Age of Sagacity

Chapter 2: Le Mat

Was I disappointed that I expected to be woken up by balloons and joyful screams of "Happy Birthday" from my family? Maybe a little. I slipped a sweatshirt over my head and quietly made my way downstairs to the kitchen. I had expected to find at least one person rummaging through the fridge for breakfast, but only silence greeted me. I slid the button on my cell phone screen to unlock it-- no new messages or phone calls. It wasn't strange that no one was here on a Saturday morning, but I felt a knot faintly growing in my stomach. I opened my contact list and tapped the "Mom" entry and waited for the ring. She answered halfway through the voicemail greeting.

"Hello! Hello?"

"Mom, where is everyone?" I asked as I sat on one of the black stools around the kitchen island.

"We are on our way to the airport. Your Uncle Rolf and Aunt Sheila are flying in."

"I have an Uncle Rolf? How come you and Dad never talk about them?"

"They live in Norway where he works. Your father hasn't seen them for a while. They had a falling out back before you were born and your uncle wants to reconnect. He might be moving back soon so Sheila can have the baby here."

I rolled my eyes and was glad she couldn't see as I said, "I guess that's good. When will you be home?"

I heard soft mumbling in the background and then she replied, "In a couple hours. We are almost there, and don't worry we haven't forgotten about your birthday."

I smiled as I cheerfully asked, "Should I be home for dinner?"

"Yes, we are going to have some of the family over, and I will get a cake. I better go; your father needs help navigating. Happy birthday, Katie."

"Thanks, Mom. Have a safe trip."

I was thrilled that they hadn't forgotten about my birthday. They had before. It wasn't that I wanted the whole party and cake and pointless gifts routine, but I wanted to feel like I was still a part of something familial. We hadn't been a true good, old-fashioned family for a while. We did, however, always put on one hell of a show when company showed up at the door, introducing ourselves as the Hamiltons, acknowledging our pet cat, Stanley, who went unnoticed ninty-nine percent of the time, and giving each other smiles and hugs like they were going out of style. Without the audience we were just roommates with a common last name and a hissing dust bunny named Stanley who lived under the rocking chair. It was good to see that for once my mysterious Uncle Rolf was gluing the shambles of our family back together for even just a few hours. We'll see if it lasts once he leaves.

I grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl on the counter before running back upstairs. I brushed the tangles out of my waist length hair. The color from birth was an ash blonde with rusty highlights in the sun. I didn't dye my hair anymore, it just seemed to have its own natural glow in the right light. My eyes were the same. As I traced a thin coat of charcoal black eyeliner along my lash line I watched the color fade from bright sky blue to a soft grey. Sometimes in the harsh light my eyes would have a hint of green to them if not the least bit of, dare I say, amber. I quickly braided my hair and flipped it back over my shoulder before grabbing my satchel and running out the back door.

My older brother, Brett, nearly tackled me to the ground as I leapt off the back porch for the woods. He spun me around to face him as I smiled and punched his arm.

"Where the hell do you think you're going, Birthday Girl?"

"I was going to go for a walk. Is that a crime?"

"Sure is!" He glared at me before laughing a hearty masculine chuckle and shaking his head, "I better go along and keep you out of trouble."

"You just want to see where I go when I run off." I frowned and looked into his bright robin's-egg-blue eyes. I had never met anyone before with such a perfect blend of blue and green in their eyes at the same time. There was a gleam in those eye as he spilled his shaggy sandy-brown hair down across his forehead.