The Home Series

Finding Home

    They say you never forget your way back home, but how can you remember how to get back home if you never had a home? I never just settle in a town, I can’t. I always stay the night in a different town. I don’t usually talk to anyone, until now. Now people think they can talk to strangers whenever they want. I don’t understand that.
    “Hey my name is Jax, short for Jaxington. My parents gave me and my family strange names.”
    He thinks he can just walk up to me and start talking? Why? This guy is crazy, coocoo, insane. All I wanted was for him to do is go, walk away, but no…
    “What’s your name?” Jax asked me a question, who does he think he is? Should I answer? I don’t know why i’m asking this question, i’m thinking IN MY HEAD! I’m such a dork, that’s what you get as a 14 year old girl traveling the world. I guess I should answer him now.
    “My name is Maxilynda, I have had that name in a tattoo on my arm since I can remember.” ok so he didn’t need to know that but he knows now! So now i’m talking to a stranger. I’m not smart.
    “How old are you?” are you kidding me? Now I have to tell him my age? Can I just walk away? Should I change the subject, or just tell him? I’ll probably never see him again. Fine i’ll tell him.
    “I’m 14, how bout you?” Now i’m the one asking a stranger questions! I told you, i’m not smart.
“I’m 15, I thought you were like 18 or 19!” Like that doesn’t make me feel old. I hope he walks away, I don’t want to answer more questions.
“Where are you from?” How dare he do this to me, he doesn’t even know me!
“Nowhere, everywhere.” Why did I answer him?  
“Same, where you headed to next?” don’t answer, don’t answer, maybe if I say it enough I won’t actually answer him.
“Wherever the wind takes me.” I was wrong I did it anyways.
“Maybe I can just tag along with you.” oh no, he likes me. What have I done? I answered the questions and now he wants to hit the road! What do I do now? How do I get away from this? I’m just going to flat out tell him!
“I don’t think that’s a bad idea.” Ok, I tried to tell him no, but it came out the wrong way. What did I just do?
“Awesome, I was sure you would say no.” I was trying to, but no I had to blurt out what I didn’t want to say.
“But the talking stays minimal! I don’t talk to people I just look at the world.”
“Fine but you should know that if I can’t talk to you talk to you then I will most likely be talking to myself.”
“If you keep talking i’m going to leave you.”
“Ok ok i’ll stop.”
So now i’m stuck with a talkative person walking around the world with me, and I don’t even know the guy.
“Where are we going now?” I swear if he doesn’t shut up…
“Don’t say with the wind like last time, we should go to the town down the street.” Down the street? That’s not that far I want to go down a state!
“It’s like 4 miles from here.”
“Well I guess I could.”
“You mean we?”
“Huh?”
“You said I as in you could on your own…”
“Oh I thought I said we.” I know what I said, and I meant it! Well I guess we are going to the next town over, which I also did not want to do. So would now be a good time to say i’m hungry? I haven’t eaten in two days, i’m starved.
“Do you know of some place where I can get food?”
“Well yeah I do, but i’m not sure you’ll like it.”
“I’ll settle for anything!”
“Ok then follow me.” Jax and I walked down an alleyway, then turned the corner to a huge house. Why would he bring me here? Is he going to beg for food from the rich? I’m confuzzled! He walked up to the door, I stood still at the edge of the sidewalk.
“Come on.” I slowly, slowly,slowly walked up the sidewalk. He just walked right in the door!
“Are you coming?” Jaxington is still crazy, coocoo, and insane!
“What is this place?” Jax turned to look at me, he looked puzzled.
“This is… uh,my...uh...uncles house.” ok that was a total lie!
“Your uncle? So you do live here?”
“No I come here once every 3 years…”
“Oh.” A lady walked into the room we just got to.
“Oh,Jaxington! Glad to see you back…” Jax wouldn’t let her finish, he just had to jump in.
“Oh this is Maxilynda, a friend of mine.”
“Oh!” She was excited.
“How very nice to meet you! We haven’t had many of Jaxingtons’ friends over, and your the…” He jumped in again! I’m going to hurt him!
“Can we get some food?” Oh yeah I forgot, i’m hungry. The lady took us to the kitchen to get something to eat. I assumed she was either his aunt or his sister. The lady was young but definitely older than me and Jax, she was tall and had burnt red hair.
“So Jaxington, how was your day?” The lady's voice was weak but loud and it had a southern tent to it.
“Oh I have had a wonderful day, and thanks for the food but we must be going now.” Jax acted like he didn’t want the lady to talk anymore, like she was going to tell me something he didn’t want me to know. I want to know though,so i’m staying.
“But I haven’t even gotten to meet you yet!” I’m telling you i’m going to figure this out.
“Oh i’m…” Jax i’m going to hurt you!
“But we have to go!”
“If you interrupt us one more time I swear i’m going to hurt you!”
“As I was saying,” The lady started as Jax turned around so I couldn’t see his face.
“I am Jaxington’s mother, SueAnne.”
“Mother?” I told you so! “Jaxington, your mother? You lied to me? How could you?” I started backing up towards the door, “I’m leaving!” I ran out the door, I wonder if he's going to follow me…
It’s been an hour and my green eyed, dirty blonde haired, freak of a friend… well he never showed up. I was sure he would have followed me, but no he didn’t. I feel lonely now it’s so quiet now. I’m so bored. It’s odd, now that I made a friend i’m sad he lied to me and now I don’t have a friend. He’s the first friend i’ve ever had! But now he’s gone.
“Hey.” Could it be? Is it really him? It is! He came! He sat next to me and stared at the ground.  
“I just have one question.” I was trying to sound upset.
“Ok” he sounded worried.
“Why did you lie to me?”
“Because I wanted to be like you… free, amazing, and feared by others! I wanted that.”
“Feared? I’m feared?”
“Of course, but not in a bad way. In a your so new to this place and you're to pretty to be living on the streets.”
“Did you just call me pretty?”
“Uh...maybe...kind of...what if I did?”
“Oh, you would just be the first person ever to call me pretty.”
“Oh , well you are.”
“Thank you, but if you think you can just change the subject so you will get away with lying to me you're wrong.”
“I know I know.” His face turned bright red.
“Do you know how often I want a family, a roof over my head, a mom and a dad that love me? All the time I wish I had a place to call home.”
“I would say I know what you mean but I don’t, I grew up in a big house with amazing parents and younger siblings, but I also grew up hating my life.” Jaxington stared at the ground.
 “Why?”
“Because my mom is always busy at her job, my dads always flying to other states on business trips, and I have to take care of my brothers and sisters.”
“Oh i’m sorry....”
“No i’m not sorry! You have nothing and I have everything and all your doing is sitting here listening to me complain about the life I have when I should be loving the life I get with the loving family I have.”
“Wow, I have never talked to anyone this long or known anyone this long.”
“Your never going to lose me.”
“If i’m never going to lose you then no more lies and the only secrets we keep are each other!”
“That doesn’t sound hard.” How do I ask Jaxington if I can stay at his place till the morning?
“So, where we headed now?” did Jax just say we?
“Did you say we?”
“Yes, I already asked mom and she said as long as I keep in touch and don’t get hurt, she thinks i’m old enough to go out on my own, especially with a tough girl like you!”
“Well I was thinking we would stay the night here because it will be dark soon.”
“That’s a good plan.Wait at my house?”
“If that’s ok, I don’t have any money so…”
“I don’t think mom will care, so yeah my house then.”
“Yeah” We walked down the sidewalk to his house.
“Oh your not leaving yet?” SueAnn looked happy and her face was full of excitement.
“We decided to stay the night here because it’s too dark to walk to far.” Jax answered
“Oh that’s wonderful!”
Jax took me upstairs to the room I was going to stay in.
“This room is dark and quiet.” I told Jax as he started walking toward the door.
“So it’s perfect for you?” he smiled, not one of those annoying cheesy smiles, but a cute one.
“Sure, except one thing, i’ve never had my own room before. I think i’ll be lonely.”
“Well there's another room down here right next to mine if you would rather sleep there.”
“I think i’d like that.” Jax walked down the hallway to another open room.
“Thank you.”
“I play music to help me fall asleep so if you hear music you’ll know it’s me. I’ll play it quietly and leave my door open just in case you need anything.”
“Ok,” I wonder if he can tell i’m scared to be in his house.’
“Good night Jaxington.”
“Good night Maxilynda.”
I don’t know how long it’s been but i’m lonely, usually I have to sleep in the mission homes, this is way different. I’m still scared of his hough though, it’s so big and there aren't enough people to fill the rooms. I really don’t like it here at all.
“Jax,” I waited for him to answer.
“Yes?”
“I’m scared.”
“Why?”
“I’m not sure.”
“What are you scared of?”
“Being alone”
“I don’t understand, you were alone before we met weren’t you?”
“Well yes but now i’ve been with you so now I feel alone when your not by my side.”
“Don’t worry, I told you before, i’m not leaving you!”
“I’m also afraid of this house.”
“Oh I know there’s a reason I play music at night, my parents room is right next door, have you seen them leave since they went in?”
“No. Why?” He turned off the music and walked into my room.
“Just listen.” We sat as still as could be. I looked at his face, his eyes were closed and he was completely still. We both jumped at the sound of doors opening and closing. I grasped his arm and closed my eyes.
“It’s ok, your safe in this room, my room, and mom and dad's room.”
I just sat completely still holding his arm. Jax fell back onto the bed and I released his arm. I leaned back and he reached over and held my still shaking hand.
“Sometimes when I get scared I like to make a story of it, like I got stuck in the basement when my parents weren’t home, I told myself a happy story to take my mind off of the problem.”
“You should tell me a story.”
“Once there was a girl, the age of 14. She once found a boy she didn’t know and decided to follow him home. The boy had ragy clothes and greasy hair, but the girl followed anyways. When they reached his house the girl realized this boy was not poor but rich, he lived in the biggest house on the street.” I fell asleep after that and i’m not sure what happened, but the next day I woke up still holding Jaxington’s hand. Maybe he isn’t so bad, after all I do feel safe right here in this room, with him right next to me, his hand in mine. I just laid there staring at his hand in mine. He moved and sat up. Then he looked back at me after releasing my hand.
“Good morning beautiful” I’m pretty sure I started blushing. I was just called beautiful. I know I was smiling.
“Morning, and i’m not.”
“Oh hush, you are too!”
“My my, someone knows how to flatter a girl.” I started laughing.
“I do?” his face turned red.
“Nevermind,” I said smiling. “I’m hungry!”
“I an too, lets get food.”
“Ok.” He took me down the steps and around the counter to the kitchen.
“What do you want?”
“I don’t know, what are you having?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“Food preferably!” I laughed at him.
“Well nah,i’m going to feed you plastic.”he smiled at me as we both laughed.
“Do you like honey combs?”
“I don’t know, i’ve never had them.”
“Well we found breakfast.”
“Ok”
“So when do you want to head over to the next town?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” I kind of like it here, it’s better than being out on the streets!
“Umm, well, I was thinking,”
“Is this about taking me with you?” I about jumped out of my seat.
“NO! I want you to come, if we go, i’m not sure I want to anymore.”
“Oh, well we do have some space to stay here.”
“I don’t want to intrude on your family, you don’t have to do that.”
“Fine then a couple more days.”
“Ok if you insist we can stay a while longer.”
“Deal.”
“After that we will go to the next town over, I promise!”
“Ok if we don’t I will cry.”
“Ok don’t cry.”
“I won’t if we go in 4 days.”
“Ok”
3 days passed of us being kids, not caring and being obnoxious, kids.
“Tomorrow’s the day, what time would you like to go?”
“I’m not sure.” The past 3 days Jaxington has become my closest friend, I have never had a friend before now. I’m glad I have him. I still get scared in this house at night so I sleep on the floor in his room. I feel safe when i’m close to him. I don’t want to lose him. Tomorrow we’re leaving, i’m scared. I’ve been hurt on this trip many times, I hope he doesn’t get hurt. Jax seem understanding, but I don’t think he understands this. I don’t think he will, I haven’t tried to explain, how do I start that conversation? Hey Jax, I don’t exactly want to go, or to have you come with me, I don’t know, ok, Jax you stay here and i’ll walk down the steps and round the corner, stand there for a while and see if you followed. He would hate me forever! I don’t want him to get hurt. I don’t want to leave his house! Oh my word, I don’t want to leave, I don’t care if he came with me but I don’t want to leave! That’s the only problem… How? I’ve never wanted to stay put somewhere. Then again, i’ve never had a friend. Now I have a reason to stay somewhere! What do I do? I’m so lost. To think i’ve been laying on this floor all morning, just thinking. I wonder, What happened to Jaxington’s siblings?
“So, What happened to your siblings?”
“Oh, there at camp, I forgot to tell you that.”
“How many siblings do you have?”
“I have four little brothers and two little sisters, you want to know there names and ages too? I mean we are just sitting here so.”
“Yeah sure.”
“From youngest to oldest, at a surprising four years old we have the youngest boy, Kade, spelled K-A-D-E. The second youngest, but youngest girl, Cajiona, at 6 years old. Then there’s the third youngest, at seven years old, the second youngest girl, Jeminelly. Next, is the second youngest boy, fourth youngest sibling, only by one minute, at age twelve there’s Damontalen and the slightly older twin brother, Daliteration. Then the oldest of the younger kids, at age thirteen  years old. I believe that’s all, but there’s about to be another… Now moms pregnant again.”
“wow , I would not be able to remember all of them.”
“Yeah, but i’m with them so often so I can’t afford not to know, but it’s hard with the twins, their identical.”
“Oh my, I won’t be able to meet them though so I guess its ok.”
“Yeah, I just realized, I probably won’t see them for a long time.”
“True, unless we stay until they get back!”
“Yeah but then we won’t leave.”
“Well we will but it will but it will just be after you say goodbye to your siblings and maybe introduce me to them.”
“Ok if you say so maybe we can still go after that.”
“Jax,”
“Yeah?”
“What if we don’t go?”
“Well...I...umm...I don’t know, you mean will I be mad?”
“Well, yeah.”
“No I won’t be mad, I might be disappointed, but no not mad.”
“Well I want to go, but it’s a dangerous thing to do.”
“Maxilyndia, we can stay.”
“You sure?”
“Yes i’m sure.” I feel bad now,but excited because I get to stay but I can’t believe I just blew off my chance to walk away and be free again. I hope Jax isn’t mad.
“If you would like, you can call me Max, you don’t have to but if you want.”
“Ok,then Max, would you like to go on a short walk?”
“Sure, as long as you show me some place across this town.”
“Ok, Why not?”
“Let's go then!”
“Would you like to barrow a hoodie? It’s a little chilly.”
“Sure, got a green one?”
“Um yeah, that’s my second favorite color.”
“It’s my first!”
Cool, here you go.” he handed me a bright kiwi green hoodie. As I threw it over my head Jax had grabbed his hoodie and it was dark blue and had a castle on the front. On the back it had the name Tacklemen, and the number 2 under the name.
“What’s that hoodie from?”
“Oh, I played basketball last year.”
“I like it, and your last name sounds like you should be a football player.” I laughed at him.
“Oh yeah? Guess what,”
“What?”
“Daliteration plays.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, he's really good too.”
“Cool.” We walked out the door and down the sidewalk.
“So, where we going?” I’m only asking because it’s quiet and it feels weird.
“Um… lets go to the town square.”
“Ok, when did you say your siblings are getting back from camp?”
“Sometime today.”
“Oh, so i’ll be able to meet them?”
“Yep.”
“Great, i’ve been waiting.” we got to the town square and it was beautiful, lights and trees all around.
“This is the town square, the lights never seem to dem and the trees never die.”
“Its amazing and beautiful.”
“You want to head back to the house?”
“Yeah, i’m getting a little cold.” we walked back towards the house, Jax reached for my hand as we walked… I flinched… what was he doing? I’m just a friend who acts like a sister, why would he hold my hand? I don’t know, should I let him hold my hand...again? Oh boy, I think to much! Were almost home now and he's very quiet. I wonder if he's mad.
“What do you want to do when we get back?” well he's talking to me so he must not be mad.
“Um, I don’t know, we could play a game if you want.”
“Ok, What game?”
“I don’t know, we can figure that out when we get there.”
“Ok, works for me.” when we made it back to the house there was a big van in the driveway.