the brave ones // h.s.

the drive - vii

Returning home is one of the best and worst feelings, simultaneously, for Eden.

She leaves Niagara before noon, feeling more lost than ever. Her entire body seems to sag with the weight of her emotions; her feet drag as she walks back to her car, her head hangs, her shoulders bow under the weight of the world and leaves her with an inkling of what Atlas would've felt like. A few more tears are shed in the warm solace of her car before she finally feels okay enough to begin the long journey back.

The drive to Florida is tiresome and lonely. This time around, there are no scenic stops in undiscovered corners of the world; no fun excursions with strangers who quickly became friends. Nothing to excite the flames of adventure or spur her to another bout of bravery. The hours pile on as Eden crawls through a tangle of highways, numb to her surroundings as she leaves New York and eventually ends back up on the I-95. Each time she passes a road sign for somewhere familiar - Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia - her hands grip the wheel a little tighter and her breath comes a little quicker. She almost has to pull over to regain control of her emotions after she drives past Lucky's Diner.

Not so lucky anymore, is it?

It's difficult going home, but she somehow makes it through all the same.

She has no idea what time it is when she finally pulls into her small driveway. The sky is dark and the stars are out, but Eden can see lights on inside her house so she has faith that Amenkha is still home. Part of her is happy that she won't have to be alone anymore, but another part of her is dying to just curl up in bed alone forever.

I need to get out of my own head. Maybe Amenkha will knock some sense into me.

Her suitcase seems to weigh a thousand pounds as she lugs it from the trunk of her car. The back wheel catches on the lip of the trunk as she pulls, causing her bag to fall out unevenly onto the concrete driveway. The zipper splits open and several of her items fall out, including some shirts and a few of her toiletries.

"That's great," Eden mutters to herself, standing up straight and merely staring down at the mess with a defeated sigh. "Just peachy."

Maybe if I wish hard enough, the mess will clean itself up.

Eden closes her eyes and invokes the likes of every god and goddess she can think of, including Harry Potter. She counts to ten before opening her eyes and glancing down at the driveway once more.

No use. Her suitcase still lies open, displaying her luggage for the world to see. She fights some back tired tears and stoops to pick up her things.

When she stumbles in through the front door, the lights are on in the living room and she can hear the sound of Love & Hip Hop blasting from the television. Eden shuts the door as quietly as she can manage and hovers in the front hallway, her forehead resting against the doorjamb as she tries to steel herself. She knows as soon as Amenkha sees her, she'll ask a thousand questions about how her trip was and Eden isn't sure she has the emotional strength to make it through that conversation.

Sure enough, as soon as she steps out of the foyer and past the living room doorway, Amenkha looks over from the TV. Her face contorts in momentary surprise before her obvious excitement takes over. She shoots to her feet, bearing a wide grin at Eden.

"Oh my God, you're home!" she cries, crossing the room in a matter of steps and barreling into Eden for a huge hug. "I missed you so much!"

Eden exhales heavily as she hugs Amenkha back, her resolve already beginning to waver. Amenkha pulls back and examines Eden, her hands on each shoulder as she gives her a once over.