I do not own any of the Twilight characters; I only own Lilah (pronounced like Lilac, for the first part but the A is a soft A not a hard A like in LilAc) Weldner and Natalia Westwood.
The story takes place after the Eclipse movie, unfortunately I have only seen the movies and am sorry if I got some of the names wrong. The intro is long but it was a long setup lol
The story does ignore some things, such as the next books, I am focusing simply on the reserve, it's people, and Jacob and Lilah's relationship.
Please tell me what you think, please R&R :)
Another morning and another day on the rollercoaster of life.
I look out the window, of my small room on the second floor down to the streets of Washington.
Things haven't been that great for us, my dad and I since my mother passed a couple years ago. I was only ten when she passed and now I was 16, but the pain of her departure still seemed fresh in my heart.
"Lil get down here! Now!" I heard dad yell from the kitchen bellow. I sighed; ever since she left he had grown mean and prone to abusing anything that was in his sight.
I tried to keep myself out of the cross fire, but more than once I had finally made it to my room with a black eye or other bruises. Part of me hated him for it, but the rest of me still loved him. He was my dad, my only family. My father didn't have any relatives at all, and my mother's side had disowned her for marrying him instead of the man they had chosen.
So my dad and I were all that was left of our once happy but tiny family.
I rushed down stairs and listened to him rant and yell about not washing the dishes the night before. He hadn't been drinking so his anger died quickly and soon he was off in his own mind leaving me to finish the chores.
I have finally gotten down all of his moods and learned to listen for the lulls before the storms that he brewed up.
At night I would lock my door, knowing that he usually came home drunk looking for a fight. He would bang on it for a while and then finally give up and in the morning he wouldn't remember a thing.
He went off to work and I decided to go to the zoo with my camera. I had a thing for wolves and I loved photography, taking photos of them just seemed a natural way to combine the two.
The day was overcast and beautiful, I loved the cold weather. The dreariness that people usually felt simply made me feel alive as the chilled wind swept through me.
I greeted the ticket takers and handed them my money, they always gave me a discount.
The wolves were restless today moving about in the open behind the wire cage that barricaded them from us.
I set up my equipment and took my time. As each photo took shape within my shutter, I felt someone watching me.
Looking up I noticed a beautiful Native American woman with long black hair and dark eyes looking at me curiously. She looked to be in her mid thirties and as I looked at her curiously she gave me a big toothy grin. I couldn't help but smile back; she seemed friendly and…almost innocent in nature.
I looked back at the wolves quickly taking photos as a curious wolf came up closer to me.
I had oiled the switch that let me take pictures so it wouldn't make a noise to scare the wolves.
The gorgeous grey wolf moved closer toward me its grey eyes capturing mine for an instant before it looked to my left.
I almost gasped out loud when I noticed the dark haired woman had come to stand next to me. I hadn't even heard her.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." She said sweetly her voice was slightly deeper and robust in texture.
I smiled shyly at her nodding my head.
"Oh, don't worry about it I scare easily when I'm in my zone." I said smiling and looking through my lens again.
"I can see. You like wolves don't you?" She said laughing as she noticed me concentrating again. Her laugh was sweet and kind.
I felt so opposite to her.
She was full and beautiful. Her very presence seemed innocent and kind. While I on the other hand I felt broken and battered.
My very mind set had lost its innocence a long time ago. I knew what dwelled in the darkness of people's minds; I knew the great evil that lurked there.
"Yeah, I really like them. Something about them, how they travel in packs, how they always have a family in sense to depend on. The fact that they never seem lonely mesmerizes me. It such a strange thing to see when the supposedly superior races like us cant seem to hold onto families at all." I said not sure why I felt so comfortable telling her all that.
I felt like spilling everything right then and there, her smile was so kind and warm. The last time I remember a smile like that was when my mother would smile at me as she watched me practice my dancing or gymnastics.
After she died I had given up dancing, there was time it seemed or a place to practice anymore.
"Aw, I agree. It is a trait that many people don't notice anymore. We can learn so much from them. My name is Natalia by the way." She said reaching her hand to me in acquaintance.
I smiled, grabbing her hand gingerly and shaking it lightly.
"It's nice to meet you Natalia, my name is Lilah." I said.
"You know I'm new here, I was wondering if you could maybe show me around. I know it might be strange for someone as old as I to ask someone as young as you but you seem kind and I would love to see any developed photos you have taken." She said smiling widely.
In the back of my head I did wonder why she went for someone as young as I, but my whole mind just felt relaxed and easy around her. I wondered if she felt the same way and maybe that was why she wanted to be friends.
We walked out of the park and walked around the town for a while as I showed her the sights.
She told me that she had moved here to see what was outside of her small town called La Push. She told me about the wonderful community and large family that she had back at home and about all of the characters that lived there.
I longed to know what she knew. It seemed so serene and incredible, and so opposite of my life.
I told her that it was just myself and my dad. I told her about my mother and that she died of cancer when I was ten. She asked about things that I liked to do other than take photos and I told her about my dancing and gymnastics.
It felt so easy to talk to her so fun and nice.
"Do you still dance a lot?" she asked as we were eating ice cream by my house.
"Not really, after my mom died I just felt like that part of me seemed to die as well. She was the one who got me into it. She was an incredible dancer. I have been dancing since I was five, but after she died whenever I danced it was painful and father didn't like it either. It made him angry that I kept reminding him of her. I have the same brown hair as her and the same brown eyes, while he has short blonde hair and blue eyes. So I guess I remind him a lot of her." I said sadly.
"Does he get angry at you a lot?" She asked, looking sadly but understandingly at me.
"Yeah, he never was before she died. We were the perfect family always happy and always they're for each other. My mother was the kindest and most caring person out there." I said tears beginning to well in my eyes.
I felt Natalia's hand on mine as she scooted over and put her arm around me. It was the strangest feeling, like I was coming home as she brought me into a big hug.
"I bet she is proud of you though, I know I would be if I was her. You seem like an incredibly strong person." She said soothingly.
We finished our ice cream and I showed her my house somewhat embarrassed at the appearance. It once was a lovely little house but now it was in shambles.
I showed her my room, and the hundreds of photos I had taken. She was kind and very interested in them especially the photos that had wolves in them.
"These are incredible. I kind of have a thing for wolves too, of course mine comes from the tales of our tribe, the one I'm from. The quilette tribe is said to have descended from wolves." She said her eyes sparkling.
I was in awe, as she told me the legends that she had been told all through her life. I felt as If I was hearing sacred information, as if I was getting the tiniest peak into her incredible past and present.
I jumped as I heard the door bang shut downstairs. I wasn't sure if my father would be very happy to have someone so much older than me be my friend.
"Lilah where are you." He said demandingly.
Before I had a chance he was at my door and stopped as he looked at the woman next to me.
My father was in his early forties and the sight of the beautiful woman stopped him dead in his tracks.
"Hello, you must be Lilah's father, my name is Natalia Westwood, I'm new here and your daughter was kind enough to show me around." She said sweetly her eyes innocent as she looked into his hard ones.
For the first time in years I saw my dads eyes soften, if just for a moment.
"Well, um it's nice to meet you. My name is Eric Weldner. Would you care to head on out for a drink with me, I know that it cant be that much fun hanging with someone so young" He said his voice slightly off as he said it.
"Oh, your daughter is lovely, yes that actually sounds really nice." She said as she looked back at me seeming to be checking if I was okay with it.
It seemed to good to be true, but at the same time as they walked out of the room I was afraid. My father's icy nature wouldn't break that easily and I hoped against everything I had that she would be safe.
The next couple weeks passed fairly quickly.
Natalia visited me often and we grew very close, she became a good friend of mine and a trusted mentor.
Her relationship with my father though was always very rocky. I was always afraid that she would be hurt and I knew that they hadn't done much together which put my father in a bad mood every time he came home.
My dreams became nightmares as I worried about her. I had frightening images of her bloody and bashed, her innocent face changed forever by my father's hands.
And each morning when I woke I vowed that I would do everything I could to keep her out of harms way.
She was the first good thing that had come into my life since my mother. She inspired me to get back into dancing and I was taking classes again excelling in all of my classes. She even attended the ones I went to watching with pride as I moved about the dance floor renewed vigor in my face.
I asked her one-day as we sat on the floor of my room putting together a huge collage of some of my photos, why she didn't have any kids.
"Unfortunately I am barren, I can't have kids. I was born like this." She said, her face growing sad.
"I always wanted a child though, no matter what age I always felt like I was meant to take care of someone, to be a mother." She said her eyes shining slightly.
"Isn't there anyone back home that you like, I mean my father is okay but you need to be careful of his temper." I said quietly.
"There were many men back home that wanted to be with me but something seemed to call me out here. I truly can't explain it, but I felt like I couldn't settle down until I came out here and see what there was to see. I know that your father has a temper and I hope that he hasn't hurt you with it." She said worry resonating in her sweet voice.
I looked up but averted my eyes quickly. The last couple weeks had been more painful than usual; my father had taken out his frustration with Natalia and her unwillingness to sleep with him on me. I was glad that he wasn't taking it out on her but it was getting harder and harder to hide.
"Not much, I don't really want to talk about it." I said unwilling to lie.
She understood and nodded her head before changing the subject.
That night my stomach seemed more knotted than usual as my father and Natalia went out to dinner.
He seemed determined about something and I was afraid he was going to force himself on her.
I searched through his room and hid any sharp or blunt objects my mind working with determination. I grabbed an old baseball bat and put it by my door as I waited for them to come home.
The door finally opened at eleven pm and my stomach instantly churned. He wasn't drunk but his voice was angry.
I heard muffled footsteps and grunts as they moved through the house.
"No Eric, I don't want to sleep with you." I heard Natalia say angrily.
"I'm tired of waiting." He said, his voice angry and unemotional. My stomach dropped and my mind was set.
I could hear her struggling, probably not trying to wake me or scare me.
I grabbed the bat and made my way downstairs.
I turned on the light to find my father grappling with her against the wall she was scared and that made me angry.
He was going to take her innocence and I wouldn't have that.
"Get off her father. NOW!" I screamed running up to him and swinging the bat.
I hit his back and he slumped backwards as Natalia slid herself free moving toward me as he got back up swearing and yelling.
"You little bitch! You will pay for that!" He yelled his eyes causing my stomach to turn and shrink away.
He came at us and I swung the bat again hitting his head this time. Natalia dragged me backwards toward the door.
Before we could get there, he had grabbed her hair and she screamed at the sudden jerk as he brought her backwards.
I yelled and ran toward him hitting him in every spot I could find.
His rough hands found me as she was released.
She looked determined to come back and help but I shook my head.
"Go please go. Go get help." I said as he moved to grab her as well.
She looked frightened and worried to leave me but she understood that it was the only way. She ran out the door and my father roughly grabbed my hair and dragged me to the living room.
"You will pay for what you have done." He said coldly, all thoughts of the escaping Natalia had seemed to vanish in his rage.
He threw me roughly to the ground my face hitting it as I cradled my now bleeding nose my back to him.
I heard a drawer open and the sound of a foreign object running through his hands. I looked back and turned quickly my eyes closed tightly, it was a long black whip.
I wouldn't scream, I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of hearing me scream, I thought as the whip recoiled and hovered above me before lashing down biting my skin open.
It took all of my strength not to utter a sound.
"Scream, you horrible thing, I want to hear you scream!" I heard him yell behind me. But I knelt like a statue as he struck again and again.
It seemed like ten minutes before I finally heard him stop. I looked around hazily my vision blurring from the pain as I saw officers tackle him and pin him to the ground.
Natalia was there and she ran to me yelling for an ambulance before everything went black and the world I knew was left behind.