-1CH.1

"Natalie, Alexandria's not going to be that bad. You'll be living with your cousin, Louie, his family just moved there. You to can go through the transition together." the social service lady who was wearing a name tag with the name "Vernice" scrawled across it. She looked nice at first glance, and she was, but talking wasn't on Natalie's list of favorite things to do when her mother had just past away only 10 days ago.

"Not exactly the same transition." was the only thing that Natalie could get out while still choking back tears. Vernice had an answer to that remark, but held it back knowing that Natalie was being serious, though the remark seemed quite sarcastic.

Natalie was of average height. She had dark brown shoulder length hair with streaks of auburn dyed in. It was layered so that she couldn't put all of her hair up without wisps hanging in her face. Everyone always thought she was adopted because of her tan complexion against her mother's pale skin. They didn't take in account that her mother had been suffering from cancer for the past five years. Struggling, but never giving up. Until now.

"Why'd she have to leave me by myself." Natalie spoke while staring out the window trying as hard as she could to avoid eye contact knowing that it would just lead to more tears. It was bright and sunny outside. This made Natalie sick to her stomach. How could it be so nice out with this much hurt? Happiness doesn't come with song birds and sunshine.

"She didn't do it on purpose, Natalie. It was just her time." Oh shit. Vernice realized what she'd just done. Cliché sayings about death? Yeah, that didn't really help someone who's trying to cope with their mother's death. Especially someone who despises clichés. Here it comes. Vernice was holding out her young, dark arms ready to catch Natalie and hug the tears away.

Natalie fell into her arms, not able to hold back the tears any longer after that remark. The contrast of their skin color made for a picture perfect moment. After about ten minutes Natalie started to calm down. "I wish I had my camera." Natalie spoke almost silently.

Vernice knew all too well what she was talking about. Natalie was on the Yearbook committee at her school, Redwood Trails in Kansas City. The committee decided early in the year to make the theme of the book Unity this year acknowledging how far along their school and city had come in the past 30 years. Their school had integrated about 15 years ago, so Natalie's sophomore class was relatively clueless about what the big deal was when their teacher brought up the idea. They knew it used to be a big issue, you know blacks with whites, from History class. But until their Yearbook teacher, Mrs. Grendley, a very artistic woman around 65, told them about her nephew who worked in Georgia and how his sons are having trouble getting through school because they were just now beginning to merge schools. Natalie remembered her lecture…

…"They'd been separated for so long and now to just get thrown into the same school? That was unheard of. His sons grew up with only their white friends. Even though Evan, my son, had is telling them that it's not like that all around the world they don't believe him. They said he was crazy when he told him that some of his best friends are black. 'Yeah right' they said. Can you imagine? 'yeah right'…"

Her voice was sort of trailing off at this point. All Natalie remembered was her wide open mouth along with all her classmates', the most amazing people she'd ever met. Amazing enough to get up and go to school only 2 1/2 weeks since they got out to start planning next year's yearbook. (a/n I know this isn't really how it works, I'm in yearbook, but go with me.)

"I think it's an important part of our past, and a far too sad part of other areas' present. And just think, if we can pull it off it might get a national award." Her classmates started to murmur. She began planning the layout. "I think it would be more effective with all black and white photos, very dramatic." The idea stuck…

"Isn't it in your bag?" Vernice spoke into Natalie's hair. "Hey Nicholas, fetch Natalie's bag please?" she spoke loudly, but not a yell, her voice was too caring to ever yell.

Natalie sat up facing Vernice, a small smile making an appearance across her face. "Nick can't take pictures. They would turn out horrible." Natalie laughed. Wow. She decided it felt nice to laugh. She had only managed to pull off a few smiles in the last 10 days that she's been staying at the social service's office after leaving the hospital.

"Give me a chance." Nicholas came walking in with Natalie's bag slug across his shoulder.

"It's not even that dramatic anymore." Natalie said. She was so devoted to the yearbook. All 13 of her classmates came to see her at least once. All of them telling her that she couldn't stop working on the yearbook no matter where she wound up. Mrs. Grendley had given her one of the cameras that belonged to them knowing that it was in good hands.

"Reenact it." Nicholas said bluntly.

---

The picture had turned out nicely. It was the last picture on the roll of film, so Vernice had taken her to the school's dark room to let Natalie develop the photos herself. And to see her classmates for probably the last time in her life.

---

"Let's call your Aunt Cassie" (a/n I don't know what Lastik's mom's name is, but now it's Cassie…) Vernice said to Natalie when the had gotten back to the service's building. "She'll be wanting to know when you're arriving."

"You sure this is the best thing for me?" Natalie was staring at her feet avoiding eye contact. She was nervous. She hadn't been away from home in a long while and wasn't ready to leave her friends behind.

"Yes, sweetie. You'll adjust quickly. You're a fighter. It runs in your family. Just remember when you get there don't give into anyone's ideas that you don't believe in. Stick up for what you know is right. And remember us." Vernice was getting a bit teary-eyed now. Her and Natalie had become best friends over Natalie's 10 days here.

"Stop. You'll get me crying again." Natalie said in a sweet voice with a fake mean face pasted on her own.

"Let's go get you to your train. It's going to be a long ride for you so I packed you some snacks that should last several days. There's money in your purse for food and anything that you might need…." Vernice went on about where she'd packed everything and how Natalie wasn't to talk to strangers and to be safe and blah, blah, blah. This was their whole conversation in the car on their way to the train station.

"My camera?" Natalie asked. She was getting really nervous. "And some Tylenol?"

"In your carry-on's my sweets" She had become like Natalie's mother figure in such a short amount of time. "Oh shit, Natalie, we're late! Run!" They started to sprint across the parking lot heading for the station.

"Fucking traffic! Wait, maybe it's a sign." Natalie slowed down a bit after her remark.

"Natalie, no. It's not a sign. You are getting on this train and going to your cousin's house. They're expecting you. Now you've got me worried." Vernice was talking faster than she could breathe to keep up. Natalie ran to catch up.

---

After a long embrace Natalie boarded the train and took her seat. Lord, please watch over me. This is going to be one long ride.

---

All she thought about on the ride there was how different life was going to be without her friends, her house, her school, her town, her mom. She thought about what she was expecting to find when she got to Alexandria. A non-integrated school, or one just starting to integrate, some very stuck up racist people, no one she could talk to, and to top it off moving to a southern state which already had so many rumors about just how bad they were going around. The one thing she was looking forward to with her life's dramatic change was spending more time with Louie. He had always been her favorite cousin. They always had so much fun when they hung out.

---

She stepped out of the train onto unfamiliar ground to find the only familiar faces staring at her. They were all wearing bright smiles on their faces. This isn't a happy visit. Stop with all the smiles.

She ran toward them with her arms spread out. "Louie!" she squealed as she embraced her rather large cousin. The smile shining across her face only half fake.