A/N Hello beauties. Here's chapter 11. We're going to try to update every Wednesday, dunno if that's possible but we'll try :)
The first thing I notice when I wake up in the morning is an elbow jabbed awkwardly in the small of my back. I shift on Papa's slumbering body, trying not to wake him, but Ty's elbow digs farther into my spine.
We're sleeping on the floor, arranged in a way that our toes will be warm by the fire, which is smoking lazily after being unattended throughout the night. Tyler looks so peaceful. It seems selfish, waking him up for my comfort. So, instead, I slip out from between him and my father to go fetch some cereal for myself. The sun is just beginning to rise, so I sit at the living room table with my bowl of shredded wheat cereal and watch the sky lighten.
"Morning, Birdie." Leon appears on the couch behind me. "I hope you slept alright?"
I shrug, swallowing a mouthful of milk. "Yeah, I guess."
Leon sips from the steaming mug held between his weathered hands. "Thanks for letting us spend the night. We were absolutely beat after putting out that fire."
"I honestly barely noticed you guys were even here." I reply, running a hand through the my red waves of hair. "Well, except that I slept on the floor."
The elderly man chuckles, his ponytail bobbing as his chest quakes.
"I think that you're my long-lost granddaughter, Birdie." he hauls himself to his feet and hobbles towards the kitchen. "I really do."
I smile into my breakfast, hiding the fact that his words were the kindest things anyone had said to me in a long time.
Once my dirty dishes are stacked neatly in the sink, I change and after a quick goodbye to Leon, I march through the forest into town. The blanket of treetops shield me from the pulsating rays pounding down from the sky. It was going to be a hot one, for sure. Once I step out of the shady woods and into the road, I can immediately feel the heat on the back of my neck, my shirt growing sweaty and sticky in a matter of minutes. I duck into Redman's for a few minutes, a sudden blast of frigid air as I throw open the door. It's so cold it's nearly unbearable, so I purchase my drink quickly and then step back outside, keeping to the shade as not to get another sunburn.
The water I bought is finished in sec`monds and I toss the crumpled bottle into a nearby recycling can on my way towards the beach. It's crowded and loud and I have to force my way through the swarm of sunbathers and swimmers to an unoccupied patch of sand where I drop to the ground and dig my feet down into the warm granules.
I spot Claire tentatively wading into the ocean towards her calling friends. We briefly meet each others' eyes before she turns away. Still an improvement from the teasing, name calling and of course, the attempted drowning, but less than what I expected after she pulled me aside the other night. I clearly wasn't thinking when I assumed that after her confrontation we would automatically be friends. Things are still the same; she's popular, I'm no one and it will always be that way.
It's less relaxing just sitting on the beach when I'm surrounded by shouts and it's nearly impossible to enjoy myself when an obnoxious boy takes it upon himself to spray me with a water-gun until I get so frustrated I have no choice but to leave, so I stumble to my feet and slink away, shaking the water droplets from my frizzing hair.
After a quick stop at the deserted marina, I head back home to find Papa and a drowsy Ty munching on sandwiches at the kitchen table.
"Hey, little bird, where have you been?" Pa hugs me without getting up, and despite his efforts to hide it, I can tell that his back is killing him.
"Just went to the beach." I murmur, falling into the chair to Ty's left. He doesn't acknowledge me, just continues picking the pieces of lettuce from in between the two pieces of bread and setting them on the place mat beside his plate.
"Why are you doing that?" I scoop up a piece of the green leaf and then try to shake the sticking vegetable from my finger.
"I don't like lettuce on my sandwich." he grumbles, finally satisfied with his lunch and shoving half of it into his mouth.
"Was the beach busy?" My father wipes his mouth on the paper napkin and disposes of his Styrofoam plate in the trashcan. I nod.
"Yeah, there were quite a few people down there."
"You know," Leon enters the room, flying into the spot at the table that Papa abandoned. "I haven't gotten to go to the beach very often, yet. And it sure seems to me that today would be that day to go."
"It is really hot out..." I agree, staring questioningly at Tyler. He blinks and swallows the last of his meal.
"Um..." He tosses his plate to the counter and then leans back in his seat. "Yeah, I guess I'd like that."
"Rich, are you going to come?" Leon calls to Papa. His greying head peeks around the corner.
"Sorry, guys." he sighs, a hand on his spine. "My back is feeling absolutely horrible. I'm going to rest for a little while and then go find Kittie to help me out at the marina."
"I guess I'll go change, then" I shrug, grabbing a slice of bread from the cutting board to postpone my hunger.
When the house was rebuilt, Papa and I had to shop for more clothing. For the two of us, it was an agonizing task, since neither of us like to spend time in fancy outlet malls. The first thing I bought was a new bathing suit, not even wanting to don the green one again.
I hold my new swimsuit in front of me, and shrug before pulling it on. After criticizing my reflection in the mirror, throwing my hair into a lazy bun, and snatching my sketchbook from the kitchen counter, I head out the door to find Ty and Leon sitting on the deck patiently.
"Took you long enough." Tyler grumbles, getting to his feet and stumbling in the direction of the beach. His grandfather and I take off after him, hauling along a stack of towels. While we're on our way down the busy path to the bay, I slip off my shoes, the flimsy sandals being much too awkward and cumbersome,
When my feet first sink into the sand, there's a scalding hot sensation, and I can't help but flail around like a chicken with its head cut off. Once the burning passes, I manage to walk semi-normally to where Ty has laid out a series of beachtowels.
"What the heck are you doing, weirdo?" He smirks, pulling two bags of ketchup chips from Leon's giant tote bag. "Some new dance you invented?"
"Shut up." I joke, laying down on a zebra-patterned towel. Leon is sunbathing beside me, and his relative has already ran off towards the beach. Instead of swimming, though, Ty is just wading in chest-deep water, his arms floating limply at the surface. "Hey, Leon"
"Yes, Birdie?" he lowers his head, looking at me from above his sunglasses.
"I'm going to go swimming now. Be back soon."
"Have fun!" The old man calls after me as I strap on my goggles, and brave the hot sand while running to the ocean.
The water is a perfect turquoisey blue, as it always is, and chilly, but not freezing. It's flawless. I duck underneath, using my arms to glide forward. When I reach Tyler, I pop out behind him, causing Ty to emit a small shriek.
"Sorry." I laugh, treading water a few feet farther into the ocean.
"Don't do that, Birdie! I could have drowned!" He pouts, fixing his hair.
"You can't swim?" I tease, inching closer.
"Ssh!" His brow crinkles, scanning the beach. "You don't need to announce it to the whole world!"
"I said I was sorry"
"Alright. There aren't many pools near where I live, that's all. I've never really had the chance to learn the sport" I nod, not wanting to anger him any more.
A few seconds later, an idea pops up in my head. "Hey, what if I teach you?"
Ty stares at me, complentating.
"Yeah, I guess..." he says finally, nervously checking to see if the people surrounding us are listening. "As long as nobody finds out."
"Sure." I slip back underwater, pulling myself through the water further from shore. Ty watches me from where he stands, observing my technique before attempting to follow me. After a few steps, though, he heads back, unconfident without his feet planted to the ground.
"We might need to start at square one" Tyler sighs.
"Um... Okay" I pause to think. "Like, arms?"
"More like kicking" He admits, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Alright" I walk closer to him, and grab his muscular hands. "Swimming, really, is second nature to me. But anyway, this is how you start." I start doing flutter kick, letting my feet splash above the water. "Just do this at the surface of the water" My hands let go of his briefly to show him an example of how the kick works.
"Oh, okay." Ty clutches my hands in his, lowers himself into the water and begins to do a somewhat discernible flutter kick. His feet flail wildly, and when Tyler comes up for a break, I notice he has a nose full of salt water. "How was that?"
"Um..." I release his hands as he stands back up. "It's a good start."
"Great." Ty mutters, frowning. I catch his wrists and shoot him a smile.
"It's okay, we'll try again. Just maybe don't put your face in the water this early."
Tyler's already improved by the second attempt, but as soon as he pokes his head below the surface, he comes up sputtering and coughing.
"I thought we weren't at that step yet." I chuckle as the flushed boy glares at me playfully. "Sorry"
"One more try, and I'm done" I don't have time to respond before my hands are clasped in his, and Ty is doing a seemingly prefect flutter kick. "Good?" He looks at me with his blue eyes, the colour of the water we're standing in. His eyes are so encapsuling, and I can't believe that I've never noticed how beautiful they are before.
"Hello?" Tyler is waving his hand in front of my face, snapping me out of some weird trance.
"Y-yeah, it was amazing" I give him a smile.
"Really?" He looks like a giant puppy dog when he says this.
"Definitely"
Ty seems exceptionally proud of himself as we wade back towards land, zigzagging through the crowd of vacationers and locals alike.
"Done already?" Leon murmurs sleepily as we drop onto the ground beside him.
"Yep." I dig my sketchbook out from the bottom of the cloth bag, flipping to a fresh page and beginning to sketch a circle. Ty scoots over next to me, his mouth full of chips.
"What are you always drawing in that thing?" he asks, spraying soggy pieces of food onto the sand.
"Nothing, really." I reply, adding more lines to the paper. "Well, nothing good, at least."
"Can I see?" I defensively hold the book up to my chest.
"What's in it for me?"
"I don't know, I'd just like a peek" He shrugs.
"Oh, alright. Only a peek, though" I shove the hard-covered book out towards him, shielding my eyes from his facial expression.
"Wow."
"It's not that good..."
"Is that me?" Ty says.
"I'm not sure yet." I admit, letting my hand fall from my face.
"Well, it looks a lot like me" He pauses. "I mean, it's fine if it is, I'm not blaming you" I scrunch my face up, and stick out my tongue before setting my grandpappy's book back onto my lap.
He hovers over me like this for another hour, until I've completely given up and Leon says that it's time to leave. We gather our belongings and trek down the beach towards home. The house is deserted when I return, Papa still out working at the marina. I'm heating up some leftovers for dinner when there's a knock on the door and I race to answer it, expecting the Koppingers.
Instead there's a man and a woman I've never seen before in my life in matching t-shirts, sunburnt and confused. The two of them push past me and step into the living room like they own the place.
"Excuse me, where's the information desk?" The short, chubby woman asks, adjusting her oversized sun hat.
"S-sorry" I stutter, shaking my head. "But this is my home."
"Oh. We're extremely so-" Her husband starts, but is interrupted almost immediately.
"Okay, I guess we could settle for you helping us. In which way is the beach?" The lady hands her bags over to him, and waddles a little closer to me with her fat legs.
"You should have passed it on the way over here." I raise a spoonful of lasagna up to my mouth.
"I know!" She snaps. "Where is the private beach?"
"There aren't any private beaches here..."
"See, sweetheart, it's fine. We can rent a boat there, and spend the afternoon out at sea. How does that sound?" Her husband kisses the crown of her head, and the woman just grumbles.
After a small fit, He finally manages to drag his wife out of the house, shooting sincere apologies my way. I tell him that it's no problem, but in reality, I'm very puzzled by their visit.
Seconds later, Papa comes through the door.
"Birdie, who were they?" He puts down his coat, and sits down next to me in the kitchen.
I sigh, realizing that he must have encountered the frazzled vacationers. "They're... It's a long story."
"It's okay, little Birdie" My father pats me lightly on the back. "The man told me what happened. I trust
you handled the situation well?"
"Yep" I smile, taking my empty bowl to the sink. Once it's filled up with water, I plop down on the couch and flip on the television.
"it's extraordinary, Jennifer, really. the death rate in Chicago is increasing at such an incredible speed!" A well done-up man says animatedly to his co-host.
"Yes, it is, Gerald. On a related note, reporting from the streets of Chicago, Illinois, we have our very own Clarence Day reporting on the scene" She taps her papers on the desk, cuing in the next part of the segment.
I have trouble keeping my eyes open, with all of the swimming I did earlier, combined with the utter blandness of the news channel. In a few minutes, the tiredness takes over and I doze off into a sweet nap.
My brother's insane laughter awakens me with a start.
"What the-" I moan, my crusty eyes springing open. "Oh my gosh! Izzy!" A gasp escapes my lips, and before I fully regain conciousness, I jump into his arms. Even though Issac's still doubled over in laughter.
"It's nice to see you, tweety bird. Happy early birthday" Oh, right. My birthday is coming up soon. He wipes tears from his eyes, trying to calm down, but bursts out laughing shortly afterwards.
"Hey, what's so funny?" I pout, crossing my arms over my chest.
"N-nothing"
Sometimes my brother can take it too far. I race off to the bathroom, groaning at the moustache and unibrow he's written on my face. Using a threadbare facecloth, I attempt to rub off the graffiti, but a ghost image of it stays drawn into my skin.
"You're getting it." I whisper, grinning at my reflection.
"So, what's it like in New York?" Papa questions, taking a bite from his hamburger. We're in the greasy truck stop, sitting snugly at the table farthest from the stand-up comedian.
"the city is so amazing!" Izzy throws his arms up in the air, careful not to hit any of the bulky truck drivers. "It's so bright, so busy... so atmospheric!" he chomps into his mushroom burger.
"Wow" I lean over to my brother. "How're the girls?" Teasing has always been a 'thing' between the two of us.
"Good. Um, uh... Birdie, if you promise not to make too big of a deal out of this, I'd like to tell you two something" Pa and I nod hungrily, putting our burgers down on their nests of french fries. "I-I've met a really nice girl. She's in the same school as I, and- well, she's my girlfriend" I look at my father, who has a ecstatically happy, yet pained expression on his face.
"Issac, that's amazing!" Papa grins widely, patting him on the shoulder. "What's her name?"
"Kayla Norris." He blushes, pushing a handful of fries into his mouth. I don't talk, not exactly in shock but not as happy as Pa is, either. Even though I'm still very happy for Iz.
"Seems like Birdie has her own love interest, too" My father turns towards me, wiggling his eyebrows.
"No!" My hands shoot up to cover my face. "He's just a good friend" I mumble.
"Ooh, what's his name?" Izzy giggles girlishly.
"Tyler." I grunt through my hands.
"Nice" My brother smirks. "Anyway, that isn't why we're here." He changes the subject promptly. "Happy birthday, sis!" Issac presents a wrapped gift, blue with a white bow placed on the top.
"Wow." I slide it over to myself, and look up in awe. "Thanks so much!" My shaking fingers rip open the wrapping paper and cardboard, to reveal a pair of pyjamas with chicks dotted on them, and a white tee-shirt.
"Unfold it!" Izzy grins, pointing to the latter. I do, and start laughing at the sight of it.
"Oh, Iz, this is too much" There's 'I'm cheesy' written on it in bold letters, with a swiss cheese decal placed in between the words. "I love it. Where'd you get everything?"
"Oh, just in town. At the embroidery shop"
I guess my brother can be tolerable.
When we leave the restaurant, I smile a bit at the woods behind the creaky establishment, but don't say anything. The three of us pile into the car, me demoted to the back seat.
"Where to now?" Papa says, manoeuvring the car out of the lot.
"I'd like to just go home" I shrug, buckling myself in, the mangled box of clothing sitting on my lap.
"Will-do" We drive for a while on the familiar gravel road, until we've reached our destination. Izzy and I climb out, but Pa stays inside the cabin. "Where do you think you're going?" He says, motioning for us to buckle ourselves back in.
"I thought we were going to stay at home?"
"Objection; no birthday girl gets away without a nice dish of ice cream" Papa chuckles. It's barely five minutes before we walk into the parlour, its bells sounding to our entrance.
"Wow, it's really busy" Issac whispers into my ear. "Much more than I remember it being"
Much, much later, the three of us walk outside with our desserts, holding back the urge to gobble them right up. To our dismay, there's nowhere to sit down, so we clamber back into the car once again, and eat in there.
"Iz, I hope it's alright with you, Birdie and I will be working all day at the Marina tomorrow" Papa says, chewing on the last bits of his waffle cone.
"Oh, Pa, I'd love to help! I'm serious!" My brother replies, smiling. "Don't think that just because I'm your guest means that I'm incapable of doing work!"
My father and I chuckle, because we're certain that Issac has never done anything seriously in his life.
"Goodnight, tweety bird." My brother ruffles my hair with his free hand, the other brushing his teeth feverishly. "See you in the morning."
"G'night" I slink into my room, set the alarm that's sitting on my desk to rouse me at three in the morning, and quickly fall into a peaceful sleep.
Izzy takes quite a long time to wake up, and when he does, Papa and I are already bored out of our minds, waiting for him to come with us to work.
"KESTREL!" My brother screams, right after a bucket of ice-cold water drops on his head. "What is this?"
"Revenge..." I blow him a mocking kiss, and return to the dishes I've been working on, internally giggling about my pay-back.
Last night, when I was woken by the alarm, I'd created a well-known trap for my brother. I'd left his door ajar, and set the pail of chilly water on the top, so that it would tumble onto his head in the morning. After that, I had climbed back in bed, like nothing had happened.
"Okay, I guess it's fair." He rolls his eyes, and throws on a dry shirt.
"Come on, Iz, we need to get going." Pa checks his watch, nervous that we'll be late.
"I'll catch up with you, no need to wait" He waves his hand like it's no big deal, and turns around to grab a box of cereal.
"See you, then?" I ask, slipping on my boots.
"Sure."
"Hello!" I smile at the customers, but my face drops into a frown when I notice that it's the couple that barged in on us rudely yesterday.
"H-Good morning" The tall man stutters, rubbing his moustache anxiously. "Um, we'd like to rent a speedboat for the day" He pauses. "Please. Also, we're incredibly sorry for our rudeness yesterday. Right, dear?" His wife grumbles.
"Okay." I hand him a slip to fill out. "I'd still like an apology form your wife, though." I make sure to mumble this one.
"Apologize for what?" She lifts herself up onto her tip-toes to reach my eye level. "I didn't do anything wrong."
Before I can counter-attack, Papa steps in the way and touches my shoulder reassuringly.
"Birdie, if you don't mind, please may you go help customers outside?"
"O-kay" I sigh, and trudge outside.
"Are they the Koppingers?" My brother asks me, pointing to the two men walking towards us.
"Yes" I reply. "Why do you ask?"
He winks. "Tyler is pretty good looking"
"Shut up." Izzy laughs, and returns to his work.
Ty and Leon are eating sandwiches, like usual, on the balcony of the yacht. Tyler is tearing apart his food, trying to escape from the greens, even though his grandfather is already licking his fingers and crumpling up the Saran wrap his sandwich was once concealed in.
"Hey, Birdie, We have a sandwich for you!" Ty calls, holding up another package.
"Thanks, I was getting a little hungry" I reply, and run through the boat hastily, up to the deck. They hand me my food, and I gladly sit in the chair they've provided, chewing into the sandwich. "You guys pamper me."
"Actually, Tyler made these! He insisted that we make one for you."
"grandpa!" Ty blushes to his ears.
Did he really make this sandwich for me?
Maybe I like Tyler more than I let on.
I trudge down the dock, exhausted after a long day of work at the busy marina. Wandering down the beach, only a few lone vacationers still lounge on the darkening sand, the tide pulling the waves further up onto shore.
I make a quick stop at my tree house, scrambling up the ladder and sinking into the beanbag chair for only a moment before being forced to continue on my route home. I try to go there everyday, even if it was just for a second.
I spot Izzy through the grimy window, lying on the couch with his eyes fixated on the television. The exact same thing he would do before he left for school. It's almost like he was never gone at all.
"Hey, Birdie." He grins, clicking off the TV and pushing himself up into a sitting position. "Sorry I wasn't much help today."
"It's fine." I kick my shoes into a pile by the door. "You shouldn't have to work while your visiting."
"Yeah..." He climbs to his feet and hops to the kitchen, returning a minute later with an unopened bag of barbecue chips I knew Papa bought just for his return. I lean over and pluck a chip from his hand on my way to the shower, ignoring his protestations.
I wash briefly, changing into a fresh t-shirt and pair of shorts, snugly wrapping a towel around my dripping head, recognizing the muffled voices in the other room as the Koppingers and my father.
"-plants all died! I don't know what I'm doing wrong!" I hear Leon exclaim as I exit the bathroom and creep down the hallways towards the kitchen. "Maybe I should just give up on gardening."
"No, don't give up." Papa assures the elderly man. "Birdie can help you again, if you'd like."
"Yes, I would like that." I grin at Mr. Koppingers voice. "Birdie is a very sweet girl."
"Seriously? That little devil?" Izzy pipes up and Leon chuckles.
"Yes, she's extremely kind."
I poke my head around the door frame and smirk at my older brother, getting a laugh from everyone. Even Ty had his phone tucked away in his pocket, sipping his canned drink and listening to the conversation around him.
I slide up onto the counter beside Izzy, inching away as he tries to slip an arm around my shoulder.
Pa and Leon continue talking about gardening, which soon becomes a heated discussion between Tyler and his grandfather about whether you're supposed to water your flowers in the rain.
"Alright, we'll let Birdie decide." Ty jabs a finger in my direction. "Birdie, it's up to you to end the debate. Do you water your plants in the rain or not?"
"Sorry, Leon." I shake my head, snickering. "I just don't think it's good for them. I'm going with Ty on this one."
"Of course, you're going with Ty." Izzy hisses in my ear, his remark earning him an elbow in the gut.
Leon laughs, his voice booming and echoing throughout the house.
"I guess I do remember my mother saying something about not over-watering your garden." He admits, running a hand through his tangled ponytail hanging limply down his back.
Tyler can't stop laughing, resting his forehead in the palms of his hands.
"Honestly, Grandpa!"
"Well, sorry! Margaret used to do all the watering..."
The room grows silent for a moment, Ty's laughter silenced.
Izzy's head whips around the room, his eyes flicking from each face to the next. "Who's Margaret?"
"Oh, she's my wife." Leon sighs, slumping in his seat.
"Was your wife." Tyler corrects, my father shooting him a sharp glance.
"Yes." The old man takes a sip of his drink. "She was my wife, thank you, Tyler. She was teaching me how to garden and cross stitch and I was teaching her to draw when she... When she got sick."
"Oh... I'm really sorry." Izzy lowers his head. "Do you mind if I ask what happened?"
"Oh no, of course not!" Leon cries a little too joyously, startling all three of us. "She had brain cancer. Had trouble remembering her own name. This all happened right after- This is kinda a long story, are you sure you guys want to hear it?"
We nod and he continues.
"Six years ago, I won the lottery. I had enough money to be happy for a really, really long time." Leon stares out the window as he talks, his voice distant and empty. The rest of the room is silent with the excepting of Ty nervously drumming his hands on the table. "Then Margaret got sick."
"Leon, you don't have to talk about this if you don't want to." Papa assures him, leaning over to place a hand on the old man's shoulder. He shakes him off.
"Don't be ridiculous, this was a long time ago!" The eldest Koppinger insists, getting to his feet and leaning against the counter. "I'm over it, I really am. Anyway, I spent half of my winnings on paying her medical bills, but she didn't get any better. She was to have a surgery, a surgery that could possibly cure her, but... It went wrong, and she didn't make it."
Leon rummages through the fridge, pulling a jar of mayonnaise from the shelf and plopping it down on the counter. "So, I was of course born here, in Wrenside, but moved to Utah when I was still young. After Margaret died, I lived by myself in the US for a little while before moving back here. This is just the perfect little town for an old widower."
"And then I met you!" I smile, playing with the ends of my wet hair. Leon grins.
"Yes, and then I met you, Birdie."
A/N Whoooooooooooopppp almost 5000 words in this chapter. Happy Birthday
looks like we're getting to the part where we write fluff!
Horribly!
'Kay guys, we're really sorry for slacking off, so chapter 12'll be out reeeeally soon! It's like... 1/4 done already :)
LOVE YOU GUYS <3
~Fedora & What
The first thing I notice when I wake up in the morning is an elbow jabbed awkwardly in the small of my back. I shift on Papa's slumbering body, trying not to wake him, but Ty's elbow digs farther into my spine.
We're sleeping on the floor, arranged in a way that our toes will be warm by the fire, which is smoking lazily after being unattended throughout the night. Tyler looks so peaceful. It seems selfish, waking him up for my comfort. So, instead, I slip out from between him and my father to go fetch some cereal for myself. The sun is just beginning to rise, so I sit at the living room table with my bowl of shredded wheat cereal and watch the sky lighten.
"Morning, Birdie." Leon appears on the couch behind me. "I hope you slept alright?"
I shrug, swallowing a mouthful of milk. "Yeah, I guess."
Leon sips from the steaming mug held between his weathered hands. "Thanks for letting us spend the night. We were absolutely beat after putting out that fire."
"I honestly barely noticed you guys were even here." I reply, running a hand through the my red waves of hair. "Well, except that I slept on the floor."
The elderly man chuckles, his ponytail bobbing as his chest quakes.
"I think that you're my long-lost granddaughter, Birdie." he hauls himself to his feet and hobbles towards the kitchen. "I really do."
I smile into my breakfast, hiding the fact that his words were the kindest things anyone had said to me in a long time.
Once my dirty dishes are stacked neatly in the sink, I change and after a quick goodbye to Leon, I march through the forest into town. The blanket of treetops shield me from the pulsating rays pounding down from the sky. It was going to be a hot one, for sure. Once I step out of the shady woods and into the road, I can immediately feel the heat on the back of my neck, my shirt growing sweaty and sticky in a matter of minutes. I duck into Redman's for a few minutes, a sudden blast of frigid air as I throw open the door. It's so cold it's nearly unbearable, so I purchase my drink quickly and then step back outside, keeping to the shade as not to get another sunburn.
The water I bought is finished in sec`monds and I toss the crumpled bottle into a nearby recycling can on my way towards the beach. It's crowded and loud and I have to force my way through the swarm of sunbathers and swimmers to an unoccupied patch of sand where I drop to the ground and dig my feet down into the warm granules.
I spot Claire tentatively wading into the ocean towards her calling friends. We briefly meet each others' eyes before she turns away. Still an improvement from the teasing, name calling and of course, the attempted drowning, but less than what I expected after she pulled me aside the other night. I clearly wasn't thinking when I assumed that after her confrontation we would automatically be friends. Things are still the same; she's popular, I'm no one and it will always be that way.
It's less relaxing just sitting on the beach when I'm surrounded by shouts and it's nearly impossible to enjoy myself when an obnoxious boy takes it upon himself to spray me with a water-gun until I get so frustrated I have no choice but to leave, so I stumble to my feet and slink away, shaking the water droplets from my frizzing hair.
After a quick stop at the deserted marina, I head back home to find Papa and a drowsy Ty munching on sandwiches at the kitchen table.
"Hey, little bird, where have you been?" Pa hugs me without getting up, and despite his efforts to hide it, I can tell that his back is killing him.
"Just went to the beach." I murmur, falling into the chair to Ty's left. He doesn't acknowledge me, just continues picking the pieces of lettuce from in between the two pieces of bread and setting them on the place mat beside his plate.
"Why are you doing that?" I scoop up a piece of the green leaf and then try to shake the sticking vegetable from my finger.
"I don't like lettuce on my sandwich." he grumbles, finally satisfied with his lunch and shoving half of it into his mouth.
"Was the beach busy?" My father wipes his mouth on the paper napkin and disposes of his Styrofoam plate in the trashcan. I nod.
"Yeah, there were quite a few people down there."
"You know," Leon enters the room, flying into the spot at the table that Papa abandoned. "I haven't gotten to go to the beach very often, yet. And it sure seems to me that today would be that day to go."
"It is really hot out..." I agree, staring questioningly at Tyler. He blinks and swallows the last of his meal.
"Um..." He tosses his plate to the counter and then leans back in his seat. "Yeah, I guess I'd like that."
"Rich, are you going to come?" Leon calls to Papa. His greying head peeks around the corner.
"Sorry, guys." he sighs, a hand on his spine. "My back is feeling absolutely horrible. I'm going to rest for a little while and then go find Kittie to help me out at the marina."
"I guess I'll go change, then" I shrug, grabbing a slice of bread from the cutting board to postpone my hunger.
When the house was rebuilt, Papa and I had to shop for more clothing. For the two of us, it was an agonizing task, since neither of us like to spend time in fancy outlet malls. The first thing I bought was a new bathing suit, not even wanting to don the green one again.
I hold my new swimsuit in front of me, and shrug before pulling it on. After criticizing my reflection in the mirror, throwing my hair into a lazy bun, and snatching my sketchbook from the kitchen counter, I head out the door to find Ty and Leon sitting on the deck patiently.
"Took you long enough." Tyler grumbles, getting to his feet and stumbling in the direction of the beach. His grandfather and I take off after him, hauling along a stack of towels. While we're on our way down the busy path to the bay, I slip off my shoes, the flimsy sandals being much too awkward and cumbersome,
When my feet first sink into the sand, there's a scalding hot sensation, and I can't help but flail around like a chicken with its head cut off. Once the burning passes, I manage to walk semi-normally to where Ty has laid out a series of beachtowels.
"What the heck are you doing, weirdo?" He smirks, pulling two bags of ketchup chips from Leon's giant tote bag. "Some new dance you invented?"
"Shut up." I joke, laying down on a zebra-patterned towel. Leon is sunbathing beside me, and his relative has already ran off towards the beach. Instead of swimming, though, Ty is just wading in chest-deep water, his arms floating limply at the surface. "Hey, Leon"
"Yes, Birdie?" he lowers his head, looking at me from above his sunglasses.
"I'm going to go swimming now. Be back soon."
"Have fun!" The old man calls after me as I strap on my goggles, and brave the hot sand while running to the ocean.
The water is a perfect turquoisey blue, as it always is, and chilly, but not freezing. It's flawless. I duck underneath, using my arms to glide forward. When I reach Tyler, I pop out behind him, causing Ty to emit a small shriek.
"Sorry." I laugh, treading water a few feet farther into the ocean.
"Don't do that, Birdie! I could have drowned!" He pouts, fixing his hair.
"You can't swim?" I tease, inching closer.
"Ssh!" His brow crinkles, scanning the beach. "You don't need to announce it to the whole world!"
"I said I was sorry"
"Alright. There aren't many pools near where I live, that's all. I've never really had the chance to learn the sport" I nod, not wanting to anger him any more.
A few seconds later, an idea pops up in my head. "Hey, what if I teach you?"
Ty stares at me, complentating.
"Yeah, I guess..." he says finally, nervously checking to see if the people surrounding us are listening. "As long as nobody finds out."
"Sure." I slip back underwater, pulling myself through the water further from shore. Ty watches me from where he stands, observing my technique before attempting to follow me. After a few steps, though, he heads back, unconfident without his feet planted to the ground.
"We might need to start at square one" Tyler sighs.
"Um... Okay" I pause to think. "Like, arms?"
"More like kicking" He admits, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Alright" I walk closer to him, and grab his muscular hands. "Swimming, really, is second nature to me. But anyway, this is how you start." I start doing flutter kick, letting my feet splash above the water. "Just do this at the surface of the water" My hands let go of his briefly to show him an example of how the kick works.
"Oh, okay." Ty clutches my hands in his, lowers himself into the water and begins to do a somewhat discernible flutter kick. His feet flail wildly, and when Tyler comes up for a break, I notice he has a nose full of salt water. "How was that?"
"Um..." I release his hands as he stands back up. "It's a good start."
"Great." Ty mutters, frowning. I catch his wrists and shoot him a smile.
"It's okay, we'll try again. Just maybe don't put your face in the water this early."
Tyler's already improved by the second attempt, but as soon as he pokes his head below the surface, he comes up sputtering and coughing.
"I thought we weren't at that step yet." I chuckle as the flushed boy glares at me playfully. "Sorry"
"One more try, and I'm done" I don't have time to respond before my hands are clasped in his, and Ty is doing a seemingly prefect flutter kick. "Good?" He looks at me with his blue eyes, the colour of the water we're standing in. His eyes are so encapsuling, and I can't believe that I've never noticed how beautiful they are before.
"Hello?" Tyler is waving his hand in front of my face, snapping me out of some weird trance.
"Y-yeah, it was amazing" I give him a smile.
"Really?" He looks like a giant puppy dog when he says this.
"Definitely"
Ty seems exceptionally proud of himself as we wade back towards land, zigzagging through the crowd of vacationers and locals alike.
"Done already?" Leon murmurs sleepily as we drop onto the ground beside him.
"Yep." I dig my sketchbook out from the bottom of the cloth bag, flipping to a fresh page and beginning to sketch a circle. Ty scoots over next to me, his mouth full of chips.
"What are you always drawing in that thing?" he asks, spraying soggy pieces of food onto the sand.
"Nothing, really." I reply, adding more lines to the paper. "Well, nothing good, at least."
"Can I see?" I defensively hold the book up to my chest.
"What's in it for me?"
"I don't know, I'd just like a peek" He shrugs.
"Oh, alright. Only a peek, though" I shove the hard-covered book out towards him, shielding my eyes from his facial expression.
"Wow."
"It's not that good..."
"Is that me?" Ty says.
"I'm not sure yet." I admit, letting my hand fall from my face.
"Well, it looks a lot like me" He pauses. "I mean, it's fine if it is, I'm not blaming you" I scrunch my face up, and stick out my tongue before setting my grandpappy's book back onto my lap.
He hovers over me like this for another hour, until I've completely given up and Leon says that it's time to leave. We gather our belongings and trek down the beach towards home. The house is deserted when I return, Papa still out working at the marina. I'm heating up some leftovers for dinner when there's a knock on the door and I race to answer it, expecting the Koppingers.
Instead there's a man and a woman I've never seen before in my life in matching t-shirts, sunburnt and confused. The two of them push past me and step into the living room like they own the place.
"Excuse me, where's the information desk?" The short, chubby woman asks, adjusting her oversized sun hat.
"S-sorry" I stutter, shaking my head. "But this is my home."
"Oh. We're extremely so-" Her husband starts, but is interrupted almost immediately.
"Okay, I guess we could settle for you helping us. In which way is the beach?" The lady hands her bags over to him, and waddles a little closer to me with her fat legs.
"You should have passed it on the way over here." I raise a spoonful of lasagna up to my mouth.
"I know!" She snaps. "Where is the private beach?"
"There aren't any private beaches here..."
"See, sweetheart, it's fine. We can rent a boat there, and spend the afternoon out at sea. How does that sound?" Her husband kisses the crown of her head, and the woman just grumbles.
After a small fit, He finally manages to drag his wife out of the house, shooting sincere apologies my way. I tell him that it's no problem, but in reality, I'm very puzzled by their visit.
Seconds later, Papa comes through the door.
"Birdie, who were they?" He puts down his coat, and sits down next to me in the kitchen.
I sigh, realizing that he must have encountered the frazzled vacationers. "They're... It's a long story."
"It's okay, little Birdie" My father pats me lightly on the back. "The man told me what happened. I trust
you handled the situation well?"
"Yep" I smile, taking my empty bowl to the sink. Once it's filled up with water, I plop down on the couch and flip on the television.
"it's extraordinary, Jennifer, really. the death rate in Chicago is increasing at such an incredible speed!" A well done-up man says animatedly to his co-host.
"Yes, it is, Gerald. On a related note, reporting from the streets of Chicago, Illinois, we have our very own Clarence Day reporting on the scene" She taps her papers on the desk, cuing in the next part of the segment.
I have trouble keeping my eyes open, with all of the swimming I did earlier, combined with the utter blandness of the news channel. In a few minutes, the tiredness takes over and I doze off into a sweet nap.
My brother's insane laughter awakens me with a start.
"What the-" I moan, my crusty eyes springing open. "Oh my gosh! Izzy!" A gasp escapes my lips, and before I fully regain conciousness, I jump into his arms. Even though Issac's still doubled over in laughter.
"It's nice to see you, tweety bird. Happy early birthday" Oh, right. My birthday is coming up soon. He wipes tears from his eyes, trying to calm down, but bursts out laughing shortly afterwards.
"Hey, what's so funny?" I pout, crossing my arms over my chest.
"N-nothing"
Sometimes my brother can take it too far. I race off to the bathroom, groaning at the moustache and unibrow he's written on my face. Using a threadbare facecloth, I attempt to rub off the graffiti, but a ghost image of it stays drawn into my skin.
"You're getting it." I whisper, grinning at my reflection.
"So, what's it like in New York?" Papa questions, taking a bite from his hamburger. We're in the greasy truck stop, sitting snugly at the table farthest from the stand-up comedian.
"the city is so amazing!" Izzy throws his arms up in the air, careful not to hit any of the bulky truck drivers. "It's so bright, so busy... so atmospheric!" he chomps into his mushroom burger.
"Wow" I lean over to my brother. "How're the girls?" Teasing has always been a 'thing' between the two of us.
"Good. Um, uh... Birdie, if you promise not to make too big of a deal out of this, I'd like to tell you two something" Pa and I nod hungrily, putting our burgers down on their nests of french fries. "I-I've met a really nice girl. She's in the same school as I, and- well, she's my girlfriend" I look at my father, who has a ecstatically happy, yet pained expression on his face.
"Issac, that's amazing!" Papa grins widely, patting him on the shoulder. "What's her name?"
"Kayla Norris." He blushes, pushing a handful of fries into his mouth. I don't talk, not exactly in shock but not as happy as Pa is, either. Even though I'm still very happy for Iz.
"Seems like Birdie has her own love interest, too" My father turns towards me, wiggling his eyebrows.
"No!" My hands shoot up to cover my face. "He's just a good friend" I mumble.
"Ooh, what's his name?" Izzy giggles girlishly.
"Tyler." I grunt through my hands.
"Nice" My brother smirks. "Anyway, that isn't why we're here." He changes the subject promptly. "Happy birthday, sis!" Issac presents a wrapped gift, blue with a white bow placed on the top.
"Wow." I slide it over to myself, and look up in awe. "Thanks so much!" My shaking fingers rip open the wrapping paper and cardboard, to reveal a pair of pyjamas with chicks dotted on them, and a white tee-shirt.
"Unfold it!" Izzy grins, pointing to the latter. I do, and start laughing at the sight of it.
"Oh, Iz, this is too much" There's 'I'm cheesy' written on it in bold letters, with a swiss cheese decal placed in between the words. "I love it. Where'd you get everything?"
"Oh, just in town. At the embroidery shop"
I guess my brother can be tolerable.
When we leave the restaurant, I smile a bit at the woods behind the creaky establishment, but don't say anything. The three of us pile into the car, me demoted to the back seat.
"Where to now?" Papa says, manoeuvring the car out of the lot.
"I'd like to just go home" I shrug, buckling myself in, the mangled box of clothing sitting on my lap.
"Will-do" We drive for a while on the familiar gravel road, until we've reached our destination. Izzy and I climb out, but Pa stays inside the cabin. "Where do you think you're going?" He says, motioning for us to buckle ourselves back in.
"I thought we were going to stay at home?"
"Objection; no birthday girl gets away without a nice dish of ice cream" Papa chuckles. It's barely five minutes before we walk into the parlour, its bells sounding to our entrance.
"Wow, it's really busy" Issac whispers into my ear. "Much more than I remember it being"
Much, much later, the three of us walk outside with our desserts, holding back the urge to gobble them right up. To our dismay, there's nowhere to sit down, so we clamber back into the car once again, and eat in there.
"Iz, I hope it's alright with you, Birdie and I will be working all day at the Marina tomorrow" Papa says, chewing on the last bits of his waffle cone.
"Oh, Pa, I'd love to help! I'm serious!" My brother replies, smiling. "Don't think that just because I'm your guest means that I'm incapable of doing work!"
My father and I chuckle, because we're certain that Issac has never done anything seriously in his life.
"Goodnight, tweety bird." My brother ruffles my hair with his free hand, the other brushing his teeth feverishly. "See you in the morning."
"G'night" I slink into my room, set the alarm that's sitting on my desk to rouse me at three in the morning, and quickly fall into a peaceful sleep.
Izzy takes quite a long time to wake up, and when he does, Papa and I are already bored out of our minds, waiting for him to come with us to work.
"KESTREL!" My brother screams, right after a bucket of ice-cold water drops on his head. "What is this?"
"Revenge..." I blow him a mocking kiss, and return to the dishes I've been working on, internally giggling about my pay-back.
Last night, when I was woken by the alarm, I'd created a well-known trap for my brother. I'd left his door ajar, and set the pail of chilly water on the top, so that it would tumble onto his head in the morning. After that, I had climbed back in bed, like nothing had happened.
"Okay, I guess it's fair." He rolls his eyes, and throws on a dry shirt.
"Come on, Iz, we need to get going." Pa checks his watch, nervous that we'll be late.
"I'll catch up with you, no need to wait" He waves his hand like it's no big deal, and turns around to grab a box of cereal.
"See you, then?" I ask, slipping on my boots.
"Sure."
"Hello!" I smile at the customers, but my face drops into a frown when I notice that it's the couple that barged in on us rudely yesterday.
"H-Good morning" The tall man stutters, rubbing his moustache anxiously. "Um, we'd like to rent a speedboat for the day" He pauses. "Please. Also, we're incredibly sorry for our rudeness yesterday. Right, dear?" His wife grumbles.
"Okay." I hand him a slip to fill out. "I'd still like an apology form your wife, though." I make sure to mumble this one.
"Apologize for what?" She lifts herself up onto her tip-toes to reach my eye level. "I didn't do anything wrong."
Before I can counter-attack, Papa steps in the way and touches my shoulder reassuringly.
"Birdie, if you don't mind, please may you go help customers outside?"
"O-kay" I sigh, and trudge outside.
"Are they the Koppingers?" My brother asks me, pointing to the two men walking towards us.
"Yes" I reply. "Why do you ask?"
He winks. "Tyler is pretty good looking"
"Shut up." Izzy laughs, and returns to his work.
Ty and Leon are eating sandwiches, like usual, on the balcony of the yacht. Tyler is tearing apart his food, trying to escape from the greens, even though his grandfather is already licking his fingers and crumpling up the Saran wrap his sandwich was once concealed in.
"Hey, Birdie, We have a sandwich for you!" Ty calls, holding up another package.
"Thanks, I was getting a little hungry" I reply, and run through the boat hastily, up to the deck. They hand me my food, and I gladly sit in the chair they've provided, chewing into the sandwich. "You guys pamper me."
"Actually, Tyler made these! He insisted that we make one for you."
"grandpa!" Ty blushes to his ears.
Did he really make this sandwich for me?
Maybe I like Tyler more than I let on.
I trudge down the dock, exhausted after a long day of work at the busy marina. Wandering down the beach, only a few lone vacationers still lounge on the darkening sand, the tide pulling the waves further up onto shore.
I make a quick stop at my tree house, scrambling up the ladder and sinking into the beanbag chair for only a moment before being forced to continue on my route home. I try to go there everyday, even if it was just for a second.
I spot Izzy through the grimy window, lying on the couch with his eyes fixated on the television. The exact same thing he would do before he left for school. It's almost like he was never gone at all.
"Hey, Birdie." He grins, clicking off the TV and pushing himself up into a sitting position. "Sorry I wasn't much help today."
"It's fine." I kick my shoes into a pile by the door. "You shouldn't have to work while your visiting."
"Yeah..." He climbs to his feet and hops to the kitchen, returning a minute later with an unopened bag of barbecue chips I knew Papa bought just for his return. I lean over and pluck a chip from his hand on my way to the shower, ignoring his protestations.
I wash briefly, changing into a fresh t-shirt and pair of shorts, snugly wrapping a towel around my dripping head, recognizing the muffled voices in the other room as the Koppingers and my father.
"-plants all died! I don't know what I'm doing wrong!" I hear Leon exclaim as I exit the bathroom and creep down the hallways towards the kitchen. "Maybe I should just give up on gardening."
"No, don't give up." Papa assures the elderly man. "Birdie can help you again, if you'd like."
"Yes, I would like that." I grin at Mr. Koppingers voice. "Birdie is a very sweet girl."
"Seriously? That little devil?" Izzy pipes up and Leon chuckles.
"Yes, she's extremely kind."
I poke my head around the door frame and smirk at my older brother, getting a laugh from everyone. Even Ty had his phone tucked away in his pocket, sipping his canned drink and listening to the conversation around him.
I slide up onto the counter beside Izzy, inching away as he tries to slip an arm around my shoulder.
Pa and Leon continue talking about gardening, which soon becomes a heated discussion between Tyler and his grandfather about whether you're supposed to water your flowers in the rain.
"Alright, we'll let Birdie decide." Ty jabs a finger in my direction. "Birdie, it's up to you to end the debate. Do you water your plants in the rain or not?"
"Sorry, Leon." I shake my head, snickering. "I just don't think it's good for them. I'm going with Ty on this one."
"Of course, you're going with Ty." Izzy hisses in my ear, his remark earning him an elbow in the gut.
Leon laughs, his voice booming and echoing throughout the house.
"I guess I do remember my mother saying something about not over-watering your garden." He admits, running a hand through his tangled ponytail hanging limply down his back.
Tyler can't stop laughing, resting his forehead in the palms of his hands.
"Honestly, Grandpa!"
"Well, sorry! Margaret used to do all the watering..."
The room grows silent for a moment, Ty's laughter silenced.
Izzy's head whips around the room, his eyes flicking from each face to the next. "Who's Margaret?"
"Oh, she's my wife." Leon sighs, slumping in his seat.
"Was your wife." Tyler corrects, my father shooting him a sharp glance.
"Yes." The old man takes a sip of his drink. "She was my wife, thank you, Tyler. She was teaching me how to garden and cross stitch and I was teaching her to draw when she... When she got sick."
"Oh... I'm really sorry." Izzy lowers his head. "Do you mind if I ask what happened?"
"Oh no, of course not!" Leon cries a little too joyously, startling all three of us. "She had brain cancer. Had trouble remembering her own name. This all happened right after- This is kinda a long story, are you sure you guys want to hear it?"
We nod and he continues.
"Six years ago, I won the lottery. I had enough money to be happy for a really, really long time." Leon stares out the window as he talks, his voice distant and empty. The rest of the room is silent with the excepting of Ty nervously drumming his hands on the table. "Then Margaret got sick."
"Leon, you don't have to talk about this if you don't want to." Papa assures him, leaning over to place a hand on the old man's shoulder. He shakes him off.
"Don't be ridiculous, this was a long time ago!" The eldest Koppinger insists, getting to his feet and leaning against the counter. "I'm over it, I really am. Anyway, I spent half of my winnings on paying her medical bills, but she didn't get any better. She was to have a surgery, a surgery that could possibly cure her, but... It went wrong, and she didn't make it."
Leon rummages through the fridge, pulling a jar of mayonnaise from the shelf and plopping it down on the counter. "So, I was of course born here, in Wrenside, but moved to Utah when I was still young. After Margaret died, I lived by myself in the US for a little while before moving back here. This is just the perfect little town for an old widower."
"And then I met you!" I smile, playing with the ends of my wet hair. Leon grins.
"Yes, and then I met you, Birdie."
A/N Whoooooooooooopppp almost 5000 words in this chapter. Happy Birthday
looks like we're getting to the part where we write fluff!
Horribly!
'Kay guys, we're really sorry for slacking off, so chapter 12'll be out reeeeally soon! It's like... 1/4 done already :)
LOVE YOU GUYS <3
~Fedora & What
