but Evalynn couldn't tell what band it was. Evalynn wondered where Shyann was getting all these band shirts. Given they were always torn to shreds, she assumed they were freely obtained. Her chest was just barely covered and the shirt was cut up to look like a backless halter top. Evalynn left the door ajar and went back to the kitchen to make herself another cup of coffee. She glanced at the clock: 9:38. They had time. But then when it was 10:50 with no sign she'd woken up, Evalynn went back to the room and found Shyann just as she'd left her, but now she was on her back and the shirt was no longer covering all her chest. Evalynn walked in, pulled the shirt to the side so she was covered, then pulled the blanket up to cover her more so and only then did she start touching Shyann's shoulder. That didn't wake her, so she shoved her just a little. When that still didn't wake her, she shoved harder.

"Shyann," Evalynn said. She shoved her again. "Shyann, wake up." This time, Shyann jolted awake and looked right at Evalynn then calmed down, but she was no less annoyed.

"What?"

"It's almost 11. You need to get up so we can get to the dealership. You still want to buy a car don't you?"

"Relax; they don't close until six," Shyann said, turned over and pulled the covers over her shoulder so her back was to Evalynn. Evalynn took a deep breath. 'Lord give me strength,' she thought to herself then tugged onto the blankets. "Hey!"

"Come on, Shyann. Rise and shine. If you want to get that car and be on the road right away, then you need to get your ass out of bed. I'm not driving through the desert in the middle of the night to best case scenario end up at the Bates Motel."

"Never heard of it," Shyann said and tried to grab the blankets but Evalynn averted her.

"Just get out of bed," Evalynn said. "Do you want me to make you some coffee?"

"No, I want you to let me sleep in," Shyann said.

"What part of 'it's almost 11' did you not get? I already let you sleep in."

"You're not my mom!" Shyann yelled and lunged for the blanket but Evalynn took a step back making Shyann miss and she landed on the mattress then rolled off onto the floor with a thump.

"Are you alright?" Evalynn asked.

"I'm fine," Shyann said irritably.

"Are you awake now?"

"What do you think?!"

"I'll take that as a yes," Evalynn said tossed the blankets onto the mattress. "Get dressed, make the bed and we'll get going."

"You make the damn bed; you're the one that messed it up," Shyann said.

"If you'd gotten out of bed when I said to, it wouldn't have gotten messed up," Evalynn said. "I'll wait in the living room for you." Evalynn stepped out of the bedroom and heard the door slam just after she'd exited. She sat back on the couch and laid her head back with a groan. "I'm too old for this shit," she said to herself. She waited a while for Shyann to finally come out and when she did, she was in tight jean shorts, a torn up Queen shirt displaying the cover of A Night at the Opera and no bra. "Shyann, wear something over that," Evalynn said.

"Are you kidding me? It's over 100° outside!"

"At least wear a shirt that covers your back," Evalynn said. Shyann didn't respond and instead went back to the guest room, stayed in there a moment and finally came back out with another torn up shirt. This one was plane yellow that was made into a halter top although the back had a braid of fabric and under it was her bra. "Close enough," Evalynn sighed heavily. She was tempted to toss one of her own short sleeved shirts at Shyann's face and make her wear that but didn't feel like arguing with her anymore. "There's a bus stop near here, so let's get on that and we'll go to the nearest dealership."

Shyann and Evalynn left the apartment complex and walked to the bus stop waiting about twenty minutes before a bus arrived. It took them further into town and Evalynn kept her eyes peeled for a car dealership and got off as soon as they were at a stop that was close to one. The moment they arrived on the lot and looked at one or two cars, a salesman walked up to them with an inviting smile.

"Good afternoon, ladies. Is there anything I can help you find today?" Both the salesman and Evalynn looked at Shyann waiting for her answer.

"I've got $1000. What do you have?" she said.

"Well….I mean that depends on what you're looking for and what you're looking to spend on a monthly basis. If you're asking what cars we have under $1000, I'm afraid we don't have anything. Nothing that's safe to drive anyway."

"This is her first car, so she needs something inexpensive but safe and reliable. Four door would be best and that won't cost her an arm and a leg to insure," Evalynn said. The salesman looked at her.

"Are you her mother?" the salesman said.

"No, she's not my mom," Shyann said grumpily.

"Feels like it right about now," Evalynn said. "Do you have anything that would be a good fit for her?"

"Well, we've got plenty of four door Sedans and we have some Ford four doors," the salesman said.

"Can we see those?" Evalynn asked.

"Absolutely. My name's Trevor by the way," he said.

"Thank you, Trevor," Evalynn replied and they followed him further into the lot to see what they had.

He showed the Sedans first but Shyann wasn't thrilled with them. They came upon a used Silver 1975 Ford Granada and that finally caught her attention. She asked to test drive it and the three of them went on the road for a quick drive around the block. Once they returned to the lot, Shyann confirmed that was the car she wanted to buy and they all stepped inside out of the hot sun to go over the details. Thanks to her high down payment, she was able to get her monthly installments down to $79 a month. While tight, it was manageable and she'd be able to afford the insurance on it. Once all the paperwork was signed, Shyann and Evalynn left the lot in Shyann's new car and, finally, she had a big smile on her face.

"You're first car: how do you feel?"

"Pretty fantastic," Shyann answered and rolled down her window. "Roll your window down." Evalynn did as she asked and dealt with the wind blowing her hair around in an unruly fashion, doing her best to hold onto and contain it. They made it back to Oscar's and Travis's apartment and got their things packed but by then it was nearly four in the afternoon.

"I'll ask Oscar if he'll let us stay one more night," Evalynn said. "It's too late in the day to leave right now and we really should check a map first."

"Seriously, Evalynn, where's your sense of adventure?"

"I grew out of it," Evalynn said and then opened the front door again. "I'm going to the gas station to get a map. I'll be back."

Evalynn walked in the blistering heat to the nearest gas station to get a map of Arizona and also a full US map so they could make it back to Washington. Once she'd bought those, she walked back to the apartment and when she arrived, Travis was back home sitting at the kitchen table listening to Shyann talk all about her new car.

"Did you get those maps?" Travis asked once Evalynn stepped back inside.

"Yeah, I did," Evalynn said. "So did she show you her car?"

"Yeah, I've seen it," Travis said. "And you're welcome to stay another night."

"Thanks, Travis," Evalynn said.

"Come on; we can leave now," Shyann said.

"Shyann, it's complete nothingness outside Phoenix until you get to Las Vegas and that's a good five hour drive. Evalynn's right: you're better off staying one more night. And let me worry about Oscar. If you at least have the car and will be leaving in the morning, he'll be alright."

"Kicking out his own great granddaughter; the nerve," Shyann muttered irritably.

"He's just issuing some tough love," Travis said and then reached into his back pocket to get his wallet. "Evalynn, here's another $50 just in case. Don't worry about paying me back."

"Thank you," Evalynn said, "and I will pay you back. I'll just need a bit."

"It's no trouble," Travis said. "Do you have Ivory's and Anatoli's number? Maybe she can give her mom a call and ask if the two of you can stay at her mom's house for the night."

"No, I'm not staying at anyone else's house. Let's stay at a hotel!" Shyann said.

"If you want to stay in a $10 motel with a hooker turning trips next door, then that could work," Travis said. "Personally, I'd prefer the two of you not be in that kind of situation."

"We can stay in a nice hotel."

"Shyann, we can't afford to stay in a nice hotel," Evalynn said, "and I'm not racking up my credit card bill so you can stay in a four star hotel and casino."

"You guys are such killjoys," Shyann said.

"Really, Travis, it's okay. I don't want to inconvenience anyone else. We'll find a place to stay that doesn't cost too much and leave first thing in the morning."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Evalynn said. "We'll be alright; we'll make it work."

"Okay. If anything changes, just call and I'll make sure Ivory gets a hold of her mom."

"I appreciate it," Evalynn said.

Before long, Oscar returned home but wasn't surprised to see Evalynn and Shyann were still there. Travis relayed the news that Shyann had gotten herself a car and that she and Evalynn would be leaving in the morning. Travis and Oscar helped Evalynn figure out a good route on the map they could take back to Washington and the trip looked like it would take them about four days. Their first stop would be Las Vegas, then Reno, then Medford and if they pushed it, they could drive the rest of the way to Forks. However, Travis recommended they stop in Portland if the drive was proving to be too long. Shyann was really excited and Travis was able to convince her to go to bed early so she and Evalynn could get going right away. In the morning, Travis left early so he could bring the girls some breakfast before he had to go to work. Oscar wished them luck and left for work as did Travis. Shyann was eagerly nibbling on her egg and sausage sandwich while Evalynn had the same with some coffee and cream.

"This is so exciting," Shyann smiled. "When we get to Vegas, we should gamble; see what we win."

"Shyann, you're not old enough to gamble. 18 or older. You're not even old enough to drink."

"How are they going to know if we don't tell them?" Shyann said.

"They'll probably ask to see your ID."

"Are you kidding? I haven't been carded once," Shyann said.

"We're not gambling or going out drinking, Shyann," Evalynn said firmly. "If we have time while we're in Las Vegas, we'll go out somewhere nice to eat but that's it. I don't want us spending too much money."

"Fine," Shyann muttered. "See, this is why I wanted to go by myself."

"It's exactly why you won't be going by yourself," Evalynn said.

The two of them finished their breakfast in relative silence and after they'd both made sure they had everything and had a chance to use the bathroom, they finally left Oscar's and Travis's apartment and got on the road. Evalynn kept a map at the ready so she could give Shyann directions in spite of her desire to just hit the open road and see where it takes them. She wasn't entirely unconvinced that, had Shyann gone by herself, she wouldn't have ended up in Canada and not realized it until all the people only spoke Quebecois. Maybe she'd have realized it when she was ordered to produce a passport to border patrol. Evalynn finally relaxed a little when they'd turned off Route 303 onto Route 60 where they would be more or less going straight for nearly 300 miles.

"Isn't this beautiful?" Shyann said once they were out of Phoenix driving through the open desert. It actually was very pretty. There were mountains, long stretches of dirt with hints of green shrubbery that they would pass and there was still a slight pink hue in the sky as the sun was working its way further into the sky. "This is the view we get whenever we're driving down to the tribe on the bus. Problem is I'm always stuck with forty other people. I'd like at least one drive through the desert without the roar of all my cousins in my ear."

"I guess I can understand that," Evalynn said. "I don't know how those buses get you here in just two days."

"More like two and a half; they get the most driving done at night while we're all sleeping in the bus seats. It's so uncomfortable," Shyann said.

"I bet," Evalynn said. "So as long as we don't make too many stops, we should make it to Las Vegas by three."

"That'll give us time to have a good time tonight," Shyann smiled. "Seriously, let's at least bet ten or twenty dollars and see what we win."

"Absolutely not," Evalynn said. "The highest likelihood is we're going to lose and even if you wish, you'll lose the moment you play again."

"It's not about winning or losing; it's about the experience," Shyann said. "You need to loosen up a little."

"I loosen up when the occasion calls for it," Evalynn said.

"Then let's have an occasion that calls for it," Shyann said. She started fiddling with the radio dial until she found a radio station that was playing the latest hits. When she did, she turned up the volume so that Fame by David Bowie.

"Can I admit I'm not a huge fan of David Bowie?" Evalynn said. Shyann looked at Evalynn less than pleased.

"Don't talk to me for at least an hour," Shyann said. Evalynn laughed a little but did comply with Shyann's request and didn't talk to her. Of course, it didn't last an entire hour. By the time Silly Love Songs by Wings was on the radio, she seemed to have cooled down. Then Play That Funky Music by Wild Cherry started playing. "Oh, I love this song," Shyann said to herself and turned the radio up louder. Evalynn started giggling. Shyann started singing along with the song but at least had her hands on the wheel, but then the chorus began and she took her hands off the wheel singing, "Yeah, they was dancin' and singing' and movin' to the groovin' and just when it hit me, somebody turned around and shouted play that funky music white boy!"

"Shyann, hands on the wheel!" Evalynn ordered and took a hold of the wheel herself to make sure they didn't swerve off the road into the dirt. Shyann finally took back a hold of the wheel.

"Will you calm down? We weren't swerving."

"Yeah, because I grabbed the wheel," Evalynn said. "I swear you're going to be the death of me." Shyann rolled her eyes but kept her eyes on the road and hands on the wheel, but she continued to sing along to the song and dance a little in her seat as she was driving. After that song came Dream On by Aerosmith. "Finally, something slow," she said.

"Do you hate Aerosmith too?" Shyann asked sarcastically.

"No, Aerosmith is fine," Evalynn said, "anything that won't send you into a dancing craze when you should be driving." Shyann huffed but did keep her eyes on the road.

"So what have you been up to? Are you a doctor yet?"

Evalynn smiled a little, "No, I'm not a doctor yet. I will be soon, though. This upcoming school year is my last year of Medical School and then I'll be moving on to Law School. My counselors already have me preparing for the L-Sat exam so I can formally reapply to Yale. I'll have three more years of school after that ten I'll take the BAR exam in New York and in Washington so I can be licensed to practice in both states."

"So all these years of schooling and you would only be able to work in 2 states?"

"I can work in whatever state I want. I just need to pass that state's BAR exam to be licensed. The way I've heard it, the BAR exam is the hardest in New York and California."

"Well that's bullshit," Shyann said.

"That's what it takes to get good representation," Evalynn said. "So what about you? This is your last year of High School. What's the plan after you graduate?"

"Get work and my own place," Shyann said. "Dakota's staying in Arizona now that he's graduated. He says he's planning to get work in Phoenix same with a bunch of my cousins that graduated this year. A few are coming back and going to college for teaching and there will be a few more students going up to Washington to start school."

"As I recall, the plan is to eventually build a school on the tribe so the kids don't have to be sent all the way to Washington to obtain an education," Evalynn said. "With your brother and cousins seeking employment in the city, it'll definitely bring money into the tribe."

"After a two hour commute," Shyann said. "I'll stay in Washington with Port Angeles just 45 minutes away, thank you. Better yet, I'll get a job at Ada's bar in Forks."

"You still want to work at Ada's bar?"

"Damn straight," Shyann said.

"The way I hear it, as a boss she's a hard ass; so don't think you'll be working for her and it'll be easy," Evalynn said.

"She can be as hard on me as she wants," Shyann said with a purr and Evalynn sighed heavily. "I said I wouldn't do anything; relax."

"Good," Evalynn said. "Don't think Uncle Nathan won't whoop your ass just because you're a girl."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Shyann said. "I took your advice."

"What advice?"

"Your advice that I try dating girls and see how I like it," Shyann said. "It took a bit but I found a woman that was willing to 'break me in' as you put it." Evalynn stared at her a moment waiting for her to elaborate but she never did.

"How did you meet her?" she asked.

"I did some research and I found out about a gay bar in Port Angeles. I got some guy from Forks to give me a ride to the city and I found the place, flashed my ID and got in."

"What ID? Your ID lists your age as 17."

"The ID I had that listed my age as 21. Until Mr. Cullen stole it; mind reading leech. Thankfully, they didn't card me again the next couple times I went. Anyway, I met this woman named Dina and she's pretty. I mean really, really pretty. Brown hair, brown eyes, her makeup's really nice, she dresses nice – found out she works at an animal shelter. I told her I'd never been with a woman before and really wanted to experiment and she said she was alright with that."

"How old was she?"

"Older," Shyann said.

"How much older," Evalynn pressed.

"Maybe 30 or something," Shyann said. Evalynn's knee jerk reaction was to be furious but frustration quickly set in and she groaned as she rubbed her face.

"And was she aware you're only 17?"

"No," Shyann said, "Mr. Cullen ended up calling her and telling her."

"And she ended things I hope?"

"The way Mr. Cullen explained it, he didn't give her a choice in the matter," Shyann said irritably.

"Good," Evalynn said.

"Killjoy," Shyann said. "Whatever; it was fun while it lasted. I'd date a girl again, especially if they knew how to go down like she did if you know what I mean."

"For God's sake, Shyann," Evalynn said. "Please at least tell me you haven't been with anyone else overage."

"No," Shyann said, "but the moment I'm 18, you'd better believe I will be. I think I prefer an older man or woman."

"Of course you do," Evalynn said with a heavy sigh.

"Don't act like you wouldn't date an older woman."

"I have nothing against an older woman, but I'm over the age of 18," Evalynn said. "Shyann, do you understand you could have gotten that woman in a lot of trouble? Whether she was aware or not, you could have made her guilty of statutory rape."

"It's not rape; I consented," Shyann said.

"If you're under 18, your 'consent' is irrelevant. You're not at the age to give consent therefore its statutory rape. Hell, couple that with her being outed as a Lesbian and you've just made her life a hell of a lot worse. Do you realize how Gays and Lesbians are treated? She could have lost her job or been denied a job, she can be denied housing – the list is endless – and the law won't be on her side. Especially if you've added statutory rape to her list of offenses." That finally seemed to sink in and, at least, Shyann looked as though she realized she'd done something wrong. However, she didn't say anything at first. Evalynn didn't speak either deciding to let the realization sink in.

"I'm sorry, okay? I didn't know," Shyann said.

"Well, now you do," Evalynn said and finally calmed down a little. "Look, after you turn 18 and you still want to date someone older, go for it. Until then, just try to remember it's not just your life you effect when you make rash decisions like that."

"I'm sorry," Shyann said.

"I appreciate that," Evalynn said. Another silence passed.

"I'm sorry about last year," Shyann said, "Back in my dorm when I asked you to kiss me? I didn't mean to put you in a position like that."

"Thank you; that means a lot," Evalynn said.

"Can I ask you something?" Shyann said.

"Sure."

"If I were 18, would you have done it?"

"No," Evalynn said. She looked at Shyann again to gage her reaction before continuing. "I meant what I said before: I'm no one's experiment. You either want to be with me or you don't. I have no problem dating a girl that's never been with a woman before. What I have a problem with is putting time and effort into a relationship with someone that doesn't even know if she's into me or that's dicking me around."

"Have you ever been with a girl that did that to you?" Shyann asked.

"No," Evalynn said, "but I have been with a girl that had a very religious background and the relationship was doomed to fail. I learned the hard way."

"Did you love her?"

"Yeah, I did," Evalynn said.

"Have you loved anyone since then?" Shyann asked.

Evalynn looked at Shyann wondering how to word her answer. If she was honest, the answer was yes. As much as the girl was getting under her skin and driving her up a wall, she loved Shyann. She might not think of her romantically, but she loved her. Evalynn knew there would come a day when she would feel differently for Shyann. She knew there would be a time that Shyann didn't need a guardian anymore, but a lover. When that time came, Evalynn would put her all into Shyann unconditionally.

"I will someday," Evalynn finally said. "Right now, though, I need to focus on school."

"See, that's your problem: you need to loosen up! Sure, get your school work done, but have a good time here and there! Go on a date with someone purely for the sake of having some great sex, go to a bar and have a few drinks, go to a parade: anything."

"I'll have you know, missy, that I do all three of those things," Evalynn said. "I didn't get to go this year, but whenever I get to spend a summer in Connecticut, I take the train to New York for Gay Pride."

"There's a Gay Pride parade?"

"Yes, there sure is, and it's a blast," Evalynn said. "You get your share of hecklers and bible beaters, but if you can ignore them, it's great. Two years ago, Seattle had Gay Pride week for the first time and I had the pleasure of attending a talk at the U of W Hub Ballroom discussing transsexuality and the memorial service at the Metropolitan Community Church to honor the victims of the Upstairs Lounge arson in New Orleans."

"What's transsexuality?"

"It's when you're born one gender but you don't identify with it. I got to meet a few trans people and ask them about what they go through. There was a trans woman I spoke with that grew up in Hoquiam I think she said and her parents kicked her out when she came out as gay. When she got older, she came to the realization the reason she was so depressed and always felt so disgusted with herself was because she was basically a woman trapped in a man's body."

"How does someone decide that's what's wrong?"

"It's not something you 'decide'. You just are," Evalynn said. "It's already passed for the year, but next year definitely attend a gay pride event.

"I'll do that," Shyann said. "Maybe you could go with me?"

Evalynn smiled pleasantly, "Sure. I'd like that."

They ended up talking on and off through the trip and it was really nice. After a year and leaving on bad terms, it was nice to be speaking with one another pleasantly again and really be friends. Evalynn ended up falling asleep at one point and didn't wake up until they were about 30 minutes from Vegas. She got back to looking at the map to make sure they didn't miss their stop and they made it into the city by three. Once they'd arrived, they were driving around trying to find a motel to stay the night but Shyann was dazzled by the city and wasn't paying attention to finding a motel. She got into a turn lane which at first Evalynn thought nothing of until Shyann made a U-turn and drove into the parking lot of what was clearly a hotel and casino.

"Shyann, I can guarantee you we can't afford this place," Evalynn said.

"It's not for the hotel," Shyann said, already unbuckling and turning off the car. "They've got games in there."

"Shyann, no; we are not gambling," Evalynn said.

"Come on! Just one game won't hurt," Shyann said. "I promise, just one game."

"Shyann, if you lose the game, you lose money. You realize that right?"

"And if you win the game, you win money," Shyann said. She got out of the car and Evalynn got out just as Shyann was locking it.

"Shyann! I mean it! They're not going to let you gamble at your age and I can promise you I'm not gambling for you!"

"We're on vacation, Evalynn. We're supposed to have a good time," Shyann said and walked over to Evalynn. "Just one game. Scout's honor: whether I win or lose. If I win, I'll buy us dinner or something. If I lose, you can say 'I told you so' and I won't even be mad."

"Shyann," Evalynn said firmly, but Shyann started to bat her eyelashes and smiled sweetly.

"Please? Just one?" she said. Never in Evalynn's life had puppy-dog eyes ever gotten to her. Caroline had used them once or twice and gotten nowhere – Evalynn was determined this would be no different. But the longer Shyann looked at her with those adorable black eyes and sweet smile, she felt her resolve waver.

"Fuck me," Evalynn muttered, "fine. Fine; but just one game!"

"Yay!" Shyann cheered and ran over to give Evalynn a hug that took her by surprise. Then she released Evalynn and grabbed her hand. "Come on! If we go in now, we might be able to beat the crowd!" Shyann pulled Evalynn with her into the casino and they went straight to one of the tables that looked to be mostly empty. It was a blackjack table and the man running it wore dress pants, a white dress shirt with suspenders and a gold tie. "Are you open for a game?"

"Yes, ma'am," the man smiled charmingly. "I don't think I've seen you here before. Would you like me to explain the rules?"

"Yes, if you would," Shyann said. "Also, can we get some drinks?"

"We'll pass," Evalynn said firmly and looked right at Shyann.

"Alright, never mind," Shyann said, rolling her eyes. "So how do we play?"

The dealer went on to explain the rules. Evalynn especially paid very close attention, not wanting to risk him trying to con Shyann by virtue of her not knowing how to play. He explained they needed more players and also explained they needed chips in order to play. Shyann took Evalynn to the appropriate station where they could get a $10 chip so she could play. The person at the desk tried convincing them to get more, but Evalynn put her foot down and made clear it would be 1 chip and only 1 chip. Once obtained, they returned to the Blackjack table and there were a few more people there for a game and Shyann made it just in time for the games to start. A few people went before Shyann upon Evalynn's insistence so she could get a feel for the game. When it was finally Shyann's turn and she put down her single chip, the group laughed a little. Regardless, Shyann placed her bet and waited for the dealer to do his thing. But then the final cards were put down and it was Blackjack.

"Congratulations: you won," the dealer said.

"I did?" Shyann said with a big smile while everyone else at the table was surprised and not too happy about it either. The dealer handed over several chips including the one she'd started out with putting her winnings at $100.

"Would you like to play another round?"

"No, that's fine; we'll call it a day. Thank you," Evalynn said and took Shyann by the arm to take her away from the table to the conversion desk to convert the chips to cash.

"See? That wasn't so bad," Shyann smirked once she had the cash.

"You got lucky," Evalynn said. "First rule of gambling: don't do it. Second rule of gambling: if you must, stop while you're ahead."

"Well, we're walking away $90 richer and I do believe I promised to treat you to dinner," Shyann said.

"That's fine. We'll find a McDonalds and get something from there."

"I didn't win $90 to go to fucking McDonalds, Evalynn," Shyann said. "This place has a restaurant and it looks really nice, so let's eat here."

"And blow through all the money you won? I don't think so," Evalynn said.

"Evalynn, we're in Vegas; let's enjoy ourselves. If we aren't buying drinks and just dinner, maybe an appetizer, we can easily keep it under $20."

"You underestimate how much Vegas will gouge you," Evalynn said. "Besides, just looking inside that restaurant I can promise you we're underdressed and they won't let us in."

"Bullshit; not if they want money," Shyann said and managed to get away from Evalynn going straight for the restaurant.

"Shyann!" Evalynn yelled and followed after her. Shyann made it to the Hostess desk before Evalynn caught up to her and was already talking to the woman.

"Table for 2," Shyann said.

"Shyann," Evalynn said firmly once she was behind her.

"Do you have a reservation, miss?" the hostess asked.

"No, we just won us $90 and I'm eager to spend it," Shyann said.

"One moment and I'll see if we have any seats available," the hostess said and walked away.

"For God's sake, Shyann," Evalynn said.

"And she didn't even say a word about my outfit," Shyann smirked.

"You're lucky she doesn't think you're a prostitute," Evalynn grumbled. A moment later, the hostess returned, grabbed two menus and directed them to a table further inside. It was towards the back close to the entryway to the kitchen, but Shyann didn't care. She was still excited from her win.

"Maybe we should have just one drink."

"Absolutely not," Evalynn said firmly.

"At least let me buy you a drink," Shyann said.

"Good afternoon, ladies," a waiter interrupted as he walked up to the table. "My name is Omar; I'll be your server this evening. Can I start you off with drinks or an appetizer?"

"Can we start with the Oysters Rockefeller? And Evalynn, did you want some white wine?" Shyann asked, resting her chin atop her hands.

"Just water please," Evalynn said.

"Absolutely," the waiter said and wrote everything down. "I'll put that order for oysters in for you and be back with your water." Omar walked away and Evalynn looked critically at Shyann.

"Have you ever had oysters before?"

"No," Shyann said, "but it sounded fancy."

"You literally only picked that because it's the most expensive appetizer on the menu."

"No," Shyann said, "I picked it because it's something new and I want to try it."

"Fine," Evalynn groaned and rubbed her eyes. Then she opened the menu to see what was on offer and the cheapest stuff was pasta.

"I wonder what crab legs taste like," Shyann said.

"If you order that, I swear to God I'll strangle you," Evalynn muttered. Shyann started giggling so Evalynn knew she'd been joking when she made the suggestion.

"Seriously: get yourself a drink. It's on me." Evalynn glanced at Shyann and then finally picked up the drink menu. Everything was expensive, specialty cocktails most of which were vodka based martinis which Evalynn scrunched her nose at. The waiter returned with two glasses of water and noticed Evalynn was looking at the drinks.

"Did you want to order a drink, miss?"

"I'll just get a mojito," Evalynn said.

"Absolutely," Omar said and took out his little book to write her order down. "And did you want anything?" he asked Shyann.

"Just coke for me," she said.

"I'll be right back with those," Omar smiled and walked away. The two of them looked through the menu a little more to figure out what they wanted.

"What are you thinking of getting?" Shyann asked and Evalynn glanced up a moment then looked at the menu again.

"I'll probably just get the chicken pesto with penne," Evalynn said. Shyann looked for that and then scrunched her nose.

"Well that's not very exciting."

"It's cheap," Evalynn said.

"Hey!" Shyann said, "Don't order what's cheap: order what you want."

"Maybe I want chicken pesto," Evalynn said.

"I doubt that," Shyann said. "I'm order T-Bone steak quite frankly and I don't plan to let you have any, so I suggest you order a steak yourself."

"You are not going to be able to finish all that," Evalynn said when she found the item Shyann was talking about.

"Oh yes I will, and I'll order dessert while I'm at it," Shyann smirked. "I've never had cheesecake before. I'd like to try it." Evalynn rolled her eyes a little and looked at the menu again. Omar came back with the oysters and asked if they'd like to order their dinner or if they needed a minute. He walked away after Evalynn said she needed more time while Shyann dug right into the oysters. "These are fantastic. Have one," she offered.

"They'd better be; they're $8," Evalynn muttered and took one of the oysters. She'd had oysters before so she already knew she liked them and as she figured, the oysters were delicious.

"So?"

"They're good," Evalynn said. "We have clam bakes out east so I'm used to this sort of thing. Lobster's even cheaper over there."

"Is lobster any good? They've got that on the menu if you want it," Shyann said.

"Lobster's really good," Evalynn said, now tempted to order lobster but thinking better of it when she saw the price. By the time Omar returned, she'd settled on ordering a steak for herself as well. He took the empty oyster shells and Evalynn finally took a sip of her drink.

"Can I taste it?" Shyann asked.

"No," Evalynn said and took another sip.

"I might just make you buy me a drink when I turn 21 at this rate," Shyann said.

"If you don't have a sip of alcohol until you turn 21, then I will," Evalynn said.

"Alright; I'll hold you to it," Shyann said.

"If you say so," Evalynn said and smiled a little. "We still need to find a motel to stay in so let's try to keep dinner short. We really should get ourselves somewhere to stay before nightfall."

"Honestly, Evalynn, it's no rush," Shyann said and sipped her coke. "You don't rush other girls when you're on a date with them I hope."

"This isn't a date, first of all, and second of all I'm a very generous date I'll have you know," Evalynn said but took a deep breath to stop herself from going into more detail.

"I'm jealous of your dates, then," Shyann said. "So have you ever been on a really bad date?"

"Yes, I've been on some bad dates."

"Those are the worst aren't they? I went on a date with this one guy that took me to a bar and wound up only playing pool with a bunch of his friends while I was left alone at the bar. I made sure to order at least $15 of drinks and walked out. Never asked me out again. What about you?"

"You want to know about a bad date I was on?"

"Yeah," Shyann said. "Sometimes when you look back, those are the ones that give the best stories. For how long you've been playing the field, I'm sure you've got plenty to tell."

"For God's sake, Shyann, I'm not a whore," Evalynn said. "If I had to pick one to tell, there was one date I went on with this woman I met at The marmalade Bar. She asked me to dinner and we went out the following Friday but she was….I don't really know how to explain it except to say we had no chemistry. She wasn't really my type to begin with but she was really nice when we met at the bar and thought maybe we'd like each other, but no."

"Well that's boring," Shyann said. "If that's the worst you've got then I'd say you're lucky."

"It's not the worst."

"Well shit, then tell me the worst! Don't hold out on me," Shyann pressed.

"Alright," Evalynn sighed and sipped her mojito. "The worst date was a blind date. One of my friends, Lisa, introduced me to this section of the paper for singles adds and she told me all the code words for finding someone that's interested in women. It's pretty nuts – there's a whole language behind it that I never knew about before. Anyway, there was this one ad that sounded interesting and I wrote to her suggesting we meet for drinks and we met somewhere down the road from the school. Things were going fine, she was pretty and I was attracted to her so I had high hopes. Then she tells me she's married and she and her husband wanted to try a threesome. I told her no, paid my half of the bill and left."

"I take it you're not into threesomes?"

"I'm not into men," Evalynn said, "or threesomes for that matter."

"Have you ever tried it?"

"No and I'm not interested," Evalynn said. "Please tell me you haven't."

"I haven't but I've heard of it and it sounds like fun," Shyann said. "I'm afraid the craziest thing I've ever done was sleep with a guy in the back of his car at a movie drive-in."

"No, the craziest thing you've ever done is sleep with a woman that's too old for you," Evalynn said. "Seriously? At a drive-in? What if someone say you?"

"It's okay; he had one of those huge vans," Shyann said. "No one could see us."

"That's even worse," Evalynn said. "I assure you people saw that truck jostling."

"Trust me, they didn't. That requires movement and force," Shyann said with a small laugh. "You're giving him too much credit if I'm honest. Looking back, I think I'd have rather just watched the movie."

"What movie had you gone to see?"

"Jaws," Shyann said. "I went back with a few friends and liked it a lot once I could just watch it."

"A few friends of mine and I went to see Jaws; we liked it. Did you see One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest?"

"No; that I wasn't really interested in," Shyann said, "Did you see Monty Python or Rocky Horror Picture Show?"

"Yes to both," Evalynn said with a fond smile. "Levi and I ended up going to see Monty Python together but he liked it more than I did. I was a much bigger fan of Rocky Horror Picture Show. That was a lot of fun."

"Yeah, I loved that one too," Shyann said. "For Halloween last year I went to school dressed as Dr. Frank-N-Furter."

"How did you not get sent home?" Evalynn asked.

"While I was at school, I wore a lab coat. I had a Halloween party after school so I got into that cape he wears at the beginning and went to the party with my friends and the moment I entered the party, I tossed off my cape."

"I can imagine you doing that," Evalynn said.

"Practically no one got the reference, but I didn't care," Shyann smiled. "I did get plenty of compliments on my costume regardless."

"I bet," Evalynn said.

Omar eventually returned with two plates of steak dinners and offered to bring Evalynn another mojito since she'd finished her first. Shyann insisted Evalynn get herself another drink and she agreed to a glass of red wine to have with her steak. After finishing dinner, Shyann still wanted to order the cheesecake with raspberry sauce and they both had a spoon so they could share the cake. By the end of dinner, Evalynn felt like she needed to be rolled out of the restaurant but Shyann seemed unfazed and she couldn't believe it. Omar brought the check and as promised Shyann paid with her winnings leaving the waiter a tip and they finally left the restaurant to Shyann's car. By the time they left, the sun was starting to go down.

They drove around for another twenty minutes before they finally located a motel advertising on its sign that it rented out rooms for cheap. Shyann got the car parked and they walked inside to rent a room. There were four women outside the office smoking and conversing with one another each in varied states of scanty dress. Evalynn saw a few men in the office waiting to rent a room and groaned a little to herself.

"Maybe we should go ahead and check with Ivory's mom if she'll let us stay the night at her house," Evalynn said.

"Why bother? We're already here," Shyann said and quickly glanced at the woman outside but kept it quick. "We'll be fine. We stay out of their business, they'll stay out of ours." Shyann stepped inside ahead of Evalynn and the two of them waited in line. None of them asked to have a room for the night. Most asked to have the room for the 'evening' while one guy said he just needed an hour. When it was finally their turn, Shyann smiled pleasantly. "We need a room for the night, please," Shyann said. The teller looked at Shyann then at Evalynn and then Shyann again.

"I don't service fags here," the man said.

"Excuse me?" Shyann said.

"Sir, we just need a place to stay for the night. My little sister and I are driving up to Reno and need to stop here and get some sleep. Can you give us a room please?" Evalynn stepped in.

"You're not a cop are you?" the teller asked after looking at her suspiciously for a moment.

"No, sir, we're not cops," Evalynn said, "but I can definitely go to the cops. Whether I rat you out because you denied us a room or because you put us too close to one of your other customers is up to you." The teller looked at Evalynn a moment and eventually stepped back, grabbed a key and handed it over.

"Room 3B," the man said. "You might want to tell your little sister not to dress like a whore."

"You might want to fuck off," Shyann said and Evalynn grabbed her arm.

"You have a good night too, bud," Evalynn said and started dragging Shyann out the door.

"Checkout's at 8 and not a second later," the teller yelled to them.

"Noted!" Evalynn answered just as they walked out of the office.

"What an asshole," Shyann said once they were outside.

"Just let it go, Shyann," Evalynn said. They went back to the car, grabbed their suitcases out the back and went up the stairs to their room. Evalynn unlocked the door and thankfully it looked clean but it definitely smelled off. "I don't suppose you have a spare blanket do you?"

"No," Shyann said. "Why? What's wrong?"

"It stinks in here," Evalynn said, "and I have a sneaking suspicion the sheets weren't cleaned thoroughly if at all."

"Ew," Shyann said. "I guess we can always sleep above the comforter."

"Even that's probably filthy," Evalynn said. "You stay here. I'll go buy a blanket or something to cover that mattress."

"I'm sure it's okay," Shyann said. "It's not like the mattress will get either of us pregnant or something."

"At this rate, I'm not willing to risk it," Evalynn said and held out her hand for Shyann's keys which she handed over. "I'll be back soon okay? Just stay in here and don't let anyone in here except me."

"Alright," Shyann said and locked the door after Evalynn walked out. Evalynn made a point to be as quick as possible driving to the nearest store that she thought would sell blankets and bought something cheap that would serve its purpose. She returned within about ten minutes, ran upstairs with the blanket and knocked on the door asking for Shyann to let her in and stepped inside once Shyann answered the door.

"Can you help me cover the mattress?" Evalynn asked. She got the covers out of their packaging and Shyann helped her get the mattress covered completely. It wouldn't fix the smell but at least they wouldn't be touching the sheets or mattress. "That's better."

"Good as we're going to get," Shyann said. "So we need to be out of here by 8?"

"Yeah. I'll set the alarm," Evalynn said and played around with the clock so it was set. "I'll drive us to Reno tomorrow. That's going to be an even longer drive."

"Sure," Shyann said and sat down on the edge of the now covered bed. "I can't believe that guy believed we're sisters."

"I'm not about to look a gift horse in the mouth," Evalynn said. Once the clock was set, she put it back on the nightstand. "I've got the alarm set for 7:30, so if you want to shower or anything like that, get it done now."

"Alright," Shyann said and went to her suitcase to get out some soap she had in a plastic bag and other toiletries. "I'll make it quick." Evalynn sat on the edge of the bed but stood to attention when she heard Shyann scream.

"What?! What is it?!" Evalynn yelled and ran to the doorway of the bathroom but all she saw was a dirty bathroom. It wasn't covered in shit or anything, but it was clear it had not been cleaned in a few days.

"Sorry," Shyann said. "I saw a cockroach scurry and it startled me."

"Tell me you're joking," Evalynn said but stepped into the bathroom to get a better look. She pulled the shower curtain back to check there first and right at the drain was a dead cockroach. "Fucking hell," Evalynn muttered. "Okay, nix the shower."

"I guess it can wait until we get to Reno," Shyann said.

"To hell with this. I'm calling Ivory to get her mom's number." Shyann didn't argue to Evalynn's relief and she was about to dial Ivory's number when there was a knock at the door.

"Hello?" a man on the other side of the door said. "Is everything alright in there? We heard screaming."

"We're fine; just a bug," Evalynn answered without leaving the nightstand.

"Hold on a moment," that same man said. Evalynn almost said not to worry about it then heard a key go into a lock and the doorknob start to turn. Evalynn ran to the door and grabbed onto the knob so it wouldn't turn anymore. "The hell?" the man muttered when the knob stopped turning.

"We didn't say you could come in here," Evalynn said.

"Look, we can take care of the bug if you need us to. Or did you need another moment before we come in?" the man asked. "Try not to keep us waiting too long. We paid 20 bucks and we'd like to get our money's worth."

"The room's occupied," Evalynn said.

"Well, duh, I know that; but we've only been given two hours, so let's get this show on the road," the man said.

"Get your money back because we're not for sale," Evalynn said.

"You're joking," another man on the other side said, "this is bullshit!"

"Calm down Jerry; maybe it's role playing," the first man said. "Miss, I appreciate the effort but we really just want to get to the point."

"I'm not role playing," Evalynn said. "I don't know who told you we're prostitutes, but we're not. If you need the room, just give us a moment and we'll leave. We're not staying here."

"Hold on," the first guy said and released the doorknob. Evalynn got the door locked again.

"Shyann, do you know Ivory's number?"

"No," Shyann said.

"Give me a pencil and paper; I'll write it down for you. I'll stay by the door," Evalynn said. Shyann brought the pencil and paper so Evalynn could write down the number. "Call Ivory, get her mom's number, then call and ask if we can stay the night at her place."

"Okay," Shyann said and went to the phone. Then Evalynn heard a key turning again and grabbed onto the doorknob so whoever was trying to get in couldn't open the door. The man from before cursed.

"Now listen here, Miss: we paid good money for what we were promised would be a good time. We told your boss to go easy on you this time but if you don't open the door, we'll make him come up here to deal with you."

"He's not our boss! We aren't prostitutes! I've got my friend right by the phone, so if you don't back off right the fuck now, I'll make her call the police!" Evalynn said.

"I'm getting our money back," the other guy, Jerry, said and sounded like he was walking away.

"Let go of the doorknob," the other man ordered.

"I'm not letting you in," Evalynn said.

"Suit yourself," the guy said and a second later, the door flew open from him kicking the door in hitting Evalynn and causing her to step back. Shyann screamed when the door flew open and Evalynn focused on getting the guy restrained. As soon as he grabbed her, Evalynn kneed him in the groin and made him release her and fall over with pain.

"Shyann, grab your things," Evalynn ordered and side stepped, but the guy grabbed her foot making her fall to the ground.

Shyann grabbed the lamp and hit him over the head. Evalynn got up as soon as he released her foot, zipped up Shyann's suitcase and grabbed her suitcase and Shyann's. The two of them ran out of the motel room and made it to the stairs when they saw the teller from earlier and one other guy coming up the stairs. Using her suitcase, Evalynn slammed it against the teller coming up the stairs first making him fall back and the other man caught him narrowly avoiding a more serious fall. Evalynn managed to get passed and Shyann followed but one of the men got his bearings in time to grab onto Shyann. She screamed for the man to let go of her and tried hitting him but he was able to catch her hand. Evalynn ran over, grabbed Shyann and punched the man in the throat so he'd release her.

Once she was free, Evalynn took Shyann away and only released her once they'd reached the suitcases told her to grab one and they continued running to the car. Evalynn opened the driver's side door, tossed the suitcase she held into the back seat as Shyann got in, she put the keys in the ignition and turned the car on, but the teller and the other guy made it to their car doors opening them to try dragging them out. Evalynn gripped the teller's hand hard enough that he let go and she kicked him so he fell to his back. Evalynn slammed the door shut, locked it and leaned over Shyann who was resisting the other man and was starting to bite him. Evalynn gripped the man's arm and bit him harder but he wouldn't let go. Shyann used her foot to kick the man in the groin and he finally released her falling backwards. Evalynn pulled Shyann safely into the car while Shyann shut and locked the door and Evalynn got the car in gear and out of the parking space getting onto the road narrowly causing an accident as they bolted out of the parking lot. Evalynn drove until they were far enough away and found a payphone. Once they had, Evalynn parked the car in a parking lot and turned off the car.

"Are you okay?" Evalynn asked now that they were out of danger.

"Yeah," Shyann said, "holy shit."

"Stay in here," Evalynn said. "I'm going to call Ivory. Lock the door behind me and don't let anyone in except me. I'll be right back."

Shyann nodded and locked the door after Evalynn got out and went to the payphone. She dialed Ivory's house phone and thankfully got a hold of her but did not mention any of what happened. At this point, she wanted a safe place to stay and didn't want a single delay to obtaining it. Ivory assured Tamara would be happy to house them for the night and told Evalynn the address and how to get there. Ivory promised she'd notify Tamara so Evalynn ended the call and left the phone booth going back to the car. She knocked on the window and Shyann let her in. When she got in the car, she saw Shyann rubbing her eyes.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Shyann said. "I just got something in my eye." Evalynn gave her a moment to rub her eye but she was clearly upset.

"Come here," Evalynn said and leaned over to give Shyann a hug. She accepted the embrace but still made a point not to cry. After a moment, Shyann lifted her head off Evalynn's shoulder getting properly back in her seat.

"Are you okay?" Shyann asked.

"I'm fine," Evalynn said. "Ivory's calling her mom letting her know to expect us. We can take our time in the morning and get a good breakfast before we get back on the road."

"Okay," Shyann said, but her voice lacked any enthusiasm.

"Hey," Evalynn said in a gentle voice and waited for Shyann to look at her. "Promise me you're alright?"

"I'm fine," Shyann said. "I promise I'm fine; just a little rattled."

"Okay," Evalynn said.

They finally left the parking lot and Evalynn followed the directions that Ivory had given her. Once they arrived at Tamara's house, Shyann especially took a moment to make sure she didn't look upset. They grabbed their suitcases out of the back seat and went to the front door. Evalynn knocked and after a few seconds, Tamara opened the door and smiled.

"Good evening," Tamara said, "I take it you're Evalynn and Shyann?"

"Yes, that's us," Evalynn said and the two of them stepped inside. "Thank you for letting us spend the night. I'm really sorry to inconvenience you especially on such short notice."

"It's no inconvenience; you're welcome to stay," Tamara said and closed the door once they were in. "Are the two of you hungry? I don't have much but I've got some cold cuts and bread if you'd like sandwiches."

"We're alright; we had a really big dinner," Evalynn said.

"I'll make sure you get a good breakfast and coffee in the morning. Ivory's room is set up for you so feel free to make yourselves comfortable. Would either of you like any tea?"

"I'm alright," Evalynn said.

"I'm fine," Shyann said. "Would you mind if I took a shower?"

"Absolutely; go right ahead."

"Would you mind if I burrowed some soap?" Shyann asked.

"Yes, of course. I've got extra in my linen closet," Tamara said and walked to the closet to grab a fresh package of soap.

Shyann accepted the soap and went straight to the bathroom so she could take a shower. Evalynn brought everything to Ivory's room while making small talk with Tamara who remained blissfully unaware of the night they'd just had. It was late for her, so once Tamara knew Evalynn had everything situated, she went to her room to turn in for the night promising she'd make sure breakfast was hot and ready for them in the morning. Evalynn went to Ivory's old room and got a spot on the floor ready for her to use. Shyann took much longer in the shower than Evalynn anticipated but she waited for her to come out. She did eventually and walked to Ivory's room wearing a towel around her body and another towel wrapped around her hair.

"I'm sorry, but I used up all the hot water so you'll want to wait to shower until the morning."

"That's fine," Evalynn said. "You can have the bed. I'll sleep on the floor."

"Thank you," Shyann said. She kneeled down to her suitcase and opened it so she could take out a night shirt, a fresh pair of panties and a plastic bag. She got her panties on with the towel remaining secure then turned around so her back was to Evalynn and dropped the towel so she could put on her nightshirt. It might have been the only shirt she owned that wasn't modified in some way. "Can you braid my hair for me?"

"Sure," Evalynn said. Shyann sat on one end of the bed and Evalynn sat behind her helping gently comb out the damp strands with her fingers. Shyann handed Evalynn her brush she'd kept in the plastic bag and an elastic hair tie. "Do you want it at the base or a French braid?"

"French," Shyann said. Evalynn used the brush on Shyann's hair before sectioning the hair and starting to braid. Evalynn got on her knees on the mattress so she could see the top of Shyann's head and sat back down once she had the braid halfway down her scalp.

"You have beautiful hair," Evalynn said after she'd been braiding her hair in complete silence for too long.

"Thank you," Shyann said. "It's growing back nicely."

"Your pixie cut was adorable but long hair suits you best," Evalynn said. Once she got to the bottom of her scalp all that was left was to finish off the braid just a little bit down her neck. Evalynn wrapped the tie around the end of the short braid to secure it and patted Shyann's shoulder. "You're all done."

"Thank you," Shyann said. "Do you mind if I braid your hair?"

"Go right ahead," Evalynn answered and turned around so her back was to Shyann. She grabbed another hair tie from the plastic bag and brushed Evalynn's long hair.

"French?"

"Yeah," Evalynn answered. Shyann got on her knees to see the top of Evalynn's head and started sectioning the hair for braiding.

"Thank you for getting us out of there," Shyann finally said.

"Nothing to thank me for," Evalynn said. "If anything, I should apologize. It was my idea to stay the night there. I got us into that situation."

"You wanted to leave the moment we were in line. I was the one that insisted we stay," Shyann said.

"We're both fine now," Evalynn said. "That's what matters. At least we never paid for the room. We'll spend the extra money for a decent room the rest of the trip so this doesn't happen again. Once we leave Nevada, finding inexpensive safe lodging should become a little easier."

"Yeah," Shyann said. She continued braiding in relative silence a moment until saying, "don't tell anyone about this okay?"

"I won't say a thing," Evalynn said and reached back to pat Shyann's knee reassuringly. "The rest of this road trip will be everything you were hoping it would. I promise."

"Thank you, Evalynn," Shyann said and stopped braiding to wrap her arms around Evalynn's shoulders and rest her cheek against the back of Evalynn's head. She let go and returned to braiding Evalynn's hair and secured it with a hair tie once she finally reached the end of Evalynn's long hair.

"Let's go to bed," Evalynn said once her braid was finished and stepped off the bed. She got under the covers she's set up for herself on the floor with a spare comforter acting as her mattress. "Night, Shyann."

"Good night," Shyann responded and got under the covers on the bed.

The next morning Evalynn woke first and went to take a shower meanwhile Tamara was in the kitchen making them all coffee and breakfast. When Evalynn finished and returned to Ivory's old room, Shyann was still asleep. Evalynn left her alone to sleep in and got into a fresh pair of panties, some jean shorts and red quarter sleeve shirt then walked out to the kitchen to make herself some coffee. Shyann finally came out in her own pair of jean hot pants and sleeveless shirt with multi-colored stripes that was unaltered in any way and reached down to her hips and her hair was still in its braid.

"How'd you sleep last night?" Evalynn asked.

"Good," Shyann said. "I feel much better this morning."

"I'm glad to hear it," Evalynn smiled. "Have some coffee and eggs. We've got a long drive ahead of us."

"Are they sunny side up?"

"Over easy," Evalynn said. "Tamara, can I make a few more eggs?"

"Absolutely," Tamara said.

"How many do you want?" Evalynn asked.

"Just 2 is fine," Shyann said.

Evalynn got up from the table and cooked two eggs sunny side up like Shyann requested, made her a cup of coffee and a slice of toast then returned to the table with Shyann's plate. They took their time but Evalynn insisted they get going by nine with the hopes of making it to Reno before nightfall. Tamara made them some sandwiches to take with them on the road so they didn't have to spend the extra money at a restaurant at least until they made it to their last stop for the day.

"Thank you again for letting us spend the night, Tamara," Evalynn said as she gave Tamara a hug after they'd put their suitcases in the trunk of Shyann's car.

"It was no trouble at all. Be careful driving up to Reno, okay?"

"We will," Evalynn said. Shyann walked over and gave Tamara a hug once she'd released Evalynn.

"Thank you," Shyann said.

"You're welcome, dear. Enjoy the rest of your trip," Tamara said. "You be sure to call home once you reach Reno so everyone knows you're okay."

'We will," Evalynn said.

After saying goodbye to Tamara, Evalynn got in the driver's seat, Shyann sat in the passenger's side and they drove away towards the highway. Shyann was tasked with looking at the map and guiding the way but it took some trial and error. Once they made it to the highway, they had about 40 miles for Shyann to read the map and make sure she gave the right information. Once she knew where their next exit would be, she started playing with the radio to get to the right station and turn up the music.

"Where do I need to get off?" Evalynn asked since Shyann was playing with the radio.

"You'll need to follow…." She started and picked up the map again, "USA Parkway….take the Ramsey cut off….." she looked at the map a moment longer, "and then take US-95."

"I'll keep an eye out," Evalynn said.

Shyann returned her attention to the radio. At the moment, there was an announcer giving a synopsis about the song that had just finished playing so Shyann kept the radio on that station. The announcer finally started playing the next song and Shyann started humming along to Don't Go Breaking my Heart by Elton John. Evalynn started humming along with the song too. Evalynn made sure she was still focusing more on the road, though, but Shyann brightened the mood when Bohemian Rhapsody started playing on the radio. The song had played so many times since its release that the both of them knew most of the words and were singing along. It was the most fun Evalynn had on this road trip and she nearly missed their exit from the two of them signing along together. Shyann checked the map again to find out what they needed to do next but found they had nearly 350 miles of a virtual straight line before they would have to go to another exit and it allowed them to relax again. They made small talk and sang along to music on the radio when a song came on that they both really liked. They made it to Reno by 4:30 allowing plenty of time to find a hotel to stay at. They did not go with a cheap motel this time around but they still avoided the casino hotels. They eventually found a small hotel that was near a plaza with plenty of restaurants nearby and got a room for the night. Once they had their suitcases in their hotel room, they returned outside walking to the plaza and went to a little Italian restaurant.

"You're Italian aren't you?" Shyann asked when they'd been seated.

"Minimally," Evalynn answered. "My mom was born and raised in Italy and we assume both my grandparents' mothers were Italian, but my Maternal great grandfather is Scottish and my Paternal great grandfather is Russian."

"Do you speak Italian?"

"Yes, but my Russian is considerably better. Mom used to read to us in Russian all the time and we would speak Russian with my great grandpa Dmitri and my grandpa Dante. My great grandpa Dmitri and my great grandma Heidi live with me in Connecticut and I speak Russian with them most of the time."

"How many languages do you speak?"

"I speak English and Quileute, I speak Russian and I speak Italian. I speak some French that I took in High School but I'm not at all fluent," Evalynn said. "What language have you taken at school?"

"I take French," Shyann said. "I admit I really don't like it. I'm awful with French."

"Italian and French have enough in common that it wasn't so bad," Evalynn said. "My first year of French, I lost a lot of points on at least two tests because I would use an Italian conjugation instead of French so I had to read and re-read through my tests to make sure I didn't turn them in like that again and effect my grades."

"Didn't you graduate early?"

"Yes, I did," Evalynn said, "all the more reason to make sure I didn't turn in my tests with Italian instead of French."

The waitress appeared then and they ordered water and requested a minute to look through the menu and decide what they wanted. They stuck with just dinner and put in their orders once the waitress returned. Evalynn couldn't help giggling under her breath a little when Shyann ordered the spaghetti and meatballs.

"Something wrong?" Shyann asked after the waitress walked away.

"I'm just a little surprised there's spaghetti and meatballs on the menu," Evalynn said. "It's a very Americanized Italian dinner to say the least."

"So it's not a traditional Italian dish?"

"Not in the least," Evalynn said. "If you want authentic Italian, you'll always have bread, cheese and fruit or some handmade pasta with a tomato sauce or a cream sauce depending on if you're eating Southern or Northern Italian cuisine. There's a lot of fish in Italian cooking too."

"I've discovered a love of fish since moving to Washington," Shyann said. "Although nothing beats Scorpions and rattle snake stew."

"I've never had the opportunity to try that."

"You need to. It's the best," Shyann said.

They talked over dinner and returned to the hotel once they'd finished and paid the bill. Shyann turned on the TV in the room but there was nothing really good on so she ended up turning it off. Evalynn found some board games and cards in the closet of the hotel room and they started playing together.

"I had a lot of fun today," Evalynn said after they'd played together for a few hours.

"Me too," Shyann smiled. "I'm really glad you came with me on this road trip. You made it a lot more fun."

"I had a lot of fun today too," Evalynn said. "It was a long drive but you made it fly by." They smiled at one another and for the first time since they first met, Evalynn felt that pull of attraction. It still wasn't a romantic feeling. That wasn't what Shyann needed from her clearly. But Evalynn finally started to see a woman instead of a child. "Just promise me that this will be a one-time thing and you won't try going on this super long road trip next year to and from Arizona."

Shyann laughed a little, "I promise this'll be the only time. This is getting it out of my system."

"Good," Evalynn smiled back.

"If I do decide I want to do this again, though, will you join me again?"

"Sure; I'd love to," Evalynn said.