A/N

This is my second fanfic, and I love Twilight, so I'm gonna give it my best shot. The first few chapters are just giving you background on my original character...but the Cullens will make their appearance soon enough. Let me know whatcha think!

I do not own Twilight or any of its characters...sad days.


Refugee

Fat raindrops pelted my window as I leaned against it, my forehead resting on the cool glass. It felt good on my hot skin. I closed my eyes, letting out a sigh. She's getting married. Again. I spun around in my chair to look into the mirror on my closet door. I huffed at my reflection, my face still flushed from the argument. I closed my eyes, trying to steady my breathing.

"It won't hurt to just be nice to him, Ellie. I know he's not your father, but he is my…friend. And you can give him a little respect," my mother shouted, hesitating on the word 'friend'.

"But I do! Not once since he's been here have I NOT treated him with the utmost respect," I replied crossing my arms in front of me to keep from hitting the table.

"Then explain why every time I am not in the room with you two, Sean gets verbally attacked!"

Then I couldn't help it. I planted my fist into the table. "I really don't understand what you're talking about. I have never used one foul word against him, and you know it. I'm done here," I huffed, flashing a glare at Sean as he entered the room. I stormed down the hall to my room and shut the door, locking it behind me.

Just thinking about the argument that occurred just an hour ago made my blood boil. My mom's boyfriend had been visiting quite frequently since they met in January. Now it was May, and he decided that he wanted to claim her for his own. My first thought was that he seemed nice enough. He wasn't rude or offensive to me or my siblings, and he was actually pretty cool. But for some reason, he was getting vibes from me that didn't exist. He was constantly telling my mom that I mouthed off to him or was disrespectful to him in some way, which is one thing I didn't understand.

I lived in a single story, three-bedroom house with my mom and my brother, Tyler. My older sister, Cameron, had moved out years ago when she moved to the city for college. Before then, she and I shared my room. My mom divorced my dad when I was twelve, forcing him to move away to Arlington, which is a good two hour drive from Whitney. I'm guessing that was a deciding factor in where Cameron went to college. If she went to Forth Worth, she would be closer to our dad…and further from Sean.

A knock on my door shook me from my thoughts. "El, can I come in?" my mother asked.

"Sure," I said as I got up to unlock the door and let her in. The moment she looked at me I could tell she was still angry with me.

"I just got off the phone with your aunt. She's planning Braiden's sixteenth birthday and was asking me for them e ideas. I thought that since you're the better planner around here that you should talk to her. I told her you would call her in a few."

That kind of threw me off. I half expected her to come in and argue some more, but hearing that my aunt (my favorite part of the extended family from Washington) had called was a bit of a relief. She wanted me to help her plan Braiden's party? Everyone knew I was not a big party person, but as my mom said, I was decent with making plans. "I guess I'll call her then," I said, walking out my door and leaving my mom standing in the middle of my room. I strode into the kitchen and dialed the Kent household number. There was an answer after two rings.

"Hello?"

"Esther,hey! You wanted me to give you a ring?"

"El! I'm so glad to hear from you. Yea, we're trying to plan a sweet sixteen party for Braiden, and I am stumped on ideas. Can you help?"

"Well, I can try. Do you have an idea for a theme?"

"I have one idea…tell me what you think. Braiden and his friends have a newfound obsession with some video game called "Guitar Hero", so I thought I might go with a rock star theme. How does that sound," she asked. I could hear her grinning through her voice.

"Hmm, yea I've played Guitar Hero. That's actually not a bad idea." We ran through some other ideas for the party and then she threw a question at me that I wasn't expecting.

"So, how are you coping with Sean's proposal to your mother?"

There was a short silence before I decided to respond. "Not well. I can't seem to understand why after living with just the three of us for so many years, she has to remarry now. I just can't make myself believe that she's marrying him because she loves him."

"I guess the more appropriate question would be, how are you two getting along?" she said, emphasizing the word 'along'.

"Well I thought we were getting along fine, but apparently…according to him, I'm a pain in the ass." I heard my aunt giggle at my slip.

"So now we get to the real reason why I wanted you to call me. Your mother has been mentioning to your uncle how unhappy you seem to be now that she and Sean are getting closer. And I was thinking maybe you could take a break from the boondocks and come stay with us for a while. The kids would love to see you, and your uncle and I would be thrilled to have you."

Ah. So that's what this phone call was really about. I thought about the offer. It would be nice to see my cousins again. And I could get away from the chaos of my mother's engagement. I could easily kill two birds with one stone. A change in scenery would be nice, too.

"Gee, it would be nice to see y'all again. I haven't seen you guys since Grandma passed away. I think I could stand to get away for a while, although I'm not sure why you're calling Whitney the boondocks. Do you really think Forks is any different?" I teased.

"Forks is a glorious town, dear niece. You just don't have any true appreciation," she chuckled, "Please come stay with us! We could go camping, and I'm sure Gail will want to take you shopping in Port Angeles... maybe even Seattle. We can fly you in. You won't even have to worry about your air fare."

"Seriously, like, you would pay for my trip up there? Well, what am I waiting for? I should start packing now. When do you want me?"

"Hmm…let me talk to your mom for a bit so we can make some arrangements."


~ One month later~

My eyes darted around the airport, looking for the familiar faces of my aunt and uncle. It had been a disgustingly boring flight from Dallas to Seattle, but luckily I was able to take a little siesta on the plane. I was smart enough to only pack one suitcase and carry a backpack on the plane so I didn't have too much to lug around. I then caught sight of my uncle's smiling face.

"El! Girl, how have you been? It's been too long," my uncle Gerald said, scooping me up into a hug. He stood a good few inches above me, being 6'2". He pulled away, ruffling my hair and smiling down at me. Gerald had always been one of my favorite relatives. I liked to call him Gerry.

"I've been great! I know it's been too long, everything has been so different since Grandma passed. It seems like we never make trips to Forks anymore now that it's just Grandpa," I said as I caught Aunt Esther flashing a smile my way.

"How was your flight? I hope it wasn't too dull, even though it was a long trip. Let's get you to the house so your cousins can maul you," Gerald chuckled, taking my suitcase and rolling it behind him. Esther slung her arm around my shoulder and we walked side by side behind Gerald.

The drive to Forks was only about an hour (with the way Gerry drove), and we talked most of the time while I gazed out the window. They asked me about school and getting ready to graduate, what my plans were for after graduation, and what college I was interested in. I kind of answered their questions half-consciously since I was awed by the scenery we were passing. The fur trees were so tall and thick, almost blue in color. The mist that clung to the air was almost eerie. Yet at the same time there was almost an ethereal feel to the place. The feeling of being home, or at least a second home, fluttered into my stomach as we pulled up the gravel drive to the Kent's place. The house was obscured by dogwoods and furs, and I wouldn't have known a house was there if it wasn't for the glowing lamps shining through the foliage. Soon we had passed the trees and Gerald turned off the engine. I leapt out of the car with my backpack and stood by the car, turning in a complete circle to see the place. The house hadn't changed a bit since I was last here, and the only difference in the shed was the new Ford F-250 parked outside. That must have been Andrew's. He was always into pickups. I was pulled out of my thoughts when I heard a smooth voice.

"Well, look who decided to leave the boonies to come see us. Guys, Cuz is here!" cried my cousin Abigail (who is called Gail for short). I turned to see her standing at the top of the porch steps. She was still as pretty as she was last time I saw her. She stood slender at 5'8" with wavy red hair. Her skin was pale with a healthy flush in her cheeks. Her emerald green eyes were piercing mine, even from five feet away. When we made eye contact her perfect pink lips pulled back to show me a smile of pearly white teeth. She ran to me and threw her arms around me. I then heard a stampede of footsteps behind us and turned to see Andrew, Braiden, and William behind her. She pulled away and looked at me, a contemplative look gracing her features. The boys did the same.

"What? Did I grow two more heads or something?" I asked, confused as to why they were staring at me.

"In only three years, you've blossomed. Absolutely blossomed," Andrew said, smiling. His entire face lit up when he did that. And he wondered why he was so popular with the ladies.

"Oh, come on. I look just the same as I did then. I just got a little taller," I shrugged, waving away the compliment.

"No, you really have gotten prettier, Cuz. Not to say you weren't pretty then, it's just that…well, you've become a young woman, I guess you could say," Gail said, punching me lightly in the shoulder. Never since I had known her had Gail ever been a timid, gentle girl. I guess that's what having three brothers did to you. I blushed at the compliment and had to turn away as I noticed the rest of the family nodding in agreement.

"How does Rib-eye sound to everybody? I feel like fixing something good for Ellie's first night here," Gerald said.

"Aw, Uncle Gerry, you don't have to do that."

"But I want to. It's been kind of a hectic week here for all of us, and we could all use a nice dinner," he said, getting a grin of agreement from his wife. "I'll get the grill going. Why don't you guys get Ellie settled in."

"On it," Braiden said, giving his dad a mock salute. "You know where your room is, let's get inside before the bottom falls out again," he eyed the clouds suspiciously. They did look a little heavier than usual, even for Washington. We trampled inside, climbing the stairs to the second floor where the bedrooms were. At the end of the hall was my room, with two windows that looked out at a stream. The room had an earthy theme to it. The walls were made of cedar paneling, and everything was either cedar, forest green or blue. The floor was wooden, with a bear hide rug in the middle. Gerald had always been a big hunter, and the interior décor of the house was proof. I went straight to my desk to plug in my laptop. I had only been away from home for a few hours, and already my mom had emailed me. Oddly, it only consisted of a few sentences:

Hey Ellie,

Just wanted to make sure you found your aunt and uncle in the airport. Hope you have fun.

-Mom

Normally she wrote me a freaking novel when she wrote, and always signed it with an "I Love You". I guess Sean really was brainwashing her. I suddenly felt guilty for leaving my brother at home with them. Andrew had evidently been reading over my shoulder, because I heard a loud huff behind me.

"She's gone through a lot of changes, hasn't she?" He asked, rereading the email with his face set in a deep frown.

"Yea, apparently within the last year she decided that we weren't enough for her," I replied bitterly.

"I still don't understand what was wrong with Allen. He was nothing but loving and supportive of her, and you kids."

"I don't think she ever really cared about Dad. Her eyes always looked dead and empty when they were together."

"Well, maybe she got married for the wrong reasons. That happens more often than you realize," he added thoughtfully. All I did was shrug in response as I finished unloading my suitcase. We both jumped as a bright flash of lightning jumped across the room as the windows rattled. Seconds later, rain started pelting the windows.

"Hmm…a big thunderstorm, loud rain, our favorite cousin in town for a visit…sounds like the ideal recipe for a sleepover in the den," Abigail announced waltzing into the bedroom. "Any takers?"

"Only if I pick the movie. No chick flicks this time. You and your friend almost killed us last time with Pride and Prejudice," Andrew said, grimacing.

"Sounds good to me, but I'm with Drew. No chick flicks. That's just a little too much fluff for me," I agreed, getting a disapproving look from Gail. Even though she was no girly girl, she still liked the soppy mushy gushy romance movies. We moved down to the den and scattered quilts and pillows on the floor. Andrew and Braiden decided on Without A Paddle, and we fell asleep shortly after the ending credits rolled onto the screen.

I remember lying on the carpet, wrapped up in my quilt like a cocoon and staring up at the ceiling. It was white with sparkles in it, held up by dark maple beams. As I lied there, I thought about seeing the look on my mom's face as I disappeared through the terminal. She didn't even look concerned by the fact that I was going to be hundreds of miles from home for the summer. She didn't even look like she cared. I remember seeing the way she sank backwards into Sean, whose arms were around her waist. Something just wasn't right here.


Let me know what you think! I hope it wasn't too much of a drag...

~Rhythmic5