Welcome to my new Luna story!

Sorry it took so long, but I needed some time and space to focus again. I also want to start up again now since I have no pressure to write this story, but I can rather work on being doing it out of passion and love. During my hiatus, I have traveled, fallen in and out of love. I have had my heart broken and I have grown up. I feel this gives me the maturity and insight to be a better writer.

So, every Friday I'm going to load up a new chapter :)

This story is a reboot, so a whole lot of characters are going to be removed or they'll have different names. The story line is also different, so I hope you enjoy it!

Peace and love

Kennedy

Luna Ateara

California

September, 2005

It had to be a dream.

I mean, it couldn't be reality since I didn't recognize the area I was in. Living in Sunny Southern California for my whole life, I knew my home town and surrounding areas very well. Instead of familiar sunny beaches and open skies, I was trapped in a dank forest. Rain was filtering down from the trees, adding to the dimness that seemed to engulf me. What caused me to doubt that I was dreaming was the amount of detail around me. The smell of rain, of damp earth and broken plants, filled my senses. There was a soft trill of birds and the faint crushing of foliage from an unseen source. The rain was cold enough that it caused me to shiver.

Everything about this dream was so real that it terrified me.

I had never been in a forest before. My father had told me stories once, about his home town, located in the forests of Washington State. La Push, I think he had said. He had grown up on an Indian Reservation where his family and our tribe still lived.

Being the daughter of a wealthy man, I hadn't given his tales much notice.

Being a California girl, I much preferred sun shine to rain. Lucky for me, Southern California was constantly filled with long, hot summer days.

My mind was trying to show me something, something that had forgotten by humanity a long time ago. Somehow, I was connected to this forest, to the mystical feeling that touched the air. I wasn't quite sure how I knew this, but I did. This place was where I was supposed to be.

I took a step forward, only to find my foot stuck in the dirt. Looking down at my outfit just caused more confusion in my dream state. Dressed in a full length light blue dress, adorned with crystals that shone in the dim light, it was clear that I didn't belong here, no matter what my mind was trying to tell me. Stripping off the matching high heels, I tried to find a path through the dense forest. If I could find a road, maybe I would be able to leave.

Suddenly something off to my left caught my eye. I turned, just in time to see a half naked man running through the forest. Just from the brief glance I got, I knew he was Native American, just like me.

"Wait!" I yelled, running after him. "Please!"

I followed him, trying to run but I was hindered by my dress and bare feet. It was uncomfortable, but I knew if I stopped running, I would lose this familiar stranger in the trees. Low hanging branches caught me, leaving behind red marks on my exposed skin, tearing at my dress. The pain was sharp and real, but now was not the time to indulge my own vanity. I had to know who I was chasing.

We reached a clearing in the forest before the stranger stopped. He still had his back to me, but I felt like I already knew him. He had on a torn pair of denim shorts, exposing a good amount of his skin; it was dark and russet, just like mine. His hair was cut army style short, but it was the same hue of black as my long hair. I couldn't see his face, but I knew he would have dark eyes. On his right shoulder, I could see a tribal inspired tattoo infused with the face of a wolf.

My tribal sign, something my father had shown me during my childhood. With the recognition of the tribal sign, I suddenly had knowledge; fairy tales I had heard when I was a kid. Of men who could change from man to wolf, and then back again. Of men who could leave their bodies and travel the world. Of brave women, willing to sacrifice their lives for their men.

"Sam." I whispered, shocked that I knew his name.

The man turned and looked at me, his dark gaze filled with hate and distrust. I was right about his dark eyes. This was the only difference in our appearances, since I had sky blue eyes from my mother's side of the family.

"What are you doing here?" He growled at me. "You don't belong here."

"I need to know, Sam." I said back, not letting my discomfort show. "There's something about me... Something is missing. You know what it is, don't you?"

He chuckled. "Yes, Luna. I know everything about you. You are just a pretty little rich girl. You are a spoilt brat. That's all you will ever be."

I gave him a cold, dark smile. "I'm so much more than that. I'm one of yours. I am part of your tribe, wolf man."

"You could never be one of us!" Sam screamed, almost sounding like he was in pain.

I watched as he began to transform in front of me. He hunched over, screaming in pain. His clothing ripped as he grew bigger. Fur covered every surface of his body. His face contorted and grew longer but his eyes stayed dark and angry. My quip about him being a wolf man had merely been about the tattoo on his arm and the knowledge that he was from the same tribe as my family. I hadn't expected him to actually turn into a wolf.

The black wolf seemed to chuckle, as if he could read my mind. Sam's harsh voice suddenly echoed in my mind.

Just a pretty little rich girl. You will be nothing more than that.

Six Months Later

We were on the road, driving far away from Los Angeles and towards my uncle's home in La Push, Washington. I had began to crave a simpler life; one where my every move wouldn't be monitored and analysed, only to be put on display at a later stage. A life where money and power did not dictate me, but one where I could make my own decisions.

The city of Angels was too full of demons for my taste.

"I can't believe you are moving to the dullest place on Earth!" Spike said from the driver's seat of my car. "God, can you believe this place?"

I rolled my eyes as Spike continued to drive deeper into the forest. "I needed to get away for a while."

Spike gave me a dark look, biting his lower lip. We both looked in the rear view mirror towards the offending gossip magazine on the back seat.

Luna Gone Wild! The cover screamed, promising scandal and destruction. Billionaire's Daughter causing trouble in L.A. Is this the end of the Ateara legacy? Full story inside!

I sighed. "None of them know what really happened. All they seem to do is make up shit, all just to make a quick buck."

"I wish you'd talk about it." Spike said. "You know I'll listen to you and I won't go to the tabloids after."

"I loved him." I whispered, looking out at the grey sky. "Too bad Neil loved my money more than he loved me."

"Neil's a tool, Lu." Spike said. "Besides, I would still love you, even if you were poor."

I gave him a small smile, appreciating his support. Spike had been my best friend since we were very young, and age hadn't changed anything about our friendship. We told each other secrets that no one else knew. There were just some things I couldn't tell anyone in my friend circle; you never knew what would end up in the tabloids the next day.

Spike was the kind of boy who fitted in with the worldly idea of perfection: tall, tanned, blond hair and blue eyes. His family was rich and he wanted for nothing. Except, and I only knew this because we were so close, he was far from perfect. Spike had demons bigger than anything I had to deal with. I had made it my mission to do whatever it took to help him.

I looked out the window, avoiding all the real issues that lay between Spike and me. It wasn't like I could lash out at him for what Neil had done to me. I couldn't be angry that Spike and I had acted out a romance for the tabloid, just so we could keep our respective secrets. Mine was falling in love with the wrong boy. Spike's was falling in love with a boy.

Looking at the forest outside of La Push, it brought back memories of that stupid dream I had a few months back. I took a deep breath, calming myself and reminding myself that it was just a dream. People didn't just turn into wolves. That only happened in fairy tales and stories. Sam was probably some male reflection of me that my mind had created; maybe that was why I identified with him so strongly. He wasn't even a real person.

To distract myself, I watched the traffic leaving La Push. All the cars I saw were old run down machines. Just the kind of car I liked. Money could buy so many things, but there was something special about a car that needed to be fixed. Maybe I was so attracted to fixing cars because I couldn't fix myself. Spike was just as messed up as I was, except he lived in denial. Both of us were so broken, so lost in this crazy world that we were trapped in. I seriously doubted that we could every fix ourselves up.

One car leaving La Push was able to grab my full attention. It was a silver Volvo, the most expensive car I had seen since I left L.A. As the car went past, I swear time slowed down. The man who was driving was unlike any person I had ever seen. He had pale skin and copper hair. His eyes were fixed on the road ahead, but he was driving recklessly fast. He looked angry, maybe even a little upset. Something told me that man was dangerous and I needed to stay as far away from him as I could. The sight of him caused me to shiver, as if a bad omen had just passed.

"Are you okay?" Spike asked, looking over.

I snapped out of my trance and watched the Volvo disappear in the rear view mirror.

"Yeah, I'm just a little nervous about out moving here." I lied.

It disturbed me how easily I could lie, especially to my best friend. I swallowed, praying that Spike wouldn't notice how uneasy the Volvo owner made me.

"Are... Are we almost there?" I asked Spike, not even daring to look at him.

"Just a bit further." Spike said, obviously ignoring how shaken I was.

I knew this was going to be the last chance I could talk to my best friend, so I took a deep breath.

"What are you going to do?" I asked, bring up the subject I had spent weeks avoiding.

"Nothing, I guess." Spike said, frowning. "I'll keep playing the loyal son and you'll keep playing the rebellious teen."

"Is that a crack at me, choosing to face my problem instead of sticking my head in the sand?" I said, my tone harsher than I intended. "I made a choice to change. I refused to be stuck in this shallow world full of lies!"

"Lu, you know I'm not mad at you for leaving. If I was you, I would be doing the same." Spike said, his expression grim. "Can't say the same for some of your other friends."

"So instead you are going to pretend to be straight." I hissed, almost in tears. "You are going to continue living a lie."

"Why do you even care?" Spike said, sounding bitter.

"You know I love you. You're a brother to me and I don't want to see you hurt."

Spike sighed. "It wasn't meant to be, Luna."

"Yeah. Us spending five years pretending to be together, while you were off with Bradley instead." I hissed. "I only did it to protect you, so don't lie to me. You love Brad and you want to be with him."

Spike gave a soft chuckle. "Brad wants to be open about his sexuality. I just can't do it, Lu."

I gave my best friend a small smile. Spike's family was just as rich and influential as my family. Spike's mom refused to accept that he was gay, and she threatened to disown him if he ever went public with his shocking news.

"I would ask you to come hide out here with me for a while, but I know you would never leave California." I said, looking out the window again. "God, our parents are stupid."

Spike looked over at me, clearly worried. "You can never go home again."

"I don't want to go back." I said, looking back at the magazine. "Can we stop?"

Spike pulled the car over. I jumped out and went to grab the magazine.

"Come on!" I called to Spike, running off into the forest.

"Luna! What the hell?"

I began to tear up the pages, destroying the images that had haunted me for the past few months. The paper fell around me like snow and I laughed.

"It's fun!" I yelled.

Spike shook his head and took a page from the magazine. We tore the pages up, laughing like children as the pieces fell around us.

I took the time to let go of my past, knowing that it couldn't hurt me from so far away. La Push was my opportunity for a fresh start.