A/N: So this is my first attempt at Twilight. I hope you enjoy. Feel free to review/favorite/follow...all that good stuff. Do let me know if you think I should continue this though. I've written a couple chapters now and I'm starting to really like Oriana. I hope you enjoy her too. So with out further adeui...
Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story you may recognize. Familiar faces, places and dialogue will be taking place. Only Ori and her words are mine.
The landscape was silent, save for the sound of nature. Without a trace of civilization for miles the animals felt no hesitation in making themselves known. Birds called loudly to each other, flitting from branch to branch, and multitudes of creatures raced across the forest floor. None of them taking the slightest notice of the lone figure quickly scurrying its way up a steep cliff side.
Eyes bright and with a wide grin, Oriana Swan let the music blasting from her earbuds encompass her body as she easily found holds for her hands and feet. Despite the many different rock climbing paths to choose from in the Colorado Rockies she'd opted to go off on her own and find a more untouched mountain face to hook herself up to. She preferred to make her own way, rather than follow the well worn holds of so many others. It was just the way she lived her life really.
The muscles of her arms and legs burned, and sweat dripped from her form, stinging her eyes and plastering lose curls to her skin. But overhead the afternoon sun shone brightly behind the fluffy clouds and the breeze that curled around her was refreshing and like a chilled embrace. She'd never felt more free. As she reached a sturdy ledge more than halfway up she decided to take a break and swiftly pulled herself up, making sure to secure her harness in place, just in case. Opening her drawstring pack she pulled out an energy bar and some water before leaning back against the mountain behind her, contentedly eating as she took in the landscape before her. No matter where it was, either a city or the middle of no where, from this high up everything looked like magic.
Matt Walst was just bemoaning Stacys life choices when her skull was assaulted with the sounds of crazy frog. Yanking the speakers out of her ears she shook her head quickly, finger finding a home in her left ear as she tried to dislodge the ringing. Almond shaped eyes, the brown overriding the green, slid to her right upper arm where her phone was securely strapped. The bright screen cheerfully illuminated the name of her caller for only a few more seconds before it fell dark once again. Smiling fondly she removed her headphones from the aux port before hitting redial, eyes scanning the forest below as the phone rang in her ear. It hardly got through the first ring before it was answered, her older brothers voice echoing sadly through the line.
"Ori, I need your help."
Thick arched brows furrowed at the distress in her brothers voice. The last time he'd sounded like that Renee had taken Bella and bolted. Anxiety churning through her gut she swallowed it back and forced a happy tone.
"Of course Charlie. What's going on?"
"It's...uh, Bella. She's...I don't know what to do Ori." The sound of a heavy sigh and the soft squeaking of springs met her ears, and she could practically picture her brother slouched on his bed, face in hand and head hung heavy. Her heart went out to him. She'd never settled down, never had a child or had to deal with all the family drama that went with it. The closest she got was when she went into Washington during the summers Bella had visited. Then she'd had the responsibility of a child on her shoulders, as small as it may have been. Being an aunt really wasn't so much watching the child as it was helping them get into trouble. And Bella had been quite the trouble maker when she was younger, not so much as she grew up. On the last summer she visited she had just seemed over everything. Over the town, her father, and even her in-and-out aunt. It had been years since she had seen her niece, even though she knew the girl had moved back in with Charlie about six months ago. She had no idea how she would be able to help either of them but she'd do her best to try.
"Okay, well what's going on? I mean it can't be too earth shattering, right? She's just a teenage girl."
"A teenage girl who's become a complete zombie! She hardly eats, when she sleeps she has nightmares, she won't go out with any of her friends! Ever since that damn Cullen boy left she's been nothing but a shell and I...I just don't know Ori. I suggested sending her back to her mothers. She wouldn't hear it. Said she'd go hang out with her friends if it would make me feel better. I want her to be okay, not pretend to be."
Nothing but silence was exchanged as Charlie attempted to get himself under better control and Oriana let her thoughts wander. It wasn't often her brother got so upset he actually yelled. He'd been a shy teenager that had transitioned to a soft spoken adult. He was easy going and pretty happy for the most part, despite what life had thrown at him. His life was simple; work, friends, football and beer. There was rarely ever a reason to get upset over that. Actually last time he called screaming him and Billy had just had a fight. About the Cullens. She sort of wanted to laugh at the irony. Before he'd been spittin' about Billy, defending the family vehemently, and now here he was damning them. Well, one of them. Still.
"Listen, I'll come down. Not sure what I can do though. I'm actually in Colorado so it shouldn't take me long to get there. We'll figure something out big bro. Don't worry about it."
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It didn't take long to scale down the cliff face, and before she knew it she was in the dingy hotel room she'd rented for her stay. Ori considered herself a bit of a nomad, drifting to whatever place caught her fancy. Not that she was loaded with money, whatever cash her family had had stored away went to her parents medical bills as they slowly passed away. But there was always a way to make money. After all, every town needs a waitress. And her musical skills were always appreciated on the street for the most part.
By three that evening she had her duffle full of sports stuff, sturdy leather violin case and her medium sized suitcase packed into her '87 oldsmobile cutlass and was swiftly making her way up to Forks, Washington. Less than a day away from her destination she figured she could make it nonstop, as long as she fueled herself on energy shots and sugary gas station food.
Which turned out to be true, as she let her beat up old car putter to a stop on the curb in front of the two story house she remembered as Charlies at nearly noon the next day. Her forehead hit the steering wheel in front of her, curls springing to life to create a curtain around her head. Thin fingers tightened on the wheel as her jaw opened wide, releasing a deep yawn that caused her to shake. Tired eyes blinked open as she heaved herself up straight, fumbling for the handle before she nearly spilled herself onto the pavement. Hands touched asphalt for only a second before she pushed herself back up, hopping a bit to get her balance back. A quick scan of the drive way revealed no cruiser, and only moments later her phone was to her ear, leaning lazily against her car as she waited. Her eyes closed and her head tilted back as the wind whipped around her, tossing her curls back and forth for but a moment before it settled. The gentle breeze brought the smell of earth and snow, fresh smells no one really appreciated in the city. Sometimes not here even, taking it for granted having grown up with knowing only the freshness of nature.
"Forks Police Department. Chief Swan speaking."
Startled from her thoughts it took a moment to answer, but when she did she couldn't stop the smile from stretching her face.
"Yes, Chief Swan. There's a suspicious character out on the street. Just standing outside their vehicle. Never seen it before in my life. I believe they're outside your house actually. Oh my goodness what are they doing! I'd get over there quick. Hurry!"
She pulled away the phone and had just enough time to hear her brother spluttering on the other end, asking for her to wait and calm down, before she clicked the red phone symbol and ended the call. Laughter burst forth at her actions, before it stopped and she tilted her head to the side, a thoughtful look taking over. Maybe I shouldn't have done that. He does get pretty serious with his cop thing. Seeing as its his job and stuff. Hmm, ah well. He'll get over it. With a short shrug she shoved her phone back into her pocket and hopped onto the hood of her car. If she was going to prank him and make him drive home in a panic the least she could do was stand out in the open and show him it was just her.
Five minutes later found the cruiser turning the corner at a slightly higher speed than usual with the lights flashing, but no sirens. She could tell the moment he saw her, because the lights went off and the speed went down. Laughing lightly she slid from her car and stood with arms crossed as Charlie carefully parked in the driveway. The smile didn't leave her face, even as her brothers stern visage stomped closer to her, because she could see in his eyes how pleased he was she was there. He could screw his face up any way he liked, but his eyes were never any good at holding back what he actually felt. So when his mouth opened she decided to skip the part where he lectured her about prank calling the police (technicality since it was her brother) and skipped straight to the happy part.
Stepping to meet him half way Oriana wrapped her arms around her brothers torso, right under his armpits, and locked her hands on her forearms before snuggling happily into the slightly larger body. Charlie was brought up short, arms in the air and half formed protests on his lips. He seemed to battle about whether to push on with his lecture, which he seemed to have thoroughly prepared, or let it go and move forward. With a heavy sigh he let his arms drop to his sisters shoulders and pulled her in tight, cheek moving to rest on the top of her head.
"Hey Ori."
"Howdy Char. Wanna go inside? I heard there's some weird person skulking about out here."
With a shake of his head and a pinch to her side, resulting in quite the loud yelping noise, Charlie Swan lead his little sister into the house. Hoping against hope that there would be something she could do to help.
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The cheerfull chattering of the diner surrounded the siblings, sitting in content silence as they dug into their food. They'd figured since it was lunch time anyway Charlie would just take an earlier break than normal, and with her brothers notorious kitchen skills they'd decided to head to the familiar dwelling. As they had waited for their food to arrive Charlie updated her on the situation, from how devoted Bella had become to Edward in so short a time and the hurtful words she'd spewed after only a few months- ending with her beat up in Arizona- to finding her curled up on the forest floor in the dead of night and the shell she'd become since. The food had arrived as he'd finished and so Ori spent the silence that followed to think about what had been happening with her niece lately.
That a teenage girl had become obsessed with her boyfriend and then heartbroken when he left wasn't any kind of surprise. Young girls were emotional little things, easily sucked into relationships, but Bella had seemed to become all but the boys shadow. The two had spent every minute they could together, Bella always leaving with Edward or showing up with the boy if she hadn't. He'd become her singular focus, Charlie sadly explaining the only thing they'd really even talked about since she arrived was the Cullen boy.
Now that he was gone sadness was understandable, but this absolute devastation was unacceptable. No matter how much they'd enjoyed the others company it was still just a teenage romance. There would be many more after Edward. But not if she let herself waste away. The girl probably wouldn't appreciate her putting her nose in her business, but her brother was hurting. His child was hurting him. She wasn't sure what exactly she could do, couldn't really see a way to help other than just be there and support Charlie. But if that was all the help she would be then so be it. She'd be the strongest support beam she could be.
After their plates had been cleared away the siblings continued to sit quietly, paying no mind to the waiter or the check he set down. Her brothers large brown eyes were pleading with her, for some magical solution that could return everything to normal. Unfortunately she didn't have that for him. With a heavy sigh she glanced down at her hands that were clenched on the table, fingers laced together tightly.
"Charlie...I'm not sure how much help I'm gonna be here honestly. I know Bella even less than you do. I wasn't here for any of the Cullen stuff. I'll be stepping into the middle of a pretty delicate situation from what you said and I don't think Bella will appreciate it. She might get even more upset. Or withdraw into herself further. But I'm gonna be there for you. I've got your back through this. Til the end. Whatever you need I'm there. I'll do anything I can."
Her eyes stayed on her hands until she was done, and then she slowly met the red-rimmed gaze of her older brother. He looked so desperate. So hopeless. But there was also appreciation and a strength that wasn't there before. The two of them had always been able to rely on the other, no matter the case, and with his little sisters devoted words he felt like he could make it through the dark confusing storm his life had become. With a small smile and shaky nod Charlie quickly paid the bill and they were off. They swung back by Charlies place to drop Ori off as her brother was going back to work. Tossing her the house key, and with a warning not to cause any trouble, the chief was back off to the station.
Quickly grabbing her suitcase and instrument out of her car she made her way inside the older but unchanged house. Everything looked exactly the same as the day she'd left, headed down to the barrier reef for some scuba diving. Shaking off nostalgia she tossed her suitcase on the floor at one end of the couch, and then gently set her violin across the cushions. Beer cans were spread along the coffee table, dust was collecting on any available surface and - eyeing the thing with some amusement- there was a half-dead Christmas tree sitting dejectedly in the corner, pine needles spread around its base. Just from where she stood she could see dirty dishes on the counter in the kitchen. So with nothing to do, seeing as Charlie was at work and Bella at school, Ori decided to tidy up a bit.
Gathering her crazy curls into a high bun she threw off her jacket, boots thudding next to her bag, and drew out her headphones. Placing the buds in place she scrolled through her internet radio, finally stopping on an 80's station, smiling happily as Joan Jett started up in her ears. First she tackled the living room, any and all trash getting gathered up and taken to the green bin outside. Next she vacuumed up the fallen needles, slid a couple garbage bags over the pathetic tree, and hauled it too outside. Dusting, sweeping and anymore needed vacuuming was done quickly and she slipped into the kitchen.
With guitar solos and screaming vocalists invading her senses she worked happily, not minding the menial labor at all. So into her work she didn't notice as Bella shuffled through the door and up into her room. When a horn blared outside she hardly heard it, but then the song faded and it sounded again. Removing her right ear bud she had just enough time to hear the fade of slow steps and then the door shut. Turning off her music all together she hurried to the door, opening it a bit to look outside, just barely catching Bella shutting the door of a nice looking car and then dart away. Aw crap.
She'd missed her. Ori had been hoping to talk to the teen when she got home, catch up a little bit. She was hoping the girl would maybe open up a little to someone who wasn't really a parental figure. However she'd completely missed when the girl came in and now she had to wait for another time. Huffing to herself Ori turned back to her work, unwilling to leave a job half finished.
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Bella still wasn't home when Charlie got back. Nor by the time they'd finished a very simple dinner, supplied by Ori. So she decided to take a shower to pass the time. Adjusting the water temperature she stripped off her clothes and shook out her hair, running long fingers through the unruly curls. When steam was rising gently from the cubicle she stepped in, hissing slightly as the hot water caressed her skin, but it quickly turned to a sigh of pleasure as her body easily adjusted. Time slipped by as she stood there, head tilted back and letting the water just run over her face and body.
A door slamming across the hall brought her from daydreams and half-formed thoughts. Her body and hair were quickly washed with her favorite scents, macadamia nuts and coco butter swirling throughout the small space. Shutting off the water and wrapping a towel around her hair Ori stood naked in the bathroom, not bothering to grab another towel. She preferred to air dry. Waiting for the drops of water that clung to her body to dissolve she rustled around in her small bathroom bag, pulling out toothpaste, floss and her green toothbrush. Oral hygiene taken care of she washed her face, focusing extensively on her 'T' zone. Next came her coco butter lotion, which she applied from her neck to the soles of her feet.
Feeling baby soft and quite happy Ori slipped on her pajamas, an oversized purple batman shirt slipping down over her shoulder and baggy black basketball shorts. Whipping the towel off her head she watched as her hair fell limply around her, grazing the middle of her back as it soaked through her shirt. Fingers twisted expertly into the strands until a thick braid laid hung over her shoulder. Gathering her things and tossing her towel into the hamper she made her way downstairs. Charlie was on the couch, beer in hand, football game flickering across the screen. Grabbing a can of her own she sprawled next to her brother, popping the top and gaze latched onto the tv. Neither team that was playing were ones she particularly followed or cared for, but still a game was a game.
It was already more than half way over when she settled in, and the game quickly reached a dissatisfying end. Her brother shot her an awkward smile, which she returned with a beaming one, and bid her goodnight before slightly stumbling off to bed. Following his example she laid out the blankets he'd set out for her, efficiently making a comfy sleeping spot. Settling down it seemed like she'd only just shut her eyes when they were popping open, gaze locked on the ceiling above her. Horrendous screams were echoing around the dark house. She could hear Charlie cursing and falling over himself upstairs, trying to get to his troubled daughter as fast as possible.
Flinging back the covers Ori made her way upstairs, the yelling had stopped, and now only harsh pants filled the air. Making it to the top landing showed Charlie, nervously shifting from foot to foot, half way into Bellas room. Soft words were spoken, ones she couldn't make out, and then her brother was stepping back and shutting the door hesitantly, conflict clear on his face. Door fully shut he released a deep, heavy sigh and made his way towards her, both of them trying to pretend they didn't hear the teens muffled sobs. When she could see Charlie clearly she had to hold back a wince. His eyes were full of tears and he seemed defeated, staring at her with a bleak look. Gathering her resolve Ori smiled softly and rose her hand to gently rub at his shoulder.
"Hey. We'll work on it. She'll be right as rain in no time." One way or another, I will make this girl cheer up.