Champions in the Making // UTS Sequel

Chapter Four

I let out a foggy breath of warm air as the loose leaves and twigs crunched under foot, pushing back a branch from my face as we emerged into a clearing. What looked like the back of the building sat isolated in the center of the grassy area, dirt and clumps of grass surrounding it. Dad wanted to welcome in our new neighbours, and I was surprised to see that the property had already begun being transformed from the run-down junkyard it used to be.

A young looking woman crouched behind a large dump bin, already overflowing with junk and old bits of wood and iron, wild limbs of trash sticking out in random directions. Her auburn hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, revealing fair features and a very freckled face. She wore skinny jeans, a loose red top tucked loosely into them.She looked up when she heard us coming over, quickly brushing back the loose strands of hair, her cheeks flushed in surprise.

"Oh! Sorry, I wasn't expecting anyone," she laughed lightly, brushing dirt off her already smeared jeans. I glanced at Dad, waiting for his reply, but instead he stood rooted to the spot, his face set like stone.

The woman seemed to notice, and her eyes flickered between us, as though debating with herself who to acknowledge first.

"Uh, hi. My names Cheyenne." I shifted uncomfortably, attempting to break the awkwardness.

She nodded, holding out one arm to shake my outstretched hand.

"Nice to meet you. I didn't know the community was so, uh... welcoming - around here." She chuckled, adjusting her ponytail awkwardly.

I laughed forcefully, unsure of what was going on. The air seemed as thick as mud, and I could've sworn the sun had grown twice as hot in the past two minutes. My lips felt dry as sand, and pressed them together in an attempt to hydrate them.

"You wouldn't happen to have some water by any chance, would you?" I asked, trying my best to avoid sounding intruding.

She nodded hastily, spinning around and starting around the side of the house before stopping and turning back to face us.

"Ah, sorry... follow me." She stammered, fiddling with the edge of her top as she spoke. I glanced at Dad as he followed after her in a confused daze.

Ignoring the strangeness of the situation, I laughed, "that's what I thought too. Unfortunately though, there turned out to be more of a community than I expected." I remembered back to when we'd first moved back out here. I'd been a mess, so was Dad. Moving out here had changed my life, for the better; after my mother had died ten years ago I'd blocked out any form of remembering her, and we'd moved into the city. But I'd missed the country more than I could have ever imagined, and the thought of moving back sent a shiver of dread through my chest.

Dad must've finally come to, because he finally raised an arm, shaking her hand with a crisp tone to his voice, "Max Adams, nice to meet you."

The woman's face fell suddenly, her eyes losing their sparkle as her flushed cheeks drained of colour. She took a couple steps backward, as though she'd been pushed by an invisible force. "Oh... it's Carys," she paused, looking down at her feet,"Carys Johnson."

My mind whirled in confusion, why did this woman act as though she knew Dad? Did she know Dad? Again, I chose to ignore the weirdness, and I accepted the glass of water Carys held out to me as she leaned on the wooden bench - if you could call it that.

"So why'd you choose to move out here?" I asked, attempting to spark a conversation.

She shifted again, bushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I grew up here." She paused, glancing at Dad, "a-and my daughter and I needed a change. We came from Canada. My daughter grew up in the city, and has been having some problems..."