One-Mila

Moving sucked for so many reasons. There was the packing, labeling, unpacking, and saying goodbye. Lucky for me there wasn't anyone I needed to say goodbye too really. In school I flew under the radar and didn't have any friends. So when I found out that I was being forced to move I wasn't sad about it. It was a welcomed distraction but as I looked out the window, I could feel the second guesses creeping in. I knew nothing about Washington, less about La Push, and even less about Ava. As if she knew I was thinking about her, she turned and smiled at me. I gave a small smile and turned my head back to the window.

"How you doing over there?" she asked me, smiling like she had since she laid eyes on me. I turned and looked back at her.

"It's been a long trip that's for sure," I told her stretching my legs a little. Ava laughed and turned the radio down. My dad used to do the same thing when he wanted to talk. Ava understood just how long this trip was. She had flown out to Michigan to pick me up but decided that we should drive back. Even though I was being forced to move, I was glad that Ava was letting me bring most of my stuff from back home. Correction back from Michigan since La Push was officially going to be my new home.

"You're gonna love it here Mila. It's small but there is no better place to grow up or live." She quickly adds. My dad always talked about how great La Push was when he was a kid. The beach, the fact that everyone was so close on the reservation, the whole family vibe. I knew that my dad missed it and he always talked about coming back but never quite made it. It sucked that now I was finally getting to see him home and he wasn't going to be the one showing me what he loved. My dad had passed away suddenly a month ago. Ava was my godparent and since my mother had left us when I was six she came to my rescue of some sorts.

"Here we are," Ava said as she came to a stop in front of a small house. The porch was large and had a swing resting in front of the bay window. Ava cut the car off and hopped out of her Jeep. I followed suit and followed her up the stairs. As soon as we stepped inside I realized the outside didn't do the house justice. The living room was large and very open. There was a table in the dining room big enough to seat at least ten people. The kitchen was just behind it and was amazing. There was an island in the middle and the stainless steel appliances looked brand new. Ava showed me her and husband room's which was on the first floor.

We walked up the stairs and she stopped in front of the first door. "This is your room," she said pushing the door open. I stepped inside and was impressed with how big it was. There was a huge bed right across from the window. I walked over to it and noticed that the backyard was pretty big. There was no fence separating the yard from the forest.

"You guys aren't worried about bears or wolves? There's no fence to separate the forest from the yard." I asked her. I could feel my eyebrows rose in confusion. Ava laughed really loudly and shook her head no.

"There's no need for it. We mainly only have deer around here. The bears are further up in the mountains."

"Hello…is anybody here," I heard a voice call from downstairs.

"That's Leah. Come on I'll introduce you," Ava said walking out my room. I followed behind her. When we got downstairs the front door was open and I could hear guy's voices.

"Wait until Ava tells you where she wants everything!" Leah yelled at them. She turned around and gave Ava a hug. "I come bringing the gifts of free manual labor," Leah said pointing behind her. Ava stepped aside and pointed to me.

"Leah this is Mila. Mila this is my best friend Leah."

"Hi Mila. It's nice to meet you," Leah said shaking my hand. I smiled and noticed that she and Ava could have easily passed for sisters or at least cousins. They both had the same brandy colored skin, which looked like it was freshly tanned. Their eyes were a deep chocolate brown, like my own, and they had full lips. Leah's cheekbones were higher than Ava's and her hair was cut much shorter. But they both shared the same thick bone straight black hair.

"Where do you want this stuff?" a deep voice called from behind her.

"Everything that's in the truck goes upstairs in the room with the door open Jake," Ava told him. He looked around the box and smiled before walking towards the stairs. I was surprised that he was able to carry three boxes at once. But when I watched him walk up the stairs I could see why it was no problem. He was huge! He had to be well over six feet tall and was all muscle. There were two other guys at the truck who were just as big. One guy was on the truck and sitting boxes in the arm of the other guy. Once he was loaded up he walked in with a smile on his face. Ava pointed up the stairs. As he was going up the stairs Jake was quickly coming back down. Before I knew it all but one of my boxes were up in my room.

Ava and Leah were sitting in the kitchen talking, Jake and his friend Collin were in the living room watching TV and destroying some food that Ava had made. I decided to get a start on my room so I was up there alone unpacking. Sia was blasting out of the small speaker I had set up on the window sill and I was singing right along. That was why I didn't hear him come in.

"Where do you want this?" his smooth but deep voice called out over the music. I turned around and jumped a little seeing him standing in the doorway. Using the small remote I had tucked in my pocket I cut the music down and walked around the bed.

"You can just sit it right next to the bookcase. I'm Mila," I said to him with my hand outstretched. He sat the box down and turned to face me dusting his hands off. He was the shortest of them but his hair was cut short and closer to his head than theirs. As soon as he put his hand in mine, I sucked in a breath. His hand was hot…hotter than any hand I had ever held before. I quickly pulled my hand back and looked at him.

"I'm Embry," he said slowly as he looked at me. His dark eyes were so hard for me to look away from. He was staring at me just as deep as I was staring at him.

"Embry the guys are leaving," Leah said as she came up the stairs. The last part of her sentence was said slowly as she popped into my room. I quickly dropped Embry's hand and stepped back from him. I looked down at the floor nervous but I didn't know why. It wasn't like she caught us doing anything. Embry cleared his throat and quickly pushed pass Leah. She quickly turned and walked behind him. I wasn't sure but I thought I heard her mumble shit as she ran down the stairs.