ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀᴅ | ɪ.ɢ

001

[ONE]

* . °•★𝓢𝓪𝔂𝓵𝓸𝓻☆•° . * 

ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴍʏ ʟɪꜰᴇ, ɪ ʜᴀᴅ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴋɴᴏᴡɴ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴀ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ꜱᴇʟꜰ ᴅᴇꜱᴛʀᴜᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ. Growing up, I was always the kind of person who would take risks first and think about the consequences later. My skin was a tapestry of scars, each one from a different stunt or activity. In the beginning, they were more tame and less dangerous.

But then, after my adoptive parents and oldest sister died, they got worse. It was as though I stopped caring about what happened to me. The rush of adrenaline was the only thing that delayed the pain. It was the world's most dangerous drug, and one that kept me hooked without relief. 

And the way I found these risks was through one of my favorite hobbies: surfing. 

I went from competing—and winning— to attempting tricks I knew I wasn't capable off, to falling off my board over and over again until I was dragged under water so many times that I would cough up salt water with each breath. I pushed myself harder and harder until the day Uncle Richard told me and my adopted sister, Jackie, that we would be moving to the middle of Colorado with a family my adopted mother had been close friends with for most of her life. 

Part of me was angry. That part wanted to stay in New York and continue my self destructive tendencies, shutting everyone I knew out of my life until I was left alone with my misery.

The other part of me, the part focused on my own self preservation, was happy to move. That part wanted a clean start, a way to live without the shadow of my family's death hanging over me, even though it meant leaving the only home I had ever known behind. 

So now, Jackie and I were standing in the airport with our suitcases, anxiously looking around for George and Katherine. 

"I say in ten minutes we hop on another plane and fly to England." I said, my eyes trying and failing to locate our new guardians. 

"Saylor." Jackie said in a tired voice and I rolled my eyes. 

"Just trying to lighten the mood." 

Her mood was very much not lightened. 

After a few more minutes of looking around, Jackie nudged my shoulder just as a woman with orange-red hair came jogging up to us.

Saylor! Jackie!" She exclaimed once she reached us, sticking out her hand in greeting. "We're so happy you're here."

I shook it in response. "Thanks, Katherine."

Then, her husband stepped forward and stuck out his hand. "We haven't met yet. I'm George. How...how was everything? Was the flight okay?"

"Yeah." Jackie nodded, speaking for the both of us. George nodded before glancing around.

"Do you need anything before we go? Get something to eat or...some coffee?" George said after a moment, glancing around the airport to the various restaurants.

I glanced sideways at Jackie before responding. "We're okay." 

The two of them exchanged sad looks before the four of us turned and walked out of the airport. When we got into the car, I put my AirPods and stared out the window. The song that was playing, Empire State of Mind (how fitting), reminded me of home. I shut my eyes and remembered the feeling of the ocean waves around my body, the adrenaline I got from surfing and the risks. Here, in the car, with my eyes shut and the music blasting, it was almost as if nothing had happened at all. I could pretend that everything was alright, that nothing had changed.