Something I Could Never Do
We were hiking just off the 101, near Forks. Mum's eyes were filling with tears as we made our way through the ferns. There was obvious excitement in her expression when a great pool of light beyond us became apparent. Mum ran into the light with expectant eyes, she turned back to me; her face fell slightly when she saw me still thrashing at the overgrown ferns.
"This place is very special to me, Alison" she told me, she seemed to be somewhere else within her mind though.
"Okay" I replied, finally stepping out of the darkness called trees.
I did a whole turn once I reached the centre of the meadow, one word to describe it would be: beautiful. However, I felt that it had been bigger and that the forest had attempted to close it up. The straight cutting lines of a knife were visible at the edges; leading off to the forest.
"Why is this place special to you Mum?" I questioned, what makes this so different from any other meadow in Washington? I pondered. When she didn't answer, I looked to where I thought she was. No-one was to be seen, I ventured closer to Mum's supposed location and I could see her familiar brown hair in the wild grass that shone like diamonds in the sunlight. When I stopped to listen, I could hear her sobbing. I rushed over to her, being careful not to get my feet tangled in the shimmering grass.
"Mum!" I called, "Why are you upset?" Her head turned towards me as I struggled to her side. She beckoned for me to sit with her and then took in a breath. As if she were bracing herself for something. I settled in the grass and lay with her in silence, just staring at the brilliant blue sky. For Forks, today's weather was a privilege. I patiently waited for her to begin talking for a good hour.
"I'm not in love with Jake," she said softly. It came as no surprise to me, in all my sixteen years of life I couldn't remember one occasion where my dad had told her he loved her, not even when he was drunk. I always got the feeling that Mum was somehow unwanted in the house; as if she were preventing something. I'd never seen Mum tell Dad she loved him either. So it was clear to me, that I was a mistake and that I had ruined them.
"I know" I answered truthfully, seeing as I couldn't lie to save my life. Mum turned to me again with a glint in her eye, one tear escaped.
"Like mother, like daughter, eh?" she chuckled. "Your powers of perception are astounding" this time, she winked. How could she be so cheerful and lighthearted about this?! She was telling her daughter that she was born into a loveless family, and that the marriage was a sham. She was effectively telling me that I was a mistake. I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes; breathing deeply. I stayed like that for a while as I regained control of my building anger. Mum laughed disbelievingly through her flowing tears.
"When did you start doing that?" I refused to open my eyes, because I honestly didn't know. She percieved my silence rightly and then mumbled someting like: He's everywhere".
"Who is?" I asked exasperatedly.
"The reason why this meadow is so special to me," she replied "his name was Edward Cullen and since his departure, I've never been capable of love again. We were soul mates, I'm sure of it. But he didn't return my feelings." Mum was choking up by the end of her little speech, I opened my eyes and rolled over to hold her while she soaked my shirt. She eventually calmed down, her broken heart freeing itself up.
"I'm sorry Mum" I told her, hoping it might help.
"What are you sorry for? You didn't do anything, it was my on fault for thinking he'd fallen in love with me: the Plain Jane of Forks High School. I was foolish" she wiped the last tears away.
"You're beautiful Mum, as beautiful as this meadow. Edward was an ass - quite clearly" I concluded.
"Don't you think you're a tad biased, Alison?" she joked. I feigned offense.
"No" I chuckled. Then Mum's eyes caught something in the background, her expression turned to that of worry, fear and determination. She rose, gripping onto my arm and pulled me up too. She shoved me behind her as she faced a red-haired women with terrifying crimson eyes while her skin shone like a million tiny diamond facets.
"And so the circle of life continues" her voice was heavy with threat, her stance matched it as she crouched like a wild cat ready to capture it's prey on the other side of the meadow. "Isn't she sweet?" her eyes appraised me behind my mother. The woman stood up straight and came towards us, she stopped only a few metres away."Both human, so...Edward got bored of you finally?" Mum ignored the taunting comments from this stange woman and told me to do something I could never do if I had the choice:
"Run"
A/N: Okay, it's another story, I'm sorry. But it came to me and I'm quite proud of it so far...lol Well I hope you like it, if you do - REVIEW!
Chapter Song: Roads by Portishead