A Fork In the Road
Disclaimer: The reader is inspired by my OC, so I own the idea. Don't own you or Emmett or the Twilight saga.
A New Start
Music blared through the speakers in your headphones, drowning out the sounds of tires speeding down the freeway and rain pouring down on the windshield. Your (e/c) gaze was cast down at your lap, trying desperately to ignore the dark, depressing thoughts that flooded your mind.
Violence. Bloodshed. Chaos.
Most of your family was gone. All that was left was the handful of relatives currently taking up seats in your mother's Ford Expedition. Your older brother sat in the passenger seat. You'd opted for the seat behind him. Your younger brother and sister sat to your left. The back row of seats had been folded down to accommodate what belongings the five of you managed to salvage after the massacre.
The car shifted gears, slowing to a stop in the driveway of a large house. It sat on the edge of the woods, far enough away from town to deter neighbors but not too far should any of you need to go to the store. Your fourteen-year-old brother and twelve-year-old sister excitedly burst from the car, hurling themselves across the lawn in their passage to the front door. You took a slower approach, eyes wandering around the woods that surrounded the property. Your twenty-two-year-old brother lugged boxes from the trunk into the living room while your mother unlocked various doors so that the kids could explore.
"What do you think?" she inquired as you adjusted the strap of your duffle bag over your shoulder.
"Its... remote," you replied. "Out of the way. I'm guessing that was the point?"
She nodded with a sigh on her lips. "Our last home was too open."
You didn't think that living in the woods would fix your family's problems, but your mother did, and you weren't going to destroy her optimism.
"It's great, mom," you told her with the ghost of a smile.
She beamed at your approval, shuffling away to help your siblings determine their bedrooms.
"You think we're out of danger?" your brother wondered, standing beside you with a box of kitchen appliances in his arms.
You shook your head. "I doubt it. I haven't done any research on Forks, but I can't imagine a town primarily constructed of wilderness is vampire-free."
He nodded in agreement. "But Mom hasn't smiled like that since the incident."
"I know," you replied. "Let her believe we're safe. She needs it."
He brushed past you to take the box to the kitchen, and you followed suit, hauling your duffle bag up the stairs to one of the unclaimed bedrooms.
After the truck had been unloaded, you had been sent to the store to get groceries for dinner. Noah, your older brother, was trying to fix the kitchen sink, which had decided that it didn't want to drain, and you wanted to explore the town, so you offered to make the journey.
You parked the Expedition in a space in front of the store and got out, locking the doors before beginning your trek down the parking lot.
A Jeep Wrangler driven by a jock that wasn't paying attention sped out of a space, backing up too quickly for you to react. With a scream, you fell backwards, landing on your rump and the palms of your hands. The Wrangler screeched to a stop, but not before one of the tires rolled over your left foot. A broken cry tore from your throat as you panted for breath, trying to assess what had happened.
The driver and passenger jumped out of the car, rushing around to see if you were okay.
"We have to take her to the hospital," the passenger cried.
The driver nodded, lifting you bridal style. "Are you okay? Can you tell me your name?"
"(Y/n)," you replied shakily.
"We're gonna take you to the hospital," the passenger informed you. All you could do was nod weakly in response.
The ride to the hospital was excruciating. Your brain was focused solely on the throbbing pain emanating from your foot, and the back of your mind was panicking from being in a car with strangers in a strange town.
When they arrived at the small office building that apparently served as a hospital, the driver plucked you from where you sat in the back seat and carried you inside.
A tall, handsome man with light skin and blond hair greeted them with a kind smile. "What happened here?"
"They ran me over," you replied, enticing a sheepish grimace from the boy carrying you.
The blond raised a brow. "I see. Bring her over here."
They set you on a cot and the blond shooed your unintentional attackers away before checking your vitals. A strange, familiar scent permeated the air, and your heartbeat increased.
"I'm Dr. Cullen," the blond introduced. "I don't think I've seen you before."
You were suddenly aware of his icy temperature as his fingers brushed across your foot. "I'm new," you murmured. "My family just moved here."
He nodded before standing from the kneeling position he'd taken. "I'm afraid your foot is broken. I'll get a nurse in here to cast it." With a soft, almost strained smile, he left.
Christina Perri's "A Thousand Years" blasting through your phone's speaker brought you out of your trance.
Your very frantic mother was on the other line.
"I can't believe you got run over!"
Your mother had walked to the store to pick up her car and then come to the hospital to get you. You now sat in the passenger seat, explaining what had happened.
"Mom, there's bigger news than me getting hit by a car."
Her brow furrowed as she glanced at you. "What are you talking about?"
You exhaled a sigh, looking her in the eye. "There are vampires in Forks."