Are you sure we are awake? It seems to me yet we sleep, we dream
~ William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream
Deep in Oregon in the season of fall a town sits a town covered by clouds that are sometimes filled with rain ,and winds that are great for surfing. This is Waterville,Oregon, a quiet town with tucked away beaches and Tidepools in the warm seasons. Great for its tourism. So here I am Jc Walkman moving back here after ten years in my junior year of high school after both my parents died in what the detectives deemed a drunken accident. My grandparents don't believe them and neither do I.
So here I am back in Waterville where my life began and I stayed here until I was six and now I am back at the age of sixteenth. Alone with a million dollar inheritance that was put into a guardianship with my grandparents. I didn't know anyone other than my grandparents and I barely knew their side of the family either. So here I am standing alone at the airport waiting for my grandparents to come pick me up. Watching as people came and went in their cars or someone picking them up.
An hour went by and my grandparents still weren't here. I looked at the old watch my pops had left behind and it was four pm. It was gonna get dark soon and I was beginning to get irritated. I mean maybe I shouldn't be getting irritated. They were old, maybe they had forgotten but I didn't want to blow up their phone calling them. Soon a blue pick up truck pulled up with a long haired native american guy. "Jc"? He said. "Jc Walkman"? I looked around confused on who this guy was and how'd he know my name. "Yeah that's me. How do you know me"?
"Your grandparents sent me Miranna Walkman and Merle Walkman". "Oh yeah". He got out of the truck, his head and the top of his body towered over it and when he drew closer to me I had to stare up at him. I felt my eyes go huge and the height and build of this guy, He was all teeth smiling down at me and he had sort of a limp and a kind of accent. "I'm Mahkai Davis. I work with your grandad on the boats". "Oh okay". I said awkwardly. Mahkai grabbed my suitcases and put them on the back of his truck.
I got in the passenger seat and put my seat belt on nervously on how this conversation was going to go. It was quiet for the most of the moment and I found comfort in this. Maybe Mahkai noticed I didn't want to talk but he turned up the radio giving me a nod when I looked at him. We drove through roads of forest and over bridges that overlooked waters. Through the main town where people stopped and waved to Mahkai and stopped to let him pass. "You might be home alone for a couple of hours your pops is on the boat and your grandmas working a shift at the hospital they weren't able to get it off if you want you can come my house we live a couple of houses down from you grandparents I got twins that are your age you can hang out with them for a while if you like". I nodded. "Yeah I would like that".
We pulled into this neighborhood that was surrounded by trees and a big lake laid beyond it that had this red tint to it. "That's bloody lake". Mahkai said seeing my interest in it. "Why Bloody Lake"? I asked. "A lot of people died in that lake". "What"?! I said bewildered. Mahkai let out a huge laugh hitting his steering wheel and me being so worried over the fact that people died in a lake that I would be living by. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding son the lake has a large iron deposit that turns it red hence the name bloody lake although a man was found drowned there last year around this time". "That doesn't make me feel better". I turned my lip and stared back out at the lake. "Looks like real blood". Mahkai chuckled. "Maybe it is. Strange things happen in Waterville". There was this silence that made me think Mahkai was half joking, half serious about strange things happening in Waterville.
From what my parents told me about Waterville and what I could mostly remember about the place. Waterville was originally a military base. Sure they had their fishing and logging here and there but it was mostly known for being a military base. For what war no one knows only the fact that it was still running after the war the military base was made for was ended. Some suspected experiments were going on but really they said the military base just turned into factory making vehicles,weapons,etc for the military. Eventually the base was shut down and now just laid abandoned and run down. Often vandalized by the youth. This is all I knew about Waterville. I was too young when I moved from Waterville to remember anything other than my grandparents.
I had fragments of my dad coming home in a military uniform. Some nights him and my mom would be arguing about that military uniform and I didn't know why. Whatever the argument was about it caused our family to move. For my dad to become a detective and my mom picking back up becoming a doctor in Michigan. A doctor and a detective driving under the influence. Who in their right mind would believe a story like that.
We ended up pulling to this sort of two story shack house. Different cars and motorcycles were in the front yard and driveway. "You're very expressive". Mahkai said, staring at whatever expression was on my face. "No its just how does one acquire these many vehicles". Mahkai chuckled. "I fix up cars on the side with my sons and sell them later". We both got out of the car and started walking up to the front door. I glanced at each of the cars as I went past them .
Setting my eyes on this old black ford pickup truck. "Like that one"? Mahkai pointing with your eyes. "Oh yeah its pretty nice vintage"? I asked. "Yup funny how you set your eyes on that one considering its your dads and now yours". Mahkai shuffling through his keys looking for one of the front door. "My dads"? "Yup Jackson that was his truck, me and your father used to be buds back in the day". "Really". Mahkai nodded. "Both served in the army I left for fishing and auto and he left to be a detective". I didn't know what to say so I stayed quiet just looking at the black pickup truck. The same pickup truck that my father sat in, possibly my mother too.
Mahkai patted my back with his huge hand. It almost felt like a slap across the back with how heavy handed he was. "I'll have her fixed up in no time come on in". He said opening the door. But just as we were coming in someone was going out. "I'm leaving". She said with this sort of raspy voice. She was a black girl with glasses. She seemed to be around my age. She had a splint on her right arm with a camera around her neck. It looked expensive. "Hey Noah". Mahkai said. The girl Noah smiled and said back to him. "This is Jc". "Hi". I said, holding my hand out nervously. "Oh". Noah said, waving her splinted arm and held out her left hand instead. "Sorry". I said embarrassed that I held out my left hand instead of my right.
"Its all good". She said smiling. Only I noticed a sort of sadness in her eyes. Her hair was kind of poofy and in her eyes a little bit,it rested on her shoulders. She was kinda tall. I was six feet and her head rested just at my shoulder. She was a mature kind of pretty. Her eyebrows kind of furrowed a little but I think that was just her natural face. By her smile I could tell she was nice but a little shy. "I gotta go". Noah said rushing past us.
She seemed nervous almost scared which was weird because it seemed I was the only one who noticed this especially by Mahkai's reaction. "Always in a rush, that one very clumsy too". "Clusmy"? I said stepping into the house. "Yup seems like she has a new cut or broken something on her". I began taking my shoes off at the door concerned by all I was hearing.
"This is home". Mahkai said leading me into the living room. Everything looked like it was created by cut down trees and carved into the walls and furniture. The couch didn't look very soft. But Mahkai reassured weirdly and held his hand out for me to sit down and when I did it was actually more comfortable than it looked.
The back and the sides of the couch were wooden with carved shapes and images on it. But behind was this green cushion and another one where you sat down. It was so soft I felt like I could just stink into it and fall asleep. My jet lag could certainly use it. It was all these different patterns and shapes around the house. A grand wooden stairs case laid to the left of the living room and just passed it was this huge wall with photos of what it looked like Mahkais family.
I'm guessing that's where the rest of the house was. Two chairs and another loveseat were beside the huge couch I sat on with the same cushions. In front was a brick fireplace and a tv mounted on the wall above it. The living was cozy but it was kinda cluttered. Photos and statues and drawings here and there.
The house smelled like cinnamon. Like someone was cooking a dessert or something which only made me even more comfortable. I sunk deeper and deeper in the couch I was sitting on. Forgetting that Mahkai just left me alone and went who knows where. But I didn't mind and soon I felt myself drifting off to sleep.
Not knowing that a couple minutes later I would be awakened by a sudden presence I felt over me. "Is he asleep"? A girl said, staring at a boy who kinda looked like her. "I think so". The boy said. They were crouched over me taking and looking back and forth at each other and me like they were thing one and two.
"Should I wake him"? She asked, "I don't know." He said "He might find that rude though". She said "I don't know". He said "You don't know"? She asked. "Yeah I don't know". He said. I mean, were they both slow, why were they talking like this? "He is right here". I said sitting up. "Woah". They both said startled jumping back.
"Kitchi kateri this is JC". Mahkai said, sitting in the chair beside me. "JC"? Kateri was the and Kitchi was the boy. Twins that Mahkai was talking about. "Is it short for something"? Kateri asked. "Jackson Claude". I answered.
Kateri and Kitchi looked at each other confused by my name. "Jackson Claude Walkman". I almost shouted. "JC for short because my dads Jackson Claude". "Why don't they just make you JJ"? Kitchi said, sitting down next to me.
"Do I look like a JJ"? I said smartly. "Yeah". They both answered at the same time. "What"? I looked at Mahkai for help who nodded also. "JJ huh". For the rest of the night I hung out with the Davis family. Eventually Mahkai fell asleep in his chair and I went upstairs with the twins. We went into Kitchi's room where he had this gaming system, an old xbox 360. But it worked like it was brand new. Kitchi had all this technology in his room. Some of it was just parts and some of it was put together. Old cameras,computers, and radios. "What are you building"? I asked. To which he replied. "You don't even wanna know". With this mischievous smirk on his face.
Kateri who was on the bed reading these old spiderman comics rolled her eyes. "He's trying to build a device to spy on the military". Kateri sighed. "Military? Your dad said that place shut down". "Kitchi the engineering sociopath he is thinks their still around". "They are still around". Kitchi scoffed.
Kateri shook her head. I began to really look around Kitchi's room after this. He had blueprints on the wall of things he was building or other things that were already built. No pictures of his family or any posters of movies or shows. Only one thing stood out among the litter of blueprints that was plastered over his wall. It was a picture of a woman and Mahkai. They both were holding the twins and smiling. The house was behind them only it was littered with cars on the lawn and it seemed like it was being built on. Just below that was an obituary with her face on it. Kitchi had taken her whole face and Kateri's was Mahkai. Now my answer from earlier wondering when their mom was coming home was answered.
My grandpa didn't come get me until ten that night. And when he looked at me he kind of flinched. "You look just like your old man". My grandfather patted me on the back. "His stuff is still in my truck, I'll get it out for you". Mahkai following us out. "See you at school JJ". The twins yelled from the door. "Yeah see you". "JJ"? My grandfather asked.