Disclaimer: I only own the plot and OC's, the premise of the Twilight universe and recognisable characters belong right with Stephanie Meyer.
A/N Please let me start off by saying that I'm Australian and therefore am not familiar with America in regards with university and the health care system. Hell, I had to learn the freshman/sophomore/junior/senior terminology for this. But regardless, I'll try not to delve too much into it and I hope you enjoy!
Prologue
Wendy: 192 hours
I'd be lying if I said my time at the University of Washington wasn't hard. When our graduating class was asked to make up a metaphor describing how the last few years of physical therapy had been, the best we could come up with was along the lines of:
"It's kind of like giving birth without an epidural injection. More pain than you were prepared for but wow, what a child."
Nonetheless, now as everyone was coming off of their high from finally being able to experience freedom, the ever daunting thought of having to find an actual career loomed over the horizon. It was times like these though, when I was grateful that I had given up my summer vacations for internships to build my CV so that applying for jobs was less like a stab in the dark. It also certainly helped that my mother was as social as a bee.
"You know, that hospital in Forks just received a vacancy in their rehabilitation clinic," my mother nonchalantly mentioned during Monday brunch, the one day she had off work and yoga each week which we had automatically mediated to become our catch-up day. To say the least, I almost spit out my cinnamon roll.
"Mother dear, you just listened to me complain about being unemployed for 20 minutes and you bring this up now?" I had asked with a raised eyebrow trying to keep my composure. She didn't bat an eyelid.
Of course not, Samantha Lee was a formidable, no-nonsense accountant with a spine of steel and everything that I had once aspired to be. It had taken years for me to realise I had the spine of a jellyfish and that my true calling didn't lie with law like my father or numbers like my mother. And it wasn't until my grandma tripped down the stairs, spent three painful weeks in the hospital and was then forced to see her physical therapist weekly that I even had any clear direction at all. The old monster of a woman survived two strokes and a heart attack but what almost broke her was a simple fall. But what helped her tend to her garden again was that therapy, and her recovery was something I always aspired to bring.
"Oh what a brilliant question Wendy, I heard from Melissa Raymond who I used to work with down at Forks whose own son is a nurse. Now, I don't hear anyone thanking me," my mother had hummed while I finished off roll. I rolled my eyes and reached across to kiss her on the cheek.
"Thanks a bunch mum, I don't know what I could've done without you."
"That's what I thought."
Talking with my mother was easy, I think that's one of the payoffs of having such a young mum, despite the fact that I didn't have any older siblings. I loved my mother though, regardless of our little spats. We looked like each other too, with the russet skin of a native Quileute and long black hair, as well as her slender figure. My brown almond eyes and terrible eyesight came from my father however. Mother dearest had grey eyes a hawk could only wish for. Either way, I was proud of my native heritage, I was a proud Quileute.
Quileute stories were always my favourite fairytales growing up. From the first wolves of our ancestors to the third wife, it all entranced me. As an adult, I still read up on the legends as a guilty pleasure, it was nice to delve into something unique and mine that no other culture, no matter how closely related, could connect too.
As my mother and I hopped into my Toyota Camry for the drive back to our apartment complex, I mused back to when I had lived in La Push. I would've lived my whole life there if it wasn't for the fact that my parents had both moved to Seattle for their respective jobs bringing me with them right smack bang in the middle of freshman year. I can't say I was too devastated, La Push High School had a total of 323 kids by the time I had left and everyone had known everyone else since they were in diapers. But despite the fact that this should've called for a close-knit community, friend groups were plentiful and tiny. I almost felt bad for leaving behind my seat mate Lucy who, while not a real friend, often sat with me at lunch. Almost though.
And as if almost like a 90's sitcom, I was thrust back into a series of flashbacks.
Wendy Lee never used to like her name. The fact that both her first and last name ended with 'ee' sounds always made her full name sound childish and she didn't have a say in it. Her mother had told her that she always wanted to name a daughter after her favourite childhood storybook character from Peter Pan but really now, she sounded like a character too.
Oh, the musings of this 10-year-old were very intense.
"Hey Wendy Lee, would you like some tea?" It also didn't help that an extremely immature group of young boys in her class made the same joke whenever she walked by and she wasn't with Lucy. The stupidest thing really, but to someone in the fifth grade this was nothing short of a social disaster, especially since it was by some of the most popular boys in the grade.
"Stop it!"
"Come on Wendy Lee, it's your name after all." They laughed raucously as Wendy started to stuff her sandwich back into her bag. How could Lucy be away that day?
"Hey now, that's the third time you've asked her if she would like some tea this week and she's already said no to each time before, leave her alone."
Seth. Freaking. Clearwater. Was he an angel? Was he a teddy bear? Was he the human embodiment of sunshine? WRONG, he was all three wrapped in a tall-for-his-age gangly little boy.
"Come on Seth we were only joking around; she likes it too!" Oh how Wendy wanted to push Conner Finley's face into a pile of mud.
"Well from the look on her face she obviously doesn't," An innocent frown graced his features "Now apologise please."
He said please someone call an ambulance because this 5th grade girl was losing it fast.
"We're sorry Wendy," the boys had mumbled; no one would dare cross Seth Clearwater. Not only was he the nicest boy whose presence ever graced the unworthy soil of mother earth, but because his father was part of the Quileute council. When they left to pester someone else, Seth turned to Wendy.
"You know, I know you might not like your name after this but I think it's really cute!" His eyes turned into crescents as he smiled and it was impossible to not smile back.
After that, falling for Seth Clearwater was like falling into quicksand. First she was one foot in, then it was her calf, then it got to a point where she often wondered if it was even worth it to get out anymore. By the seventh grade Wendy had decided that no, it wasn't.
But from that day, whenever he saw her he, he only used her full name.
"WENDY LEE WHAT WAS OUR MATH HOMEWORK AGAIN?"
"Oh no sorry there Wendy Lee, didn't see you there"
"I like your hair today Wendy Lee, did you cut it? It really suits you"
"Hey Wendy Lee, how was your break?"
"Wendy Lee…Wha- BANG"
I cringed at that last one. I was stupid and in love and I know that's redundant since they're practically synonyms for one another but how was I to know when I woke up that morning that I'd go home with a bloody nose and more humiliation than I would've expected. In my mind, the worst case scenario was him kindly rejecting me, not him slamming his locker door into my face. And I'm sad to say I didn't stay long enough to talk anything out with him. Regardless if it was an accident or not, that was enough emotion for me for the rest of my life. Even worse since that was the last time I had seen him. What possessed me to confess my stupid feelings for him on my last day of school at La Push? Practically laughable now that I think about it- Wait no, still cringing.
Shaking my head free of old crushes and my potential concussion, I called Forks Hospital to enquire about the job. Afterward, with a warm cup of hot chocolate in my hands, I sat at my office desk in my apartment and carefully composed my cover letter, triple checked my resume, and sent it through to the email that I was directed to send it to.
The next few weeks passed like a blur. After a phone interview, a brief face-to-face interview and clearing multiple police and working checks, I got the lucky phone call.
"We here at Forks Hospital would like to congratulate and welcome you-"
It was like a dream come true. I had called my parents telling them about my success before they came down to my apartment and started rambling about the adult stuff.
"Where will you live?"
"Aunt Char still rents out houses in the rez, right?"
"Who'll take care of the house?"
"I work 9 to 5 on weekdays only mum, I don't need a servant I can do stuff myself"
"How often will you call us?"
"Four times a week if you want some peace of mind but it's La Push, the most exciting thing's that ever happened was that one time people actually thought that doctor family were vampires. And that other time we had like two weeks straight of no rain. People thought the world was ending."
And that's how it all came together. How in the span of 8 days, 192 hours, I'll be starting a new life in an old place. But while I'd like to think I didn't run away from La Push, but I can't say I walked out with dignity exactly.
I shook my head, I was 23 years old now, and the only reason I was even coming back to La Push was a once in a lifetime opportunity since Forks Hospital has been known to struggle meeting the demand of their services over their years. Besides, ever since Sue Clearwater had retired, there had been no constant Quileute presence at the local hospital. I guess it was my turn to help the people and all that whatnot. I shouldn't be nonchalant like this, I should be grateful for getting a job so soon after graduating.
"Ugh" the soap bubbles in the kitchen sink flew everywhere as I let my arms come down. Contemplating my life decisions while washing the dishes wasn't exactly the greatest idea.
But I thought I would be working in a place where things actually happened. Not in the middle of no where behind some green shrubbery. Who was I to complain about wanting things to happen anyway? I had been notoriously afraid of risks for the last several years that I had moved out to an apartment right below my parents. And a feeling in me felt that I was just moving back to Forks was just because it was safe, I know the area, it wasn't new. But I couldn't dwell on the now, this was a self-evaluating crisis for another time. I had 192 hours to move my entire life back to La Push.
A/N No this story will not revolve around how Seth hit her in the face that one time even though it probably sounds like it at the moment, just some background! And I know the ending may have seemed a bit rushed but again, I just wanted to focus on some background here in the prologue and wanted to get the story going to La Push straight away. Hope you enjoyed by getting a little taste of the story so far, please review and leave your criticism/feedback! It'll be much appreciated.