False Dawn

Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt

 

Chapter 8 – Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt

Harper

I drained my second cup of coffee, and marvelled at the amount of food Leah was able to eat. I’d had a fairly hearty breakfast myself, a muffin and two slices of toast with cream cheese and avocado, but this girl made eating an art form. Watching her wolf down a third bowl of cereal, and follow it up with another slice of toast with jam. Judging by the size of the young people here in La Push, their appetites must be converted into height and muscle. I was bombarded with hilarious mental images, and couldn’t help laughing. Leah looked up at me, surprise painted on her face, half a slice of toast still raised to her lips. Another bout of laughter hit me.

“What?” She asked, grinning a little sheepishly.

I took a deep breath, and tried to look serious. “You and Seth should do cereal commercials in Australia. I could totally see that.” I mimed holding up a box, and putting on my best ocker accent said, “Nutri-Grain! It’s Iron Man food!”

Leah nearly choked on her toast. “Do people really talk like that? I mean, you have an accent and all but...”

I grinned, “Nah not really, just in small country towns, or if they’re having a laugh. It’s weird being here. I can hear my own accent so much more. It’s like everyone else’s accents are becoming normal to me, so my own stands out I guess.”

She smiled, and drank the last of her coffee. “I like your accent.” Then she grinned. “It does stand out, but it reminds me that there’s a world outside of La Push. I have to get out of here some day.” She sighed wistfully. “It must be amazing being able to go wherever you want, whenever you want. I’d love to see the world the way you’ve been doing. How long have you been travelling in that van?”

I had to think for a moment, counting the days, weeks, months. “I flew into San Francisco at the beginning of June. I spent a month with Celeste, this awesome, old, hippie lady. She pretty much gave me the van, and I’ve been travelling ever since. So I guess that’s four months? I don’t know I’m terrible at dates, and I’ve barely paid any attention to time.” I shrugged, but couldn’t help feeling a little bit of alarm at how much time had blurred. I really needed to start being aware of my life again; otherwise it would slip right by me. “I’ve, sort of, been avoiding civilisation, but I have seen some amazing places. Where do you want to go?” I asked, hoping to change the focus of the conversation back to her.

“I don’t know,” she said. Her eyes took on a faraway look. “Everywhere? South America, Africa, Asia, Australia?” She grinned at me, and I felt like I was looking at a face Leah didn’t let many people see. “I guess I want to see it all, or at least as much of it as I can.” Then that smile faded a little, and her eyebrows creased. “But I for now I’m stuck here. That doesn’t mean I can’t show you the best places around La Push! Even if it’s only a tiny little res town, it’s home, and I know exactly where we should go today.”

I wanted to ask what was keeping her here and why it made her so tens; but I remembered what Seth had said the night before. I remembered that Leah had her own raw places and obligations to live up to. A momentary wave of guilt and fear hit me, as I thought about the expectations and obligations I wasn’t living up to. Watching Leah, her sense of duty, made me think that maybe there were things I could learn from her. Maybe if I could get to know here some of her strength and capability would rub off on me. I began to feel excited about the day ahead of us.

“So where are we going then?”  I asked, feeling a rush of anticipation.

She smiled slyly. “Well there’s a hike involved, but if you’re up to it, you’ll find out when we get there.”