Crimson Ash Pack

Jackson Wyoming.

The road into Jackson, Wyoming was surrounded by mountains on one side and open land on the other. Trees covered large expanses of the mountain side, apart from where there were ski slopes. The trees were a healthy shade of green and the grass and plants were bursting with life. I'd arrived in summer, so there was no snow coating the mountain which meant there'd be no skiing for me just yet. Kind of a bummer but whatever. My Chevy Camaro SS purred beneath me as I continued my journey towards Jackson. My Black Beauty was the only thing I relied on and stuck with. Everything else in my life was just temporary.

My name is Cole Alexander St. Marks, I'm 22 years old and a free spirit. That being the main reason I was Jackson's newest temporary resident. I repeat the free spirit part. Im sure you're expecting me to pull off the whole bad boy look, black jeans, boots and a leather jacket. Yea, no. Sorry to burst your bubble but that's not me. I pull off the surfer look, probably cause I've lived in California my entire life but hey! What can you do about it? Sunshine, the ocean, surfing? It's a lifestyle. So the brief details; I'm around 6'3, with azure blue eyes, blonde hair and I'm tanned. I've been traveling around America for the past two years. I guess I've been searching for something, wether it's a place or an object I have no idea. What I do know, however, is that for as long as I decide to stay Jackson would be my temporary home, until I took off traveling to some other part of the continent.

Following my GPS it lead me to the outskirts of town to a lake and a log cabin. This is were I would be staying. I was currently renting it out from the owners for an "undecided" amount of time. The owners were an old couple who lived in a small house closer to town, they rented the cabin out to tourists to earn some money during the year. Throughout my drive to the cabin I noticed a number of people staring at me as I drove through busy streets, by the time I reached the cabin I had brushed off the odd feeling that the attention had caused. They must have been looking at the car, most people would it's not like just anyone had a Chevy Camaro SS like mine. They were moderately expensive cars in general, but mine was decked out the full nine yards.

Pulling up outside the backdoor, I unlocked the trunk and pulled out my duffel that had all my clothes in it and walked towards the door. The Smiths (the older couple I was renting from) had told me that there was a key for me under the pot plant that sat outside the backdoor. Bending down I plucked the key from beneath the pot, slipping it in I twisted it and pushed open the door. The cabin was just as they'd described it. The back door led into a small kitchen that held everything I'd need to cook, the floor plan was an open layout so from where I stood I could see the lounge and the dining room table. On one of the walls there was a fireplace, perfect for heating the house during winter. To the left I noticed two doors, one was a bedroom that had a queen sized bed and a walk-in closet. The other was a bathroom, with a bath and a shower.

After dumping the duffel in my room I walked out the glass doors that led to the porch. Standing there in the light summer breeze I was stunned at the view that lay before me. Tall Christmas-looking trees surround a massive lake. The wide expanse of water glowed an orangey-pink color due to the setting sun. With the mountains in the background, the view took my breath away. I noticed a small canoe and a boat resting on the shore, two paddles sat beside them. I'd definitely be going out onto the lake after I adventured around Jackson for a little while. It was the perfect place to just reminisce or have a beer after a long day. It was peaceful out here, the only sounds being the wind moving through the trees and the sounds of birds flitting around.

I felt comfortable here, almost as though I'd been here before. It felt homely, maybe it was just the house but I felt more at home here than I ever had when I lived with my parents back in California. I could be myself here, there was no one to judge me if I walked around without a shirt on or if I spent the day on the couch in nothing more than my boxers. Unlike home where if I even walked out of my room in anything that didn't look like I was a complete and utter prick, then I got a thousand words from my parents. The same story every time, "this is not acceptable. You are a St. Marks, not some street child. Get back in your room and get yourself cleaned up. We expect better of you Cole Alexander!" Nothing I'd ever done was good enough for them, but here anything I did wouldn't matter. I had no standards to live up to, no ones ideals and certainly not a name.

I stood outside until the sun had lowered past the horizon and the sky became dark, the first stars beginning to show. Then I made my way back inside, making sure I locked the doors leading outside as I moved to the bathroom. I needed a long shower, after sitting in my Chevy all day I could feel the sweat on my skin and the dirt clinging to me. Turning the shower on I waited for it to heat up, I stepped in after stripping myself bare and began to scrub at my body.