Please excuse me if this is no good...it's my first fanfic... please be patient with me, my friends :)
Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Twilight... for those of you wish to buy it's rights, please contact Ms Stephanie Meyer :)
-:-
If the destruction of Forks should occur, I would be the one to blame.
I would gladly purchase an illegal machete, revolver or rifle to annihilate the whole town and rid the Olympic Peninsula of such an unfortunate place. Everywhere is wet, mouldy and green. The people are dead to the rest of the world, and those which are not, are risking their lives by living there. I can consider myself to become one of the dead people soon after I arrive in town, robbed of my usual exuberant disposition. One thing that I will surely not be blamed for is my death.
The words float around in my head and I chuckle darkly as the annoyed voice in my head thinks of strategies to escape the clutches of my new home. My parents are happily rattling on about grandpa's old diner in Forks: the one which we will be refurbishing as soon as we arrive. One that I will have to work in to earn my share of the money. Their happy recollections of what had, and will, be do not ease my irritation as my father pushes our car to its limit towards the border of Port Angeles, the closest form of civilization to Forks.
"Oh darling, it's going to be so wonderful! A fresh start, all over again, for all of us!" my mother beamed from the front seat as my dad nodded in agreement.
"The diner is a jewel, and the income is great," he added.
Yeah, probably because it's the only place where there is any sort of life in this town. I sighed and watched the air form a white cloud in front of my mouth. The temperature was already decreasing rapidly, and the thin, leather jacket that I was wearing was doing nothing to keep the cold at bay. I shivered in my seat as we sped down the highway, passing numerous tree logs as we went along. Shouldn't come as a surprise that they have loads of fireplaces and logs to light them with in a place like this- Forks is literally all trees, no buildings.
A great contrast to Boston, when you think about it. All cars and pollution and shops around every corner… I guess that's why Ada wanted to move so badly: we were getting too immersed in the busy material life. I ran my fingers through Atticus' soft fur. The lucky dog had managed to sleep in the car and his soft snores were making me jealous of his comfortable unconsciousness.
"Anna? Are you listening to a word that I'm saying? For god's sake! Get your head out of the clouds, girl, you're not little anymore- you're seventeen! It's high time you grow up!" she shrieked at me, her hands flailing in the air around her head.
I could almost see dad's eyes rolling in his head as she went on, complaining about my lack of involvement in the family, my constant dreamy- state, my lazy attitude towards things that should be my responsibility… the list goes on and on as she finds more things to talk about, to voice her thoughts and opinions to all of us. I envied Atticus at that moment and felt sorry for dad as I pulled out my iPod and turned on the music whilst tuning out my mother's annoying monologue. My eyes traced the scenery outside my window, absorbing the details and colours of the various objects that caught my interest. Although I had complained about having to move to a place forgotten to all mankind, I didn't actually have to hate all of Forks. At least, not the parts that I liked, namely the quiet forests and my room. Definitely not school. I rested my head against the chilling window pane and closed my eyes, succumbing to strange dreams of green and gold.
***
"We're here!" Ada cried as she jumped out of the car and made her way to the porch, expertly avoiding all the puddles on the stone pathway. Dad followed her inside, sloshing through the puddles with his knee- high Wellingtons in a less graceful manner. I remained inside the car and watched the house from outside. It was a pretty place, almost like a doll's house, pulled out of a picture book and placed in this unforgotten town. The roof was a lovely terracotta red, sheltered slightly by an old oak tree to the right of the house. The doors and windows were painted a caramel brown, polished and glossy in the vague light filtering through the clouds. The front porch was large, overlooking a front yard, dead and deprived of flowers or colour. All that remained was dirty looking grass and mud.
"Atticus, wake up." I gently rubbed circles on his back, moving his body until his dark, small eyes opened and looked at me in annoyance. "Come on, we have to go inside." I slid my hand under his belly and lifted him to my chest. I stepped outside and the cold hit me like a wave of chill. I tried to avoid the puddles, like Ada, but failed greatly as water seeped into my shoes.
By the time I got to the porch steps, my socks and jeans were soaking wet, my hair sticking to my forehead. Water droplets travelled down the plains of my face and into my shirt and I tried to quicken my step. Atticus barked as we reached the shelter of the porch and I smiled at him.
"Yes boy, this is our new home. Strange, isn't it?" Ada was already exploring the house, opening every door, cupboard and touching every piece of furniture within her reach. The smile on her face was one I had never seen before; one of sheer contentment and peace as she flitted slowly about the rooms. Dad was watching her, his arms folded across his chest and a low hum escaping his lips.
"So, do you like it Anna?" he asked, his eyes boring into mine, expecting something that he knew he wouldn't get. My father knew exactly how much I hadn't wanted to leave home, but it was a secret of ours that I wasn't supposed to tell mom. We had agreed that if I do my best at school, he would promise to send me to a college as far away as possible from Forks, which suited me as I was planning to get out as soon as possible.
"Oh, you know, same old. Nothing here is better than Boston." I settled Atticus on the floor and watched him scurry off inside the house, searching for his own, personal corner. "I promised I'd try dad, for her, but I'm not saying I won't pass complaints every now and then, just so you know."
He nodded and called after mom. I slowly made my way upstairs, opening each door and looking for that one thing that would make my room feel special. The first room on the left was large and spacious with a king size bed in the middle and an ensuite. Mom and dad. The second room was small, so I quickly closed the door and walked to the end of the hallway, opening the last door.
I gasped as my eyes adjusted to the excess amount of light flooding into the room. Two of the four walls were made up entirely of glass, overlooking the entrance to the forest. A small pathway led the way, giving the room a mystical feeling. The double bed in the middle seemed comfortable and the furniture was the perfect shade of brown. Something in the pit of my stomach stirred as I became more accustomed to the idea of this room being my haven. I walked around and watched the dust mites float around in the air. The room had a peaceful vibe emanating from it, and when I was inside it, I felt utterly at ease.
I could get used to this. I chuckled slightly and landed with a soft thump on the bed. I could already see my things in their places in this room. Everything fit perfectly and the way I saw it, looked wonderful to me. As I lifted myself off the bed, something metallic caught my eye in a corner of the window. I walked towards it and realised that it was, in fact, a latch. My fingers curled around the hard metal and pulled it down. A soft creak resounded around the room and a small piece of the glass popped and swung open. Cold, forest air entered inside and I looked outside.
The pathway to the forest began from exactly beneath this small, glass hatch, but the height was too far for me to jump down safely. I eyed it precariously, but gave up and went back inside. A slight commotion from downstairs showed me that my parents were bringing the suitcases inside.
"Anna! Come get your things!" Ada called. I darted out of my room and flew down the stairs, almost tripping over Atticus as I went outside. He barked at me in annoyance but I ignored his complaint and ran towards the car, retrieving my bags and cases in a record time. Dad greeted my in the hallway and helped me get my things to my room, probably providing a distraction from my mother, who was scaring the both of us with her hyper-activeness and enthusiasm.
"Shit- uh, Matt? Could you, uh, come and help me a bit please? The suitcase sort of… fell apart." Dad rolled his eyes and dropped my things in my room before stomping his way over to my mother and grumbling and cursing under his breath. Typical of my mom to get overly excited about things and managing to break something in the process. I closed the door behind me and started putting things in their places. The furniture turned out to be more spacious than it looked, and I took the liberty of hanging all my posters and photos on the cracking wallpaper. I would have to paint the walls myself sometime.
I was surprised at myself for being so immersed in cleaning things up, something I had never enjoyed doing from a small age. When I was somewhat done, I left the room and joined my parents in the kitchen.
"Haven't the moving people arrived yet?" I asked as I sat down on one of the wooden stools in front of the counter.
Ada shook her head but smiled. "They weren't supposed to come today. Maybe tomorrow…I'm not sure. And you came at just the right time- we need to go to the diner to check things out." I took out my cell phone and checked the time: it wasn't even three yet. Funny as time seemed to go by much quicker, especially here in Forks. My mom jingled her keys in front of my face to bring me out of my daze and quickly loped out of the house after my dad.
"Bye Atticus, we'll be back soon." I patted his head before I left and locked the door behind me. Rain was pouring in small droplets and our lawn was drowning in mud. It was almost impossible to get to the sidewalk mostly dry, but I managed, although my impatient mother was complaining in the car that I was taking far too long to adjust. I rolled my eyes but managed to block out her voice for the whole trip from our house to the diner.
The diner was positioned in the centre of town, so it was only expected that it would have a lot of clients. It had a parking area, obviously empty, apart from one old pickup truck. The roof, windows and doors were green, to blend in with the forest scenery that it was surrounded by, and the whole building was a clean white; no peeling paint, no cracks, nothing. The diner was certainly not neglected.
"C'mon," my father gently tapped his knuckles on the window to alert me and opened the door so that I could step outside. "I'm realising why your mom complains that you are so dreamy."
I simply shrugged and followed mom to the front door, which she rapped on harshly. A small, round face appeared from behind the clean door panes, a smile on it's large, full lips. The door opened, revealing a petite, coloured woman with frizzy hair and laughing eyes.
"Hi there! You must be Ada Miller! I'm Cora, the owner- or should I say the former owner- of this diner. Please, come on in! It's yours now, after all!" her voice was deep and syrupy and she stepped aside for us, making space so that we could go inside. The diner was much bigger on the inside than it was on the outside, very spacious. It had a certain ring to it, something I couldn't quite put my finger on. The right wall was lined with cushioned chairs and wooden tables, providing small booths for privacy. Round tables were placed at random intervals in the middle of the diner and the counter on the left was stacked with items of no purpose whatsoever. The kitchen was another room behind the counter, sheltered from the view of someone in the main room.
"Oh! It's so cute!" Ada exclaimed, rushing around the diner and fussing over the things she liked and those that she didn't. My father was laughing close to the door, talking to Cora, probably making the last arrangements.
"Ten years ago, this place was buzzing with life, especially teenagers. Joey and I, we saw many a couple in here, all in love and happy. I loved working here, but ever since Joey died, I haven't had the heart to keep it open… So I hope your little missy here will tell all her high school friends to come round here during the year!"
Her voice was lovely to listen to, but I was blushing immediately after she said those words, flushed tomato red with embarrassment. She probably didn't know of the introvert types, she was used to bubbly, cheerful teenagers who didn't have problems because they were pretty, popular, rich, maybe smart and definitely not shy. I fidgeted with my fingers and nailed my gaze to the floor, doing my best to avoid speaking to either of them.
"Of course Anna will tell her friends at school!" Ada wrapped her arm round my shoulders and hugged me to her.
"Good, 'cause students are your target age group over here," she smiled a warm smile, then resumed talking to my parents. I lost interest in their conversation and walked over to one of the booths and settled down in it. I slouched on the cool material and let my gaze wonder out of the window, watching the slight breeze move the trees and the leaves about- to and fro, to and fro- in rhythmic motion. I focused intently on the inner part of the forest; the part were darkness ruled and light did not enter, where people got goose bumps because of unexplained fear, where someone as cowardly as I would not venture. I watched the objects in this dark place, perfectly silhouetted against the light outside the cloud bank.
I was lost in a bubble of focused air; the conversation between Cora and my parents did not exist, their presence was vague as I concentrated on the one thing that was interesting me. My breath was fogging up the glass but I didn't care. Something was tugging at my mind, something that was annoying me because it was in reach of my remembrance but still impossibly faraway. I looked and I almost nearly missed it. A slight movement between the trees enough to make me glimpse it, but just barely. The movement only lasted for less than half a second, and then everything was still, as it had been before. But something had been there. Something that had wanted to remain hidden, and had almost succeeded. Almost.
-:-
"I thought the diner had been grandpa's," I stated as we were driving back home. I had given up on seeing something else from the woods quickly, seeing as the only things moving were the trees and the leaves.
"It was." My mother's enthusiasm had disappeared after we left the diner, but she wasn't entirely pouting. A half smile here, another one there, but a lot of words, tumbling out of her mouth when necessary.
"I've never seen Cora at one of our family reunions before… is she some distant relative whom I've never heard of?"
Ada shook her head, causing her dark hair to splay about her face, a few wisps coming loose upon her shoulders. "No, silly. You see, Cora and her husband, Joey, had bought the diner from grandpa when he wanted to go to university and quit the family business. Grandpa had inherited the diner from his father who had inherited from his father, about eighty years ago. Cora simply wanted to return the diner to it's familial roots. It was extremely nice of her, when you think about it."
Dad smiled at me from the front seat. The glint in his eyes showed me that he had heard this story numerous times, probably when my mom was thinking of buying this place and refurbishing it to open it up to the public again. Everyone pitied my dad, but he constantly insisted that he did not need it, that he loved my mom for who she was, that he did not mind the fact that she was constantly on the go, never truly at ease and I believed him, to a certain extent. He never complained, unlike me, and always did his best to pave the way for her when she needed it.
Sometimes, I felt isolated from my own family. Mom and dad were a perfect match; they were opposites but their differences only made them a better couple. I had never been great at making friends or meeting new people, no matter how much mom pushed me into teen groups, brought me friends over to play…nothing. I was a social mess. I only found solace in my art, something I had loved since I was a little child. But here, in Forks High school, nobody appreciated inner capabilities, or things that were stored under the skin. I was just guessing normal high school procedures, ones that I had learned from Boston.
One thing that I knew for sure was that high schools all had one thing in common: clans. Groups. Mostly built up of people who were better than others, superior, on the outside. Beauty, money, popularity… Those were the things that mattered in high school. And for no reason whatsoever should Forks High school be any different than any other. Unless, of course, all teenagers here had had their brains rewired to work properly. Which is highly unlikely, when you think about it.
School started next week. The horror was slowly creeping up on me, and as we reached home I vowed that I would appreciate the next seven days as my last days of peace and tranquillity. Unless, of course, my mom had any bright ideas….