midnight | paul lahote

chapter 1 | new beginnings

The young woman slowly sifted through the wardrobe pushed against the wall across from her only window. A dreamcatcher hung from above the windowsill swayed in the breeze provided by the window being open, making a clicking noise each time it smacked against the sill. The clothes—mostly black—were being folded and sorted away into a suitcase. Finally, Maggie's mother had given in to the wishes of the Quileute tribe women and allowed her to live with her grandmother on the reserve. Maggie had no negative feelings about this, although also noted she wasn't particularly elated about this. She knew nobody on the reserve, save for a few elders, as she and her grandmother were close and would chat on the phone often.

Margery huffed, becoming annoyed with the clicking sound, and went to close her window. She reached up and tugged the dreamcatcher down from where she had hung it, above the windowsill. Looking out, she noticed there wasn't much rain, and the fog was thin enough that she could see down the street. It was a decent day, weather-wise, at least for Seattle. Knowing the weather on the reserve was similar to Seattle calmed Margery, and she crossed the room to close and zip up her suitcase. Then, she went about putting things in boxes, the majority being knitting items. Yarn, needles, finished projects, and un-finished that she swore would soon be done.

She grabbed her backpack and filled it with her wallet, a bottle of water, and some other necessities for the trip to La Push Reserve. The teen dragged all her things down the stairs to the front porch, where her mother was waiting. Recently, her father had been getting more and more negative about the idea of Margery living on the reserve, but he had no say in it. He had no relation to the Quileute tribe, outside of Margery and her mother.

The native woman stood against the wall, a keychain in her hands. "Here. Your father didn't want to be here when you left, but we want you to have the truck. You've been driving it since you got your licence, and I went ahead and put you down as the only driver in the insurance. All you have to do is pay for gas and repairs." Samantha handed the keys to her daughter, pulling her in close for a hug. "Now, c'mon, we have a long drive and I'm sure your grandmother would rather you there sooner."