"Ashley, hurry up. We have to leave soon."
Ashley Montgomery heard her mother's voice from outside, but paid no attention to it. She was standing in her bedroom, or what used to be it. All that was left were the bare walls and windows. Noting indicating that a teenage girl lives – lived - here. Even the walls were painted a boring white.
As Ashley walked through the empty house a rush of memories and emotions overcame her. Memories like her mother teaching her how to bake cookies when she was 5, her and her sister fighting over the TV. Her father coming through the front door when he got home from work, and finally when she got the phone call, and expression on her mother's face the day her dad died in a car accident. Each one making her smile to herself or feel the lump in her throat when she felt she was about to cry.
She took a deep breath and slowly walked out the door of her childhood home for the last time. She let her skin absorb the sun she knew she wouldn't see for a while. A few of her friends were gathered outside along with some of her mother's. Each one of them hugged her and told her to keep in touch or to visit soon. She was sad to leave them but she almost burst into tears when her best friend Elliot finally claimed her to say goodbye.
She felt terrible about leaving Elliot behind, but she knew she had no choice. After everything that had gone on in his life this past year - finally coming out, and the depression that followed due to his father's lack of exception - Ashley felt very protective of him.
When his father kicked him out, Elliot came to live with Ashley for a while. He only moved out two months ago when his mother, Anne, left his father, and took him back in. That was when the plans to move were put into place by her mother.
Elliot had come a long way since he came out last year, he had Spencer now. The two had been dating for three months and Ashley knew they were happy together. Spencer came to say goodbye to her and to support Elliot. Her eyes started watering as she said goodbye to Elliot.
"Don't cry Ash, you'll mess up your make-up. You need to look hot for those La Push boys," he told her with a wink.
She laughed and dried her tears with her sleeve. She went over to spencer.
"If I hear one word about you mistreating Elliot I will come down here and personally kick your ass." Ashley stood on her tip-toes to try to look the 6'2'' boy in the eyes. She only made it up to the tip of his nose though. Spencer laughed at her attempt to get taller. She wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed him.
"Take care of him ok?" she whispered as she hugged Spencer briefly. When the two broke apart she went back on her toes to ruffle his curly brown hair.
With one last, tight hug from Elliot, Ashley got into the passenger's side of her mother's CRV and rolled down the window. She waved out her window as her mother drove away, until everyone was out of sight. The last thing she saw of her home was Elliot and Spencer holding hands and waving back to her. Ashley sighed, leaned back, and closed her eyes.
Ashley sighed for the hundredth time. The fifteen year old had her head against the window of her mother's CRV, looking out of it. She saw a new addition to the same things she had seen for the past 15 hours; trees, road, signs, and cars, and now snow. Not even the pretty, fluffy, individual flakes she had seen before, but wet clumps of snow that looked a lot more like raining slush.
Her mother, Terry, turned to her and gave her a tired glare, the lines in her copper skin appearing. "Stop being so glum, we are almost there."
Ashley turned to her mother and offered a small smile and rolled her eyes as she turned back to the window and ran her fingers through her hair. It was something she did when she was frustrated or nervous. She knew how happy Terry was to be moving back to La Push. Her mother had spent most of her life there before meeting Ashley's dad, Eric, and moving with him to California. Ever since he died almost three years ago in a car accident, Terry had wanted to move back there. Since Ashley's sister Daphne was at UCLA for the next few years, this was a perfect opportunity for them. At least, in her mother's mind.
After Daphne was comfortably settled in at UCLA for her second year, and Elliot was back with his mom, Terry decided it was time to pack up and move back to her home town. She had gotten a job in Port Angeles as a store manager and found a perfect house, just big enough for her and Ashley, and Daphne if she ever was to visit.
Ashley, on the other hand was not so happy about the whole situation. She had grown up in Sacramento. Her friends, her high school, and her life were there. She had to leave all that behind. Of course she had voiced her disapproval to Terry, but that just ended in an argument. Terry had made her mind up, and Ashley was along for the ride, whether she liked it or not.
Ashley was moments from sleep when she heard a whimper from behind her. Rosie, her red Siberian husky was lying down in the back seat with her head on her paws. Rosie didn't really like long car rides, but she had been behaving well all things considered.
Ashley undid her seat belt and climbed in the back seat with her dog. When she was comfortably repositioned she stroked the dog's large head absentmindedly. Not long after that, sleep overcame her.
Ashley was awoken by her mother. "Ash wake up, we're here!" excitement obvious in her voice
She realized she had fallen asleep on Rosie, and the dog was anxious to get out of the car since they had just arrived at their new house. Grudgingly, Ashley admitted she kind of liked the new house.
It looked like a log cabin, with a small porch and stairs leading up to the porch. The porch also had a swinging seat on it. She was glad they had most of the furniture moved in last week because she was really tired and just wanted to go to sleep.
Ashley grabbed Rosie's leash and got out of the car. Her mother already had the front door open and was heading back to the car to get their suitcases. Ashley unhooked Rosie's leash and they went to explore the interior of the house.
She went upstairs and opened the first door of the hall. It was the guest room. On the opposite wall, a little ways down, was the bedroom with her stuff in it and the bathroom next to was also hers. After further investigation she discovered the room at the end of the hall was her mother's room which had a bathroom connected.
Ashley returned to her new room and flopped down on the bed. Rosie came in and jumped up on the bed with her. She was about to fall back asleep when her mother yelled to her from the bottom of the staircase.
"Ash, come get your suitcase and put your clothes away. You won't want to be scrambling in the morning."
"Ugh!" Ashley complained as she got up and went downstairs. She dragged her suitcase up the stairs put refuse to unpack it, she would survive one day without organization.