I don't own the twilight saga. Stephenie Meyer does.
Chapter 1 - Experiments
Ever wanted to try something different? Be someone new, and discover someplace else? Being 18 years old, fresh out of school and eager leave my life as a minor behind, I decided to make a change. In my case, this meant leaving behind the flat fields of England and exploring the USA. More specifically, I'm getting to know a small restaurant in the vast forests that cover Washington State.
It is so beautiful! It's so untamed, unlike the overpopulated countryside surrounding London. And America is so different to back home – it's probably a good thing I can't afford a car, since everyone here drives on the wrong side of the road!
Anyway, despite how much I would love to 'ooh and ahh' about how different it is here, that's not why I decided to try living on the other side of the world for a year. Home is a long way away, but the independence is amazing! Yes, it means I have to do my own washing, but no homework, no moaning parents (I know they love me and all, but this bird needs to fly away from the nest) and best of all, no Nathan.
The small town of Forks is the perfect escape for me. I love the countryside, love the peace and quiet, the small town gossip and feeling of belonging. Well, eventually I hope to feel like I belong. Margaret, my landlady, is the type of person that scares me a little for no reason – like a strict teacher. But she has been kind to me, and cooks dinner every day despite me offering to help out every now and then. I find it's the little things people do that mean the most to me, and having a hot meal ready every day of the week sure is nice.
However, preparing meals for the rest of Forks, every day, is not so great. I remind myself again that I am being paid for this, and smile at Sarah (the head-chef and chief-nag).
'How many times do I have to tell you? Take more care in your work Callie. You're ruining that mozzarella!'
I slow in my cutting and try to make the slices of cheese more even.
Two minutes later: 'Hurry up Callie, we haven't got all day you know! The mozzarella does not need to be perfectly cut.'
I sigh. It's Friday of my first week working at The Lodge. Somehow I get the feeling that it's going to be a long year. I thankfully finish cutting the mozzarella and spread the pieces over various pizzas. Louise, a confident waitress with fiery red hair, pokes her hear into the kitchen to give an order.
'Hey new girl. The girls and I are heading to the beach tomorrow evening. Fancy tagging along?' She smiled kindly at me.
Watching TV with Margaret was not exactly how I wanted to spend my first Saturday evening, so I smiled back timidly. 'Sure, thanks.'
'Great! I'll pick you up at 7pm. Bring some marshmallows – there'll be a campfire.' With that she flounced happily back out of the kitchen.
Well, I thought to myself, that was nice of her. I'd spoken a few times to the other kitchen staff and waitresses, and it was good to know at least one of them wanted to spend time with me. The last half an hour of my shift flew by, the thought of spending time with people my own age cheering me up.
Saturday came around soon enough, and I spent most of the day reading. At first, I curled up with my book on an old, green but surprisingly comfortable sofa. 'What are you doing inside Callie?' asked Margaret. 'It's a beautiful sunny day, don't waste it. The rain will be back before you know it.' So I spent the rest of the day-time in the garden, trying to enjoy the sun, popping out once to the shops to stock up on marshmallows to distract me. The trouble was that lying on the grass reminded me of him. Nathan, the guy I'd obsessed over for the past two years, who'd told me he wanted me, who'd spent last summer with me as we blissfully enjoyed the sunshine. We used to lie outside for hours, talking about ourselves, our live and our futures.
Now, I was never naive enough to believe that we were destined to spend the rest of our lives together. I don't believe that there is one guy out there for me, and only me. But I hoped that maybe Nathan would stick around in my life. He's clever, funny, gorgeous, and I thought we connected.
Turns out I was wrong about that.
That evening, Louise arrived late, hustling me out of the house, which I was grateful for. I welcomed the distraction. The drive to the beach was fun, as I was introduced to Louise's friends and they all seemed friendly.
When we pulled up at the beach, there was already a fire burning and plenty of people dotted around it. For a while I sat next to Louise, as they chattered away to our companions and I was simply content to listen.
'Hey there, you must be the new girl. I'm Alan' said a cute looking guy as he sat down on my other side.
I smiled back. 'Hi, I'm Callie.'
'Hey, look at that, someone as blonde as me!' He grinned at me, and held a strand of my hair close to his head.
A little uncomfortable with the sudden closeness, I nodded and pulled my head away gently. Brushing it off, Alan lent in closer to me. 'So, you're from England, huh?'
Being foreign apparently made me more interesting. 'Yeah.'
'Do you like cucumber sandwiches then? Oh, have you met the Queen?'
'Um, no, I don't and I haven't.' He looked at me a little confused. I was beginning to hope someone else would start talking to me, so I turned to see what Louise was doing.
She was shifting restlessly on the log we were sitting on, looking panicked and unsure. Confused, I peered over my shoulder to see what had caught her attention. Five men, joking amongst themselves, were emerging from the trees. As they got closer, I realised that not only did they look very similar, but they were all huge and powerfully built.
I opened my mouth to ask Louise what was wrong, when she grabbed my hand and pulled me further down the beach. Alan looked at me through puppy eyes, so I whispered an apology and followed Louise.
'Are you alright?' I asked cautiously
Louise gaped at me a bit, before pulling herself together. 'Sorry for dragging you off like that Callie. I just- . Can you keep a secret?' I nodded. 'It's just, you see, there are stories.'
'What stories?'
'About the Quileutes. I've heard rumours about them. About how they all look so similar, and no-one knows how old they are. And I saw one of them once, running into the woods, completely naked!'
'Jeez. What makes them so different?'
'No-one knows. But, I think they're-.' She leant in closer to me, and whispered in my ear 'I think they're clones!'
