Disclaimer: I do not own any characters of Stephenie Meyer. Thank you!

The snow looked so soft and white outside. I longed to touch it, run my tiny fingertips through it and feel the chill. Mama wouldn't let me when we were outside. She was so beautiful; turning around to fix my car seat from the front of the car. Every time I saw her face, her beautiful eyes, I would smile. I guess she found that entertaining too. Dad was big. But so was everyone and everything else. Although he seemed to tower over everything. Even though I was young, I could observe how people would act around him. I would be down in his arms, his little pride.

I wish I could have said something. If I could only have formed words. Sometimes I feel like I should have tried harder to learn. But it was too late by the time I had something important to say. Daddy saw it last second, but by then the car had already spun off of the road. Suddenly I couldn't tell which way was up. Everything was going around me. Mama was screaming. I remember that the most. Then everything was still, and broken. Daddy didn't move. Mama didn't turn around. Everything was still and dark. There was snow in the car now. I reached out and touched it. It was soft and cold. But it wasn't white anymore.

"Do you have any plans this year?" Emily looked over at me from the drivers seat.

"I dunno yet. Guess I'll just flow with each day," I shrugged and continued to look out the window. I loved La Push during this time of year, Summer brought the birds.

"Maybe you and Sam can go on a fishing trip again." Just what I needed. Another two weeks of Sam and I bickering about my life, stuck with him out in the middle of a lake on a tiny boat.

"Mnhm," I just nodded and sighed softly.

"Claire, I know Sam can be a little harsh but-"

There wasn't much that made me angry. But for someone to defend Uncle Sam for grounding me because I wanted to see the man who loved me? That was pushing it. "I'm sorry Em but there's no excuse for this. I did nothing wrong." I folded my arms and glared through the window. "Neither did Quil."

Aunt Emily sighed heavily and pulled into our driveway. "You know, Claire, he's just trying to protect you."

"From what? Like Quil's going to hurt me any time soon." I snapped and got out of the car quickly; grabbing a bag of groceries I stormed into the house then up to my room.

I wasn't a native like Emily and Sam. But I wasn't like some of the other people here. Mom was an outsider and Dad had been a tribal leader. I never asked about them, but I knew that much. And no matter how much I tried to fit in with the people here, I always felt like they looked at me different anyway. It didn't matter who adopted me, which school I went to, or who had imprinted on me. None of it changed who I was in their eyes. It was always the worst with the elders. Their eyes spoke of sorrow and pity. I hadn't noticed it until a few years ago. It didn't help with my whole plan of fitting in exactly.

I laid down on my bed and stared at the ceiling. My fingers laced around the silver chain around my neck, feeling the metal wolf attached on the link. I always did when I was troubled by something. By now I had to figure out a way to escape this prison.

"Claire?" Emily knocked on the outside of the door. "Sam's working late tonight, would you like to have a ladies night?"

The urge to roll my eyes tempted my mind. But I could never hate Emily. Sam on the other hand..."Maybe," I replied, eyes glued to the white swirls on the ceiling. I smirked at how she still treated me as a child, explaining that Sam was at 'work.' As if I didn't know everything by now.

"Well your birthday's coming up. Maybe we can go to Seattle this weekend," She offered.

I simply rolled over onto my stomach, gazing out the large window in the back of my room. "I suppose."

With that I heard her leave hesitantly. Emily was so caring, so gentle. It hurt me inside to be so cold to her. But after all, I was 'grounded.'