October 18th, 1987
Ashgrove, Oregon
Tessa Blaire Kincaid. The misfit of the family, sent away at age nine by her parents because they were too busy to try and correct her behavior at home the proper way, is finally returning home. Only she is so much different than when she left. Not just on a "Oh you've grown into such a beautiful young lady" way, more of the type of kid one would see when they mask themself for the public view. She has turned into such a school crazed, obedient, infantilized, high school girl to the public eye, but when she is alone, or with people she trusts, she is a rocker rebel. This is a side she hid from her aunt due to the fact that this is the type of girl that "No sane man" would ever want.
Tessa is the master of switching her personalities at will, making herself the nerdy girl in class to avoid dirty looks from popular girls and jocks, to being a hard rocker when she plays with her bandmates. Well, her now ex-bandmates. Moving back to Ashgrove means leaving her whole life behind. She knows that she can just be the way she wants to be in this new place, but fears that her parents will force her back, or make her into the thing she hates most.
She is currently on a bus to Ashgrove, only an hour left of the drive. It has taken her almost 9 hours to get to this point, and she finally gets to see her older brother again. She hopes he hasn't changed much, or if he has, then that they still get along like they used to.
On the bus, she is dressed in a Metallica shirt, dark blue jeans, combat boots, and a leather jacket with a Metallica patch on the right lower side by her hip, and a Motley Crue patch on her left breast pocket. An elderly woman looks at her with disgust from across the bus, muttering something along the lines of, "Girls these days have no class." Tessa knows these stares and comments all too well, hearing plenty when she was out on the town with her bandmates.
As the bus looms closer to Ashgrove , she feels an intense sense of nervousness to see her family again, hoping she will only be dealing with her brother. It would be a miracle if her parents were there. She can only assume that they have become even more distant as Mason grew older, but she could be wrong.
As the bus reaches the bus stop in Ashgrove, she grabs her suitcase and her loaded backpack, slinging her guitar case on her back. and getting off, looking around the town. Almost nothing has changed in the seven years she was gone, and she isn't sure if that is a good thing or not. She was told before heading there that her family still lives in the same house as before, and she is pretty sure she can find it, given that some of the landmarks are still in the same place as they were when she was little.
She spends about fifteen minutes walking before seeing the house, knocking, waiting, praying, that only her brother is there.
Mason answers the door after the second round of knocking, seeing a girl there, instantly knowing who it is. He reaches around Tessa and hugs her tight.
"Tess! I can't believe that you are finally home!" Mason exclaims as her arms wrap around her brother in a loving sibling bond, a smile creeping onto her face as she hears the nickname he gave her all those years, the first time she has heard it in what feels like forever.
"Missed me Mase?" She jokes with him, knowing damn well the answer to that question.
Mason steps aside and helps her bring her stuff in and into her old room, all of her old stuff is in there. She hated the decor her parents forced her to have to try and fit in with the popular nine year olds at the time, but she can finally make it her own space. She sets her guitar case, backpack, and suitcase on her bed, opening them. Two very different people fall out of the bags, one being a sweet, innocent, cheerful girl, the other being a metalhead. Mason is happy that she is back and knows who she is, even if he knows that this is the reason she was sent away in the first place.
"You learned guitar?" He asks, as if it wasn't obvious by the callouses on her fingers and the acoustic she had on her when she arrived.
"Yeah, used to be in a band. I couldn't bring any of my electric stuff with me. Bus wouldn't allow it." She says, a slight tone of irritation as she remembers what she can't have.
"Well I'm pretty sure we can take a day and go up state a ways and get you a new one." Mason says in a cheerful tone, wanting to help her become her true self. "Now let's talk. I haven't even gotten a phone call from you in over 9 months. Thought you had died or something."
"Aunt Ness told me I couldn't make any calls because she's a control freak." Tessa says, crossing her arms over her chest with a huff.
"Glad to see some things never change." Mason states, leaning against the door frame. "Come sit at the table, I'll make you some lunch. My girlfriend taught me a few things."
"You can get one of those?" She smirks, always having loved messing with him.
"Yeah yeah, get it all out Tess." He rolls his eyes, nothing bad behind it though.
Tessa is quickly learning that coming home isn't as bad as she thought it could have been.