Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, or any original characters.
Summary: When Edward moves to Forks after the loss of his parents, he can't seem to find salvation anywhere he looks. Then when he meets Bella Swan, who won't even meet his eyes half of the time, something clicks. AU.
Chapter 1 -
Anywhere But Home
I woke with a start, looking around cautiously for a moment at my strange surroundings. Then realization hit and I knew with a sinking feeling where I was. On the plane to Seattle.
"It's a pretty view," the teenage girl sitting next to me said. She had the window seat and was pointing at something out of it, grinning.
If I'd even have been able to see whatever had grabbed her attention, I doubt I would've agreed. I guess a side effect of becoming an orphan is apathy. To be completely honest, I hadn't even noticed her sitting next to me either. Now I did though, taking in her platinum blonde curls, tight sweater and heart-shaped face. The kind of girl I would've consider pretty damn hot.
Forcing out a reply, I said in response, "I guess."
Totally apathetic but for some reason the girl took this encouragingly.
"Have you ever been to Seattle before?"
"No," and at least this time I was being honest. I hadn't ever left California state before, let alone Los Angeles where I had grown up. "Have you?"
"Yes," she told me with a giggle. "I come and a go between Mommy and Daddy - you know how it is with divorces. Parents are such dicks."
I turned away, scowling at the seat in front of me.
The descent came too slowly and by the time I got off the plane, I'd literally stuck to ignoring the girl who's name I didn't even know. The majority of passengers huddled quickly into the arrivals lounge, but I held back, letting the rainy downpour soak me. All I was wearing was a black t-shirt and jeans - not really thermal or waterproof in the least.
After the crowd from the airplane had dispersed, I made my way into the building and started towards the luggage carousel. After locating and retrieving my pair of battered suitcases, I looked around for some sort of caffeine. There had to be at least one coffee shop in the airport, this was America for Christ's sakes.
Wandering around for five minutes earned me a bagel and a steaming take-away cappuccino, which I downed welcomingly. I was trying hard not to shiver.
Now all there was left was to meet my uncle Carlisle and aunt Esme. They were technically my new guardians, thus my relocation to this bleak place. God, I missed the city lights, the humid sea air and my old life. I think that was the moment that it really hit, the moment that I realized everything I'd known was gone. How depressing.
Sighing, I swallowed the final bite of my bagel and went to find my relatives. "Here goes nothing."
Aunt Esme saw me before I really saw her, throwing a placard with my name written all over it into the arms of a guy at her side. Running towards me, I had little time to move my cappuccino into my other hand before I was engulfed in a hug. It was the kind only few people knew how to give, the kind that took every bit of anger and hostility out of you. Before I knew it, I was awkwardly hugging her back with my free arm.
"Oh, Edward," she mumbled, holding me suddenly at arms length. I didn't have to doubt it was my aunt, the resemblance between her and my mom was striking. "How have you been? How're you keeping?"
I gazed down at her, "I'm absolutely fine."
"Honey, you don't have to lie to me," she replied tensely, "Come on. Emmett, can you grab his suitcases, please?"
The guy, who I'd guessed was around my age, gave a small smile and went to take the suitcases which had fallen at my sides. Recomposing myself, I still took one. I wasn't some needy child.
"You sure?" he asked me, nodding down at the luggage in my hand.
"I'm certain, but thanks anyway."
As Esme herded us towards the exit, she broke into a nervous babble. "Forks is a nice town with nice people, the kind that won't ask too many questions. Emmett's in the same grade as you, so he'll show you around school on Monday. I hope you like Forks High School. The classes aren't too big and the curriculum is very good..."
School in two days? This was just getting worse and worse. Emmett, assuming he was the male cousin I had heard about, had slipped his iPod headphones in and was finding anywhere else possible to look. Perhaps he was feeling just as awkward as I was.
The cold, dreary air hit me as we came out of the building. It was horrible and I was easily regretting my choice of clothing. Emmett trudged along ahead of us, stopping in front of a nice Mercedes Benz. Dad had once told me his sister-in-law's family was reasonably rich.
"Shotgun or back?" Emmett asked me, gesturing to each seat with his thumb. "I don't care, so whatever you choose."
I didn't meet his eyes, instead just shrugging. "The back's fine for me."
"Suit yourself," and with that, he popped the trunk and threw one of my cases into it. I laid the other on top of it with a little more care before feeling a hand on my shoulder. I turned to find Esme smiling up at me kindly.
"The drive will only be a few hours. It's terrible that they couldn't find anyone to fly you to Forks Airport. I guess this was kind of short notice though."
I cleared my throat as she opened the back door for me and asked, "So where's this uncle of mine then? Couldn't make the reunion?"
Esme closed her eyes for a second and let out a deep, quiet breath. As if she was under a lot of strain herself. Which I guess she probably was. Maybe I'd been a little curt, but oh well. If it came to it I would apologize later, right now I just wanted to get warm and dry.
And so I did, settling into the back seat of the car. I put my own headphones in after ten minutes of driving in silence. Setting a Led Zeppelin song on play, I closed my eyes and prayed for the journey to Forks to last a lifetime.
"Here we go," Esme announced, turning round in the driver's seat to face me. We had pulled up in front of a large house on what I'd guessed was the nice side of town. The drive through Forks had been quick, with a half-hearted tour guide attempt from Emmett. The sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach had grown though once I'd realized there were only about four stores on the Main Street. Not nearly enough places to try getting liquor.
"This is it?" I asked, peering up at the house. It wasn't new, probably built in the early 1900s but it was one of the biggest on this street alone. Nothing like my house back home.
"This is it," Emmett repeated, practically launching himself out of the Mercedes.
Esme followed, smiling at me in a gesture to follow.
The interior of the house was nice, simple. It was only when we got round the back that I felt my jaw drop. The entirety of the back wall was made of glass, showing the extravagant dining room, kitchen and several bedrooms to me. I gawked.
"I'm unsure whether I like or dislike this," I told my aunt, who was trying not to laugh at my reaction. I sighed and pulled my headphones out of my ears, letting the music that I hadn't paused drown out into the pattering of the rain.
"Well," Esme began. "We have three guest rooms, two in the attic and one round the front of the house. It's your call."
I felt a smile tug at the corners of my lips. This was probably the first important decision I'd been allowed to make since the funeral when I choose the type of wood the coffins would be made of for my parents. Ugh, the thought made my lip quiver instead.
Still, I knew I would never be able to thank my aunt enough.
"Attic," I told her and Esme smiled up at me, looping her arm through mine as she led me back inside. Emmett had retreated into the front room as soon as Esme had begun her little tour of the house, and now as we passed the doorway I could see him lounged out on a sofa as he watched TV. The first thing I noticed was that he was watching America's Next Top Model - which safe to say made me raise an eyebrow. The next thing was that he wasn't alone.
A girl with an angular face and the same dark curls as Emmett looked up as I paused. Then she was up, dancing towards me.
"You must be our Edward!" She grinned, engulfing me in a hug. I was at least two heads taller than her. What was she, thirteen? As she hugged me though, I realized it was one of those embraces that refused to release you until you at least reciprocated. I didn't have a chance to though, thank God.
"Alice, give the boy some air to breathe," Esme sighed, rubbing her temples. She was waiting at the foot of the wide staircase I had seen when we'd first come through the hallway. Alice let go, still smiling up at me. I had guessed that she was my other cousin, considering the resemblances between her and the other woman next to me were striking.
Before I could even break away from where I stood, Alice was bouncing up the stairs as if she were taking them three at a time. Esme just sighed again, but in motherly, not-really-that-annoyed kind of way. I cast one reluctant look back at Emmett, then followed them.
We stood, with an awkward silence brewing between us, in what was my room in the attic. It was painted a pale green colour. There were two wardrobes in one corner, a book case, the bed and a bean bag chair under a wide skylight. Alice dove into the bean bag, still smiling up at me.
"You like it, don't you?" She asked, expectant. "If you don't, we'll take you to Ikea next weekend."
"Alice-" Her mother began, trying to stop her.
"What? I have money," she shot back defensively, folding her thin arms across her chest. That was when I noticed she wearing a purple florally dress. Eccentric, but sort of nice. "I've been saving up since last Christmas and I sure as Hell don't mind spending it on family."
"Language!" Esme groaned, looking between us and then towards the door. "I have to start dinner. Help Edward unpack, be down for around eight-ish."
And with that, she left us. Alice got up from the bean bag and made a bee line for my suitcases. Before I could realize what she was doing, she had them zipped open and was piling through my neatly packed clothes. I slammed a hand down on the case, trying hard not to scowl at her.
"What?" She asked innocently.
"What were you doing?"
"Going through your clothes," Alice replied matter-of-factly as she pealed my fingers away. "I have high standards when it comes to fashion. If you don't live up to these standards, then I shall be forced to take you shopping too." She reminded me of the girls back home, always concerned about clothes and make up. There was nothing wrong with my clothes though.
I said no more as she began to help me unpack them and put each garment away into the wardrobes. She even giggled when she found my Star Wars boxers by mistake and I snatched them off of her, but in a hasty not nasty way. I was growing fond of this tiny cousin and I could feel it. Her endless babble made me relax and I welcomed each half-hearted joke, every high-pitched giggle. I wondered why we'd never come to visit these relatives before.
"So how was the flight?" She asked at one point.
I ran a hand through my hair, which was messy and growing too long for my liking. A hair cut was now on my check list. "It was the usual. Take off, turbulence, landing. There was this girl," I told her and Alice perked at the word. "But she just pissed me off."
"What way do you swing then?" Alice asked, putting my Lord of The Rings books on a shelf and I blinked at her.
"I'm straight, Alice."
"That explains you're taste in literature," she retorted.
I shot her a look, "What's wrong with Lord of The Rings? They are an ageless classic and I love Gollum." I was getting near to emptying both suitcases now.
That was when I found a framed photo of my mom and I, taken on a trip to the Grand Canyon when I was around eleven years old. It was my favourite, partly because I had been allowed to choose the frame as well. It was smashed, almost completely. The glass from that precious, cheesy-looking frame was in shards.
It was broken. I felt broken just looking at it.
My fists closed around the photo and I could feel some of the glass digging into my right palm. I didn't care though. Next thing I know, Alice was leading me into the en suite bathroom, trying to console me. The frame was no longer in my hands, instead lying even more destroyed at the foot of the wardrobes. I didn't even want to reprimand myself for throwing it aside, because it was already ruined anyway.
"Jesus Christ," she breathed as she held my hands under the faucet. The water turned red with the blood, but after a while it cleared again.
I realized I was shaking almost uncontrollably and I had to sit down on the edge of the tub just to calm down. Alice was still murmering something that I couldn't hear, but it still sounded soothing. I wanted to go home more than ever.
"Edward, it's OK. It's seriously OK. Just a bit of glass, we'll get a new frame..." Alice told me and I felt myself nod, dazed.
"Dinner!" Esme called from downstairs and I balled my sore palms into fists again. Alice gave me a kind smile before turning the tap off. As we made our way downstairs, I couldn't help but glance out of the window. It was still raining.
A/N: This story is titled after an Eric Clapton song, in case no one else had noticed yet. And... I would very much appreciate that if anyone has made it this far, they review :) tell me what you think, you know? x
