Way Back Home

“Thank You” the girl mutters as she steps out of the bright yellow car, clutching the strap of her duffle bag that was over her shoulder. Twisting around she stared at the small, two-story house in front of her. A tsunami of thoughts flooded her mind, as she took small steps towards the front door. She was afraid, no, terrified by the thought that maybe those inside never wanted to see her again or that they had moved on without her. Even though she couldn’t remember much, she still had very fond memories of this place. She had spent the first few years of her life here anyway, so she would have hoped she remembered more but she didn’t. The last memory she had was of leaving, and that wasn’t something she liked to remember.

“It’s now or never” She whispered to herself, raising her clenched fist to the door ready to knock, and just as her hand descended the door swung open, and she was met with a muscular chest. Looking up, she noticed it was a man that she had never seen before. Then she started to panic, what if she had the wrong house, or what if they had moved, and now she was stuck staring wide-eyed at a random man with eyes the color of chocolate, and chestnut hair that looked gelled back away from his face.

“Oh, sorry.” His deep voice resounded in the girl’s ears, but she didn’t register them until his face creased with worry.

“Hey, you ok?” he inquires, snapping the girl out of her mind, making her take a step back.

“Umm, I’m looking fo-for uhh Lindsey King” she stutters hoping that she was here, or at least this man knew where she was.

“Yeah, I’ll get her for you” confusion was written all over his face, as he stepped back into the house before shouting out. “ Lindsey, sweetheart someone’s here for you”

‘Sweetheart’ the girl thinks to herself. Who was this man standing in front of her? Why was he calling her mom sweetheart? This wasn’t right, the last time she was here her mom was single, and not looking to mingle. Then another bout of panic sets in, and she worries that maybe her mother doesn’t want to see her, or that she has forgotten about her all together. Now, the girl thinks she should just walk to the nearest bus stop, and go back to her father’s apartment, but before she could put those thoughts into action she heard the distinct sound of heels clicking their way. She knew it was too late to run, but she really wanted to at this moment. She wanted to bolt away, and never come back, but she didn’t. She stayed, and she watched as the owner of those clicking heels came into view. The girl froze once again not knowing how to go about this. Her mother looked the same, as when she left, albeit a few grey hairs, but other than that she looked the same. Her auburn hair was tied into a neat bun with stray hairs that flew with the wind, and her mixed colored eyes, blue and green, the girl remembered mistaking the blue for grey at times, but she knew now that they were blue.

“Yeah, Harry what is it?” She inquires stepping closer to the man named Harry not noticing the girl standing in the doorway of her home. Harry smiles then tilts his head to the girl outside.

“There’s someone here to see you” His ambivalent voice shocks the woman as she looks at the girl in front of her. At first, she’s confused, she doesn’t recognize the girl, and it hurts her to the core. The girl’s eyes sting, a warning she’s about to cry, but she just gives her mother a fake smile.

“Sorry, wrong house” She mutters as she starts to back away from the door.

“Wait, Genna don’t go” the plea stops her, and she snaps her head to her mother in surprise. Harry glances at Genna then back at Lindsey before a look of realization crosses his face.

“Why don’t we all go inside? You must be tired, Genna?” Genna didn’t realize just how tired she was until Harry had said that. Lindsey nods her head slowly still in shock at seeing Genna in person for the first time in years. She had grown up so much, and it saddened Lindsey that she missed out on most of her daughter’s life. Harry grabs his wife’s arms gently and leads her and Genna, who follows behind silently, to the dining room table. They had to pass through the living room to get there, passing a group of guys playing the Xbox and eating junk food. Genna glances at the group and recognizes one of them instantly, it was her older brother Fynley, who she was the closest to in this family. His light brown hair had grown a bit longer, it now touched the tips of his ears, and his bright chocolate eyes were very familiar to Genna.

“Ma” Fynn calls out pausing the game to smile at her, but when his eyes land on Genna his smile fades, and his eyes darken. This was not the boy Genna remembered the brother who was always smiling and held open arms to anyone in need of a hug, especially her. This guy was different, his smile wasn’t as bright, and there was hostility seeping out of him directed at her.

“Sorry, Fynn. Your mother is tending to a guest.” Harry comments with a reassuring smile as he continues on into the dining room. Fynn nods his head then turns to his friends hesitantly, not sure if he should go talk to his mom, and see if she is alright, or if he should wait until she tells him, and his siblings what was wrong later.

“Um, I- Hi Fynn” Genna stutters, waving her hand stiffly by her side. She wanted to say more but didn’t know-how. Fynn doesn’t hear her, but the guy on his right does, his jet black hair sat messily atop his head and his stormy eyes stared at Genna before moving back to Fynn.

“Fynn, dude she’s talking to you!” The boy grumbles nodding his head towards Genna, Fynn turns back around and looks Genna in her eyes.

“What?” His cold voice makes Genna’s eyes widen slightly in shock before she composes herself, and answers his question with a smile.

“How have you been?” She questions forcing a friendly smile on her face, as she rocks back and forth from the tips of her toes to the balls of her feet. Her left hand gripped her duffel bag tightly as she waits for his response, but it never comes. All Fynn does is glare at her before opening his mouth to speak.

“Hey, it’s this way,” Harry says coming back around the corner-cutting Fynn off, he hadn’t noticed that Genna didn’t follow them and came back to make sure she wasn’t lost. Genna nods glances back at Fynn then walks with Harry to the dining room where her mother was waiting for her with a smile. Genna takes a seat across from Lindsey, as Harry takes the seat next to her.

“Genna” Lindsey sighs sadly looking anywhere, but at Genna, it made her uncomfortable when people stared at her, but even more uncomfortable when they didn’t. She knew just showing up without warning was going to have consequences, but she didn’t have a way to contact Lindsey or anyone of her siblings. Her father wasn’t much help either, he definitely didn’t want her to find them at all.

“I’ve come to stay with you” Genna rushes out before her mom could talk, she didn’t want to get kicked out again. She missed her family, and she wanted to stay and get to know the new them, the older them.

“How did you get here? Where is your father?” Lindsey questions quickly trying to pry answers out of the daughter she hasn’t seen in years. Genna scoffs as she leaned back in her chair.

“He’s no father of mine!” Genna grumbled angrily glaring down at the table in front of her, Lindsey exchanged a worried glance with Harry before turning back to Genna. Genna clutches the bag tighter in her arms as she quickly glances around the brightly lit dining room.

“What happened?” Lindsey inquires leaning forward in her chair, Genna gulps looking into her lap where her hands lay clasped together.

“Uh, nothing” She mutters, bouncing her right leg slightly, she’s feeling anxious now, and when she feels anxious, she has to move somehow. Sighing, Genna opens her mouth to say something when a high-pitched screech resonates throughout the house, and the sound of feet running down the stairs could be heard.

“Hide us!” a little boy shouted before diving under the dining room table, and a second later a little girl did the same.

Lindsey glances under the table before sighing, “What have you done now, Hayden?”

Before the boy could answer, another shout came from upstairs, and another person ran down the stairs and into the dining room, “Where are those annoying little b-!”

“Language!” Lindsey reprimands the girl who just rushed in. The girl’s cheeks were flushed, and her strawberry blonde hair sticks up everywhere as if she had just been electrocuted. Her blue eyes glared around the room in search of the two kids, but came up with nothing, “Now what happened?”

The girl looks at Lindsey like she’s crazy, “Look at my face, mom! LOOK AT IT,” she screeched, pointing at the black smudges all over her face, “They drew on me…… with permanent marker.”

“Hayden…… Isabella, come out right now,” Harry states sternly, and after a minute of hesitation a sheepish Hayden, and a terrified Isabella crawl from under the table, “Did you do that to Chloe’s face?”

“It was Hayden’s idea.” the little girl squeaks out in a rushed voice, as she moves her auburn hair out of her dark eyes.

Hayden gasps, and points his finger at Isabella, “You traitor!”

“Well, it was so-”

“I thought we were in this together Izzy!”

“Don’t yell at me…..you know I don’t do well under pressure.” Isabella whines.

Harry groans, “Stop arguing….. The both of you,” he glances at Genna, and smiles, “We have a guest. Now go to your rooms until dinner is ready.”

Hayden goes to protest, but Lindsey cuts him off with a sharp look, “Go to your room Hayden, and no more pranks.” Hayden gulps at the angry look in her eyes before scurrying out of the dining room as fast as he entered. Isabella and Chloe follow up after him.

“Those kids are such a hassle,” Lindsey sighs, and turns to look Genna in the eyes, “Would you like to freshen up before dinner……. You could use your old room, but it’s been changed into a guest bedroom.”

“Sure!” Genna stands, fixing the strap of her duffel bag, and heading through the living room just to get another glimpse of her brother, but he’s not there, and neither are his friends. Everything is shut off, and put away neatly, and if she hadn’t seen them before she would have thought no one had been in here, to begin with. With a dejected sigh, she climbs the stairs to her old room, which is down the hall, and to the left across from Dylan’s twin sister, Erika. When she opened the door she didn’t recognize anything in there. They had gotten rid of all of the things she left behind. Gone were the dark pink walls, and in its place were light blue ones. There’s a bigger bed pushed into the far right corner of the room with a white nightstand right next to it. There was one closet, but it was big enough to hold all her clothes and a desk with a laptop on top of it on the left wall across from the bed. Genna sighs walking over to the bed, dropping her duffel bag on the floor she flops onto the bed face first and closes her eyes. As she drifted off she wondered if she had made the right decision, or if this would be more trouble than it’s worth.