NEW STORY GUYS :) Ok this is set near the end of New Moon, so most of the pack are werewolves and the Cullens have left but will return.
'Don't lie and say that it's OK.
It's alright here, there's nothing more to say.
So I'm running away.
I'm leaving this place.
Yeah, I'm running away.
I'm running away' - Midnight Hour - Running Away
Those lyrics couldn't have been anymore true as they echoed around the car. Even though I had the volume up high enough to drown out my sobs, Grace was sleeping peacefully in the backseat. Every often she was stir but instantly drift back to sleep again
However I was not so lucky. My eyes were constantly focused on the road ahead, and had been since we had left California a few days ago. We had to stop every so often so I could change and feed Grace otherwise she wouldn't sleep so peacefully. When I got so tired at night, I pulled into a lay-by and slept for a few hours before continuing the journey.
As we drove closer to La Push, the weather which had been clear for most of the journey suddenly deteriorated and it was nearly impossible to see more than a few meters infront of you.
I leaned forward and pressed my nose up against the window, searching for the turning into the Indian reservation which was my final destination.
A loud clap of thunder woke Grace from her sleep.
Grace glanced around startled by the loud noise and probably upset that she had to wake up. I didn't know if it was normal for a five month old baby to sleep so much but I didn't have much choice. If I didn't let her sleep, she would be in a constant mood for the rest of the day.
"Shh Gracie its okay. Just go back to sleep" I said, in the most soothing voice I had, whilst trying to stop the car careering off the flooded roads and into a tree.
Grace huffed loudly and twisted in her car seat. She finally sighed in contentment as her head nestled into one of her many soft blankets.
I sighed loudly in relief as I carefully turned into the reservation and the car tires had more grip on the pebbled roads.
As soon as the first house came into sight, my ravaged breathing slowed and my tense muscles softened. Now the only problem was finding Louise's house which could take longer than I thought as all the houses seemed to look the same.
I drove past a painfully familiar church and knew I wasn't that far away from Louise's now. The first and last time I ever came to La Push was about two years ago, when my own Grandma died and we had to come to town for her funeral. Grandma Bee was buried in the grounds of that churchyard which looked even worse through the pouring rain.
I almost started to cry again when Louise's house came into view, but this time these were happy tears.
Grandma Bee and Louise had been best friends for all of their lives and even though I had only ever met Louise a few times when I was a little girl when Bee brought her to Seattle for Christmas, New Years and my birthday, Louise was just like another grandparent. Louise reminded me a lot of Grandma Bee which was probably why I turned to her in my hour of need and was sure that she would be able to help me.
The car skidded to a stop at the end of Louise's drive and I wasted no time in lifting Grace out of her car seat and running towards the house. Grace had managed to sleep through my rushed evacuation and the large droplets of rain which had pounded down on me.
I took in a deep breath and knocked loudly on the large brown door infront of me. Thankfully there was a porch so I didn't get wet in the few hesitant moments before Louise peered out the door.
She took one glance at my face and swung the door fully open, pulling me in from the rain. With Grace still clutched tightly against my chest Louise wrapped me in a tight hug. I rested my head on her shoulder and let the tears escape.
"Come on Jazz, you go and jump in the shower whilst I watch the little one and then we can have a chat with a nice cup of hot chocolate" Louise suggested, prying Grace out of my arms.
I reluctantly nodded and stumbled down the hallway and into the warm bathroom. The hot water helped to ease my aching body which had been cramped in the same position for days and relaxed my tense muscles. I scrubbed away at my skin until I was satisfied those two days worth of dirt was gone and rinsed out of my hair.
When I stepped out of the shower, my suitcases were already by the bathroom door so I pulled out a pair of baggy tracksuit bottoms and an overly large hoodie.
"How do you feel now love?" Louise asked, looking up from a sleeping Grace in her arms.
I nodded and fell onto the couch opposite them.
"So what's her name?" Louise asked, stroking Grace's dark blond hair softly.
"Grace" I croaked quietly.
Louise smiled softly and glanced down at Grace, rocking her gently in her arms.
"She doesn't look like you Jazz. Does she look like her father?" Louise asked innocently.
I snorted and shook my head, sitting up straight on the couch.
"Grace isn't my daughter Lou and I haven't seen her father so I wouldn't know if she looked like him" I explained quickly.
Louise looked at me in surprise but quickly covered it up with a reassuring smile. She never had been one to judge someone before she knew the whole story.
"You remember Jess right?" I checked.
Louise nodded instantly and laughed softly. How could you not remember Jess? She was one of the funniest, kindest and most beautiful girls you had ever seen. You couldn't forget about her in a hurry.
"Well Jess started dating this college guy called Serb, but she would never let me meet him and five months ago she gave birth to Grace. From what I can gather, Serb was an amateur drug dealer and a few weeks after Grace was born, Jess got really depressed and he gave her drugs to help her, or so he said. She wouldn't go out anywhere and was constantly paranoid that everyone was staring at her. Which in her defence they probably were because you don't see a lot of seventeen year old girls pushing a baby around town" I murmured.
Louise was quiet and would ever so often glance down at Grace and I could tell she was now realising how much Grace looked like Jess. They both had dark blond hair, sharp features, slightly blushed cheeks and a cute button nose.
"Anyway about a month ago whilst we were at a party and Jess's mum was looking after Grace, Serb gave her some LSD instead of Cocaine or Heroin which was what he had been giving her before. She had a bad trip and kept screaming and crying because she was seeing massive spiders and men with guns running towards her but of course there was no one there. I tried to calm her down and took her outside so she could get some fresh air and calm down but she ran off. She ran for miles across town and I followed her from a distance. She told me she couldn't take it any more and jumped off a bridge which was above the main road" I breathed back the tears as the memories came flooding back and Louise gasped loudly.
"The doctors said she probably died from the impact of hitting the concrete but there was no chance she would have survived because as she was laying on the road a lorry ran over her." I whispered, brushing away the streams of tears.
Louise jumped off her arm chair and sat down on the couch beside me, wrapping a supportive arm around my shoulder. I leant forward, resting my elbows on my knees and buried my face into my hands.
"A couple of days later the police arrived with Grace and told me that they had found a letter written by Jess underneath her bed which said that if anything happened to her that I would become Grace's legal guardian. I didn't have a choice. Jess's mother was set to a mental hospital because she became so depressed that she tried to kill herself. Serb couldn't give a shit and threatened to kill me and Grace if I told the authorities about him. Of course I wasn't going to let him get away with it so I told the police everything and now whilst the police are chasing Serb and his buddies, Serb and dad are searching for me" I muttered, clenching my fists together at just the thought of Serb and my own father.
"Your father?" Louise whispered.
I nodded and sank lower into the couch.
"I thought he fled to Germany?" Louise asked.
My mum had died when I was only five years old and dad didn't really want a child so I lived with Auntie Josie and Uncle Mike since I was six.
"No that's what uncle Mike thought too but apparently he was just living on the outskirts of Seattle, drinking himself to death and stealing things to pay for his new drug addiction. The police told me that Serb offered dad free drugs if he could find me and bring me back to Serb, or to kill me himself" I said, gritting my teeth together.
Louise shuffled awkwardly in her seat as Grace woke up, screaming her little head off.
"Sorry she gets angry when she is hungry. I guess she got that from her mother" I chuckled softly.
I carefully took her from Louise and picked up one of the bags down the hall which had half of Grace's things. The kid had more stuff than me.
I pulled out a few bottles and some milk formula as Louise pointed me to the kitchen.
Thankfully Grace's screams died down and stopped completely when I pushed the bottle in her tiny little mouth.
Louise watched the whole process of making a bottle, testing it and then feeding Grace with amazement.
"This is going to be so much fun. I always wanted some great grandkids but so far, none have come and I was getting so bored at home" Louise chuckled, clapping her hand together enthusiastically.
"Are you sure you don't mind us staying?" I asked looking down at Grace and then the mess I had already made, with embarrassment.
"Of course not. You can enrol at the local high school for the next few months and graduate and I will stay at home and look after Grace for you. I can take her to bingo, book club and to the shop. All the girls are going to love here" Louise cheered loudly.
I laughed softly as Louise's loud cries of happiness made Grace jump in my arms and Louise giggled with embarrassment.
"Whilst you finish feeding her, I will go and ring up the school so you can start as soon as possible. I don't want you missing out on anything because you have these extra responsibilities. Every teenager is entitled to a break every so often, especially you" Louise walked off whilst ranting, leaving me in the kitchen feeding Grace.
The rain seemed to have calm down now and the clouds had cleared enough that you could see the full moon out the window.
"Looks like things are getting better kid" I sighed, brushing Grace's fringe away from her dark brown eyes.
REVIEW PLEASE! i want atleast five reviews until i post the next chapter ;) xx