It was raining.
The windshield wipers were moving at an alarming rate, trying their best to clear the front window. "Raining" was actually an understatement; it was more of a torrential downpour. Big, fat drops of water covered everything. My father steered our large, black SUV through the tiny town, formally known as Forks, extremely carefully due to the highly slippery road conditions. The rain acted as sleet, in a way that made the tarmac extremely slick. But other than that, our vehicle was completely silent and I relished in the abnormality of it.
I watched out the window, trying to see past the rain to what Forks actually looked like. We had only been in the rainiest place in the continental US for around a half hour and despite the rain, I could easily tell that the small town wasn't made up of much. It was quaint to say the least; the population was just over 3,000 residents.
I sat askew on the tan leather seat, gripping my half-read novel in my hand like a lifeline. My dark black hair was matted and unruly, arranged into a large messy bun on the very top of my head. I rubbed a hand across my face wearily, trying to ignore the fact that my eyelids kept fluttering shut every few minutes. I was beyond tired.
Much to my own distaste, we had just left our old home in Alaska. After about thirty hours of straight travel time, we were almost to our new home in La Push; a small reservation, just a half hour away from Forks.
We moved around a lot. From the time I was born, I had lived in fourteen different houses in twelve different cities. But, when my parents had sat me down last week and told me we were moving sixty-seven hours away from the only family I had ever known, I had cried for two days straight and had locked myself in my room.
I had no desire to leave the familiarity of our home in chilly Fairbanks, Denali. Words couldn't describe how desperately I would miss my mother's relatives. I had lived with them from the day I was born; where we went, they went. And vice versa; except for this time.
I couldn't generate any sort of explanation in my mind to why my parents had all of a sudden decided to pack up from our perfect life and start over. I didn't understand why they felt the need to change everything, especially when our family was so much different than all the others in the first place. We were the freaks among the freaks. And I wasn't sure I could handle too much change all at once; it was extremely overwhelming.
My father, on the other hand, was beyond ecstatic about moving to La Push. I couldn't blame him really; he had been born and raised there, living on the reservation until he had met my mother. I knew how much he missed his family and his friends; it was visible on his face quite frequently. But I also knew that he gave all that up to start a family with my mother.
And, it was easily the most romantic story I had ever heard.
You see, I was born into a family of werewolves and vampires. Not your average life story, but I, myself, couldn't imagine it any other way. My father was one of the most popular werewolves in the history of La Push. He was the reigning Alpha of the current pack, as well as the Chief of the entire tribe. He was a living legend, no doubt. He had also imprinted on my mother the day she was born.
I had heard the story of imprinting more than once and each time, it seemed more and more magical. Imprinting was when a wolf met their soul mate for the first time. It was when gravity shifted and no longer held them to Earth; their imprint took over that job. A wolf would do anything for their imprint. They would be anything their imprint needed them to be; no questions asked.
I was honestly sure it was the most romantic and beautiful thing I had ever heard of.
My mother was half-vampire, half-human living with her family of pure vampires. They had to move around a lot, to remain inconspicuous, since they didn't age. With imprinting, it's impossible for either person to live without the other—without being in serious mental and physical pain—so my father made the decision to leave his life in La Push behind and begin anew with my mother and her family.
Obviously, that was how my brothers and I came to exist.
My two brothers and I couldn't be more genetically different. They directly took after my father. They had inherited my father's shape-shifter gene, but unlike other werewolves, also received the immortality of a vampire. So, they were deemed half-werewolf, half-vampire. I, on the other hand, had taken after my mother. I was just like her; half-human, half-vampire. No one was really sure how much of the werewolf gene I had received, if any of at all.
Often enough, I felt like because of that fact, I had let my father down. It was impossible for me to carry on the werewolf gene in the future, unless I became romantically involved with someone who carried the gene, themself. I wasn't ashamed of whom I was, but I couldn't help but feel bad about it. I didn't want to disappoint him. And it bothered me, a lot.
"How much longer are we going to be?"
I jumped at the loudness and harshness of my sixteen-year-old brother's voice. He was sitting directly behind me. I could feel his warm breath on the top of my head as he spoke.
"We should only be 'bout five to ten more minutes, JJ. Just depends on the traffic and this damn rain," Dad answered in his soft voice.
A warm hand brushed at my hair.
"How are you holding up, baby sis?" JJ whispered in my ear.
JJ stood for Jacob Junior—after my father. He was tall and muscular with dark messy, short hair and beautiful brown eyes. He was the splitting image of my father when he had been sixteen; or so everyone told JJ many times before. But unlike him and my father, the only resemblance JJ and I shared was our matching hair colour.
Despite his temperamental attitude and constant mood swings—territory that comes with being a werewolf—JJ was a typical overprotective and overbearing big brother. He was often too protective and sometimes it got on my nerves. However, I couldn't find it in my heart to ever get annoyed at him. I knew he was only acting that way because he cared so much.
Only when I remembered that I hadn't provided him with a verbal answer did I meet his eyes briefly. "I'm okay," I mumbled under my breath.
The one thing I couldn't stand about my immortal family was our lack of privacy. If something was going on with you, everyone else knew about it too. Between all the mind readers and empaths, there was no such thing as secrets. You couldn't even have a civil conversation without someone eavesdropping due to their unnatural, oversensitive hearing.
As if to prove my point, my mother turned around to face us, her bronze curls bouncing as she did so. "Are you feeling unwell, sweetheart?" she asked with concern.
I tried not to sigh. "No, Mama," I mumbled quietly. "I—I'm just tired of being in the car."
I winced inwardly at the sound of my voice. No one was going to let that excuse fly when I spoke in such a monotone. But, I didn't want to delve into the fact that I had absolute no desire to move to La Push. There was no way, whatsoever, that I could say that to my parents' faces. No matter how I felt, I wanted my parents to be happy.
Exactly, I said to myself. So shut up and deal with it.
Dad met my eyes through the rear-view mirror. "We shouldn't be more than five more minutes, darling," he promised earnestly. "Sam's house is just around this bend."
My eyes widened at his response. I had forgotten about that. In honour of us moving to La Push, half the tribe decided to throw some extravagant event at the Uleys' home. So, not only were we not going to see our new house until later, but we also had to go and mingle with people that we barely knew, at a party that we hadn't wanted to go to. Well, at least I didn't want to go. And, judging by the sour expression on JJ's face, he shared my opinion.
"Are you sure this party is such a good idea?" I asked gently.
Mom reached back to squeeze my hand. "Everything will be fine, honey. There's no need to worry."
But, I was worried. I was a vampire that was about to go into a house full of werewolves. Werewolves hated vampires and the La Push pack was no exception to that. They were trained from day one to kill any vampire in sight. How did I know they wouldn't try to kill me just because my father was part of the tribe? How could they be so sure?
JJ mussed my hair. "I got your back, kid," he murmured.
His reassurance did nothing to calm my nerves and when Dad pulled the SUV up behind a sorry-looking red pickup truck; my heart felt like it was going to explode out of my chest.
"Elissa, wake your brother, please," Mom instructed.
My eyes immediately trained onto the figure slumped beside me.
My twin brother had turned himself into a pretzel as he slept soundlessly in the seat next to me. His head was resting on the edge of the car door, his curly black hair untidy and wild. His red-framed glasses sat askew on his skinny nose. And despite his unusual position, his face displayed complete ease. We often joked that he was a cat; he adorned the ability to sleep wherever, in whatever position he fell into.
I flicked his foot that rested on my lap. "Bronnie," I murmured softly.
Silence.
I waited a moment before unclicking my seatbelt. Then, I reached across and pushed my finger into his cheek, poking him. "Bronson, wake up."
He groaned loudly. "Was that really necessary, Liss?"
"We're here," was all I managed to say.
Bronson was immediately alert. He sat up, rubbing his eyes sleepily before fixating his glasses back onto his nose properly. Then, his blue-black eyes turned to me, scrutinizing my appearance carefully.
"You're upset," he murmured.
My twin brother's overprotective nature put JJ's to shame. He could read me like a book and often enough, knew how I was feeling before I knew myself. He was my rock; I wasn't sure what I would do if I hadn't had him.
"I'm not," I denied. My fingers picked at the edge of my turquoise t-shirt.
"Elissa," Bronson sighed, reaching to place his hand on my shoulder. I flinched out of his reach.
"Please, don't," I whispered. "I'm barely holding it together as it is and…and if you do that, I won't be able to."
"Okay," he said softly.
I reached over to open the car door. Taking a deep breath, I said, "Let's just get this over with."
The Uleys had a nice house. It was white brick with black shutters. It was two storeys high, though you could almost tell that it hadn't originally been so. Little framework imperfections gave away the fact that the second floor had been added to the original structure. Of course, no one with normal vision would be able to tell, and it was sturdy enough. There were little flower-boxes that hung beneath each window, filled with every colour of flower beyond imaginable. The mixture of the scents burned my nostrils, but it was pretty to look at. They even had a porch swing. Several cars lined the edge of the green grass and gravel driveway.
Mom, Dad and JJ were waiting for us at the gate of the backyard. Once we joined them, Dad focused on my brothers and me intently.
"Now, kids, you have to understand that this is going to be weird to a lot of people here tonight," Dad said gently. "A lot of these kids don't understand our family. They're going to feel uncomfortable around you. That doesn't mean that you should feel uncomfortable around them. Tonight is a little bit like a trial run," he explained. "But, I want you to have fun and be on your best behaviour."
"Okay, Dad," Bronson agreed.
"Sure," JJ muttered, leaning against the wood fence beside him. He crossed his arms unhappily.
"Elissa, I want you to stay close to one of your brothers tonight," Dad instructed. "And I want you to come find me right away if you have any problems. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir," I mumbled.
Dad frowned, before leaning down to hug me softly. "Everything will be fine."
The beach-side backyard was full of life. Patio lights and paper lanterns lined the entire property. Huge, long wood sticks stuck out of the sand as fire burned at the top, acting as more light sources. A drift-wood fire burned on the sandy white beach. Subtle music flowed from a sound-system on the patio, which was connected to the back of the house.
Immediately, my parents were bombarded with people. Dad laughed as one of his friends picked him up off the ground momentarily. My mother was hugged by several women, including a lady with scars stretched across the one side of her face. My brothers and I stood back slightly; watching the scene unfold before us and feeling as out of place as ever.
"We're really glad you're back, Jake," a very tall man said, grinning at my father.
As the crowd around my parents dispersed, they started introducing my brothers and I to everyone. I met Sam Uley—the tall man who had greeted Dad—and his wife Emily, who was beyond beautiful despite the scars that adorned the side of her face. As well, Kim and Jared Thail, Seth Clearwater and his wife, Bridget, all of which who were very friendly and welcoming; much to my surprise. There were a few others that hadn't arrived yet, according to my father that we would meet later on in the night.
"Hey kids," Dad said, beckoning us towards him. "I'd like you to meet your Aunt Rachel and your Uncle Paul."
I smiled shyly at the couple and my brothers muttered their hellos. Paul was very tall, well built, and overall, just really intimidating. He didn't smile and stood silently. Rachel, on the other hand, was bubbly and talked as if she had known us longer than five minutes.
It was hard to hide my surprise; I hadn't been aware of the fact that my father had a sister. Before my parents had decided to move to La Push, they didn't talk about the people in my father's old life. I had asked before, curious of the history of my father's family, but the topic had just made him silent and upset, so I had never brought it up again. But, now I knew why; it would have been hard to leave a sister behind.
"God, Ness, she's just a splitting image of you, isn't she?" Rachel said to Mom.
I blushed, looking at the ground.
"I should introduce you kids to your cousins," Rachel exclaimed. She turned around and searched the crowded yard. "Anderson, you come here right now," she yelled.
As my eyes followed to watch a boy about my age come jogging towards his mother without a second thought, I realized that it was probably not a smart idea to say no to Rachel. She seemed to be a pretty level-headed person and easily in control of her husband and children.
"What's up, Mom?" Anderson asked, coming to a stop at his father's side.
Anderson looked a lot like his father. He had shaggy, dark brown hair that fell into his eyes. He was tall—so tall that I had to look up just to see his face. His brown eyes studied my brothers, his face expressionless. When his eyes turned to me, I felt myself hold my breath. It occurred to me then how badly I wanted to be accepted by all of these people.
"Andy," Rachel said, squeezing her son against her side. "These are your cousins JJ, Bronson, and Elissa."
Andy's face broke into a broad smile; a genuine smile. "Finally," he said with a laugh. "All these years of knowing your names but never being able to put them to faces; nice to meet you guys!"
I had to keep my mouth from dropping open. He was being…nice? It was hard to believe that people were actually excited to meet us. I figured most people would be put off by our family immediately; especially because of me.
"Can we leave you to introduce them to everyone else?" Rachel asked.
Andy nodded enthusiastically.
A hand clamped down on my shoulder and hot breath tickled my ear. "Remember what I said," Dad advised me.
I nodded, trying to relieve myself from my nerves. Dad's worries certainly weren't making it any easier and I found myself strangely more at ease as I watched my mother and father follow Rachel and Paul across the yard to where the rest of the adults were convened.
"Are your parents a little nervous?" Andy asked me.
I blushed, realizing he had heard my father lecture me. But it was JJ that answered. "We weren't really sure how welcome everyone would be," JJ explained with a shrug. "With Liss being, well—"
"A vampire," Andy interrupted.
Bronson casually threw an arm around my shoulders.
"Well, yeah," JJ said lamely.
We all stood in silence for a moment, unsure of what to say. I knew I had no say in what genes I had inherited from my parents, but for some strange reason I felt the need to apologize. But, Andy threw a curveball in that theory.
"Honestly," he said. "Let me be the first to say—"
I felt like I was choking on air. My own cousin was about to admit his hatred for me. My finger nails bit into my palms as I waited for him to finish his sentence.
"—that I don't give a shit," he finished.
This time I couldn't stop my mouth from flopping open like a fish. "You don't?" My voice was quiet, afraid. I didn't like it.
Andy smiled, shrugging one shoulder. "You're family," he explained sincerely. "I mean, you could be blue with three arms and I'd probably still feel the same way. I've always wanted a little sister to protect and since I never got one, you seem like a pretty decent substitute to me."
I swallowed a lump in my throat. "T-thank you," I whispered.
Bronson squeezed me closer, his eyes portraying the "I told you so" that he never said out loud.
"So," Andy said, clearing his throat. "Want to meet the rest of the gang?"
Thanks for reading, please review! :)