@witchlyaveryfrost
This was the last time Malia Tate was ever going to be at Henry Tate's house.
She wasn't sad in the least that Henry had decided to move to Texas; if anything, she was kind of shocked he hadn't moved away from Beacon Hills years ago. She hadn’t lived there full-time for weeks - she’d slowly been moving what little she had over to the loft.
Malia pulled the front door shut, balancing a box on her hip. Her adoptive father had already moved out; she was just returning for this last box of her meager belongings. In it, a woven blanket Talia Hale had given to Henry and Evelyn Tate upon their adopting Malia, a faded pair of jeans, extra boot laces, and Kylie's favorite doll.
She exhaled as the trunk to her station wagon clunked shut and ran her fingers through her hair. On to the next thing.
She had a new job, a new place to live, a new family.
She was moving in with Derek. She had a job with the Search and Rescue. She had her pack.
She pulled out of the driveway and cranked her window down.
Before completely pulling out of the neighborhood, she found herself drawn to the Frost/Volt home. She decided she'd stop by, say hello to the kids, maybe play a game of foursquare in the driveway and grab a burger. It always seemed like Avery’s stepdad was barbequing something.
She'd always loved her neighbor’s house - it was full of noise and warmth and laughter. Avery hadn't been there for a long time, and Xavier had moved out, but she couldn't help herself from visiting one last time.
As she approached the door and knocked, she caught a familiar scent.
Could it really be?
No, she was at boarding school. She wasn't coming back. It couldn't be her.
Confused, Malia took a step back as she waited for someone to come to the door, looking around for confirmation. She was intently sniffing the air with such intensity, she hardly registered the sound of the front door creaking open.
And then it was just like she just knew it was all real, like no time had passed at all. She looked on the face of the girl she loved, and with a lump in her throat, croaked out, "Hey, neighbor."