Alexia Dragomir stared forlornly out of the cab window as it passed into the dreary town of Forks, Washington, population such a miniscule number that she couldn't even be bothered to fully read the number printed on the welcome sign. Though this place held many fond memories for her, it also held one of the worst: this was the place where her parents had died. Not exactly in Forks, itself, but this was where it had all began. Her mother, Karina, was a dancer with the Russian ballet back in her prime, but was forced to flee her homeland when she became pregnant at the age of 16. Her family had disowned her, and were planning on tossing her out on her ass with nothing when her father, Richard, gave up his life as an adjunct professor at Cambridge University to move to Forks and marry Karina.
Why they had chosen to move to this desolate wasteland would never make sense to her, but Alex supposed it had something to do with the fact that no one in their right mind would ever willingly choose Forks; it was the perfect place for hiding. Richard gave up a lot to save them, namely his other daughter from his first marriage, Poppy. As such, Alex had always felt closer to her father—not that she didn't love her mother, too. It was just…different. Both of their deaths had been hard on her, but the loss of her father was one she found herself mourning more frequently.
Jamming down the volume button a few times Alex relaxed back against the seat, the loud music drowning out her own thoughts. Thinking of this place and all of the memories it held for her was painful, and she didn't quite understand why she had agreed to come back and live with Poppy in the first place. After the death of her parents, a distant relative of her father's had come forward, offering to care for Alex until she came of age. For the past two months she had been living in London, England, spending her days sightseeing and learning everything she could about the culture while her nights were spent dancing with some of the top instructors in the country. Life was beginning to fall back into place for her—that is until the day a letter arrived in the post.
Alex could still remember her hands trembling as she read the letter from her sister, demanding she willingly come live out the rest of her seventeenth year of life with her sister in their hometown of Forks, or face the consequences. The letter alone wouldn't have been enough to sway Alexia to leave her new home and family—but the court order was. Given that Alexia still wasn't of an age to be considered an adult just yet, her sister was her closest living kin. She had petitioned the courts for primary custody of her, and she had won. Though she didn't want to enforce the order to get Alexia back, she made it crystal clear that she would if Alexia had made the wrong decision.
She'd considered running away that night, packing up what few belongings she had and using her meager savings to get her as far away from her sister as she could. Hell, she even considered trying to get to Russia to audition for the ballet and follow in her mother's footsteps. Knowing the pain that would cause her relatives who had been so kind to her, Alexia ultimately decided against it, begrudgingly agreeing to remain with her sister for the remainder of her senior year of high school. However, she did barter a bit, and earned herself an extra month in England to spend with her father's side of the family. Her eyes burned as she relived the painful goodbyes at the airport, and the looks on the faces of the relatives she knew she would likely never see again…
A knock on her window startled her, causing her to jump. The cab driver shoved his thumb in the direction of the house, opening the door for her as he said some numbers, holding out his hand. Alexia grabbed some money from her back pocket, shoving it into the driver's hand, giving him not only his cab fare but a tip as well; he had been quiet, not trying to make idle chit chat with her, and gotten her to her destination in one piece—what more could she have asked for?
Shocked by her kindness, the driver mumbled a thanks, grabbing her bags out of the back and setting them down next to her before driving off. Alexia sighed heavily as she stared at the place that had once been her home. Her eyes focused on the dead rose bush next to the mailbox, stinging with tears that she refused to shed. Gardening had been one of her father's favorite hobbies; clearly Poppy was not as concerned about preserving his only remaining living memory as she would have been.
An excited shriek pulled her from her own sadness, Poppy jogging towards her with arms outstretched. Alexia allowed Poppy to hug her, keeping her own arms straight to her sides, not bothering to return the affectionate embrace. Poppy pulled back, smiling at her, though it didn't quite touch her eyes. "Welcome home," she said warmly, gesturing to the house. Though some renovations had clearly been done on the place it still felt exactly as it had mere months ago when she was still living there. Alexia grabbed her bags before Poppy could, pointing to the rose bush as she brushed past her saying, "That was dad's favorite and you've killed it." Not pausing for a reaction she passed the threshold of the house, heading straight up to her old room without pausing to reminisce by the fireplace where the mantle held family portraits.
