The following Saturday was a beautiful day, and as Dahlia sat up in her bunk that morning, she decided that it would be a wonderful day to get out into her new home and explore. She hadn't been staying at the group home very long before school started, so she never really got a proper chance to take a look around the Quileute reservation.
She climbed out of her bed as quietly as possible, pulling a long sleeved top and a pair of jeans out of her trunk at the foot of her bed before leaving the room full of sleeping girls.
Dahlia wasn't an early riser by any sense, but these girls tended to sleep their weekends away entirely. They wouldn't wake up until noon at the earliest.
The good thing about that was they wouldn't be there to bother her, and she would have pretty much full access to the kids bathroom, as the little kids would already be dressed and ready, and the older kids would still be sleeping.
She went into the bathroom and did what she needed to do while she decided on what her adventure would be today. Eventually, as she braided her hair, she decided that she wanted to explore the walking trails in the woods.
Once she was ready, she exited the bathroom and walked into the kitchen, where Cynthia stood over the stove. She tapped lightly on the counter to alert her guardian of her presence, and she turned around with a smile on her wrinkled face, "What can I do for you, Dahlia?"
Dahlia pulled a notepad out of her pocket, and scribbled out a quick note detailing her desire to explore the walking trails today.
"Absolutely. Do you plan to be out all day? I can pack you a lunch." Cynthia answered.
Dahlia nodded and touched her fingertips to her chin before removing them, signing thank you.
She didn't sign all too often, because many people didn't understand her, but Cynthia did know some of the basics, and that was something that she knew.
"You're welcome dear," Cynthia answered, turning back to the stove for a moment before exclaiming, "Oh! And you can do me a favor on your way home."
Cynthia left the stove to pull a grocery list off the fridge, "Grab these things for me on your way back please."
Dahlia nodded, and went to grab her backpack, tucking the list into the front pocket.
By the time she returned to the kitchen, Cynthia had a brown paper bag sitting on the counter with some cash beside it.
"That should be all you need to cover the groceries, Dear." Cynthia said as Dahlia stuffed the lunch into her bag and pocketed the cash.
She signed thank you once more and waved goodbye to her guardian and the few foster siblings that were milling around the house before slipping out the front door.
It was a pretty short walk to the nearest wooded area, and once she arrived, she walked straight down the provided path, and away from the small town atmosphere.
Dahlia walked peacefully in the shaded, slightly chilly woods. She was finally able to think clearly.
Something that Dahlia really struggled with was being able to hear herself think. In the hustle and bustle of her home and school life, she was always an afterthought. Her thoughts and opinions weren't asked. It wasn't because she didn't have these feelings, it was simply because she had a more difficult time communicating them than her peers. Because of this, she always felt like she was in the shadows, and because no one asked for her thoughts, she pushed them aside as well.
Dahlia walked for about 2 hours, simply contemplating how she felt about this new chapter of her life before she found it.
There was a tiny clearing, probably only about 4 by 4 feet that was wedged behind a rather foreboding rock and the dense trees. The light filtered through the tree cover to barely illuminate the spot, and she was sure that she had found her spot.
She struggled slightly to climb over the chest height rock, but once she was over it, she loved the little patch of peace.
The ground was covered in a spongy moss, and there was the slightest gap that she could see the path through, but she was almost certain that no one could see her.
Dahlia took a seat, leaning against the trunk of a tree, and pulled out her lunch and her sketchbook, fully intending to spend the entire afternoon lost in her thoughts.
It worked, for the most part, until a few hours later when something in her felt off. She felt like there were eyes on her, and she needed to look up, so she did.
When she did, she was perplexed, there was a pale, red headed lady looking at her spot from the other side of the path, but she was almost certain she couldn't be seen. She blinked once, and the woman she thought she saw was gone.
Dahlia dropped her sketchbook and brought her hands up to her eyes, rubbing them roughly. She must be tired, she thought, because people don't just disappear.
Dahlia packed her things back into her bag and made her way back out of her spot, struggling to pull herself over the rock, and almost certainly earning some bruises in the process.
She began her trek back out of the woods, and by the time she was returning to the entrance to the trail, she noticed that the sun was setting, and she had, in fact, spent the entire day in the woods.
Knowing that Cynthia would be expecting her home soon, she rushed to the small grocery store on the reservation, grabbing a basket and heading in.
She was just about to grab a can of tomato sauce when she heard a familiar voice behind her, "Hey Dahlia!"
She turned to meet the eyes of Emily and an extremely intimidating man. He was well over six feet tall with a stern looking face.
Dahlia gave them a closed lipped smile and waved.
"This is my husband, Sam," Emily introduced. Sam pulled his lips into a smile that didn't meet his eyes. Dahlia nodded her head in his direction.
"Well," Emily said, rocking on her heels, "I just wanted to come say hi, and let you know how grateful we all are that you are so kind to Embry by helping him with his schoolwork. You are more than welcome at the house any time you like."
Dahlia gave a much more genuine smile at this, which caused Emily's mouth to pull into a wide smile, "See you later."
Dahlia watched as the pair turned and walked away and she completed her mission of collecting groceries with a warm feeling inside. Maybe this was her place. She had a decent home, beautiful places to explore, and what felt like the beginnings of friends. Maybe the Quileute reservation was where she belonged after all.
AN: Hey guys! Something about this chapter really made me feel happy inside, and I hope it does the same to you. Remember to leave comments letting me know what you want to see happen in the story, and let me know how you feel about our little main character.
YOU ARE READING
To Put a Twinkle in Her Eye || Paul Lahote
Fanfiction"It would be a lie to say she wasn't pretty. She was beautiful, in a quiet whimsical way. Her eyes were unfocused, staring off into the distance, looking at something no one else could see. Her hair was wild and unkempt, in a halo around her. She wa...
