I groaned and peeled my eyes open to sunlight. I stretched my arms and slowly sat up in a bed. "Wha-" I mumbled while trying to recognize my surroundings. I must've been so tired last night, I didn't get the chance to see what my new room looked like. It was fairly small, and the walls were painted in a forest green with brown trimming. My bed was in the furthest corner from the door, and a window sat next to me. Another window was behind me, like my room was on the corner of a house. There were the usual essentials for a teenager like me: a small walk-in closet, a shelf for books hanging over a beautifully carved desk, a lamp, a cabinet... and something else struck me enough to stand on the floor. It was cold, since it was wooden, but I made myself walk over to one of the walls. A beautiful gray wolf was painted on the wall, and I traced the fur with my fingers delicately. I thought it was a large sticker, but it was actually painted, I could see the brush strokes.
"Alaina! Wake up! I've got breakfast!" I heard Evey shout from downstairs. I didn't bother to shout back, so I went to slip into some sweats and a camisole. I noticed they were washed, because they felt damp when I put them on. Shrugging, I strolled out into the hallway to look for a bathroom. This place was fairly small, the bathroom just next door, so I quickly brushed my hair and applied a bit of make-up before heading downstairs.
Evey was in the kitchen cooking pancakes. I breathed in the amazing smell and smiled. My favorite food was pancakes. I went over to the table to sit down, and I noticed others there. I froze, looking at Sam and two other people there. A dark haired girl with scars on her face was literally on his lap. The other person was much older and wore a cowboy hat. His eyes met mine, and I had to admit, he looked pretty scary. I took a step back into Evey accidentally, almost causing her to drop the pancakes.
"Whoa- watch out there Al," she said as she placed the plate of pancakes on the table. The girl gave Sam a kiss on the cheek, giving me a better view of the scars on her face, and gave Sam room to get breakfast. "Eat up guys, and Billy, do you want some coffee?"
The man, Billy, responded with a nod towards her, "Yes, and keep it black." Evey smiled like she was about to laugh. Both Sam and the girl did as well. I wondered what was funny, because Billy just rolled his eyes at them. His dark eyes met mine and I gulped. Was he going to say something? Or should I say something? I felt like he was trying to burn a hole through me with those eyes.
"Alaina, sit! Eat some pancakes!" Evey told me. I immediately did, staring at my plate for a moment and peeking glances at Billy. He scared me, and to show that I wasn't fazed by his actions, I grabbed three pancakes. He must despise me for being white, I thought as I drowned my pancakes in syrup. He and the girl had the same skin tone as Sam. I was the oddball out.
I ate cautiously, waiting for Evey to join us to break the awkward silence. She finally did and jabbed my side harshly. I flinched, rubbing my side and giving her a "wtf" look. She motioned with her eyes to talk to Billy, but I didn't want to. The silence grew until it was finally broken by Sam.
"Evelisa, these pancakes are delicious," he said between bites. He had nearly half of the stack on his plate. How the hell can this guy eat this much? I was right. He is on steroids.
"Thanks Sam, what do you think Emily?" Evey glances at the girl.
"I agree with him, but I'm not that hungry this morning, sorry," she said with a smile. For a girl with horrifying scars on her face, she was the happiest person I've ever seen. Billy was still staring at me. I just looked down at my plate and poked my pancakes nervously.
"Billy, you're scaring her," Evey said when she returned with his coffee. I glanced up as he took a sip, taking his eyes off me. Good thing she noticed that, but Billy didn't seem fazed that he was truly doing so. Evey gave me a reassuring glance at me and smiled, "Don't worry, Billy's just like this when he doesn't get his cup of coffee in the morning." Sam laughed along with Emily, and I couldn't suppress my giggle. Evey smiled brightly and Billy just shook his head with a smile.
"You kids," he said through his smile. His smile made me feel better; now I know he's not some big bad guy I'm supposed to be afraid of. Yet strangely enough, despite the laughter going around the table along with more comforting gestures, Billy's smile wasn't true to his word. I could easily tell. Inside him, I could sense how tight he was where as everybody else was loose and carefree. It's another theory I have. When people are talking, I can sense how tense they are and depending on the moment, they may be lying. It's like I can detect lies. As I thought about what he was keeping to himself, Emily placed a hand on my shoulder.
"So Alaina, have you been to the res before?" she asked with a sweet smile.
I shook my head, "First time."
"Well I hope you like it here. There's a beach nearby if you ever want to go swimming."
As soon as she said beach, my eyes lit up in excitement. When was the last time I went swimming? It felt like centuries ago, when I was younger. Evey and I took a trip to the beach once, and she taught me to swim. I'm still not that very good of a swimmer, but I'm getting better. I love the water.
Sam chuckled at my reaction, "Somebody's got their eye on what to do later." I blushed slightly in response. "Since winter is around the corner, not many of us go swimming. But you're free to go whenever you want, just have somebody go with you. The tide is pretty strong in this weather."
I nodded. Maybe I shouldn't go swimming. I always had trouble with battling the tide. Evey probably wouldn't want to go with me; she's not a big fan of the water.
"Some of the boys are planning for a soccer tournament on the shore tomorrow. You could go then, if you want," Emily pointed out. Who were these boys she was talking about? The last thing I wanted was to be teased and pushed around like back in Mexico. None of the boys liked me there.
"'Boys'?" I asked softly.
"We're not the only ones on the res, Al. I can introduce them to you tomorrow if you'd like," Sam said while squeezing Emily's arm. They have got to be a couple; there was no doubt about it.
Nodding, I responded, "I'd like that." Better to be introduced by the nice guy than trying to introduce myself. I wasn't good at doing that sort of thing on my own.
"It's a plan," he said. Billy looked at his watch and muttered, "I must go." Everybody looked at him like he was some leader to be watched closely after. Maybe he is. I mentally cursed myself for acting to stupid earlier. I probably disrespected him. "Got plans to meet Charlie at the diner," he continued, rolling himself out from under the table... wait rolled? He was in a wheelchair. Damn, poor guy. He was the big hotshot of the reservation and was stuck in that thing. He turned his attention to Sam, "Mind driving me there? Truck's down and haven't gotten the chance to send it in."
"Not at all," Sam replied, standing up along with his girlfriend. They started towards the door and before they left, Emily gave a small wave to me, "Nice meeting you Alaina."
Once they shut the door, Evelisa looked at me half-heartedly, "Well... that was a nice meeting, don't you think?"
"Yeah, right, Billy was looking at me like I was a piece of meat." I stood up and helped her pick up dishes and clean.
"Yeah... he's like that. You'll just have to get used to him," she muttered while rinsing off the plates. I placed them in the dishwasher. She was tense, but loose at the same time. She was half-lying. I didn't say anything, not wanting to intrude on something that could be private.
I let out a deep sigh of relief as I stepped out of the shower. I instantly grabbed my brush, hopefully to comb out the soon-to-be curls. Glancing in the mirror, I huffed at my bangs already curling. I tugged on them and turned on my mini-straightener. My hair is naturally curly, and I always crave for straight hair. If my hair was completely straight, it would reach just below my collarbones. But with the natural instinct to curl, it barely reaches my shoulders.
I pulled the straightener across my bangs. I was never able to fully straighten my hair, so my hair ended up curled but fairly straight at the same time. Sighing, I grabbed my larger straightener and started on the rest of my hair. My towel slipped from around me, but I didn't care. Nobody would be coming up here anyways. After a while I finished, and I went straight to my makeup. I probably wasn't going anywhere today, but I had a feeling I should have some on.
In the middle of applying mascara, I heard voices, boy's voices, just outside my door... which was open. I let out a squeal and jumped into the shower, slipping on the wet floor and banging my head on the tub faucet. I winced and rubbed my head where it hit, hearing nothing outside except for the scampering of feet down stairs.
"God..." I groaned as I shakily stood and grabbed another towel to cover myself with. I literally slammed the door shut and was responded with an angry shout from Evey. I don't care. Hopefully whoever that was didn't see me butt naked. I pouted and looked at myself in the mirror. They must be part of the 'boys' Emily was mentioning earlier. Great. I sped to my room to change into a dark sweatshirt and jeans. Whoever they are, I thought. They'll probably be there tomorrow when I officially meet them... great...