While most of the world was still plagued by winter, Alanna Miller found herself at the beach, alternating between laying out in the sun and swimming as far as she could before turning around and letting the tide push her back to shore. It had been a week since her due date had come and gone, and it had been her impatience that had pushed her out the door despite her mother's insistence that she stay home. "Today is the day, I can feel it." But the young woman had only scoffed while packing her beach bag and grabbing a few snacks from the pantry. It was during her trek back home, cutting through neighbors yards and crossing in the middle of the street, that the first contraction hit.
It was thirteen hours later, after screaming and cursing her way through the most painful (and yet simultaneously wonderful) experience of her life thus far, that Christopher and Alanna Miller welcomed their first child into the world. She was all pink-faced, matted hair, and hiccuping cries, but still the most beautiful things the two new parents had ever set their eyes on, and neither of them could quite figure out how it was possible to love someone they had only just met as much as they loved this little girl that they'd created together. It took them almost two whole days to name her after they'd discarded all the other options they'd come up with before, because none of them seemed fitting.
Nearly forty-eight hours later, after many disagreements, crumpled up pieces of paper that had been ripped from a phone message pad, and consulting with native Hawaiian speakers to ensure that their translations were accurate, Christopher and Alanna were finally able to decide on a name. Kaila Hiwahiwaikahi'ilani wasn't named after a person, or a place. Hers wasn't a name that came to them suddenly, nor was it one they'd chosen lightly. Her middle name was bestowed upon her because of the feelings she stirred in them, and because of what she already meant to them even after only knowing her for such a short time. And it was one they hoped would bring with it future blessings.
As a child, Kaila was both calm and quiet, generally content to sit back and watch everything that was going on around her. Everyone learned early on, though, that just because she was quiet, that didn't mean she wasn't exceptionally observant and a sponge when it came to learning about the way the world worked. And, when she acquired an interest in something, it was nearly impossible to get her to stop talking as she fired off question after question. She wanted to know everything about it that she possibly could, and she'd find her answers one way or another. In academia, this was a blessing, because there was always something new to discover and something more to learn.
It was this trait that found her parents filling out an application to get her into Hawaii's most prestigious of private schools. They knew that it was a long-shot, but they were determined to give her the best that they were capable of. The acceptance letter brought with it a sense of celebration in the Miller household. Not only were Christopher and Alanna proud of what Kaila had accomplished, but they were also excited about what it meant for her future. Because, like most private schools, the curriculum she'd be studying was far above that her public schools peers were studying. And, just as she'd always done, Kaila excelled in her studies far beyond what anyone had ever expected of her.
Unlike the average teenager, Kaila never went through the rebellious phase. She was the exact opposite, in fact. Studious and focused on school, motivated by her desire to get away from the place she'd called home all her life. It wasn't because she didn't love where she was from, and the person it had made her into, but because she wanted to see the world beyond the borders of the island. She knew there was more out there for her, and though she didn't know what that "more" consisted of, she wanted to get out there. She wanted to find it, and she wanted to know who she was in a place where everyone didn't know who she was. Her dreams were too big for a state so small.
Upon graduating from high school, with honors, she was accepted to the Film Directing program at the California Institute of the Arts - something she had only ever dreamed of. The move itself,however, was a little bit of a culture shock. She was a small town girl stuck in a much bigger city, and adjusting to the changes that presented didn't come easy for her. As with everything else in her life, though, she figured it out. She studied maps, memorized directions, wandered around Valencia in an effort to familiarize herself with her new surroundings. She made friends, she found a job, and she prepared herself for the next chapter of her life as best as she could before being thrust into it.
College life brought with it a whole new wave of issues. Sure, there were the typical ones that most college freshman went through. New surroundings. New curriculum. New expectations that they hadn't yet figured out how to meet. For Kaila, though, those issues also came with one she hadn't expected: a crush on her a professor that was at least ten years her senior. She found herself distracted in class by the most mundane things, and frequently having to see him during office hours because of that. It was during those office visits that she realized the crush wasn't as unrequited as she'd assumed it would be. The flirting was mostly innocent, though. A joke here. A touch there. Until it wasn't.
There was nothing serious about it, though. Despite the fact that Kaila wanted more, she was also very much aware of the chasm that existed between them. He was her professor, and she was just another co-ed passing through his class. It wasn't until she was out one night, enjoying herself at a local bar, that everything changed. One customer who couldn't keep his hands to himself, and a Knight in Shining Armor rescuing her from a situation that could have turned out so much worse than it had. He took her home to make sure she got there safe, and that somehow ended up with them falling into bed together. Thus began a push and pull between them that would last for the next few years.
Despite the distraction that was her love life - or lack thereof, as it were - Kaila was still the model student. She excelled in her classes the same way she always had. It was, at least in part, because this was something she had complete control over. The work wasn't nearly as confusing as the situation she'd found herself immersed in with Sawyer, and so it was easy for her to focus on that. On the notes and the nights she spent cramming for one exam or another. She still had big dreams, after all, and however she might have felt about the professor-turned-lover and the way they couldn't stay away from each other regardless of how much they tried, nothing was going to stop her from achieving them.
Their relationship took a turn about a year after she finished her B.F.A., and the push and pull turned into something more. Something tangible. Something that they wouldn't need to hide from the world. It wasn't perfect, but it was better than what it had been, and though they still had their struggles, they managed to figure things out. When he pushed, she pulled, refusing to let him hold her at arms length like he'd done for so many years. She didn't care that he had a daughter, or that he felt as if he was dragging her into something she wasn't ready for. She'd been his from the moment she'd walked into his class on that first day, and there wasn't a thing she wouldn't do to show him that.
It took Kaila three more years to finish school, graduating with an M.F.A. in film directing. And it took just as long for Sawyer to figure out that teaching on the college level wasn't what he wanted to do. So they moved, from Valencia to Anaheim where he'd landed a teaching position at the local high school. It was during that time, though, that she was offered a position at Walt Disney Studios. It was entry level, and required a two hour commute, but the opportunity was one she couldn't possibly pass up. They settled in, though, and made it work for them despite the long hours and the way her job cut into family time. It was more than worth it as she slowly began to work her way up the ranks.
In March of 2013, Kaila learned she was pregnant. She was as excited as she was terrified at the prospect of having her own little one. She wanted to experience everything she hadn't been able to experience with Tris, because even though she considered the young woman to be her daughter, the truth was she was nothing more than a maternal figure in her life. The pregnancy itself was a smooth one, free of anything more serious than the morning sickness that plagued her for the entire forty weeks and the usual aches and pains all pregnant women expected. In November of the same year, they welcomed their son into their already perfect little family. And who would have known it could be more perfect?
Almost two years later, and their lives have come together piece by piece. Kaila is still working for Walt Disney Studios as the Director of Creative Content, and Sawyer is changing the lives of high school students day in and day out. If perfection was something that Kaila believed in, she'd insist that she'd found exactly that when she was eighteen years old - fresh-faced and mostly innocent, stumbling into a college classroom and finding herself breathless over the man who stood at the front of the room. That doesn't mean life hasn't been without its hurdles, its pitfalls. And it certainly doesn't mean that there won't be more in the future. But, for right now, Kaila has found the world she was searching for.
