Sea Wolves

When Trase and I were called to the dining room/living room, the table had already been set. Sunlight streamed in through the windows; the curtains had been drawn back to allow it in. It created a cheery, inviting dinner atmosphere.

After we had left the living room, Trase showed me the rest of the house. We had gone back to the front door where the stairs to the second level, where the bedrooms were located. I got to peek briefly into Mrs. Baker's bedroom. It was a spacious master, and of course it had its own bathroom. The bathtub was absolutely amazing. I wanted to shut Trase out jealously right then and there and take a bubble bath. My parents have a similar bathroom in their bedroom, but I swear Mrs. Baker's tub was bigger than their's.

Molly's bedroom was butterfly themed. As soon as I saw it I knew she liked the color blue. The walls were painted a soft, almost baby blue color, and in the corners someone who had to have been a really great artist had painted a handful of detailed blue morpho butterflies flying towards the ceiling. The white furniture created a nice contrast in colors. Above Molly's bed, a white halo hung from the ceiling, suspended by clear wires. Four deep blue curtains, the same color as the butterflies on the walls, were attached to the halo and draped down over each corner of the bed. I couldn't stop admiring the handiwork of the butterflies, and I wondered who came up with the idea to hang curtains that way. I took note of the design, thinking maybe I could copy it for my own bedroom someday.

I enjoyed Trase's bedroom. It was the kind of room you felt like you could hang out in with a bunch of buddies, chatting or doing homework. It had a huge captain's bed backed up in one corner by the window, and I was so tempted to flop down on it. The bedspread he had on it looked that comfortable. He had a desk with a computer occupying the center, along with stacks of CD's and a couple scattered books. In one corner by the closet a red electric guitar stood upright on its stand. I was confused by the instrument, because I knew Trase couldn't play it. What was it doing there then? I knew better than to ask, so I didn't.

I hesitated by the table until everyone but Mrs. Baker, who was still in the kitchen, had chosen a seat. Then I sat down in the corner next to Trase. As soon as I did Aspen thrust her wet nose into my hand and started wagging her tail excitedly when I looked down at her in surprise. Trase noticed the dog and snapped his fingers, drawing her away from my lap. I smiled gratefully in his direction.

Mrs. Baker approached the table carrying a bowl of something. "Would you like a salad, Megan?" she asked in that quiet, easy voice. I was already beginning to like that voice.

"Um... no, thank you," I answered. I was already dreading how much I would be able to stomach. At home I could easily get away with not eating, but here I knew that would be hard to manage. The best I could do would be to eat as little as possible and hope to get away without too many questions about it.

I watched in silence as Mrs. Baker fixed Molly a salad and Trase made one for himself. Then the pot of steaming lasagna was set in the center of the table, and Mrs. Baker shoveled out a piece for everyone. The aroma of cheese hit me as soon as my piece plopped noisily onto my plate. I gazed at it, feeling that it was way too beautiful for me to eat. Mrs. Baker offered us buttered bread, which I kindly refused. Thankfully she didn't ask any questions as she took her seat. Soon a silence enveloped the table as we all started eating. I scooped up as much of the cheesy pasta as would fit on my fork and started blowing on it to cool it off.

"So did you and your family just move to Forks?" Mrs. Baker asked, trying to start a conversation.

I nodded. "We moved here from San Diego."

"Oh, that's quite a change," she observed while preparing a slice of the bread. "How long have you been here?"

"About six days."

"Almost a week! I'm sorry I didn't get the chance to drop by and meet the rest of your family sooner - I'll have to make up for that. How are you liking Washington so far?"

I fumbled for something pleasant to say about it, but I quickly gave up with an embarrassed smile. "Well, it's... a big change. I guess you could say I'm not quite used to it yet."

Mrs. Baker smiled understandingly. "I know how it is. It can be... a little depressing." She laughed. "But the town is nice, and it isn't always raining. If you're into the outdoors, then I can name a few good places for hiking. There are some good bike trails around here too. And when it's warm out you can go into town and rent a couple kayaks and take them out on the ocean for a day. Washington isn't entirely barren of any fun."

I was amused by her comment. I was about to take a bite of the lasagna still sitting on my fork, when the mention of kayaking reminded me of something. "Um," I began awkwardly. Mrs. Baker looked up. Trase paused too to hear my question. "Are there any... whales around here?"

"Whales?" Mrs. Baker thought for a moment. "What kinds did you have in mind?"

I shrugged. "Any kind I guess." My cheeks flushed a little. "I don't really know much about them, actually."

"Well, to tell you the truth, I really don't know," Mrs. Baker said truthfully. She looked to Trase for a different answer, but he shrugged. Mrs. Baker turned back to me. "I don't know much about them either."

I nodded understandingly and took advantage of the interval in conversation to take a bite. Mozzarella cheese exploded against my taste buds. The pasta was cooked to perfection; soft without crispy edges. As soon as I had swallowed my bite, I exclaimed, "this is delicious!"

Something of a modest grin appeared on Mrs. Baker's face. "Well, thank you. It's an old secret family recipe. I'm glad it tastes alright."

Are you kidding me? I could eat this every day! The table fell silent again as I devoured my plate of lasagna (though I took care to do it without looking like a total pig) and everyone else ate too. Conversation picked up again after we had all nearly finished what was on our plates. Mrs. Baker and Trase did most of the talking - that is, Trase communicated through his mother - and Molly listened quietly with her eyes on her lap or on the dog seated by her chair. I learned the name of the bookstore Trase had mentioned to me earlier, and Mrs. Baker confirmed that it was indeed hiring. I told them I would look into it. After all, I was running out of gas money, and what better place was there to work at then a quiet little bookstore?

Dinner came to an end quicker than I wanted it too. Mrs. Baker asked if I would stay a while longer, and as much as I wanted to give in to that offer I knew I needed to get home. My parents were probably worrying about me; I realized that I hadn't bothered to call them in case they got home before I did. So with a disgustingly full stomach and sorrow for having to leave this wonderful family, I departed.

It turned out that my parents pulled into the driveway just as I neared the house. They stepped out of the car with broad smiles, and I assumed they had had a wonderful night without me out on the town. I avoided their curious gaze as I headed towards the front door. I expected a "where were you?" or "what have you been doing all day?" but instead I got, "Did you call Grandma Nora, Megan?"

Without turning to face them I moaned a quick "yes" and hurried inside. I bounded up the stairs, feeling the contents of my stomach rise to my throat. Jojo meowed at me from my bedroom, but I ignored him as I stumbled for the bathroom and threw up in the toilet. After it was over I didn't feel much better, so I crawled into bed and tried to sleep.