I was the weirdest Cinderella ever to be dreamed of. My braces reflected the glistening colored lights above as I walked into the high school gym awkwardly. My ankles nearly twisted from the black heels my sister had forced onto my feet before I came here. The black dress hugged my frame, though I still felt exposed even with a moderate neckline and a hem that dropped to my shins. I never had been a dressy type of person. Even now I wore boy shorts underneath it, much to Alice's displeasure. I sighed and tugged a piece of my straight black hair behind my ear before wobbling my way to a dark corner to be a wall flower. I slumped against the wall, disappearing into the shadows and letting my feet hit a decorated table to keep me in place.
"This is just the way I pictured my first dance," I mumbled to myself. I gripped the little black purse in my hand, turning my knuckles a pale color. I bent my head until my eyes completely disappeared with the help of the darkly lit room, the shadows from my hair and the dark make up that accented my light brown eyes. "Alone to whiter and die as a wall flower," I finished. I jerked my head back and let it connect with the wall behind me. I closed my eyes in sudden pain. "That hurt," I grumbled. I reached up, standing to my full height, heels included, of 5'8". My fingers combed through my hair on the back of my head to find the bump that was forming. I pushed away from the wall as my eyes scanned the gym floor for anyone that I might have known.
Twisting forms and black shadows danced and swayed to the beat of echoing techno like the cackling demons of my personal hell. I shook my head and turned my eyes from the floor to the tables that lined the walls. Still, I recognized no one in this shadowy abyss.
"This was such a stupid idea, Alice," I mumbled, cursing my sister mentally. I secretly wished death upon her at the moment as I turned and searched for an exit. It was still too early for people to be departing the homecoming dance but I didn't want to stay in the stuffy room long enough for Alice's little black dress to be covered in my own sticky sweat. I quickly moved to the door, nearly tripping over my feet from lack of experience in the heel wearing department.
"Leaving so soon?" I heard behind me. I stopped near the stairs that led up to the halls above where the beautiful homecoming pictures were being taken for 75.00 a package to turn towards the voice. The light behind me illuminated his form enough for me to see him but his face was still covered in shadows. He was much taller than me, most likely taller than my own father, who stood at a towering 6'6". He was dressed nicely, along with most of the boys that were here at this dance with their dates to perform the odd mating dance on the gym floor. He chuckled after a moment when I nearly stumbled from lack of heel use, once again. I nodded to his question, none the less.
"Dances like these don't need withering little wall flowers in the corners," I replied. I turned again to the door, pausing in hesitance when I saw the administration checking the tickets. I sighed and walked forward. I heard a light step behind me and turned to see the towering shadow had taken a step towards me. Still, his face was covered in the darkness that hung down from the ceiling like a drape.
"You're not going to dance even once?" he asked. I sighed lightly and shook my head, my hair covering my face and sticking to my forehead. Well, there went my hopes of keeping Alice's dress as clean as humanly possible.
"If I dance in these things," I motioned to the individual black deathtraps strapped to my ankles, "Than I will break my feet and you'll be taking me to the hospital," I joked. I smiled kindly though, "But I'll take a rain check?" I offered. The shadow laughed.
"I'll hold you to that, Lydia," the shadow said. He appeared to know me? From where? This dreamland was more confusing than ones that I've visited in the past. The shadow turned away and I felt my lips purse. I no longer had control of my dreamland body. "I'll see you on Monday, right?" the shadow asked. I felt my head nod.
"Right," I replied. I turned towards the doors and walked out quickly, avoiding the administration easily as I quickly made my way to the side of the building and out of sight. My heart was pounding in my head and a blush heated my cheeks. Anxiety crawled upwards from my stomach like a creeping spider as I fumbled to open the little black purse to get to my phone. I quickly flipped it open and pressed the button for the speed dial to my home. I held the phone to my ear with a shaky hand as I leaned back against the cooling bricks of the school building.
"Hello?" someone answered. It was Alice. I sighed in relief and slid the little purse onto my wrist so that I could remove the shoes form my feet. "Hello?"
"Alice... can you come pick me, please?" I asked. I heard her drop something, most likely a pencil. What she was using it for, I didn't know yet. She stood up, though, and pushed back a chair.
"Are you alright?" she asked. Typical worried sister motif, though I thought that it would have come from an older brother more than my perfectionist sister. I sighed lightly through my nose and let my bare feet rest against the cool sidewalk. I walked over and sat on a high planter, my toes barely touching the ground. I set my shoes next to me.
"I'm fine. I just want to come home," I answered. Alice sighed and I heard her pick up her keys. She was home by herself and I was glad that she didn't have a boyfriend at the moment. She would have been to busy to come pick me up. I heard the door to her room open and her feet on the stairs. She was still wearing her shoes.
"Alright. I'll be there to pick you up as soon as possible," Alice answered, "Don't go anywhere," she said. I smiled slightly, though I couldn't help but feel odd about the night.
"I'll be waiting in the same spot that you dropped me off at, Alice," I answered. She gave her agreement and clicked her phone off. I followed suit. I sighed and rubbed my heated cheeks, feeling the blood rushing to them once again. I heard someone sit down next to me and slid my eyes towards them. It was a boy, though his height let me mistake him for one of the administration for a moment.
"Jake wanted someone to stay out here with you until someone came to pick you up," the boy said. Jake? Who was that? My dreamland mind seemed to know but didn't let me in on the detail. I felt my cheek puff out childishly.
"Why didn't he just come out here himself?" I asked. The boy next to me chuckled and leaned forward on his knees.
"He's afraid of Alice, though he would never openly admit it," the boy said. I felt a grin pull up my lips and I instantly shut them, feeling awkward with my odd braces that weren't coming off any time soon. The boy smiled when he saw this. He opened his mouth to say something when a Jeep Wrangler nearly flew into the parking lot. It stopped and the music turned down. Alice was sitting in the front seat, glaring at the boy who was sitting next to me. She was defiantly the protective older sister type. I stood up and turned to grab my shoes. The boy handed them to me. I grinned at him again, showing of the braces that reflected the moon light behind him.
"Thanks for sitting out here with me, Embry," I said loudly. How did I know this boy's name? The boy, Embry, tilted his head slightly in question by my loud tone before he noticed Alice's expression turn from a glare to a small smile. He grinned back at me and gave me a friendly, one armed hug. He then backed up.
"No problem. Jake expects you to hold your end of that rain check up!" Embry hollered as he made his way back to the homecoming. So, Jake was the towering shadow? I shook my head with a smile and turned back around, jogging towards the Jeep and quickly getting in on the passengers side. Alice waited until Embry was back inside before turning to me.
"Rain check?" she questioned. I shook my head again, my cheeks heating up even more than before as I hid my face from my sister. She giggled and peeled out of the parking lot, making me scream loudly from the sudden speed. I heard laughter and turned around in my seat to see a pack of boys standing on the sidewalk. One face caught my attention and somehow, the name Jake matched it.
Yeah, I was the most awkward Cinderella to ever be dreamed. My carriage was my sister's Jeep Wrangler but, in this dream, I had no Prince Charming. The closet thing I got was an Embry giving me my shoes and a Jake signing off a rain check.
"Lydia" I pulled the sheets
over my head, blocking out the sun that was flowing through the cracks in the sky. The thin blue, black and silver curtains were thrown carelessly to the side and I curled my legs up to my chest, bringing my head down to my knees while squeezing my eyes shut.
"Go away," I spoke through the blankets. I heard the sounds of boxes shifting as another set of curtains were thrown away. I moaned loudly and lifted my pillow, burying my head between the two soft pillows. Stupid corner room had to have two windows. I heard soft footsteps make their way towards my bed.
"Rise and shine, sleepy head!" the voice sang again. I growled lowly and patted the warm side of the sheet until I found a stuffed Hershey kiss plushy. I then threw it carelessly, knowing that I had nothing but my television armoire and new glass desk, still unassembled, in my room to guard the boxes of my clothing and such. I heard a light laugh
as the pillow was thrown from my head. It hit my back. I groaned loudly and swatted at the hand that was holding the pillow as it hit me again.
"Mom, go away! It's Monday!! Vacation!!" I mumbled. I felt the pillow drop onto my head.
"Okay!" my mother sang. I moved the sheets until my light brown eyes could be seen from under the covers. The way the pillow was on my head along with the sheets under my eyes, they were saved from an assault from the sunny sun shine beaming through my window like a bullet. "I guess that Alice can have your hash browns and bacon and croissants and waffles and your soda an-"
"I'm getting up!" I cried loudly. My mother looked back with a grin. I flopped out onto my back, throwing the pillow that was covering my face onto the floor. I looked up at my blank ceiling, my mind falling apart into two different things. One was thinking of what color to paint my room while the other was thinking of my warped Cinderella dream. My mom knocked on the door and I turned my head. She arched an eyebrow in question.
"Are you getting up to eat breakfast or are you going to lay there like a bed bug?" she asked. I pursed my lips in thought for a moment.
"Can you bring me breakfast?" I asked childishly. She laughed.
"No, my little brace face, I cannot bring you breakfast," she said. I growled lowly and kicked the blankets off, feeling the force of my new braces killing my mouth. I placed my bare feet onto the cool wooden ground, stretching while adjusting my clothing. The black camisole had twisted in one direction during the night while my black and white checkered pants had twisted in another direction. I tied my hair back into a messy bun and rubbed my eyes with a yawn. I then walked across the room as my mother disappeared down the stairs. "Can you wake up your sister for me since you're up?" she asked over her shoulder. I stopped and gawked at her disappearing form before glaring at the back of her head.
"I can't believe you woke me up before her!" I shouted. I heard something hit the door across from mine and smirked. I kicked the door harshly and bit my tongue to keep the string of curses from falling out. I grabbed my foot and started to jump around, holding my glowing red toes. Alice swung open her door with a smug look.
"That's what you get," she pointed out. I glared at her before lowering my foot. She was fully ready for the day. Her long black hair was straightened, falling down her back in thick silky layers. Her eyes were outlined in dark eye liner and a nice blush dusted her cheekbones. A white tee shirt hugged her torso while a pair of flared and faded jeans were hugging her hips. A pair of black flats were on her feet. I limped after her when she shut her door and started down the stairs.
"Why are you all dressed up, Alice?" I asked her. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked up at me before helping me towards the kitchen. She pushed me into a chair and started to fix a bag of ice for my foot. Sometimes, she seemed much older than a small twenty years of age. Mom was setting the table with piles of delicious food. My mouth was starting to water from the aroma. Alice turned and dropped the ice onto my foot. I winced and howled in pain. Alice smiled sheepishly when mom gave her a glare.
"I'm going to go look around the reservation and pick up your school schedule today," Alice answered. She smirked at me as I started to pile food onto my plate, "Do you wanna come with?" she asked. I stopped and shook my head quickly.
"No thanks. I still have a week and a half of freedom from that evil place. I would like to stay as far away from it as possible," I answered. She shrugged and walked towards the door where everyone's jackets were hanging. Dad's was missing.
"Well, I'm off!" Alice shouted. I rolled my eyes as she opened the door. A strong winter gust swept through the front door before she closed it. I shivered and instantly gulped down a spoon full of hot food. I regretted it when I burnt my tongue. My mom sat next to me at the little round table and laughed lightly. I took a long gulp of my soda and looked at her.
"Hey, where's dad?" I asked. Mom shrugged carelessly. Mom was never one to care what dad was doing in the day. She trusted him with all her heart. I knew that if he ever did anything horrible to her, her heart would shatter and she would be nothing more than a walking zombie from some horror movie. I smiled at her trusted and shoveled a spoonful of hash browns into my mouth. I looked around the blank kitchen. "Can we-?"
"Swallow before you talk, Lydia," my mom scolded. I rolled my eyes childishly and swallowed before gulping down some soda. Knowing braces, I most likely got some potatoes stuck in them.
"Can we paint the house today?" I asked. My mom went over the thought in her head. I ignored her as she thought about it, shoveling down food into my endless pit.
"I guess we could," mom answered soon. She laughed lightly, "You just want to paint your room, don't you?" she asked. I grinned and swallowed what food in had in my mouth. I picked up my plate and set it in the sink, leaning forward over the box of dishes in front of it to place in inside.
"Pretty much," I answered. I grabbed my soda can and quickly slid towards the stairs, "I'll go get dressed!" I shouted to my mother. She said something, though I didn't hear her as I skipped up the stairs and nearly ran into the wall to get into my room. I opened the door and walked in. My soda went into its natural place in the television armoire. It was too quiet in my room. I opened up my little black bag, which was sitting under my bed, and pulled out a mixed CD. I slid it into the DVD player for my computer wasn't set up yet. I turned the volume up as the sounds of 'U + Ur Hand' by Pink flared through my room. The song made me grin. I threw my pajama pants into the corner of my room and danced across the room in my boy short underwear. I opened a box and pulled out the first pair of jeans I saw, which were dark and rather baggy on me. I started to jump to the chorus of the song, my lips moving with the song but no words slid from them.
"I'm not here for your entertainment," I swung the jeans around and easily stepped into them. I pulled a piano belt from the same box and slid it around my waist. The next thing to go off was my camisole and I quickly snatched a bra from the box before swinging my hips in time with music in search for a shirt. "It's just you and your hand tonight." I mouthed with the words as I pulled out a Cheshire cat shirt that I had gotten at Christmas a few weeks before we moved. As I pulled the shirt on, the song changed to the mix of 'The Evolution of Dance'. I laughed as 'The Twist' came on. I started to dance to it until the next song played. I twirled to the 'YMCA' and grabbed socks from the drawer. I then pulled on some converse, ones that appeared to be patched. I looked up when the door opened and when 'Thriller' sang through my speakers. I laughed as my mom waited for the dance to come. I shook my head and stood up, dusting off my jeans and grabbing a black thick sweatshirt from the box. I fixed my hair, throwing it up into a ponytail. She tapped her foot to the changing beat.
"Do you know this entire thing?" she asked. I grinned, showing off my braces, and nodded.
"Yeah! Lacey taught it to me before we left Seattle, remember?" I questioned. My mom laughed, remembering the crazy blonde girl.
"Lacey needs to get her butt over here and get you to rearrange this room of yours so that we can unpack and such," my mom scolded. I was about to walk out of the room when the 'Cotton Eyed Joe' song started to play. I grinned as I remembered my friends, Ryan and Lacey, dancing perfectly to this song. They were teaching me how to do the entire thing before we moved. I sighed to myself as the homesick feeling wrapped its fingers around my heart and squeezed it tightly. My mom noticed the look on my face and walked forward, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. "I know that you miss Seattle but... La Push is our home now," she said. I nodded slightly. "Besides... your father's grandmother left us this house. She would want us to actually live in it, right?" she asked. I nodded again. She patted my back and pushed me towards the phone that was lying next to my bag. "Now, get your phone
and hurry up so we can go pick out some nice paint for your room," she said. I nodded and grabbed the phone from the ground, wrapping the headphones around my neck before turning the television off and hurrying out the door.
I jumped over the last few steps, stumbling after I hit the ground, as I plugged the ear buds into my ears. The full version of 'Cotton Eyed Joe' played from my phone. I slid the phone into my back pocket and rushed out the door after my mom, locking and shutting it before looking to the 2000 Chevy Tahoe parked in front of the house. I bounded towards the passenger's seat and slid in, bouncing to the beat of the song ringing in my ears. I reached into my pocket and turned off the music as my mom played 'Sweet Home Alabama'. I grinned and looked out the window as we left our new house.
New house? That was such a strange thing to think. It was our first move, since we had lived in Seattle, Washington ever since I was born. We had only visited my great grandmother once, when I was two, before she passed away. And she left us everything for we were her only living relatives left. So, what did dad do? He packed us up and moved us to La Push, Washington where our hew house was waiting. I watched the scenery pass by like a repeating rolling backdrop. I sighed to myself and looked out the windshield. The snow was falling slowly, though as we drove it pounded against our car. I squinted my eyes as I saw something dark dart out and stop for a moment in the road. Mom didn't appear to see it.
"Mom, stop!" I shouted. She hit the brakes and the seatbelt caught us. The dark thing turned towards the car for a moment before darting back out into the woods. It looked like it was limping. I undid the belt and climbed out; rubbing my shoulder from the pain the belt had caused me. I moved to the spot that the creature was standing in and looked around. I didn't see it anywhere.
"Lydia! Get back in the car!" mom ordered. I looked around once more before looking at the ground. I lifted my foot and felt my eyes grow wide. My footprint was swallowed by an odd looking print in the snow. It was huge and appeared to be a- "Lydia!" my mom shouted. I turned towards the car. She was impatient. I scampered to the car and shut the door, shivering from the cold that clung to my bones. My mom continued to drive. I looked out into the forest in search for the dark creature.
"Mom, did you see that thing? I think it was hurt," I mused. My mom looked over.
"What thing?" mom questioned. I looked over at her, "Lydia, I think this move is really getting to you. You're seeing things," she stated. I shook my head.
"No! There was really something there!" I exclaimed. My mom shook her head.
"Lydia Carmichael, there was nothing in the road," she stated. I gave her a strange look before looking out my window again. Was that thing really my imagination? I shook my head and reached into my pocket to start my music again. It couldn't have been. That footprint was on the ground. What was that?
We drove into Port Angles, Washington and the snow fell just a bit thicker here. Barely anyone was driving as we pulled to the first Home Depot we saw. I smiled to myself as I got out, locking the doors and shutting my own behind me. I twirled towards my mother as she walked to the front of the car. I grinned to myself and slid forward on the ice patch beneath my feet. As my mom watched, my feet slid forwards as my body stayed in one place. I fell backwards onto my back, yelping loudly and cursing silently under my breath. My mom giggled as she offered me her hand. I took it as a blush tinted my cheeks.
"Shut up, you evil person," I grumbled. I walked in ahead of her as she continued to laugh behind me. I took off towards the paint, grabbing sponges and paint rollers and paint trays on the way. I looked around in search of the pieces of paper that have different colored paints on them. I found them, though I had to cross in front of a blind corner to get to them. I walked forward, bobbing my head to the music that pounded into my ears. My phone was in the pocket of my sweatshirt. As I walked in front of the corner, someone walked out from behind it. This caused the both of us to crash and stumble backwards. I dropped my things and my phone turned off my music. I reached back and caught myself on the metal stand next to me. My hand slid across it, slicing my palm open. I ignored the
throbbing as I fell backwards onto the floor. I noticed that it wasn't just my things on the ground and I wasn't the only one that fell.
"I'm sorry!" I shouted. My voice blended with another. I got to my knees and pushed myself forward to help gather the things. My palm was still bleeding. I picked up the girl's things as she picked up mine. I stood up and looked up at her. Her hair framed her heart shaped face and brown eyes stared back into mine. I smiled, showing off my glaring braces, before giving up her things. The blood from my palm seemed to rub off on something of hers. She gave me back my own things and I noticed someone stiffen behind her.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going," I apologized. She shook her head.
"No, it was my fault. I should have listened to Edward," she said. She turned to the boy who was behind her, Edward, but he was gone. She looked around, "Edward?" she questioned. I looked around also and noticed that he was further away, talking with someone near a cart. I motioned in the direction with my head.
"Is that him?" I asked. She turned and a smile broke out on her face. She nodded and turned back to me. She then tilted her head.
"I haven't seen you around here before. Are you new?" she asked. Genuine curiosity, nothing rude or anything. I smiled again, my stupid braces glistening in the light, and nodded.
"Yeah, I moved recently. Actually, I don't even live here. I live up in La Push," I answered, I smiled sheepishly, "My mom doesn't know her way around La Push and my dad took the map of it. So we drove here since we stayed here not to long ago to wait for the movers to get to our house," I added on. She beamed.
"Do you know anyone yet?" she asked. I shook my head.
"I haven't started to school yet and it's my first adventure out of the house in two days," I answered. Her smiled grew, if that was possible.
"Well," she held out her hand and I held out my own bleeding one. I didn't even notice it as I shook her hand, "I'm Bella. Bella Swan," she said.
"Lydia Carmichael," I answered. She pulled her hand away and looked down at it. It was painted red.
"Oh my-" she cut herself off and looked at my hand, "You're bleeding!" she exclaimed. I looked down also. I shook my head.
"It's nothing! I would hurry, though," I motioned to Edward, "It looks like he wants to leave," I said. Bella nodded and turned. She then turned back to me.
"When you go back and school," I looked at her, "If you meet someone named Jacob Black please tell him I said hi," she said. I nodded and she ran off to Edward. I then hurried to the bathroom, leaving my things in a basket. I washed my hand off and sighed. I then looked at the mirror. I saw nothing but a new girl. That's what I'm going to be when I go back to school. The new girl that no one knows. I put my clean hands on my head and groaned. "The new girl with braces that no one wants to know," I mumbled. I pushed away and walked out of the bathroom.