A/N: Ohhh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh. I never thought in a million years I would upload this. Holy crap, I can't believe it.
Okay, okay, calm down. First things first:
(1) This is my first Twilight fic, so before anyone can bite my head off, yes I have OCs, yes I know there's a lot of them, but bear with me, and yes this story is centered around my main OC. BUT, it does and will include a lot of Bella and the Cullens, I swear I will try to include them as much as I can in this story.
(2) This is one of my older WIPs, so I'm sorry if it takes me a little while to post any other chapters after this one, I kinda stopped in the middle of the second chapter about, oh I dunno, two or three years ago and I haven't written any since? Whoopsie.
But anyway, I will try to upload more chapters, but no guarantees XD On with the story!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything, I have just read the book Twilight by Stephenie Meyer seven times. I regret nothing by writing this XD
Have you ever had your parents egg you to go to check out a town near where you were going to move, or something like that? If you haven't, then you need to meet my parents. Every time I get a long break from school, they always urge me to go someplace near our new town, like Seattle or Los Angeles. But man, when they say things like, "It'll be good for a kid your age," and "Go on and have fun. We'll be here when you get back," it's hard to resist. So, one time I finally gave in when a pipeline under my school in Arizona burst, sending the school into a panic, so I took a few days off to take a trip to Port Angeles where I actually had the time of my life. But, also the turn of my life.
See, I was walking down a semi-crowded street when I got pulled into an alley. When I looked up at my assailant, I saw that his light brown hair was disheveled and all over the place, like he hadn't brushed it in a while. He was stone pale, his dark golden eyes, that were steadily turning black to my surprise, wide and wild. That's what caught me off guard. The color of his irises that was so different from my boring grey eyes that they intrigued me for some reason. I stared into them, but backed up until I was up against the cold alley wall, never once moving my gaze from them for a second, like my life depended on it, which it actually did, but I didn't know that at the time till it was explained to me later.
So there I was, pressed against the chilly wall, this unknown boy staring me dead in the face, this hungry expression on his own. He took a step toward me but I had nowhere to go. I just looked around me, trying to find something that would protect me from this stranger. When he lunged, I ducked and cowered on the ground, my hands covering my face and my eyes shut tight. When I didn't feel him crash into me, I peeked through my hands, like I was watching a horror movie and the killer had just walked in, and saw that the boy had frozen where he had landed in front of me. He seemed to be trying to control himself or some other thing, because his face was twisted with agony and his eyes shut tight, like mine had been only moments ago. He was taking deep breaths and I tried to take advantage of the situation and slither away back into the streets of Seattle, but his eyes opened before I could take one step. A small smile formed on his face as he looked at me, still crouched on the ground. He held out his hand to me, that smile still on his face. I warily reached for it and he grabbed my hand, gently pulling me to my feet. As soon as he released my hand, I pulled it to my side, my hand feeling like it was burning where his skin touched mine. His hands were ice cold, making them feel like they were really hot to my touch.
I stared at him. He looked about my age, seventeen or so.
It looked like he was trying to make his hair stay flat, but it wasn't cooperating with him. It just kept sticking back up and I had to cover my mouth to muffle my giggles at the sight of him. He looked up at me, pausing from his work, and smiled that small smile again. Soon, I was laughing my heart out in front of the boy who was just attacking me. He didn't turn red like most boys would do, he just stood there. When I was able to stop my continuous giggles, I managed to get a better look at him. Like I'd already said, he had ashy brown hair that barely grazed the top of his ears. I looked down at his eyes again and saw that he was staring intently at me. I blushed and looked away.
"Sorry about that," he said. "Sometimes it's hard to control myself around others." I looked back up at him and saw that his eyes were full of pure curiosity now. "I get a little carried away around people, but not like this. Who are you?"
I eyed him one more time before answering. "Caroline. How about you?"
"The name's Dominic. I'm here to check out Port Angeles with some friends to get away from town."
"What town?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.
"Forks."
Forks? I thought.
I'd heard that Forks, Washington was cloudy almost everyday and was raining just about twenty-four seven. It was also cold there a lot, but sometimes it got up in the sixties, sometimes even the seventies. I absolutely detest the cold. I've never gone there, but I had heard from some long time friends that it was green almost everywhere: green grass, green moss on the trees and rocks, just about anywhere you looked there was more green. Even inside there were plants that were teeming with life. As if there wasn't enough green outside. And green's my least favorite color, too. That's how my life was going to be once we moved into our new house: full of green. If my parents put even one little fern inside the house, I was going to kill somebody.
I wrinkled my nose at the thought. He laughed at my expression.
"It's not that bad." He smiled.
"I bet it's not, but still," I mumbled, turning red and looking away from his glorious smile.
He laughed again, then caught me off guard. "Why don't you come with us back to town for a few days? To see if you like it, I mean. I could even get you a place to stay for a while. But, hey, it's your choice." He shrugged.
I thought about it, seeing that I would need to go sooner or later. "Sure." I shrugged. "Why not? I'm moving into a new house in a few weeks anyway. I might as well get used to the town."
His eyes brightened at the thought for some reason.
"Great. Meet me in an hour at the edge of town where there's a trail that leads into the woods. See ya." He dashed off into the crowd and I stared after him. I shook my head and followed slowly back into the bright streets of Port Angeles.
0 0 0 0 0
Half an hour later I was wandering the streets on my own, looking around, enjoying the scene. But I kept a watchful eye out in case someone like Dominic popped out and tried to kidnap me. When I started to get hungry I walked around until I found a restaurant. It was small and quiet, and it was a place where some friends of mine worked. When I walked in, I saw a hostess with unnaturally blond hair. She looked up, saying, "Welcome to La Bella Italia," immediately recognizing me. "Oh my gosh, if it isn't Melody!" Melody was my birth name, but it was something easy for the guys at school to pick on, so I changed it to Caroline. I'd told her time and time again that my name was Caroline now, but she didn't cooperate, she just continued to call me Melody like my parents and siblings did. I'd given up on trying to get her to call me Caroline, so I just went along with her. She ran up to me and gave me a hug. She pulled back to look at me and said, "My, oh my, girl, you went and got your hair cut again."
I brushed my short strawberry-blond hair behind an ear. "Yeah, well, I wasn't really liking it long. The boys at school kept picking at me for it. They don't treat me like they did when you were still in school, Maxie."
Maxie had graduated the year before, leaving my sister Amber and me behind, and with only Amber there to protect me, I got picked on even more since Maxie had graduated. But since Amber had dropped out, I had been even lonelier, being the sort of outcast since I had fair skin and couldn't get a very good tan, meaning I stood out, even when I didn't want to. Maxie came as a guest sometimes when she was off on vacation to where she could travel from Washington to Arizona, meaning I had at least one bodyguard instead of none, leaving the boys with two choices: Leave me alone, or get their asses kicked. But I had a few friends who stuck up for me, even though the kids called me the albino of the school.
Maxie rolled her eyes. "Figures. Boys these days just don't know how to show they like a girl, even in high school."
Now I rolled my eyes. "Puh-lease, Maxie. Like any guy would like me that way."
Maxie smiled. "Oh, you know that's not true, Melody. Lots of boys like you, they just don't show it. Wait a while and see what happens. If one of them asks you out, good for you. If not, well–" she grinned wickedly "–they'll have to answer to me and Amber, won't they?"
I laughed. Maxie always knew how to cheer me up, even if my sister was out here working instead of back home in Arizona where Mom and Dad missed her after she had dropped out.
"So, what brings you to Port Angeles, Melody? Did your parents finally convince you to go sightseeing?"
I ran my fingers through my hair, sighing. "Yeah, they finally did it. I bet that when I head back next week they'll be gone on a cruise." I rolled my eyes. "It's so typical of them, telling me to go some place to enjoy myself when school's out for like a week with a broken pipe, and when I come home after a crappy time they're gone for a week or more."
Maxie shook her head. "That is pitiful. Here, why don't you sit down and get something to eat. I bet you're hungry, right?"
My stomach rumbled in response. Maxie grinned and showed me to a table near the back, since she knew I didn't like the front or middle. The place wasn't that crowded, except in the center of the restaurant, with only a few people here and there. I slid into the booth Maxie led me to and looked at the menu she handed me, heading back toward the front when she saw the door open. I followed her with my eyes to see her greet a pale boy, his skin as light as Dominic's, with bronze hair and a brunette around my age, who was also pale, like me. When Maxie showed them a table in the middle of the floor, the boy shook his head as his female companion started to sit down. Then he seemed to slip Maxie some cash and say something that made her start walking in my direction. Before she started walking, she shot me a look that said, Get out of sight, quick! I obliged and hid under my table, out of view I hoped, my purse and bag filled with the stuff I would need on this trip – clothes, socks, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc – behind my head, uncomfortably I might add. Maxie and the couple passed by my table without a glance, settling into the booth across from mine.
"How's this?" I heard Maxie ask.
"Perfect," the boy said. I saw him smile at Maxie, dazing her.
"Um." She shook her head, blinking. "Your server will be right out." She walked away unsteadily. I snickered as she passed, making her glare down at me.
"You really shouldn't do that to people," the girl criticized. "It's hardly fair."
"Do what?"
"Dazzle them like that. She's probably hyperventilating in the kitchen right now."
Knowing Maxie, the girl was probably right. The boy seemed confused.
"Oh, come on," she said. "You have to know the effect you have on people."
He tilted his head to one side, and his eyes were curious. "I dazzle people?"
"You haven't noticed? Do you think everybody gets their way so easily?"
He ignored her questions. "Do I dazzle you?"
I laughed to myself quietly as she admitted, "Frequently."
I looked up when I heard footsteps and saw my sister Amber walk toward their table, her face expectant. Looks like Maxie had told Amber about this mysterious boy that sat across from the ordinary-looking girl. Amber pushed her dark hair behind one ear and smiled. Looked like she was trying to impress the boy with her beauty, which, from any boy's eye, was marvelous compared to mine. I grinned and pulled out my phone silently, pulling up the recorder, hitting Record, and holding it toward them.
They talked about what had apparently happened earlier, either in the day or week, I wasn't sure, but she sounded really grateful to him. His demeanor was cold and distant, and I couldn't help but stare at his expressionless face. Until she talked about almost getting hit by a van, I had just sat there, watching in fascination.
Wow, I thought. He really did save her from a life or death situation. But I wonder what the first time was?
I didn't really want to find out, but as his emotions seemed to thaw, his poker face started to soften. His hands under the table, he leaned toward her, speaking in a rush, so fast I could barely catch anything, just snippets: " ... catastrophes ... ordinary people ... specific person alive ...," and her answer, hushed, "... number was up ... van ... fate?"
I wondered what they meant, then when I heard his answer, my body went cold. He spoke so softly it was hard to hear him, and Bella and I stared at him in amazement.
Bella started to shake, and her eyes seemed far away, probably to a place in her mind. They talked some more, about her still being able to sit there, and I screamed in my head, wanting to know what they were talking about. I pinched my cheeks and pulled, trying to calm down and listen. He glanced down at her plate, saying that if she ate, he'd talk. I watched as she quickly scooped up another ravioli and stuck it in her mouth.
He talked about it being difficult to track her, about mind reading. He glanced up at her, and I realized she had frozen. She swallowed the ravioli, then stabbed another one and tossed it in. He went on about keeping tags on a girl name Jessica and Port Angeles, and how he had become anxious when he couldn't find any trace of her. When he got to a part about almost getting out of his car to search when he suddenly stopped, clenching his teeth in sudden fury, making me cringe against the bench. He made no effort to calm himself.
But Bella showed now fear. She asked what happened next. He stared over her head as he continued. He mentioned something about seeing her face in someone's mind, the look of rage on his face terrifying. He suddenly leaned forward, one elbow appearing on the table, his hand covering his eyes, the movement so swift it startled both Bella and me.
Things continued on this subject for several minutes, the boy admitting to her how hard it was not to look for whoever he was talking about moments ago. When he finished, Bella sat quietly, like in a daze. She leaned weakly against the back of the seat. He still had his face in his hands, so still it was like he was stone.
When he finally looked up, he searched her face, eyes filled with his own questions. He asked if she was ready to go home, and she said she was ready to leave. I noticed how she had dodged his question.
Amber appeared as if she'd been called. Or watching.
"How are we doing?" she asked the boy.
"We're ready for the check, thank you." His voice was different, strained, and it struck her off guard. He glanced up at her when she hesitated.
"S-sure," she stuttered. "Here you go." She pulled a small leather folder from the front pocket of her black apron and handed it to him.
There was a bill in his hand already. He slipped it into the folder and handed it right back to her.
"No change." He smiled. Then he stood up, and the girl scrambled awkwardly to her feet.
Amber smiled invitingly at him again. "You have a nice evening."
He didn't look away from the girl as he thanked Amber. I saw the girl trying not to smile.
He walked close beside her to the door, but not touching her. As they walked out the door, I crawled out from under the table and let out a low whistle, stopping the recording. "Wow," I said, startling my sister. "That wasn't half bad, considering I was under that table for about twenty minutes. And I'm starving. Can I eat now?"
Amber stared at me, letting a slow smile spread across her face.
"God, little sister, I've forgotten how much of a sneak you could be. Now get your butt over here and give your sister a hug."
I smiled and jumped into my sister's open arms, glad to be able to move after being crammed under that table for twenty minutes. But if I wanted to get to the meeting place with Dominic, I had to eat quick, but that was only if I wanted to go. I was still deciding, but my complaining stomach made up its mind, grumbling loudly. Amber and I laughed. She told me to sit down and went to get me something to eat, so I obeyed and looked over the menu needlessly, since Amber knew what I liked. She sat down in my booth, talking to me while I ate.
Twenty minutes later I was saying goodbye to Amber and Maxie and heading out the door, stomach full, doggy bag in my purse filled with some of the leftovers I didn't eat, since my stomach decided it was full after only a few mouthfuls of mushroom ravioli, just like Bella had eaten. Amber had offered me a ride since she got off in about twenty minutes, but I declined. If she saw where I was going, she might call Mom and Dad, which might have gotten me in loads of trouble since I was meeting a boy I knew nothing about and was meeting him in a dark place outside of town. That would be major grounding material. So I headed north, the only way I knew out of town.
The streets were lit brightly as I ran along shop windows, trying to get out of town quickly. Both bags I was carrying were flying behind me as I ran, hitting the soles of my sneakers. Soon I had made it to a grassy area, trees lining the pavement behind me. I looked around, but didn't see Dominic. I fell to my knees, gasping for breath. I punched the ground, frustrated with myself. I had just ran a twenty minute walk in less than fifteen, and my lungs were screaming for air. I fell on my side and stared up at the sky. I didn't hear footsteps, but suddenly there was a shadow standing above me. I screamed and rolled away, scrambling to my feet, looking up to see Dominic. He grinned as he watched me keep myself from hyperventilating, one hand over my heart, the other on my knee as I leaned forward.
"My God, Dominic! You scared the crap out of me!"
He laughed walking the short distance over to me. He leaned down to my eye level and smiled.
"Miss me?" he teased.
I frowned as I gasped for air, and lashed out at him. He straightened so fast that my hand flew past him, causing me to stumble forward toward him. He caught me before I fell flat on my face. I pulled away without thanking him. He just continued to smile.
"You ready to go?" he asked me cheerily.
I looked up at him, readjusting the strap of my purse around my shoulder, then looked around us, seeing nobody.
"Hey, you said you were here with friends, right?"
He nodded.
"Then where are they?"
"Oh, they left about half an hour ago. But are you ready to go?" he repeated.
"Yeah. You said we're going to Forks, right?"
He nodded. "Yeah."
"Isn't that like an hour's drive from here?"
He grinned. "Maybe. If you go the speed limit, that is."
I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
He held out a gloved hand. "You'll see."
I eyed him suspiciously, but took his hand. He pulled me through the trees, helping me over rocks and roots, pushing aside branches and letting me go first, like a gentleman would. After what seemed like hours but was only a few minutes, we came to a small clearing, and in the middle sat a shiny red Harley Davidson. I stared in amazement at the bike. Dominic grinned at my expression, walking over and swinging his leg over it.
"Come on," he said. "Get on."
I blinked, then bit my lip, trying to think of an excuse not to get on the back of the bike. "Um . . . I don't have a jacket."
He frowned, pulling his off. I hadn't even realized what he was wearing, but I didn't have time to find out since he threw the jacket at me. It was navy blue with cotton lining on the inside. I pulled it on, feeling how cold it was, like my clothes had been this morning when I pulled them out of my dresser. I shivered and pushed the too-long sleeves back so my hands were through. I walked unsteadily over to the bike, taking each step with deliberate slowness, since each one got me closer to the shining motorcycle.
Dominic leaned an elbow on the handlebars, waiting. He seemed to become impatient, since he began tapping his fingers on the body of the bike, a frown on his face. This made me smile, but I didn't speed up.
Once I'd finally made it over to him, he pulled a helmet off the back of the seat, holding it out to me.
"Get on," he repeated.
I stood there, staring at the shiny exterior of the helmet. Dominic looked up at me expectantly, waiting. I sighed and pulled the helmet over my hair, then climbed on behind Dominic, who had pulled his helmet on while I had hesitated.
He started the bike, the engine roaring to life, making me jump and hold on to Dominic tightly, my hands gripping his shirt and my eyes closed.
He looked back at me and smiled.
"Hang on," he said over the roar of the engine.
We started moving, slowly at first, then gained some speed as we went along. I bounced lightly on the back of the motorcycle, but when we reached the road, I could hardly tell we were moving. I didn't dare open my eyes, though. I was too terrified. The only way I knew we were in motion was the sound of the engine as we rode along the freeway that headed in the direction of Forks.
0 0 0 0 0
I must have fallen asleep, which was a bad thing when you're on the back of a moving motorcycle, because the next thing I knew we were stopped. I looked up wearily, the helmet heavy on my head. Dominic got off the bike and kept me from falling forward. He took the helmet off for me, shaking out my sweaty hair with his hand. I peered up at him curiously. He just smiled, setting both of our helmets on the handlebars. He held out his hand, and I grabbed it, jumping off the bike, my legs wobbly after the ride. I was never getting on another motorcycle again.
Dominic kept me standing, a hand at my elbow and at my waist. I pulled my hand through my hair, trying to wake up. I shook my head and the fog inside cleared. I looked around at my surroundings and saw that we were in a small neighborhood. I looked behind me and saw that we were standing in front of a small white two-story house, a police cruiser and an old truck sitting in the driveway. The curtains that covered a second story window were drawn together, but I could see the silhouette of a person against the light. The shadow disappeared, the light shutting off. I looked at Dominic, puzzled; he smiled in return.
"Come on," he said. "I want you to meet Bella."
My feet were rooted to the ground as Dominic started walking toward the front door. It took him a few moments to realize I wasn't following, and when he did, he backtracked, coming to stand beside me.
"What's wrong?" he asked softly.
I shook my head, eyes on the ground. I seemed to have lost my voice at this point, unable to answer his worried question. Then suddenly the world seemed to flip upside down for a moment. I looked up and the ground righted itself beneath me. Dominic had literally swept me off my feet.
I stared at him, bewildered, then snapped back to reality. I struggled hard against his grip as he walked, but my struggles were in vain. His grip was like iron, stronger than metal chains. His arms didn't even move as I squirmed, pushing against his hard chest and kicking my legs, my foot sometimes connecting with his leg, not even making him flinch with pain. I would have screamed, but I didn't want to wake the neighbors.
By the time we had made it to the door, I had tired myself out after thrashing in Dominic's arms, so instead of resisting, I settled for resting my head against his chest, which he didn't seem to mind.
But there was something wrong.
Yes, I could hear him breathing, but I couldn't hear his heart beating. I froze in his arms, but he didn't seem to notice. Before he could knock on the door – even though he was still holding me with both arms – it flung open before his hand could touch the dark wood. Standing before us was the girl that I had seen in the restaurant less than an hour before, but her hair was wet from taking a shower, probably from before we even arrived, and she had on a pair of sweats and an old T-shirt that had holes in random places around the front. She moved aside, motioning for us to come in. Dominic walked passed her and over to a set of stairs, taking them two at a time, but making sure his feet didn't make too much noise as we climbed. Bella closed the door and hurried up after us. I could hear snoring coming from a closed door that we passed. I figured her father was asleep by now, seeing that it was in the middle of the night. Bella ushered us into a room on the end of the short hallway, shutting the door softly behind us. She let out a long breath, one she had probably been holding since she'd let us in, and slid to the floor.
"Okay," she said. "I really don't want to do that again."
Dominic grinned down at her.
"What's wrong, Bella? Don't you like the thrill of danger?"
Bella glared up at him. "Not when it's my dad, Dominic. If you want to, you can go deal with him instead if he wakes up to find me sneaking two people into my bedroom at ten o' clock at night. See how much fun it is then."
Dominic just laughed softly, the sound reverberating in his chest, but nothing else. I swallowed, trying to keep my mouth shut. Then Dominic set me on my feet, still a little wobbly after riding the motorcycle and falling asleep.
"Well, Bella, I'd like you to meet someone. Caroline, this is Isabella Swan, Bella for short. And Bella, this is Caroline Anton. I met her tonight and she said she was in town to check out the place, since she'd be moving soon to Forks, probably near here, even."
I looked up at him skeptically as I shook hands with Bella, saying, "You'd only hope of that, Dominic. I'm not sure where we would move. I don't even know when we're going to move. I only know what the house looks like. It's kinda small, with white shutters around the front windows, light blue, and two bedrooms, but only one bath." I shivered at the thought of having to share one bathroom with both my parents and three out of my five siblings.
Dominic and Bella looked at each other.
"That's the house across the street," said Bella.
I stared, bug-eyed, at her.
"Here, come look." She got off the floor, crossing the room over to the window, pulling back the curtains, saying, "See? That house right there."
I came up beside her, putting one hand on the glass and peering across the street at the house. It had white shutters, just like I had described, and was small and light blue, with a FOR SALE sign staked into the ground in the small front yard, SOLD stamped over it.
"No way," I breathed, my breath showing on the window's glass as frozen condensation.
I stepped away from the window, running a hand through my hair. I pulled out my cell phone, going through my contacts until I found the right number. It didn't matter what time it was, I knew she would answer sooner or later. I hit the dial button, waiting for the call to go through, then put my phone to my ear, listening to the ringing of the dial tone. But I got the voicemail and I left a message: "Hey, Tam. Tell Elisa and Geoff I think I just found our new home."
Tammie was my younger sister by two years, but she skipped a grade, meaning she was a freshman. She was small for her age, and so were her some of her friends, which got them picked on a lot by the seniors and some of the juniors. I stayed out of it, only stepping in when things got rough for her and some friends that dared to stand up to the older kids. The seniors would step down easily though, giving me a sort of victory, but only until they started again in a few weeks, sometimes even a few days. But when I told our parents about it, they told me that Tammie needed to learn to defend herself. But one day, things got out of hand.
You see, Tammie doesn't hang out with the most popular group of kids, but the most unpopular kids, like Goths and self-proclaimed emo freshman, sophomores, and juniors even. She'd even dyed her hair black, trying to fit in, but her darker skin stood out among the paler kids, since she liked to get a tan so she wouldn't get picked on for her looks. She was actually pretty, once you got past the four earrings in each ear, the dark makeup, and the black hair, which really showed off her bright blue eyes, let me tell you.
But, one day, a senior started to get mouthy with Tammie, getting her really mad. She was about to hit him, but one of her friends managed to stop her in time. The senior just laughed at her, his friends cheering him on. I just came out of the Chorus Room with my best friend Robert with sheet music that we would need later in the hallway that the seniors had cornered Tammie and her friends in and saw everything. We hid in the doorway, since there was about a foot of wall between the wide hallway and the door, out of sight. The senior reached out, pinning her arms against the wall behind her and getting his face really close to her, like he was going to kiss her. I think that was his plan, too, but Tammie moved her head just in time that the senior smacked his nose against the stone wall. Robert bristled at the sight. He thought of Tammie as a little sister, since I had been friends with him since we were kids and he came over a lot.
After the senior pulled back, he took his hands off Tammie, rubbing his sore nose, glaring daggers at her. She managed to squeeze past the jerk's friends and over to hers who welcomed her with hugs. They may have been Goth-y and expressionless most of the time, but that didn't mean they didn't loved her.
The senior looked at the small group, then snapped his fingers. His groupies surrounded the small group of friends, each grabbing one girl or guy, leaving two seniors empty-handed. These two grabbed Tammie, dragging her over to the senior who had just tried to kiss her, planting her in front of him, each holding one arm. Of course she struggled, but these guys were five years older than her, and stronger I might add. Just by looking at their lettermen jackets, I could tell they were on the basketball team. But they weren't going to be for long.
I pulled on Robert's sleeve, whispering, "Go get the principal and some teachers, quick. This could get ugly."
He didn't argue. He took off like a bullet, trying not to make too much noise as he escaped. But on one step, his sneakers squeaked loudly as his foot landed on the linoleum wrong, making him stumble, but he regained his balance and continued to run, looking back to shoot and apologizing look at me. I smacked myself in the forehead, not even trying to hide when the seniors looked my way.
The senior in charge – by the name on his letterman I saw that he was called Gregory – made his way around my sister and up the hallway to me, which wasn't very far since it was a short hallway, with only two classrooms and bathrooms between us. I backed up but only hit the wall in front of the double doors. The Chorus doors were locked now, the keys in my hand, but I was too terrified to use them to retreat into the classroom. Gregory finally made it to me, trapping me between himself and the Chorus doors.
"Now where do you think you're going, cutie?" he asked in an obnoxious voice. He may have been cute, but he didn't sound it.
He put his hands on either side of my head, leaning so close I could smell his breath. It smelled like cherries, which I was allergic to, so I covered my mouth, my eyes watering at the scent. Gregory raised an eyebrow at my reaction, then smirked.
"What's the matter, hon? Don't like cherries?"
I felt a tickle in the back of my throat, meaning either I make a run for the restroom, or this senior was going to get messy soon. So I took my chance and pushed past him, actually managing to make it to the restroom without trouble. The guy didn't even try to follow. Guess he didn't want to see what I was doing. That was actually smart of him.
Before I was even out of the restroom I could hear laughter. I didn't know if they were laughing at me, but I heard Gregory say, "Shut up, Harold!" So that meant they were laughing at him. I washed my hands and rinsed my mouth quickly, racing out of the restroom, only to run into Gregory. I stumbled backwards, but didn't fall. I looked up at him standing there, like he was in charge of every thing. Man, I hoped that Robert had gotten the principal and was on his way right now.
I thought through some ways to get him out of the way, up until he started coming into the restroom, so I had to think fast. I decided on kicking him in the stomach, so I jumped and sent my foot straight into his abdomen, knocking the breath out of him for the moment. He staggered back into the hallway, and I took the chance to run past him and down toward his group of friends.
"Hey," I shouted at them. "Let them go right now."
"Or what?" demanded one guy – I think it was the boy Gregory yelled at. Harold, wasn't it?
I gritted my teeth and jumped forward, letting my momentum carry me and my foot connected with the closest senior's jaw, his hands releasing the girl he had grabbed. I landed on the floor gracefully, thankful I had taken ballet young, even though I had hated it and dropped out after only two years of lessons.
"That's what's going to happen if you don't cooperate." I stood up, helping the girl stand. "Are you all right?" I asked her.
She nodded.
"Good. Now run and find Robert McClain. You know who he is right?"
Another nod.
"Okay. Now go find him. Just run as fast as you can, got it? Don't even slow down when you pass that guy up there."
She nodded again, then took off. I watched as she ran by a very mad Gregory, staying as close to the other wall as possible. She was still young, and apparently not good with guys who were older than her. When she turned the corner, I looked back at the seniors.
"Now, does anybody else want to try and hurt one of these kids? Or do you want to end up like him?" I pointed to the guy on the floor, clutching his jaw and moaning.
The seniors looked at each other, releasing the freshmen. I frowned. They never usually gave up like that. I looked and saw that the two seniors who were holding my sister were still keeping her in their clutches. I looked at my sister's face, and saw panic. Her eyes kept moving between myself and something behind me. I turned just in time. Gregory had been creeping up behind me, planning to grab me in a bear hug, but since I moved, he just stumbled forward, grabbing air.
I looked at Tammie's friends.
"Run!"
They jumped, startled that I had shouted at them, then took off running after their first friend, stumbling around the corner. I looked back at the seniors in front of me. Where was Robert when I needed him?
I bit my lower lip, trying not to panic, when Gregory grabbed my ankle, pulling me to the floor, causing me to bite through my lip, blood flowing into my mouth. I crashed to the floor beside Gregory. He climbed on top of me, sitting on my stomach and grinning down at me. I struggled as hard as I could, but two seniors held my legs down. Gregory held down my arms, and there was a glint in his eyes that I didn't like.
"Get off me, you big monkey!" I cried, trying to pull my arms from the ground so I could give him a good punch in the eye.
He just kept grinning down at me.
"Oh, so sorry, hon. That's not going to happen."
The scent of cherries wafted down into my face, making me want to puke again.
"You better believe it's not," I heard from down the hallway.
We all looked to see Robert standing there with the principal and at least five teachers, and all of Tammie's friends that I had told to run. Robert stood beside the principal, his arms crossed, grinning.
The teachers ran down the hall toward us, pulling Gregory and the other two seniors away from me so I could stand up, and the two away from Tammie. I scrambled to my feet, rushing to the bathroom agian, since I had gotten a good whiff of Gregory's breath before he was pulled off me. Everyone was silent as my breakfast came back upstream. As I coughed up the last bit of cereal, I heard footsteps coming into the bathroom and saw Tammie through the open stall door. She had tears running down her face, obscuring her makeup, but other than that she appeared fine.
I flushed the toilet, standing up and exiting the stall, going over to the sink to wash my hands and rinse my mouth out again. I wiped my mouth with a paper towel, threw it away, then turned to my sister. She looked so young, standing there with tears going down her face, but she didn't wipe them away. She just stood there, so I went over and wrapped my arms around her. She buried her face against my shoulder, and I was thankful that I was wearing a spaghetti strap shirt, since her tears brought her makeup with it.
I petted her hair, saying it was all right as she cried, but nothing seemed to calm her down. I had her climb on my back, and since she wasn't that big, she got on easily, wiping her eyes, rubbing away some of her makeup. I actually preferred she didn't wear it at all, since it didn't look all that right on her.
Pulling on the roll of paper towels, I managed to tear off a piece, handing it to Tammie to blow her nose, another to wipe her eyes. She took the gratefully, wiping away the blurred makeup first, then blowing her nose to where she could breathe again. I let her throw the used paper towels away before we exited the restroom. Outside, I looked down the way we came. The principal was lecturing Gregory and his senior pals, and when he looked up and caught my eye, he grinned. I bristled at the sight. I would have gone down and smacked him had the principal not been standing there, or Tammie on my back. Instead, I just turned my head, walking away, heading to where Robert stood at the end of the hall, talking to a boy with dyed green hair.
I set Tammie down and the green-haired boy immediately pulled her into a hug. I just stared. She'd told me that she was going out with a boy right now, but she never pointed out which one she was dating.
"So this is the boy you've been talking about, Tam," I teased.
She blushed, burying her face in his shoulder. Robert and I laughed.
"Don't worry, I won't tell Mom and Dad. We both know they wouldn't approve at your age. I'm just glad you found someone around your age, and likes the same thing you do, Tam."
"Um, actually Sis," she hedged, then sighed. "He's two years older than me. I thought I told you that."
My eyebrows went up.
"Whoa. Now Mom and Dad definitely wouldn't approve you dating a guy my age. So he's a sophomore, huh? Never would've thought of that."
"What's that supposed to mean?" the guy asked.
I waved my hand at him. "It's nothing. Tam never really showed an interest in guys until recently, when she told me about you. David, right?"
He nodded. "Yeah. So, what'd she say about me?"
I laughed again at the sight of Tammie's face.
"Don't worry, Sis, I don't tell secrets. Sorry, David, but I can't tell ya. I was sworn to secrecy by little Tamantha right here," I said, pointing at my little sister who continued to blush in her boyfriend's arms.
We continued to joke about Tammie when my phone started vibrating in my pocket. I looked at the principal who was starting to lead the boys to the office for their punishment, passing by us with glum expressions, except for one. As Gregory passed he smiled at me, but not a kind one. It was sort of a crazy smile, making my skin crawled.
I hoped he got more than two weeks of suspension for sexual harassment and attack on other student.
My phone kept buzzing in my pocket, so as soon as the principal, the teachers, and the seniors were around the corner, I pulled it out and looked at the screen. It was my mother. I flipped it open, putting it to my ear. It had to have rung at least twenty-five times or more before I'd answered.
"Hello?" I answered.
"Hi, dear," Mom said through the phone.
And that's when my world started falling apart.
When Mom said that Dad was being transferred to the Forks, Washington Police Station, and that we were going to be moving, I nearly fainted.
I'm serious.
Robert had to catch me, and Tammie took the phone from my limp hand, talking to Mom, telling her I fainted and asked what was wrong. When Mom told her, she flipped out. She was yelling so loud we were afraid the principal was going to come back and check on us, but David and a girl with pink hair that was a part of Tammie's group who had come back silenced her before we got in trouble.
The girl told us her name was Julie, and that she had been listening at the principal's office what the seniors' punishment was going to be. She stood there, excited and bouncing on her toes in her black combat boots, and said that Gregory and the students who had held me and Tammie down were getting expelled, while the others got a month of suspension. She gave David and Tammie a high five, which meant that some of their worries were over, since some of those seniors were ones that kept picking on my sister's little group of friends.
I congratulated them, saying they deserved a break from all the bullying they were receiving. I managed to stand on both feet without swaying, taking back the phone before Mom started asking questions.
"Hey, Mom," I said quickly. "Don't panic, okay?"
"Don't panic?" she nearly screamed, I had to move the phone away from my ear. "What do you mean 'don't panic'? I just heard that seniors were attacking my daughter during school hours! How do you think that makes me feel, adding the 'don't panic' part?"
I could hear Elisa in the background crying, "What? Tammie was attacked by seniors?" Her shouting caused Geoff to start wailing.
Elisa was only twelve, but she was a very bright girl. She looked a lot like our mom, but instead of having dark hair like both she and I did, she was a blond like Amber, except the shade was real, and Geoff was eight, acting almost exactly like me when I was a child – harebrained and erratic.
I sighed. "Listen, Mom. That was something that happened during break, okay?" Every day we got a half hour off from classes. Consider it our recess time. "Besides, those seniors were picking a fight with me, anyway."
"You didn't start another fight, did you?"
I frowned. I was notorious for starting fights with seniors nowadays. And it was basically the ones who picked on Tammie's crew.
"No, I ended it, Mom. They were harassing Tammie. Not picking on, harassing. Like pinning her against the wall and trying to kiss her harassing. Do you get what I'm saying?"
Mom was silent.
"All right," she finally said. "I guess moving's going to be a good thing for the two of you. Besides, we'd be living close to Amber. I thought you would want to see your older sister more often then when she was off work?"
That one silenced me.
"Anyway, I'm coming to get you right now."
Then she hung up and I sighed.
"Mom's coming," I told Tammie. "So watch what you say, got it?"
She nodded. She held tightly to David, burying her face in his shoulder again.
And basically that brings us back to the present.
0 0 0 0 0
After I hung up, I looked at Bella and Dominic.
"How long has that house been for sale?" I asked them.
"For about a month," Bella said. "Why?"
"Well, Mom told me she looked in the newspaper to find a house in the Arizona paper, then saw this one in a paper from Washington. I don't know how she got her hands on it, but she said she just found it lying on her desk at work." I ran my hand through my hair. "Maybe someone put it there, hoping she'd find it. She said it was even circled in red marker. I just don't get it."
I bit my thumb, thinking things through.
"Well, maybe it was just a coincidence that the house was across the street."
I looked up at Dominic. "Huh?"
"Maybe someone knew your mom was looking for a house and found one cheap for her, or something. I don't know." He shrugged.
"He could be right, you know," Bella agreed.
I sighed. "I just don't know anymore. I give up. I'm tired, and I need sleep. Where do you thin I can crash for the night, Bella?"
"Well, you can sleep on the couch. I'll explain to Charlie in the morning when I go to school. How's that?"
"Sounds good to me. Just lead the way."
She nodded, crossing the room to open the door quietly, stepping out into the short hallway. She tiptoed over to the stairs, Dominic and I following just as silently. We stepped softly down the stairs, turning into the living room. I gratefully collapsed on the couch, setting both of my bags on the floor beside my feet and finally pulling off my shoes and socks. I kept Dominic's jacket on since I was still cold.
"Let me go get a blanket."
She went back into the hallway, and I could hear the sound of a door opening and closing softly, then muted footsteps as Bella made her way back, tossing me the blanket. I spread it over me, snuggling under it and resting my head on the couch arm, snug as a bug.
"I could go get a pillow for you if you want," Bella offered.
I shook my head. "No, comfortable enough. But thanks. Oh, I almost forgot. I had dinner out tonight, so I still have the leftovers in my purse. Do you think you can put it in the fridge please?"
"Sure."
She took the tupper ware container that I pulled out, heading toward the kitchen. I could hear her open the fridge door, then shut it again, making her way back to us.
"Anything else?"
I shook my head. "No, that was it."
She nodded. "Well, good night, Caroline."
"Night, Bella."
She headed back upstairs to her room, and Dominic just crossed the room and sat in an armchair, watching me. I looked at him, as I huddled under the blanket, warming up.
"What are you doing, Dominic?" I yawned. "You need to get home or else you're family'll worry."
He just grinned.
"Oh, don't worry about me. Just go to sleep. I'll leave after a while."
I shrugged, already drifting. I closed my eyes and snuggled under the blanket, warm as a fire under its thick cover. I could hear Dominic humming to himself, but instead of annoying me, it soothed my nerves, helping to fall asleep faster. The last thing I heard was Dominic whisper, "Sweet dreams, Melody."
A/N: So, um, what do you think? When I started writing this was when I thought up my username. Yeah, I was really obsessed with it in middle school lol Not so much anymore, but I still like it.
Anyways, tell me what you think of Caroline/Melody and Dominic. Not on Gregory and his thugs, please, that little scene was just used for explanations, flash backs, and a little foreshadowing.
NOTE: I DO NOT LIKE GREGORY, THAT'S WHY HE WENT OUT THE WAY HE DID. Just thought I'd put that out there before there were some misconceptions on the topic.
Ciao (^_^)/
