VIRAGO

skreigh

skreigh (v.) - utter a harsh abrupt scream

She made the executive decision to not waste the entire evening driving back to Harbor Beach to head to her aunt and uncle's house in Ann Arbor. Nash was not totally on board still, but he understood that it was not worth driving all the way home just to come back, so they made the thirty minute drive, Samantha too anxious to take any sort of nap. She had let her Aunt Kim and Uncle George know they were coming, and although they knew why and wished it were under better circumstances, they were still excited to see their niece. Nash had only met this aunt and uncle a few times, but they were pleasant people, her uncle being her father's brother.

They pulled into the driveway around ten that evening, the porch light being turned on upon their arrival and her aunt and uncle stepping outside. She got out of the passenger seat and looked at them with a small smile on her face. The last time she saw her aunt and uncle was before they moved to Harbor Beach, before her father went to prison, and their meeting was a long time coming. Between her being out of the state and across the country the last five years, for the most part, she had not had time to make the trip to visit them. She had always been close with them, though, keeping up to date with one another from phone calls and video chats.

"Sam, it's so good to see you." Uncle George told her as she walked up, and she gave them a tired smile as she hugged both of them. "Nash, a pleasure."

"Always, sir." He responded, shaking his hand.

"I wish we were visiting under different circumstances." Samantha said.

"So do we." Aunt Kim agreed, squeezing her hand. "I just want you to know how sorry we are for what Clarke did to you. We had no idea." She added, telling her face to face like she had over the phone and video calls a dozen times.

"I know." She answered, putting her hand over hers. She could not understand how they took him in under their own roof, but she understood that he was still family, he was her uncle's brother after all.

"He's waiting for you in the kitchen." Uncle George said, and she nodded, brushing past her aunt and uncle to head into the house, leaving Nash behind.

"You're not going with her?" Her aunt asked him, and he shook his head.

"No, if I see him I'll probably do something I regret." He responded, and she nodded, understanding.

"Wanna see what I've got in the garage?" Uncle George asked him, and he smiled, nodding.

Any anxiety she was having about meeting her father face to face for the first time in five years was rushing back to her. She was not alone, but she might as well have been since she knew none of them followed her inside. She had no idea how to feel, what she would say to him. However, her feet continued to carry her forward down the main hallway to where the kitchen was, and when she stepped inside, her heart seemed to stop. She forgot how to breathe, and any bruises that she once had however long ago seemed to throb at the sight of him. Clarke Reed had bulked up in prison, his arms showing much more definition than they ever had, his blonde hair she inherited was much lighter and thin, his brown eyes coarse and hardened. However, when he saw her standing in the doorway, his shoulders dropped and any emotion he had been holding back she visibly saw surface. She took a step into the kitchen as he stood up from the table, walking towards her to give her a hug, but he saw her flinch as he raised his arms up and decided against it.

"Sam," Clarke trailed, not knowing what to say. There were a few more minutes of silence as he backed away to the opposite side of the kitchen, giving her space to sit or stand if she wanted to. "Look at you, all grown up." He commented, and at this she looked up.