Chapter 1

Getting off of that bus was possibly the most painful thing I had ever done, because it meant I was back. It was raining, typically, and I could already feel the water seeping through the thin cotton of my stripy green and grey jacket, I didn't bother to put my hood up – It wouldn't make a difference anyway. I looked up the road, and saw that the familiar grey bus was already disappearing into the distance, clouded by the fog and mist that was gathering.

Thoughtlessly, I picked my holdall from the ground and slowly began to make my way up the old worn path. I would like to say it was good to be back, but it so wasn't. La Push wasn't somewhere any teenager would desire to live; it was the definition of dull and had the weather to match. My mother was actually forcibly moving me back, she thought she was stupid to have allowed me to go in the first place, maybe she was right.

Staying with my Dad had in actual fact been great; he was fun and very relaxed. The complete opposite of my Mom, she thought that my studies were more important than anything else in the world and would have kept me inside locked in my room revising if she could have. But, their blatant differences were not the reason my parents divorced. My father, Tay, had had an affair. Truthfully I don't even think it was the fact that he had had an affair which tore up my mother; it was who he had had it with. My wonderful father was in fact gay. I was ecstatic, that was possibly the most awesome thing that had ever happened to me in the history of my life, which meant shopping, having our hair done together and him having a great fashion sense. And trust me, he did. My mother, quite understandably wasn't happy at all. It can be said in truthfulness that she got so mad that she did in fact throw several saucepans a wok and a hairdryer at his head.

Never before had I been so thankful my Mom had such a bad aim.

Before I could even reach the front door a pair of arms grabbed me, into a hug. "Carbon, I didn't think you were going to come, it's been so long, hunny. Come in; let's put your stuff in your room eh?" Mom's voice gushed, her arms still around me as she lead me inside.

I was expecting the same beige and brown walls and floor, not these lime green and black ones. I reeled slightly. "What's all this..?" I asked nervously, walking in a bit further to admire the black leather couch and zebra print rug.

"This place needed livening up." Mom shrugged, wiping a hand across the seat getting rid of any non-existent dust.

"Wow." I half laughed half shocked as I delved further into the place which I now had to call home. The wall of the corridor leading down to the kitchen and off to the stair case was one big mural of a summer day. The majority a wonderful sky blue, with white sponged on clouds. I looked closer to the little person sitting in the rainbow hot air balloon. "Is that me?" I asked, looking at the girl, smiling broadly, her eyes carefully painted – One blue and the other green.

"Do you like it?" Mom asked attentively, as she took my bag from me and perched it on the stair case, she sat beside it as I admired the house.

"It's amazing." I told her honestly, there was no way I would believe Mom had done all of this herself. "Who helped you?" I asked as I lightly traced the pink and purple swirly patterns of the door with my finger.

"Emily helped with all of the little pictures, and Seth and Lean gathered up some of their friends to paint all of the base coats." She said proudly. She raised a hand to her mouth suddenly, as she saw my jaw tighten instinctively. "Oh sweetie, I'm so sorry. I know you don't like mentioning that family…" She paused. "He's really sorry you know? You should have seen his face as he and Lee went to paint your room."

"Don't.." I murmured softly, turning away and walking into the kitchen. The kitchen and dining room were a stunning array of colour, and had beautiful crystals hanging from the ceiling on ribbons, reflecting stunning rainbows onto all of the marble surfaces.

"Okay.." Came Moms voice, and she hopped up onto the kitchen work top. This was a very unlike Mom thing to do. "But you should probably know that Emily and I are quite close, and she does spend a lot of time around here. I know you don't want to see him, but Emily and Sam, Seth and Leah although related to him were nothing to do with his actions. They were in no way implicated."

"They covered up for him." I pointed out, with a sad smile. "They all lied to me. And I looked a complete fool, like I was the only one who didn't see what was going on."

"Nobody thought that." Mum said softly, looking at me intently, as if searching for something.

"That, or they felt sorry for me. What am I doing back here mom…" I cried, hiding my face in my hands as tears trickled down my alabaster cheeks. Mom jumped down and wrapped her arms around me, as I cried silently in shame.

"You're here because your place is here with your mother." She said gently, pushing up my chin slightly. "You'll call up all of your old friends, and you'll walk into school on Monday morning with that attitude I've missed. You'll be strong, because you're a Dovoman ,and that's what we do."

"When I run into him?"

"You're better than him." She shrugged. "Let him know that he never was, and never will be good enough for you."

I nodded, taking a deep breath.

"Remember who Carbon really is? When you were happy you were the most amazing person, hunny. You're back, show em'. Make an entrance, and never let that bitch think she got the better of you."

I was puzzled.

"Did you actually just say that?" I laughed, a lump still in my throat.

"New house new me, but we need the old Carbon." Mom chuckled, tucking a strand of dark hair behind my ear. Tutting as she saw them. "I suppose this is considered fashionable?" As she shallowly dipped her finger into the hole in my lobe. I had stretched it to around 00, and wore a black diamanté plug in it. Matching studs and bars decorating the rest of my ear.

"Afraid so"

"Jesus my dear.. Why don't you call up some old friends? Go shopping, get a new outfit for tomorrow, do something with your hair. Treat all of your friends to lunch and a manicure?" She suggested, wiping a stray tear from my eye, and taking her credit card form her pocket, pressing it into my hand.

I stared at her. Who was she and what had she done with my Mom?

"Don't look at me like that, Miss Carbon Electra Dovoman." Then shook her head. "I knew I should have never let your father name you. What am I going to do you, eh?" She gave me a little pat. "Phone books in the hall."