Chapter One: Home Coming

Lily stepped into the busy arrivals hall of Port Angeles Airport in Washington. After over an hour in the air being stuck next to a snoring man, she was glad to have some peace. The flight had been a rough one, with the cries of hungry babies, angering couples, and not to mention the continuous turbulence. Now, armed with her over packed suitcase and a worn denim bag, Lily went in search of a coffee shop. Some coffee and some me time, she thought to herself. That was the perfect remedy to a rough ride. Then the moment was shattered.

"Lil!" cried the high pitched shriek from the short, bleached blonde as she waved with ecstasy. Lily tugged back a stray of strawberry-blonde hair and crossed the busy airport terminal. A meek wave was all she could muster.

"Hey Chloe," she gasped as her cousin squeezed the life out of her with one of her bear hug.

"I've missed you so much," Chloe sniffed trying to hold back her tears.

"Yeah, me too. It's been a long time."

Chloe released her grasp and circled like a vulture. "God, you've changed so much."

Lily stood uneasy as Chloe continued to scan her from head to toe. What was the big deal? Lily had never though herself to be exceptional pretty with her heart-shaped face and petite features. She was slender but not unhealthily thin even though her skin was quite pale.

"I really like your outfit," Chloe remarked staring at Lily's combination of a yellow t-shirt, purple jacket and worn jeans. She wasn't quite sure if her cousin was being honest or just making small-talk after all these months.

"I haven't seen you in ages, not since….." and she stopped dead mid-sentence at the sickening expression on Lily's face. "Sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up."

"Its fine, you didn't mean it. Look, it's time to move on. Anyway, I'm here now and I'll be here for a while."

"Is that a promise or a threat," Chloe smiled lightly.

Lily smiled but didn't reply which caused an eerie silence to fall over them.

Chloe bit her lip, "So … are you hungry or do you feel like doing shopping or …?"

"No Chloe, I'm fine. I think the sooner I get to the house the better."

"Ok," she smiled taking Lily's suitcase and beginning to walk towards the exit. "So, how are you… after it all?"

"Good, better," she lied half believing what she was saying. Lily had always been a bad liar but she had been practicing that saying for months since the car crash.

Chloe opened the passenger door and Lily slid quietly in. She heard the click and sound of baggage being thrown into the backseat. Chloe jumped into the driver seat, turn the keys and pulled out of the airport The rest of the journey was pretty quite. Chloe talking about Forks and how much it has changed since Lily left. After a while, Chloe became bored of holding the conversation and turned the radio on low. She known that once Lily got to her old house and saw her mother things would get better. She was literally like a flower; a lily that just needed time to bloom. Give her some time, she said to herself.

*

Roughly, seventy-five minutes later they arrived in the town Forks, Washington. A small town with a population of just 3120 people, Forks was known to be one of the rainiest places in all of the United States. A constant cover of dark, gloomy clouds hung over the town.

The drive through town was less reminiscent that Lily had originally thought. She had expected childhood memories to come flooding back, like some sort of tidal wave. But no luck to both her dismay, and comfort.

Lily sighed and began to rub her purple Amethyst necklace, a habit she had of doing when she became nervous or embarrassed. "Home sweet home," she whispered.

It wasn't long before Chloe pulled up outside Lily's old house. Lily immediately knew it. It hadn't changed in the five years since she had been gone. Plus, her mother's shop "Isis" was still there; located in what used to be the garage.

With the car at a halt, Chloe turned and asked "Ready?" with which only a nod was given as a reply. She smiled before grabbing the bags from the backseat and headed into the house.

Lily sat there in the car, staring at her new home. It'll be just like old times, she though. But then the hard reality kicked in, this time dad wouldn't be here. She got out of the car, and stared at the cream colored, two-storey house. With a deep breathe, Lily folded her arms and walked into the house.

She looked around the hallway, the same color is had been five years ago. It lasted about fifteen steps before it opened up into a brightly-lit kitchen. The kitchen had all the usual household objects along with several countertops and a small table tucked neatly into the corner.

Lily walked into the kitchen and the sweet smell of vanilla filled her nostrils. A pot of herbal tea lay on the table, four teacups placed around it. Surrounding the small table were three smiling faces; one was Chloe, another Julianne Mason.

Julianne was the 30-something year old best friend of her mother who had always been Lily's own personal agony aunt. Her fiery red hair was cut short, the length down to her shoulders which surprised Lily, who was used to seeing her as this wild child who ran off to see Aerosmith and Gun n' Roses weekly.

The third was a smiling woman, whose face radiated in the natural sunlight. Her angelic face was so warm and inviting behind her tied up, sandy blonde hair. Her slender figure was dressed in a Led Zeppelin t-shirt with worn jeans and her hands were armed with bangles and rings.

"Hi Mom," smiled Lily, and this smile wasn't forced.