CHAPTER 4
"So are you going in or are you just going to stand there all day?" Stefen had crept up behind me. I wasn't expecting him, so I jumped, he laughed and I rolled my eyes.
"I was just looking at the house..." I reasoned under my breath and folded my arms over my chest.
"You were just looking scared, you mean?" I could almost hear the smirk in his voice as he pulled out my two luggage bags from the back of the truck.
I wasn't scared, but some deep part of me felt...anticipated. Perhaps scared. The house was huge. I could imagine at least 5 bedrooms and 5 bathroom house. This was...as big as the white house even. Okay, that was an exaggeration, but the house was colossal compared to what I was used to. It, for some strange reason, didn't seem that big when I was younger.
We made our way to the front porch and I stopped again to look at the door then at the wooden floor. The whole place seemed ancient, but permanent some how. Stepping on the short stairs ahead felt like the most sure thing to do. The wood didn't even so much as groan under my feet, proving the house reliable.
"Again, you plan on just standing here for the rest of the day?"
"How old is this house?" I found myself wondering.
"Just a couple thousand years old," he answered without a hint of humor in his voice. If hadn't given me such a absurd response, I would've actually believed him.
"Ha-Ha, very funny."
"You gunna open the door, or what?" Stef cut in and I stepped aside.
"Actually, I was waiting for you to do it."
Stef's shoulders went limp and he looked at me with raised eyebrows, "Yes, because I have a third arm growing behind my back that can reach out and open it while my other arms are filled with your luggage bags, right?"
Sarcasm was radiating from him.
"You know, that attitude is gunna need some work mister...I mean like, a simple please open the door for me would suffice. And since I am such a good and patient person, I'll wait for it."
Stefen furrowed his eyebrows at me and made a face of disbelief, "I know you're not telling me to say please."
I smiled, "well if you insist," I crossed over him and pushed open the door. I pushed it open wide for him to go first and grinned, "Age before beauty." He sighed and hung his head low and walked in. I followed right after, but before I could even close the door I was met by a chorus of loud voices screaming:
"WELCOME!"
"Hello!"
"Welcome!"
"S'up!"
"May, you've made it in one piece I see." I turned to see a muscle of a man standing in my path. He was freakishly huge and that could only mean one thing.
I crossed my arms, "So where's the murder Boris?" I questioned and looked around, "Everything seems in order here...hmm, no murder... no sign of it at least."
He sighed, "That's Uncle Boris to you, May, now come," he said, "let me introduce you..." he put his arm and my shoulder and turned me to the massive body of people. There were about seventeen or like twenty.
"These guys..." Uncle Sam said, and gestured to the fourteen dudes in front of me. "I'm sure you remember them, but if you don't this is Jonathan-Rocco." he pointed to a brown boy with green eyes.
"People just call me JR though," the boy smiled.
"This is Cristian..." Boris continued and Cristian winked.
"Francis...Morgan...Jaz...Elaine...Kaspar...Lily..." I lost track of all the names and by the tenth name or so all I heard was "wan..want-want...wan wan" , but this one guy did catch my eye. His skin looked smooth and he had eyes that looked like a mixture of green and brown. Something about him really sang to me in a way, and the he was grinning at me really made me suspicious.
"And finally this is—"
"Collin." I narrowed my eyes and pushed my glasses that were beginning to slide down my nose.
Boris gave me a funny look, "Oh you remembered him..."
"How could I not!" I said shaking my head, "you used to make fun of my gap!"
The grin on the boy's face seemed to widen, "Sorry 'bout that..."
I arched an eyebrow at him, "You don't seem too sorry about it actually."
Collin only shrugged his shoulders, "Nothin' I can do about that then. Plus, seems like you don't have a gap now."
"Yea, braces do wonders."
Boris patted my shoulder, "Anyway, we're not done meeting people," and then he pushed me towards a short lady with long red hair. "Maisie this is my fiancée, Kristina; Kristina this is my niece, Maisie." He said, but I didn't hear him. She was very pretty with freckles that dotted her pert nose and glossy blue eyes. Her face was perfection, but not even that could distract from the horror that was to come pass her neck. I became hypnotized by the long and peculiar marred skin under her chin that traveled all the way to her throat and disappeared in the collar of her shirt. The robe she had on covered most of her shirt and draped on one side. It was then I noticed there was something pecular. Her missing arm.
"Holy..." my mouth was moving quickly without me. I thankfully caught myself, "Sorry..." I apologized before adjusting my glasses. "I didn't mean to stare—"
Kristina waved her hand, "Oh, it's okay!"
"If you don't mind me asking... how-how did that happen? That had to hurt!" and then I tilted my head, "that's freaking gnarly, man."
"Maisie!"
"My bad!"
Kristina smiled softly, "Oh...it's nothing really," though I could sense some sadness in her voice, she gave a light bit of laughter. "Just a bear attack." I couldn't help but make a face. It's nothing?! Just a bear attack?! I repeated her words in my head. I was no expert, but I definitely would not call that nothing.
"Uh..." I tried finding the right words, but came up blank. I then sighed, "I honestly don't know what to say. At least you're very pretty... not many people could pull that look off." I swear I meant it as a compliment, but saying the words out loud, I realized I definitely had placed both my feet in my mouth. "I am so sorry, I'm not good at this." I must've said something funny, because moments later Kristina was holding her stomach laughing uncontrollably.
"Aw, you're so adorable, little duck."
"..Uh...I'm not a duck?" Thankfully, Boris, noticing the awkwardness between us cleared his throat.
"C'mon let's meet Sutton Jacobs," he said as he began to drag me somewhere else.
"You remember Sutton Jacobs?"
I shook my head. "Not really..."
Uncle Boris leaned into me, "Well, act like you do, she's very excited to see you again." Then I was face to face with an older looking woman in her late 30's perhaps. Her olive skin bore few wrinkles, but something told me she was older than she appeared, maybe it was the raw umber kind of color to her hair, which was braided and rolled into a bun. Or perhaps it was the way her eyes crinkled when she smiled at me. I tried to smile back, but I found myself just looking back wide-eyed.
"Hi Maisie." She looked eerily familiar, but unfortunately I was drawing up blanks. I squinted one eye.
"Hi..." Uncle Boris nudged me, "Sutton Jacobs?"
The woman tilted her head, "Aw, don't tell me you don't remember dear ole Soso now,"
"Soso?" I pursed my lips together. I didn't want to lie to her, she just looked so sweet, "I'm sorry," I said shaking my head, "It doesn't ring a bell."
Sutton nodded her head at me, "It's okay, dear." Her lips was quivering. Oh shoot, was she crying?
"Maisie! You upset her!"
I jumped away from Boris, "What? I don't remember her!"
Uncle Boris hung his head back and groaned, "Well I told you to pretend." He grabbed my arm and continued walking mumbling how I had messed up something so easy. I looked behind me to see one of the boys placing their arms over Sutton's shoulders and shaking his head. Kristina began to walk over to her and patted her shoulder. I rolled my eyes and looked at the final person Uncle Boris had to introduce me to.
"This is Gregor Montgomery, an Elder Chief around here. You don't need to say you remember him if you don't so you won't have to make him cry too."
"There's no need," The man chuckled shaking his head. He turned to me and gave a dimpled smile. He would've been taller than Uncle Boris if he wasn't hunched over like that, but this probably came with his age. He had to be the oldest person in the house. He had a dull brown almost grey hair that, when he turned his head from time to time, looked full on silver. He looked familiar.
"Montgomery..." I furrowed my eyebrows. That sounded highly familiar.
The man jutted out his bottom lip, "Why yes, Montgomery... does that ring a bell?" I stared at the big man, "It damn well should. You and my son used to be two pairs in a pod."
"I think it's peas in a..." I began to correct, but paused, "Wait...is your son Jackson? Jackson Montgomery?"
Gregor Montgomery grinned, "One of them is!"
My eyes widened, "Oh! Yeah, I used to call you Mountain Papa!"
Gregor let out a jaunty laugh that vibrated throughout the house, "Glad to see you back, Maisy. How've you been? Staying out of trouble, right?"
"Yeah... um no. Thus, why I'm here. Mom's just sent me as punishment."
Boris cleared his throat.
"Now May, you know that's not true."
I laughed, "Ha, ok," I glanced at my uncle, "whatever she's telling you, it's a lie."
Boris took a deep breath and pushed it out in a sigh, "Alright and finally, this is Chief Elder Mo Alejandro." I froze and glanced at Boris at the foreign name. He rolled his eyes, "you don't know him."
"Oh, thank God," I then reached my hand out, "nice to meet you, sir." The man gave me a slow and calm smile before nodding.
"And you also, Miss Utina."
"Well, we'll be going..." A voice behind us chimed. I turned my head to see Stefen climbing down the stairs now free from the luggage. I watched as he made his way to the other guys and began heading towards the door.
"Wait," Stefen stopped and sighed, "Where you guys headed?" I asked.
Before Stefen could answer, Collin turned around and threw his thumb behind him, "Why don't you come with us?"
"Really?" I adjusted my glasses on the brim of my nose.
One girl with curly hair nodded, "Yea, why not? We'll show you around the rez." She offered.
"Oh, cool," I looked over my shoulder, "See ya, Uncle Boris," I said and rushed over to the group. Just as we were about to leave, Boris called out to us.
"Be back before six!"
I nodded my head and waved, "Yea-yea, sure!" I couldn't wait to just go out and explore. But as I turned, I noticed the rest of the guys pause, as if listening to something. Before she could question it they collectively nodded and headed out. I followed after with a shrug.