Keep the Pain Away. . .

Turbulence made my teeth rattle as I looked at my much-neglected iPod. It’s screen seemed to look at me pleading for me to listen to the music it contained. Nice try. I shoved my black iPod in my backpack and slowly waited for the plane to descend and land.

The elderly lady was looking thoughtfully at the blank hardcover of a book. Curiosity pricked at my dead soul. First time in a year. I turned my head away and silently waited till I could exit off the flying deathtrap that is called an airplane. People cluttered the isles but I waited behind the elderly lady. She suddenly turned around and gave me a small smile. I couldn’t return a genuine, polite smile.

The elderly lady was allowed in front of a business man but before she walked away she handed me the hardcover book. I took it but watched the elderly lady walk away, leaving me completely baffled. I looked at the binding to see what the book was called. “PAIN” by Ellie Ward. I opened the book to the title page and saw a neat cursive note.

Learn to smile like others have. Learn to love like others have, even me. Never let a horrible past to effect your future. Do all you can to complete your goals. Fall in love.
[r]-Ellie Ward[/r]
P.S. You won‘t find this book at a bookstore because it was never publicized. One of my few copies of my own book.

I was taken back but I switched myself back to monotone as I grabbed my backpack and made my way off the airplane. The first thing that I saw was neon green paper that said ZEEVA SMITH across it. I shuffled my way towards the jumping blonde whose name is Maria. She’s my cousin and then there was her father, Herald. My uncle-in-law.

Maria chattered my ear off as I waited to retrieve my luggage. Two big duffle bags and some boxes that should be at the house that held some of my family’s property. My blank expression never phased Maria as she kept talking. Harold took the lighter duffel bag as I took my heavier one. I was supposed to be at the M.M.A Gym. (M.M.A stood for Mixed Martial Arts as you must have guessed.)

Maria and Harold stayed to watch me practice some new moves with Fred. Fred was the instructor at the massive gym but today no one was present, due to it being noon. Fred instructed me to show him some of the moves I had learned in my advanced classes with Big Joe.

Fred seemed impressed but he kept his face composed and started to teach me a few new moves. Some of them were mixes of basic and difficult levels. Easy but also hard since my mind was elsewhere. I was thinking of how my life would be in this small town called Forks in rainy Washington.

Fred said I was dismissed and I quickly thanked him. I was actually as enthusiastic as my mind would let me. Which seemed like little to others but was hell a whole lot more to me. Maria seemed to be cheerful at my little enthusiasm.

My aunt Meredith Greeted me with multiple kisses on my cheeks. I barely made it out alive. She helped me haul my stuff towards my new room. My room was small but decent for the average size house. My closet was right across the hallway. Odd but I didn’t really care because I had a small balcony that overviewed the lavishly green forest. A slow mist started to cover the ground and for the first time in over a year, I actually admitted that what I saw was beautiful.