Returning Home

Chapter One

She returned to her home town that evening after being gone for close to four years. When her parents divorced, she was forced to move across the country, thousands of miles away from her home, friends, brother, and best friend since birth, Carson Porter. She only ever knew this place; it is what she called peace. She was stripped away from who she believed she was, forced to find a new self, and it hurt her. Only in seventh grade, Holland North moved to a large city in North Carolina, where she and her mother lived right smack in the middle of downtown Raleigh, directly above a small hardware shop in a small one bedroom apartment. Her mother let her have the room, only because she felt sorry for her. She felt bad that Holland was forced to come with her while her brother Jeffery was allowed to stay back in Langley Washington because he only had one year of high school left, yet he dropped out halfway through the year and moved out of the house.

Holland had naturally messy wavy brown hair with a bit of purple dyed in the tips. Her figure was tall and slim, but with natural curves that were passed down from her mother. Her eyes were emerald green, and have always been absolutely beautiful. She was an artistic type, always drawing, always painting, and also always writing. She tended to be quite shy, but can easily be outgoing when she want so too, but that is hardly ever the occasion. She kept in touch with her friends when she moved, but her friendship with Carson slowly faded away after about a year of playing phone tag late into the night. She did keep up with her other best friend Hayley though, and still talks to her daily. Carson and Holland were the best of friends. They practically were glued at the hip when they were with each other, always stood up for each other when Chelsea Whitaker – the school brat – would try to embarrass the other.

When she and her mother were having one of the annual "arguments" about how much Holland hated living in a large city and she hates her school and everything about life (just like any normal 14 year old girl), her mother told her quite firmly, "Holland, when you turn 17 and still want to go live with your father, go ahead. I'm not going to fight with you any longer." And that is exactly what she did. She started a job at the Hardware store below the apartment and saved almost all of her money to buy a plane ticket home. Never once did she bring up the conversation with her mother again. For all her mother knew, she just forgot about it and moved on with her – unsurprisingly – boring life.

The night before her birthday, she told her mother that she purchased a plane ticket to Seattle and that she had contacted her brother, who is to pick her up from the airport that following evening. Her mother wouldn't even speak to her afterwards, so Holland quietly rose and dismissed herself to her room to pack.

While packing her large black suitcase, her phone vibrated from the brown bedside table. Pausing her packing, Holland walked the three feet to the table to see who had sent her a message.

Hayley: Is it true?!?! Are you really coming back?!?!

Giggling, Holland snatched her phone and typed.

Holland: Yes! I fly in tomorrow!!! Wait.....who told you???

Hayley: OMGGGGG I'M FREAKING NOW!!!!

Hayley: Oh! And your brother did. I ran into him at the market earlier. He said he was buying a few things for you.

Holland: This sucks! THAT BLABBER MOUTHING BUTT. I was going to surprise you!

Hayley: Whoops...

Holland: Yeah :(

Hayley: When is your flight in the morning?

Holland: 6:25 a.m.

Hayley: EW. That's a 'nope' time for me.

Holland: Yeah I know. And it is almost one in the morning here and I'm still packing.