CHAPTER 1: "UNTIL YOU FIND IT THERE AND LEAD IT BACK HOME"

Green. That one word was enough to describe this godforsaken place.

But with that word I didn't say anything about the rain, which was constantly present, or the oppressive clouds, of which you never could see the sunshine through.

Green was badly enough. Everything was green here. The trees were green, and their root too, the ground was green, that ugly plate along the road that told us we were in Forks was - surprisingly - green too. Even the asphalt had a shade of green.

I dared to bet that the closest thing that comes to a town was more than 100 miles away. This was definitely the last place on earth where my mother would go to.

My mother was young, handsome, blond, tanned and slim. She went every week to the beauty salon, invested I-didn't-know-how-much money in beauty products and clothes and walked standard on four inches heels. For what was a woman like my mother searching in this part of the country?

Two days ago she had told me that she had an older brother. And so I had an soon-to-meet uncle. Uncle Charlie. The reason to withhold this from me? Apparently had my mother - the immortal rebel - ran away from home when she was seventeen to Los Angeles, where she had met my father - a successful director - and lived since then the California dream.

But now - on her 35th - my mother returned to the sleepy town she had turned her back to eighteen years ago. I hadn't protested against this "journey", because I knew why she did this.

Mum stopped in front of a tiny souvenir shop - the only shop in town, I guessed.

'First ask where Charlie Swan lives,' she muttered. 'Everything had changed so much.' Of course. Two houses extra. And paving. And the construction of electricity. 'Do you come with me, or do you stay in the car?' she asked me. I nod. 'I'll go with you. My legs can use some kind of movement.'

The old man who run the shop, looked at my mother dumbfounded when she asked where sheriff Charlie Swan lived. While he explained where Charlie Swan lived, I studied at ease the souvenirs - which especially were made of wooden totems and wolfs - and a map of the Olympic Peninsule - probably bigger than the area itself.

'Thank you,' my mother smiled when the man had finished his explanation. 'Rey, come.'

Charlie lived in a tiny house. When I say tiny, I mean tiny. His house would easily fit six times in our house - which was moderate according Los Angeles standards.

A man, about 45 years old, came outside. He didn't look at mum at all. The man - Charlie - was tall, with brown curls which were no more than a hat on his hat and brown eyes.

Mum took a deep breath, and got out of the car. 'Hello, Charlie.'

Charlie looked first at her dumbfounded (like the old man in the shop), blinked with his eyes and a glimpse of recognition appeared in his eyes.

'Judith? Judy, is that you?' Mum nodded, and her lip started to shake. I quickly got out of the car and took her hand.

'Shtt, Mum. Easy.' I pinched softly in her hand. She breathed in an out and then smiled.

'Who else would it be? This is my daughter Audrey. You look good, Char,' she said to Charlie.

Charlie chuckled. 'You are still a good liar, Judy. What gets you home?'

My mother's lip started again to shake and she pushed the car keys in my hand. I understood the hint, got in the car and rode in the direction of the tiny Indian Reserve La Push, which I remembered of the map in the souvenir shop. According to that map there should be an amazing pebble beach.

It wasn't hard to find, and I parked the black Mercedes on the side of the road, even if it wasn't really necessary. How many cars would go by on this road on a normal day? One? Two? Maybe three in high season.

I sauntered to a washed driftwood and was happy that I already put on that too-tick, too-big-for-me woolen jumper. The wind cut through my destroyed jeans, which I tried to ignore. I took my cell phone while I begged that I would get connection here. 9 missed calls. Probably all nine from nine. I wasn't in the mood to call her back - she should only be able to talk about her boyfriend Caleb (who was a stupid ass in my eyes).

I sighed and got up. The pebble beach was breathtaking, but there was nobody I could share with. There was no one I knew here around.

Before I got in the car again, I looked back for the last time. A tall, muscular boy - no, man - with black hair had taken my place on the driftwood. Curious I walked back.

Behind me I heard someone coming. I ignored it. The only reason why I come to this place, was to be alone. To forget the pain. De waves seemed to wash off the pain that Rachel left behind - now almost two years ago. For a while.

The footsteps stopped next to me and I smelled the fragrance of flowers - roses, I guessed. I didn't look up, wishing that the girl would disappear by her own, when she found out I wasn't the company she was looking for. Out of my eye corners I saw how she raised her shoulders and was going to sit next to me.

She was very pretty. Long reddish brown hair, light green eyes, perfect face and a body where the most men dreamed off. Without saying a word she looked at the sea and the waves, just like me. She pulled her jumper tighter around her and shuffled instinctively closer to me, the warmth.

Three years ago I would ask her out without hesitation. Or give her my phone number. Or something like that. I couldn't believe that I was such an arrogant, irritating guy back in that days. Rachel had changed so much about me. I shivered, and it wasn't because it was cold - although I wore a T-shirt. I knew I sounded cheesy, but because of Rachel had become a better person. The rings felt heavy on the chain around my neck.

'What is your favorite color?' she asked me unexpectedly, while she stared in front of her, studying the movements of the waves.

'Green,' I answered in a reflex. As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I could hit myself. Why, o why have I said that?

The girl smiled widely. 'Self-evident.'

'Why?' I heard myself ask.

'Apparently it is the only color that exists in this part of the world. Have you ever seen here an another color?'

Without looking away from the waves I bent forwards to grab a handful of stones en laid them in her hand.

'Which colors do you see? Look closely.'

The girl studied the stones attentively one by one.

'Terracotta. Amber. Pearl gray. White gold silver. Red sunset.'

'No green,' I muttered. She had an interesting way of label colors.

'And seaweed green,' she added.

'What is wrong with the color green?' I asked her.

She thought about that a moment. 'Nothing, exactly. It's just that there's so much green in this place. No other colors, or not a lot.'

I looked at her for the very first time. What was doing a girl like her here in La Push?

'Where are you from?' I asked.

'Los Angeles.' No wonder why she looked out of her place. Her days where probably filled with laying on the beach, gossiping with friends, spend hours shopping and in the evening going out in clubs.

'And why are you in Forks?'

'Family visit. For an indefinite time.' The tone of her voice told me she didn't want to talk about it.

'Paul! Sam is looking for you! You have to…' Seth ran towards to me and stopped abruptly when he saw the girl. His eyes almost bulged out of his head.

'Yes, Seth? What do I have to do?'

But Seth wasn't paying attention to me.

'Hello, beauty. My name is Seth Clearwater and I'm the best pizza maker of La Push. You have amazingly beautiful eyes.' And that Casanova took her hand en pressed a kiss on it.

The girl played the game with.

'Hello, Seth Clearwater, great and powerful Chief. I can give you the address of the best oculist, because you need one.' There was a laughter in her voice.

Seth blinked for a moment and a smile which almost split his face in two appeared.

'Deal. Only if you go with me to see that there's nothing wrong with my eyes.'

The girl chuckled. 'Then you just have bad taste. Nothing to do on that.' Seth stopped chuckling.

'One - zero for the new girl,' I muttered, ignoring the dark glance of Seth.

Her cell phone began to sing. She took him - such an expensive touch-screen thing, what had you expect? - and pick up.

'Hello? Yes, Mum. What is wrong?' She listened a minute. 'Okay, I'm on my way. Yes, I'll do that. Bye Mum.' She hang up and scrambled the car keys out of her jeans. The stones I'd gave her had she still in her hand.

'Seth, Paul, it was really nice to meet you,' she said while she stood up. The car keys she was playing with, jingled baleful.

'Drive safe.' It was out before I could have think about it.

She looked at me. I couldn't read anything from her eyes.

'Always.'

I parked behind the police cruiser of Charlie. On the passenger's seat next to me laid two vegetarian frozen pizzas, just bought fresh from the tiny supermarket at Main Street. It seemed that everything in Forks was tiny.

It seemed that Charlie only had bacon with eggs to eat. Bacon was the last thing my Mum and I would eat. Mum was a vegetarian since she had read in a magazine that meat made the skin older and I was a vegetarian because I couldn't eat something that ever lived on this planet.

Charlie was watching basketball when I came in. He barely looked up when the door closed behind me. Mum came to me, her eyes red. I tried not to think about the reason why Mum had cried.

'I've found two pizzas. Is there a microwave in this house?' Mum nodded, and took the pizzas from me. 'Do you take the luggage out of the car? Can you carry it?' she asked me anxious.

'Uhm…'

'Charlie! Do you help Audrey with the luggage?' Mum yelled over her shoulder to him.

'Uhm, Judy, about that…' Charlie looked at my Mum with a sheepish expression. 'I only have 1 spare room. With one single bed.'

Mum looked at him with horror. 'And where should Audrey sleep?' Her voice was now two octaves higher.

'I can sleep on the couch. I don't mind.'

With flaming eyes she turned to me. 'You sleep not on the couch, Audrey Zoey Masen. Everybody sleeps in a bed. No sleeping on the couch here!'

'I can call Billy. He has a bed, I guess.' Charlie said quickly before Mum would spit fire.

'Billy? Billy Black? Is he still alive? How does he do?' Mum was immediately distracted.

Charlie nodded enthusiast. 'Indestructible, like always. He is in a wheelchair now. His son Jacob is a year younger then Bella.'

'Bella?'

'My daughter,' Charlie answered, glowing with pride. 'Is twenty-two years old. She lives east, on the mountain, with her man en their daughter.'

I took the pizzas from Mum and started to warm one up in the kitchen. While the pizza turned circles, I thought about that boy - man - Paul.

He was handsome - really handsome. The kind of guy that belonged in the category eye-candy. I remembered clearly how every muscle was visible underneath that thin T-shirt.

'So, that is arranged.' Mum walked the kitchen in. 'You can stay with Billy.'

'Billy?' I asked surprisingly. Who the heck was Billy?

'The Chief of the Quileute Indians in La Push. He was my babysit when I was eleven. And then he always told me the legends of his tribe.' Sunk in memories she took the pizza out of the microwave and put the other in. I stand up and searched in the kitchen cupboards for dishes.

'Where do you get those stones?' Mum asked suddenly. I turned around. 'Ow, I got those from Paul, as evidence that green is not the only color in the universe.'

'Paul?' Her eyes were filled with curious. 'Who is Paul and where do you met him?'

'On the pebble beach of La Push. He was staring at the sea.'

'And?'

I sighed. 'Usual. Black hair, brown eyes and muscular.'

Charlie entered the kitchen and interrupted the embarrassing conversation with Mum. My Mum and guys….

'What do you think of Forks, Audrey?'

'Green,' I answered. 'But it has an amazing pebble beach with real Indians.'

Charlie chucked. 'You have met the Quileute guys. They hang out there very often.'

'That Paul guy, is he an Indian?' That was Mum again. Charlie frowned his eyebrows and looked at me with an penetrating look.

'Apparently.' I took place on the old kitchen chair and looked how Charlie made bacon and eggs, which was fun to watch at. Charlie couldn't cook at all.

'Hmm… It smells good.' A guy with black hair and a copper colored skin came in through the back door. I was very sure that he meant the smell of the pizzas, because the other smell didn't smell healthy at all.

'Hay Jake. How are you doing, kid?' Charlie took two dishes and filled them with bacon and eggs.

'Fine. O yeah, before I forget it, Bells asked me if I wanted to ask you if you had old family pictures. I mean, really old - old one. Nessie wants to know more about the history of the family and that kind of stuff.'

'I believe I have. I have to search for them…'

'I do it. Those boxes stand probably on the ceiling, on the same place as eighteen years ago,' interrupted Mum him. Charlie laughed sheepishly.

'Who is that?' Jake asked as soon as Mum left the kitchen.

'My younger sister Judith from L.A.,' Charlie answered.

'From L.A.? There are a lot these days who come from L.A. to here. Seth fantasize the whole afternoon about a girl from L.A. he met on the beach. He drives everybody crazy.'

I scraped my throat. Jake turned around, with a frightened expression on his face. Charlie laughed.

'Jake, this is Audrey, my niece from L.A.. Audrey, this is Jacob, the twenty-year old son of Billy Black.'

'The son of the Chief?'