Shelter

It is raining by the time the plane touches down in Portland, Oregon. Even after the long hours of getting our bags and finding our rental car, it is still raining when we pull up to our new house. I stare up at the gray sky, letting the drops hit my face and drip onto my clothing, and sigh. This weather is a complete opposite from sunny North Carolina.

“You’re going to ruin your clothes, Scarlett,” my mother remarks as she loads her bags out of the trunk. I take a deep breath and try to calm myself down as I walk over to help her. She has been much grumpier since my dad dropped the bombshell of our move. I can’t say I blame her, I feel grumpy, too, but I don’t take my anger out on everyone around me… Well I try not to.

I roll the two large suitcases up the steps and set them beside the locked door. In a few minutes, all of our bags have been placed in the same position and we all wait quietly as my father unlocks the thick wooden door. With a creak, it opens to reveal a large foyer with polished hardwood floors. Immaculate furniture sits in a small room beside it, not an inch of dust on any surface. The house smells strongly of lemon, but I don’t mind the smell as long as it’s clean.

“I’m going to go put up my stuff,” I mumble to my parents and dart up the wooden stairs before they can protest.

The upstairs floor contains two bedrooms, a sunroom, and a bathroom. I choose the bedroom that looks out on the woods behind the house and begin unpacking. The room is painted a light blue with white trim and a large bay window with a built in bench. Our furniture has already been placed in the room, all pushed toward the opposite wall by the movers. I’m able to move the two small dressers how I want it, but the bed and desk is too big. I fill the dresser drawers with clothes, then move into the walk in closet. I’m placing my shoes in a neat line when there’s a light knock on my bedroom door.

My brother, Logan, leans against the threshold, his arms folded with a slight smile etched onto his face. He motions toward the mattress sitting against the wall with the bedframe beside it and asks, “Need some help?”

I nod. “Please.” With his help, my bed and its mattress is soon against the wall, and my desk is on the wall adjacent of the window. Surprisingly, my room looks the same as it did before we moved. Somehow this makes me feel better.

“Thank you so much!” I tell him as we walk down stairs. My mood has improved drastically from the time we boarded the plane to now. Maybe this Oregon air is already affecting me…

We find our parents standing in the kitchen, talking about my father’s new job as the chief of police. I’m glad that he got the job he has always wanted, I just wanted it to be on our side of the country.

“Oh, there you two are,” Mom turns her attention to the two of us, “How about we all go out for dinner?”

“I was thinking about taking a nap, actually,” I tell her, feeling guilty when her face falls. I want to go out and tour the town before school starts, but I’m just too drained from the exhausting flight.

“Oh, that’s alright. We’ll just bring you something back for you to heat up when you get ready to eat.” She says, and I nod. I doubt I’ll wake up at all, but I don’t want to upset her any further.

I wander up to my room once they leave and crawl onto my mattress. I haven’t put the sheets on yet, so I grab a couple of blankets out of the closet and cover my body. The sound of rain beating on the roof sends me into a deep sleep, dreaming of North Carolina.

Notes