Finding Me

Prologue

"Ava, hun, you about done packing?" 17 years old Avalon Marie Johnson heard her Aunt Meg call from down stairs where she had just taken the last box they had filled.

Picking up the last box, Ava looked around her childhood room for the last time, and walked out of the room. She walked down the steps and looked at her aunt. "This is all of it. Umm, Aunt Meg? What's gonna happen to the all the furniture and the house?" She asked putting the box in the back of the truck.

Megan Johnson was Ava's dad's youngest sister. She was closer to Ava's age than her own brothers age but they were so close and she loved her older brother more than life itself. Meg pulled Ava to her for a hug. "It's all being sold, either separately or as a package deal. The money will be put away for when you need it for college next year." She tells her beautiful niece. "You know I don't need the money, my art is selling very well. So every penny will be put aside for you."

"What it's like living where you live?" Ava asks as they walk around the house one last time to make sure they have everything. "I know I've visited, but this will be different."

"Aww, kiddo, you're gonna love living in Mason. You remember Jen?" Meg asks, and at Ava's nod she continues. "She has a niece and nephew, twins, your age. I think you and Tiara will get along great once you meet. And most of the other teens I've ran into there seem really nice." Meg tells her as they get into the truck for the 4 hour drive to her new home. "And this town has lots of places for kids your age to hang out. Places like under 21 clubs and things like that. It's a very teen-friendly town."

"It sounds great. I just hope I make more friends there than I did here." Ava sighs as she pushes her glasses up. "I lived here all my life and had one friend and even she didn't come to tell me goodbye." She adds well beyond tears at this point. She has done nothing but cry for the past week. That was the whole point of this move.

A little over a week ago Ava was sitting in class doing what she always did. Her school work, she had no friends to talk to, just others to ignore, or try to. It got hard to ignore being called nerd, geek and lots of other names all the time, but at least that's where it stopped no one had ever tried to beat her up.
On this paticular day though Principal Reece walks in and looks around. When her eyes landed on her she stopped and froze, Ava had never been in trouble before, never did anything to get in trouble. She had no clue why she was looking at her like that. Just then Mrs. Reece walks to her, squats down beside her, grabs her hands and so quiet so the rest of the class couldn't hear her she asks Ava to come to her office she has something important to tell her. Ava nods and stands, and it's Mrs. Reece that gathers her stuff to take with them.
Ava thought that was odd but didn't say anything. Once they got to the office Ava noticed the 2 police officers there but didn't think that had anything to do with her and ignored them too. She sat in the chair she was told to and was then told the news that caused her life as she knew it to fall apart.
Her parents were dead. They were killed on their way to work, hit by a drunk driver at 6am in the morning. Ava doesn't remember much after hearing that, she thinks she might have screamed, and by the weird looks she got from some of the other kids at the school when she left that afternoon, she must have screamed really loud.

Off and on during the funeral and over the past week several of the family members had offered to take her in, but it was really no contest when Aunt Meg waltzed in and said she would help her pack so she could move in with her. Ava spent at least 2 weeks every summer with her aunt, they got along so great, she loved her like a sister. Ava didn't even have think twice before agreeing to live with her, and truthfully she thinks the rest of the family was glad.

"Hey, I have a wonderful idea." Meg says, breaking Ava out of her thoughts of the past week. "Why don't you let me give you a makeover. Your dad used to tease us all the time how much we look alike. All you have to do is get some contacts, let me buy you some clothes like kids in my town seem to wear, and show you how to do your hair and makeup. It will be fun." She says.

"It's the weekend, how am I going to get contacts before school on Monday?" Ava asks her aunt.

"Easy, Jen can help with that. And maybe her niece Tiara can go shopping with us. I'll take care of all the details, don't you worry. All you have to do is agree."

Ava looked at her aunt and saw a smile she hadn't seen all week. It made her smile back. "Okay, why not. I'm tired of being the school nerd. Let's do this." She says actually getting excited about it.

"Oh this is going to be so much fun. We will go shopping tomorrow after I call Jenny. She works for an eye doctor in town." Meg says. "You are going to be so surprised when I'm done with you. I've been telling you for years how beautiful you are now I finally get to show you."

With that said Ava got comfortable for the long drive ahead, and promptly fell asleep.