Hi, the name's Rebecca but don't even think about calling me that. My name is Becca and that's that, got it? Good.
It all started when I was three, my mom and I lived in Village Park. One day we were in our front yard when we saw a huge yellow truck drive into the driveway across the street. "Mommy, who is that?" I ask in my three-year-old voice.
"Oh, those are our new neighbors; we can visit them a little later to welcome them to the neighborhood." She says in that motherly voice of hers. I look back to the truck to see a little boy jumping out. Our eyes meet and he smiles, waving to me before his mom calls him into their new house. I smile and look up at my mom, she has this weird look in her eyes. "Mommy, when can we visit them?" I ask anxiously. "I guess we can go now." She says giving in. She brings me into her arms, walking across the street and ringing the doorbell of our new neighbors. Seconds later, a young woman appears with the boy behind her legs. As my mother speaks to the boy's mother, our eyes meet again causing us both to smile and stare into each other's eyes."Noah, sweetheart, why don't you go show Becca your t-." Before his mom can finish her sentence, he takes my hand in his and drags us into his playroom and immediately shares all of his toys with me. That was the beginning of our friendship. Fortunately for us, our mom's really hit it off and hang out almost as much as me and Noah. My mom babysits Noah nearly three times a week due to his mother's job as a nurse; she would often be assigned to night shifts. Noah was sad at the beginning from not being read to or tucked in at night by his mother. However, as we approached the young age of six, we were inseparable, spending all of our time together. Our mothers would even take us together to get our hair cut! His sadness started to fade at the lack of his mother's affection near bedtime as we began to enjoy many movie nights together in my basement. My mother would set us up with comfy bean bag chairs, a bowl of oh-so-buttery popcorn, dim the lights, and that is when we would commence a night of two movies. Often, sometime during the second movie, after a night of giggling, we would drift to sleep, our heads and/or hands nearly touching from across our bean bag chairs.
Over those years, we had shared my brothers, friends, hobbies, and naps. We had grown into two peas of a pod and could not bear the thought of being separated even at such as young age. That is, until his seventh birthday. His mom had been picking up extra shifts at work so Noah had spent an even larger amount of time at my house. It is because of this that neither he nor I knew that he would be moving on such short notice. His mother had purposefully kept it a secret from the both of us. The day of his seventh birthday came and when I had woken up, he was nowhere to be found. My little heart ached, breaking into pieces before my mother's eyes. I had searched his entire house, not leaving any door unturned as I searched for my best friend. Tears steadily falling down my face hours later as I realized he was gone for good. Something inside of me awoken that day, I could feel a small pressure force its way into my mind. It had remained silent although, I could feel it grieving and practically mourning over the loss of our best friend Somehow the presence still managed to provide me with small amounts of strength to get through. I am plagued with this memory nearly every night in the form of a nightmare as I wake up sweating, silent tears running down my face for the first six weeks after his disappearance. My mother had picked up my crying form in her arms, carrying me back to the safety of our home. Memories of Noah and I flashed before my eyes, how dare he, I thought to myself. I was left broken for weeks, loneliness filled my being despite my mother's attempts to spoil me with ice cream, kittens, and all of my favorite things. Let's not forget my two older brother's endless efforts to make me laugh by tossing me in the air and making silly faces. It was not until two months later on the morning of my own seventh birthday that I woke to a strange feeling deep within me. My nose follows the scent of chocolate chip pancakes and orange juice, my feet carrying me down the many steps, my body clad in SpongeBob pajamas, I race into the kitchen, seating myself at our table that seated four.
I see my mother enter the kitchen with a small chocolate cake covered with candles and purple iced roses, a smile creeps up on my face as my mother smiles lovingly at me. My two brother's come barreling into the kitchen as well. The three of them wish me a happy birthday by singing the song, allowing me to make a wish and blow out my candles before they handed me my presents. My mother handed me a picture frame with a photo of the four of us in it from the previous year. I give her a warm hug before proceeding to open my brothers co-present. I open the very poorly wrapped present to discover every season of Spongebob Squarepants. A laugh escapes my lips as I bring them both in for a hug. "Thank you, I love all three of you so much." I say to them. "Come on, get ready! We're gonna take you to the playground!" My brothers announce. I jump out of my seat, run upstairs to change into short and a spotted shirt before running back down the stairs. Before I get to the door, I stop dead in my tracks, noticing a large package wrapped in birthday wrapping paper on the doorstep with an envelope taped to the side. I make my way slowly down the remaining steps. This must've been why I felt a weird feeling wash over me when I woke up this morning. I tear the envelope off of the package, my eyes scan the words on the page.
My Sweet Becc's,
It pained me to leave your side, the pain of that day sparked something within me that is how I was able to sneak away and bring you this present and letter. I hope one day that you can forgive me for leaving, it was not my intention. In fact, the day we left, I was still asleep as my mother carried me into the vehicle. If I had known earlier I would've fought to stay with you. I will find you one day, reunited with you. Don't forget about me.
Love,
Noah
My heart throbs at his words, an animalistic growl leaves my throat and I stand frozen in my doorway, I see my mother staring at me with worried eyes. I force my eyes away from her, choosing instead to begin opening the large box. Inside of the box was a picture of the two of us and an almost life-sized stuffed black wolf. Tears start to run down my face as Noah's words sink in, as my eyes take in his features from the picture in my hands. My mother runs over to me, silently hugging me until I calm down. I feel the heartbreak of the day he left being brought back to the surface. "What happened sweetheart." My mother asks softly. I look into her eyes and she gasps "What's wrong mommy?" I ask her and her eyes widen "Your eyes- they're black..." She says, shock clearly plastered across her face. My brothers come down the stairs looking at us confused, "Alright kids, we're off to the playground." My mother lets out, changing the subject as she grabs my hand lovingly and gestures for my brothers to follow.
Fast forward eight years, I am still haunted by the nightmare that was the day of his disappearance. However, I have made two new best friends, Jaimie and Emma Clair or Emma for short. I met them as we entered the fourth grade, we were only nine at the time. Emma was being harassed by some of the more popular girls, I came to her rescue, putting the mean girls in their place, my body radiating with intimidation. As Emma is thanking me for stepping in and saving her some embarrassment, we are joined by Jaimie. "That was badass chica!" she says to me, a blush creeping up on my cheeks until I quickly force it away. That was the year that we were introduced to curse words as well as lectured on periods for the first time! They quickly became my best friends but still had their work cut out for them. They never stopped trying to break down my walls as Emma was forever grateful and Jaimie was simply more stubborn than I was. Eventually, they broke down every wall I had, comforting me more than I ever thought possible. I informed them both of my past friendship with Noah, they know everything I felt for him before and after his disappearance, along with the fact that I still sleep with the large stuffed wolf by my side every night. The two females were always at my house, we hadn't shared naps but we did share clothing, secrets, late-night conversations, and homework.
"Look, Mrs. Todd is it? Tomorrow just isn't going to work for me." I all but growled at her.
"Look, Rebecca is it? You can come in tomorrow for detention or I can add on another day to your sentence." Damn, she's feisty, we're going to get along well. I glare at her before taking the slip in her hands and walking out of the classroom. I meet my two best friends outside the school, both of them staring at me curiously waiting for answers. I huff and cave, "I told Mrs. Todd off and she threatened to give me a second detention. There is no way I can get out of detention tomorrow. You two are going to have to go to the art gallery without me." I inform them. "Becc's, sophomore year has just started and you've already gotten into trouble. What are we going to do with you!?" Jaimie jokingly scolds me. "Oh, oh, oh, I know, I know! We'll go get our nails done!" Leave it to Emma to be the one to torture me with girly activities. Honestly, though, I think she knows that I secretly enjoy having my feet massaged during a pedicure. Emma grabs both my hand and Jaimie's as she drags us to her bubblegum pink Volkswagen with the fake girly eyelashes extending from the headlights. She drives like the maniac she is all the way to the nail salon, Jaimie and I holding onto each other for dear life as we are also laughing our asses off. This is how my life has been unfolding into for the last few years. I am currently interning under a friend of my mother's who is an architect who offered me a job the day I graduate from high school. My sixteenth birthday is in two days time and my friends were taking me out tomorrow to go visit one of my favorite art galleries as a present. I suppose due to my detention our plans will be postponed until after we come back from a camping trip with my mom and brothers. "Becca, I absolutely adore that color on you!" Jaimie says, half mocking Emma's giddy attitude but also half honest. "Thanks, I guess the royal blue really must complement my eyes." I speak modestly. Emma admires her baby pink colored nails with one sparkly. Whereas, Jaimie is already fidgeting with the fake nails on her fingers. She is not used to having long nails nor such brightly colored nails. Due to her tanned olive toned skin, Emma and I urged her to get a sunset yellow/orange color that makes her look even more beautiful than she already is. I grab my two friends and hug them tightly "I love you guys!"
Hours go by as I spend my Saturday morning in detention, thankfully I will be out of school starting Monday until the following Monday camping with my family and friends. The teacher watching over detention notifies me and the other student in the room that we can leave and I practically jump out of my seat, racing to the parking lot where I knew my eldest brother Austin would be waiting for me. I climb into his car and we make our way home but not without a few jokes here and there about me being a hardened criminal now. I get home and notice Emma's car in the driveway, everyone must be packed aside from myself. I run into the house and up to my bedroom to see my girls laid across my bed lazily gossiping. I smile over at them as I quickly grab my duffel bag, throwing clothes in and searching my room for my favorite sweatshirt. Once I've gathered enough clothing for a week, I go into my bathroom to gather the essentials as well as a towel. Oh, my pillow! I think to myself. I gather my bathroom necessities, packing them away, sliding across Jaimie to grab my pillow off of my bed. Something inside me bubbles with joy at the thought of spending a week camping in the woods with my family. With Austin being the oldest at 21 and Blake being the middle child at 19, we try to always make time for each other. Both probably remain living at home to protect my mother and I even though we have always been capable of protecting ourselves. However, I will never take their protectiveness for granted, I love both of my brothers.
"I'M READY." I scream so that my family can hear me no matter their position in the house. I am the first one of my friends to turn sixteen and boy am I ready for the freedom it will bring. The three of us girls gather our bags and make our way down the stairs. Running into the kitchen, I grab snacks for the road before proceeding to the camper we will be taking on our trip. We have all the necessary resources within our camper. First aid, flint, a shovel, sleeping bags, lots of food, along with three tents, canoes, and a telescope for the hell of it. Next thing I know, my brother floors it before any of us even had time to safely seat ourselves. Laughter fills the camper as we all catch our footing and take a seat. These next six hours as well travel deep into the Oregon forest will allow time for laughter, a few rounds of the card game bullshit, as well as terrible karaoke as well all sing along terribly to the rain, practically rocking the camper with our movements. We arrive just around six p.m. and know we must quickly set up camp before dark. We find a nice flat, shaded piece of ground away that is protected from wind to set up camp. Emma and Jaimie take over the set up of tone tent, Blake and I work on gathering supplies for a fire, while mom and Austin focus on setting up the other two tents. We all remained focused, joking around lightly and bickering with each other. It is not long before we finish our duties and are sitting around the fire, roasting potatoes, pineapple, baked beans, and steak on a pan above the campfire. We all moan as we tear into dinner, savoring every bite. Tomorrow we will have to fish for dinner which I find to be such a great time with my family! We sing a few campfire songs... one of my guilty favorites gets brought up as my family and I act like complete idiots as did Spongebob and Patrick during the episode.
"Let's gather around the campfire
And sing our campfire song" Austin starts it off.
"Our C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E S-O-N-G song" Jaimie sings.
"And if you don't think that we can sing it faster then you're wrong" Emma follows.
"But it'll help if you just sing along" I sing with a huge smile on my face.
"Bum Bum Bum..." Blake cuts in.
Mom's turn, "C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E S-O-N-G song"
"C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E S-O-N-G song".
I take over "And if you don't think that we can sing it faster then you're wrong
But it'll help if you just sing along
C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E S-O-N-G song".
"Blake!" My mom signals,
"Song! C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E..."
I but in again, "It'll help
It'll help
If you just sing along!"
"O Yea!!" We all say in unison, uncontrollable laughter spreading throughout the darkness surrounding us. We decide to all lie out beneath the shimmy night stars together tonight instead of in our tents. Before I know it, I feel my mind and body drifting to sleep.
My eyes open wide, I spot something in the trees to my right, my eyes follow the shadow until the only thing I see is a pair of bright blue eyes coming out of the woods in my direction. The darkness makes it harder for me to make out any other features, I know my body should be oozing with fear but instead I feel calm. As the being closes all distance between us, I now can see that it is a wolf, black in color, almost identical to the stuffed one Noah gave me all those years ago. It appears that I crave those blue eyes, the touch of the wolf's fur brushing against my arm. Recognition hit as my body was slowly torn from the dream, those blue eyes were so familiar, could they have been- no, they couldn't have been Noah's, could they?
I'd be lying if I said I forgot what his piercing blue eyes looked like and how they made me feel, although they do make me feel an all-new way now. I sit up in my sleeping bag suddenly feeling the urge to go for a run, my body aching slightly. It dawns on me that today is my sixteenth birthday, excitement bubbling inside of me. I cannot wait for our fishing trip. I look around the surrounding bodies, searching for my brothers, Blake is completely passed out on the grass-covered forest floor, I can't help but laugh at him. My eyes flicker to Austin's to see that he had already woken, where could he be? I shrug and take this time to grab a permanent marker, an evil smirk plastering my face. I draw a butterfly around the outside of his features as well as a heart around his nose. I have to crawl away quickly to prevent myself from bursting with laughter and blowing my cover; as of now, I can blame this all on Austin. I jump to my feet, throwing my hair up in a ponytail, tying my sneakers, and allowing my legs to carry me through the forest. I can't help but think back to the dream that woke me this morning. How I secretly always wished Noah would come back, actually scratch that. My whole family knew that my number one wish was for him to have never left from my life. It's always been strange, usually, when someone loses a friend at that age, no matter how close, they always can move on. However, I find that something inside me has always prevented me from truly moving on. I feel this new sense of anxiety and excitement in the back of my mind but I do not have a clue as to what it is directed at.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For those of you who have read my story before edits took place, Becca's best friend Tori is now her best friend Jaimie. There was a small name change. I hope you all enjoyed! There is more to come very shortly. I am on a mission. Please let me know what you think of the changes although for some of you it might've been too long since the last time you read and you might not be able to recall the original storyline. I understand, please just don't be afraid to leave a comment or send me a PM on what you thought of this chapter!
Julianna