"QUILEUTE ~ LA PUSH ~ CHALLENGE" Entry

Title: A Stranger In His Land

Pen Name: itslikenature

Beta Name: wolfpull85

Genre: Romance/Fantasy

Summary: Tealisa Morgan is on her way to La Push to work as nurse at the local clinic. However, due some unforseen events, her life is turned upside down. She lands in the middle of myths, legends, and secrets, only to find herself tested in not only life, but love as well, when she meets Sam Uley.

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DISCLAIMER: Twilight characters and related likeness are owned by Stephanie Meyer, Little Brown Publishing. No profits have been received in the production of this piece.

Hey guys!! I've been working on a top secret project. This is a completely different story for me and I hope that you will read and fall in love with the characters as I have. I'll explain later, but I hope you don't think I'm a hypocrite when you read this story. :) I know it's getting posted all at once, but those are the rules, so I don't have the privilege of drawing it out sweetly like I like to do. So go read, review, and enjoy and if I get into the contest, PLEASE VOTE FOR ME!!! I love you all.

I also want to thank my wonderful beta and friend wolfpull85, I luv you too bb!!

Chapter One

Making My Way

Tealisa's POV

Who knew that when I signed up for the Native American Mission Services after completing RN school I would receive my first job assignment going to La Push, Washington? I had only been out of school for six months when I stumbled upon this opportunity, but I had to admit, I was somewhat concerned going so far from home to a place that, from what I gathered, was not as advanced as my hometown of Sacramento, California.

I had gotten the assignment that no one else wanted, traveling to the Quileute Nation, a small remote Native American Reservation, to work in a clinic there taking new medical equipment and providing medical assistance to the people.

But I was up for a change and a chance to help others, so the first thing I did was some research. Two days before I was scheduled to leave, I printed as much information as I could from the internet, regarding La Push, and the towns nearby. From what I was able to gather, the nearest town would be a thirty-minute drive.

I also searched for information about the Quileute people, but found very little. They were a dwindling group that lived near the ocean and who fished to support their families. Their native language was also becoming extinct, so I printed off as much as I could find about the dialect and thought that I could study it during my down time.

It was the middle of winter in Washington. Therefore, warmer clothing was essential meaning I had to buy warmer clothing, trying to get things ready for the journey. I was also scheduled to meet with the Mission's Coordinator the day before I left to be briefed on my trip and what my duties would be when I got there.

When I arrived at the mission's office, I was nervous as I made my way into the front office. The young lady behind the desk looked up and smiled as I approached.

"Hello. My name is Tealisa Morgan. I'm meeting with Ralph Smotherman regarding the mission assignment in La Push, Washington," I said, and waited while she buzzed Mr. Smotherman on the intercom.

"He will see you now Miss Morgan. He is in the office at the end of the hall," she said, gesturing to my left.

I walked down the hallway and was greeted by Mr. Smotherman as I approached his office.

"Good morning Miss Morgan. Won't you come in and have a seat?" he asked.

"Thank you," I replied, as I sat down in the leather chair in front of his desk and waited for him to begin.

"We are very excited that you have accepted this assignment. This is the first time we have been able to send one of our staff to La Push. I trust you have everything ready for the trip? You will be leaving tomorrow morning," he said with a smile.

"Yes I believe I have everything I'll need."

He and I continued our discussion and I was informed that my pay would be direct deposited into a checking account they had opened for me in the closest town to La Push, which was Forks, the town I had already discovered, which was approximately thirty-minutes from where I would be staying.

Once I had all of my paperwork signed and the last details of my assignment ironed out, I told Mr. Smotherman goodbye, and went back to my apartment to finish packing and get some rest before my early flight out the next morning. The mission's office had arranged for the rest of my belongings to go into storage until I returned.

When I arrived at the airport, the shuttle service from the mission's office helped me unload my luggage and they loaded it on the small plane I would be traveling in to Washington.

Within an hour we were in the air and I felt very uneasy in the small aircraft. I had never flown before, but the elderly pilot assured me that everything was routine and he had flown all over the U.S. on various mission assignments.

Flying across two states in a smaller plane, we had to make one stop for refueling; however, it was a welcomed break so I could get back on the ground for a few minutes. After our stop, the pilot indicated that we would be in La Push within the hour, so I settled in for the remainder of the flight.

I noticed after we had been in the air for some time, the clouds began to increase and before long, the plane began to dip as the clouds folded around us. My stomach dropped several times and I thought I might be sick, but all I could do was pray and hope that this was just some rough weather. That's when I heard an explosion and the smell of smoke filled the small cockpit of the plane. We were going down. I felt fear crush me into my seat. I've never known that feeling before and I hoped I never would again.

The pilot screamed, just as our plane made contact with the tops of the first trees, and then it went down. We moved in slow motion and I watched as the nose of the plane tipped and we began to lean forward in our seats. The only things holding us back were the seatbelts. I stayed in my seat, how I'll never know, but my head hit something in front of me just as we hit the ground.

The pain was unbearable, the smell of blood was everywhere, and my eyes became heavy. I slumped over in my seat, and waited for death to surely take me. I managed to look over to where the pilot was and saw him slumped over the controls to the plane. Then my mind closed, I couldn't fight it anymore, and I lost consciousness.

My head was pounding and I was so cold, but I knew I wasn't dead, for in heaven there would be no pain. I tried as hard as I could to open my eyes and finally after an incredible struggle, I was able to open them for just a moment. That's when I saw him.

He looked like a native god. His lean muscular body was crouched near me and his voice. His voice was deep and rugged, yet comforting. He was trying to get me to answer him, but I couldn't. I watched through heavy eyelids as he used his massive arms to lift and move debris around. He was working his way to me. I wasn't sure why, but I thought he was trying to get me to come with him. One last look at him and I faded back into the darkness.

I heard a sound in my mind but I couldn't quite distinguish what it was. I thought of popcorn or gravel crunching underfoot, but these didn't match the sound. Then I thought of a fire burning and I started to feel the warmth. I was near a fire, maybe a fireplace, so I started searching, until I was able to open my eyes just a bit and turned my head toward the sound and warmth.

There it was a cozy fire in a fireplace and I watched as the flames licked the sides of the wood, turning it gold, and orange, and red. I saw an occasional hint of blue in the flames and thought how tranquil it looked. I tried to sit up, but the pain in my head was too much and I let out a soft groan as the pain made itself evident once again.

"Easy there. Don't go moving too fast," a voice, that deep voice, called to me from across the room.

I turned my head to the side, ever so carefully and saw him. The same man I had seen before, sitting in a chair with his arms folded loosely over his broad chest. His face was ruggedly handsome and his skin was a beautiful copper hue. He had short jet black hair and eyebrows and his dark red lips were full and accented his perfectly contoured face and high cheekbones.

I blinked my eyes a few times and reached down to try and push myself up. I was under several blankets, so I started pushing them off but I was suddenly getting cold again. That's when I realized I was in nothing but a bra and underwear.

"Where are my clothes? Did you take my clothes off? Where am I?" I had so many questions but wasn't sure I could even process the answers, but I felt the need to ask.

"I took your clothes off. They were covered in blood. I'm soaking them to get the blood stains out," he said, as he continued to watch me.

I sat up, pulling the blankets up around my shoulders feeling the weight of the man's stare, and realized I was on a couch in what appeared to be a small cabin. To the side of the fireplace, in the recess of the cabin was a small kitchen, and the room we were in appeared to be a living room or den.

"Where am I?" I asked again, as I reached up to touch the side of my head that was aching.

I stopped my movements when I reached what felt like a bandage and felt around my hair, feeling that it was stiff and probably had dried blood in it.

"You're in La Push, Washington. Who are you and where were you going?" the man asked.

"I....I....don't know. I mean, I'm not sure..." and then it hit me.

I didn't know who I was or anything about myself. I've never felt so alone and small in my entire life. Sliding back down on the couch, I turned my head away from the man's gaze and let the hot sting of my tears burn my face, as they silently slid down my cheeks. I tried not to make a sound, but it wasn't long before I could hold it back no longer and I began to sob.

His hands were warm, like sitting too close to the fire, but I welcomed them and the comfort they brought, as I felt him sit down beside me and pull me up onto his chest. He held me there and let me cry in his arms, until I couldn't cry anymore. I slowly rose up to look at him. His eyes were black, like coal and full of compassion as he looked down at me.

"So what do you remember?" he asked, this time with less roughness in his voice.

"I think there was something loud—an explosion and clouds, but then my head hurt," I said, lifting my hand to touch my head again.

"You were in a plane crash. The pilot didn't make it," he said, watching my reaction very closely.

I suddenly found it very difficult to breathe and realized that for whatever reason, I had been spared. I could have been killed too, but I wasn't. I think he realized what was going through my head as he pulled me back to his chest again and rubbed my shoulder that was now exposed.

"What am I going to do? I have no place to go and I have no idea why I'm here," I whispered, mostly to myself, but it must have been audible. He stiffened under my weight then sat very still like he was thinking.

"Don't worry. We'll figure something out. Right now you need to rest," he said, as he slid off the couch and lowered me back down. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

The next day I was getting tired of lying there. I had to get up and move around. My legs and arms were stiff, so I looked around, realized I was alone, got up wrapping a blanket around myself, and went in search of the bathroom. I found a nice sized bathroom at the end of the hallway and went inside.

As I shut the door behind me, letting the blanket fall to the floor. I was still very weak and felt my muscles, tense and sore, protest as I tried to freshen up. The large black marble garden tub in the corner of the bathroom looked so inviting, before I knew it was drawing a hot bath and climbing in.

I had removed the bandage from my head, found some shampoo and soap and began lathering my hair and taking a bath. The hot water felt nice as it relaxed me and the feel of being clean was refreshing.

After I had finished my bath, I sat there letting the hot water and steam clear my mind, but I still couldn't remember anything past the man trying to get to me in the plane. The man, I hadn't even gotten his name. I didn't even know who he was. But from all accounts it seemed he was a thoughtful and caring person, or at least I hoped that assessment was correct. There was something very endearing about him.

"Are you okay?" I heard his now familiar voice say softly, and I instinctively jumped, drawing my knees to my chest to try and cover myself.

Here I was totally naked in a strange man's house, taking a bath in his big garden tub without his permission.

"I'm sorry. I just.....the water....I needed to get cleaned up," I said, looking up at him, the heat rose in my cheeks.

"It's okay. I just didn't hear you moving and I wanted to make sure you were alright. Take your time. I brought you a shirt of mine and here are some towels," he said laying them on the counter as he turned and walked back toward the door.

"Thank you," I said quietly.

When the door was closed, I once again relaxed and closed my eyes. When the water started to cool off, I got out, dried off, and slipped my underclothes back on. They would have to do until I could wash them, then I slipped on the man's shirt. It swallowed me considering I was so much smaller than him.

I found a hair dryer and leaned against the counter while I tried to dry my hair. I looked in the mirror and ran my hand through my long hair, being careful not to get near the injury on the side of my head, until I had it mostly dried.

When I had made myself as presentable as possible, I picked up the blanket, and slowly opened the door. I had no idea what waited for me on the other side, but I knew I had to go find out. I only hoped that my memory would return and I could begin piecing things together.