Bound To The Bush (Alaskan Bush People Fan Fiction)

Chapter Nine

~COPYRIGHT 2017~

The family arrived in Ketchikan sooner than they expected. They each departed their own ways and went off to explore. They remembered the time they spent there years ago when they were stranded. Bird went off on her own to walk along the beach.

She took time to reflect on the past couple of days. This trip was helping her to realize a lot of things. Seeing her brothers with their soul mates was causing her heart to ache. Sure, she was still young, but she wanted to find someone who she could potentially spend the rest of her life with. And the only person she could think of was Marigold.

Marigold. That girl had opened up new doors in Bird's world. She finally realized who she truly was, who she wanted to be. She had never thought much about dating and therefore didn't know whether or not she was into men. But now she had discovered. And the one girl who had her heart was miles away, and they hadn't had a proper conversation since they first met.

As she looked out at the ocean and watched the waves roll in, she made a decision. She needed to figure out things on her own. And that meant being away from the family for a little while, as much as she would miss them.

She rushed back to the boat, hoping to catch her mother and father alone. She desperately needed to speak to them.

"Oh!" her mother gasped as she came skidding into the wheelhouse. "Honey, slow down!"

"Sorry!" she breathed out.

"What's got you in such a rush?" Billy asked with a chuckle.

"Actually, I was hoping to catch you two. I need to talk to you about something."

"Of course! What is it?" Ami wondered.

"Um..."

"Come on, out with it girl," Billy said.

"I've been thinking...and, mom, do you remember the talk we had yesterday?" Bird started.

"Yes, the one about your future?"

"The thing is, when you asked if there was someone, well the thing is, there is someone. But that person and I aren't very close. They live far away. But that person opened up something in me I had never even thought of and it's made me realize that I need to go out and explore."

"Explore?" Billy asked.

"I think it would be best if I take some time by myself to figure out things."

"What are you saying?" Ami wondered.

"I want to stay in Ketchikan. I don't know how long I'm going to be here, but I need to stay here for a little while."

Ami immediately began to tear up. "You're going to be away from us?"

"Yes, but I'll come back. I just need to do this on my own."

Ami embraced her daughter in a tight hug and whispered in her ear, "You do what you need to do. We'll miss you, but your happiness comes first."

"Thank you mom. I love you."

"More, baby. More," she mumbled, squeezing her daughter tighter.

She pulled away from her mother and looked at her father, gaging his reaction. He was looking at her with a frown on his face and his eyes were glistening. After a moment of silence, he held his arms open. She smiled at her father and with a laugh, hugged him.

"When everybody gets back, you can say goodbye to them and head on your way. We will be heading home once they get back," Billy said.

"Okay, I'm going to go pack myself a bag with everything I'm going to need," she told them, skipping off into the back of the boat.

It was later that day that the rest of the family returned to the boat. Bird emerged from the back of the boat with a bag over her shoulder, causing them all to give her questioning glances. Ami explained the situation to them and Lorelei was the first one to pull her in for a hug.

"I'm glad you're doing this for yourself. Take all the time you need, girl. And who knows, maybe you will find her," she whispered in her ear.

"I hope so," Bird whispered back, squeezing her.

She took time to say goodbye to all the group members. They followed her as she exited the wheelhouse. They stood on deck as she hopped down on the dock. She turned around and looked at them, a smile on her face. She was going to miss them but she needed to do this for herself.

With one last wave, she walked down the dock and into the civilization of the city of Ketchikan.

~COPYRIGHT 2017~