Chapter Two

My mother woke us up around eight. She pulled the covers down from our bodies and pried Julie's arm off my face. As well as the foot she had against my lower back. Now I remembered why I rarely let Julie in to my bed. She sprawled out just like Mom did, her arms and legs spreading out in every possibly direction once she had fallen in to unconsciousness. She was taking up more than half the space and the covers were all pulled towards her side of the bed. No wonder I was so cold.

"Wake up, girls. It's a big day," my mom said to us. She shook Julie's shoulder in attempt to wake her up more. When Julie was asleep, she was out like a rock. Nothing could wake her up. Mom patted Julie's cheek softly, and then smiled at me when she saw my eyes were open. She was holding a cup of steaming herbal tea. Caffeinated, of course. That's all she would drink nowadays. She smelled like lavender and chamomile from the shampoo she'd showered with. Twirling a piece of wet hair around her finger, she turned to leave the room, "Get up, girls. We have a twenty hour car ride ahead of us,"

I let out a soft groan, and swung my legs over the side of the bed. When my toes touched the bare hardwood, I looked down out of habit. There was nothing there to trip over anymore. No clothes or anything. I looked around the room and noticed a few of the boxes were gone. My mother must have gotten up earlier than planned. She was always like that. She never put off what could be done that very moment. There were only a few boxes in me and Julie's room, mostly filled with our clothes and other little things. Like jewelry or music boxes, posters, and books. All the furniture was going to be left exactly where it was. Apparently Mom had arranged for one of her friends to pick it all up and send the load of it to the Good Will. The empty feeling emanating off the room filled me for a moment. I shoved it aside.

I exited the room and went down the narrow hallway, trailing my hand against the wall. We had only one bathroom that the three of us shared together. I pushed the door open and didn't bother flicking on the light. The sun from the window illuminated the room just enough. I scanned the counter and noticed more of the bathroom essentials were packed up in a bag. My eyes turned up to see my reflection in the mirror.

I used my free hand to smooth down my bed head, which wasn't very successful. My eyes didn't look very awake, and that wasn't surprising. Getting only a few hours of sleep did that to you. I would be able to sleep in the car while my mom took her turns driving. We had decided that the two of us would alternate driving to make this trip all the way up to La Push bearable. Julie would get a few turns, too, since she had just recently gotten her permit. Luckily, my mom was taking the first few hours, so I would be able to snooze in the back seat. I rubbed at my eyes before hopping in the shower. The hot water felt good on my skin, but living in a complex meant that our water heater had about half the water it was supposed to. I ran out of warm water as I was rinsing the conditioner out of my hair, and quickly got out.

I walked out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. I peeked from the hallway in to the kitchen to see my mom scurrying around like a mad woman, tossing utensils and dishes in to a box for her friend to pick up along with the rest of our things. Incense was burning from its holder, filling the room with some Arabian spice in my moms attempt to 'level the energy'. She was all about that kind of thing. I shook my head and entered my bedroom. Julie was still face-down in my bed, sleeping like a baby. I shook her softly, "Julie, c'mon, it's nearly eight thirty." She responded with something of a growl and turned the other way.

I crossed the room to the boxes we had full of clothes. The first things on top seemed good enough. It was a pair of dark washed jeans that were supposed to fit like a second skin, and did just that. Julie had made me buy them a few weeks back when we had been out shopping one afternoon.

"Everyone is wearing them," she had said that day, holding up the pair of jeans in my face. I made a face at her. Minutes later she had me in a dressing room with the pants on. "They look amazing. You're getting them," she demanded of me, looking at me from the mirror. I returned her look, unsure. When would I ever wear them?

Julie and I were two completely different personalities. Julie was fifteen, and she had been in more relationships than I could count. She'd definitely had her fair share of boys, and discarded all of them quickly. They weren't good looking enough, smart enough, nice enough. They were too mean, too infatuated with her, too dense. The list of flaws went on and on. Julie was a very demanding girl, who always got what she wanted no matter what. She was stubborn and had a temper, and had no problem being a one-woman operation. She loved independence and freedom. She always voiced her opinion and made sure people knew exactly how she was feeling at all times. Julie was just the kind of girl who marched to the beat of her own drum and didn't care what anyone else thought about that. It amazed me most of the time.

I was nearly the complete opposite. I was shy and soft-spoken, I guess. Just nothing like Julie.

Which was why I ended up walking out of the store with the jeans.

I pulled them on, then a flowy white top after that. After squeezing a pair of flat brown boots on to my feet, the ones I normally wore in winter here in California, I looked at myself in the full length mirror we still had propped against the wall. There used to be pictures all around it, but the walls were bare now. 'Who are you, Claire?' I thought to myself. I just shook my head and strode out of the room, in to the living area to help my crazy mother.

After taking the last few boxes down to the car and squeezing them in to the trunk and half the back seat, we sat down for some breakfast just before we left the place for good. My mother was standing over the stove, swaying her hips back and forth and singing softly to herself. She had some soy bread in the toaster for us, and was cooking some vegan sausage in a pan. My mother had been at this whole vegan thing for as long as I could remember. She never let anything that had animal products in to our home. One time Julie had brought home some chocolate that was other than the stuff our mother bought us from this little organic store in town, and she nearly had an aneurism.

Julie and I were sitting together, eating some grapes off the vine and drinking orange juice with calcium.

"Gosh, I'm so excited that we're moving back to La Push," Julie began, twirling her short, silky curls around her hand, "I barely remember it, I was like, eight when we moved, right? Do you think everyone is gonna remember us? Do you think Gran will remember us? I mean, we haven't seen her in about six years. I wonder if there'll be any cute boys." She had her feet swinging under her chair as she happily popped another grape in to her mouth.

"I'm excited, too, honey," my mom said with a smile as she turned the stove off. She put the sausage and the toast on three plates, and brought the food to table. She took a seat next to me, and patted my leg. "Nice pants, by the way," She winked at me, and then turned to Julie, "Just try not to eat up all the boys at once, 'kay?" My mother was an extremely pretty woman. She was very young, and often was mistaken my cashiers at store as our older sister instead of our mother. Men came up to her on a regular basis, trying to get lucky. My mother was tall, thin, and had a nice olive complexion that was darker than mine and Julie's. Her eyes were big and amber-colored, just like mine. Her lips were thin and her hair rolled down to her shoulders in pretty dark, curls like Julie's did. She had a nice, big smile full of pearly whites.

We finished breakfast quickly. After an once-over of the apartment, we had no reason to stay. All our things that we were taking were packed in the car, and everything else that was staying. We stood at the door way, the three of us, looking back at our old home. The empty feeling I had been getting went away as my mom ran a hand over my hair. I wouldn't miss our old apartment, and I wouldn't miss Santa Monica. But I did feel a sort of sadness in leaving.

"Let's go, chickadees," my mother said, wrapping her arm around my waist and snaking the other one around Julie's, "This is exciting and good for us. We've been away from family for too long,"

She was right. I had been just us for years.

Julie had called shotgun, and I didn't mind. I settled in the back seat and leaned against the door, not even looking back as we pulled away from the apartment complex. The lack of sleep was starting to catch up with me, and my eyes began to feel heavy. I let them close and drifted off in to sleep, even though Abba was blasting from the car speakers.

I was running through the forest. There was green foliage all around me. Nothing but trees and vines and bushes. I didn't mind, the green was comforting. It felt safe, like I'd known it all my life. It wasn't the forest that scared me; it was whatever it was that was following me. I was running, stumbling over rocks and roots, but still keeping myself in motion to get away from the menacing presence. I could feel my heart pumping in m chest, fluttering faster than a hummingbird's wings. When I was sure I was far enough away from it, I let my back press against a tree trunk as I caught my breath. My chest heaved up and down, my lungs burning from running for so long. Everything seemed quiet. My heart rate finally went down and I closed my eyes, leaning my head back.

I stayed like that for a few minutes, until I felt something cold grip my forearm. My eyes snapped open and I was looking in to the red irises of a human. No, it couldn't have been human. Their skin was sickly pale and they were much too beautiful. I felt my heart stop for a moment, then pick right up to a panicked flutter. Their lips curved back and they bared their teeth, as if they were showing off their fangs to me. I tried to scream, but just as I inhaled to do so, the person gripping my arm was tackled my something large and brown. My heart stopped again, and then started beating more rapidly than should ever be healthy. Wrestling in front of me was a dark brown, massive wolf, and a vampire.

"No!" I screamed.

"Claire. Claire, honey," my mother said from the driver's seat, looking at me from the rear view mirror. "You okay? Seemed like you were having a nightmare," She brushed a curl away from her eyes and pulled in to the gas station, "Plus, it's the first pit stop and it's your turn." She flashed me and smiled and reached behind her chair with one of her arms to pat my knee.

I placed my hand over my heart. It was beating quickly. I took a large breath and just nodded, "I'm fine,"

What was that about? Julie and I had watched Dracula last night. I had never been very good with horror movies. They always gave me nightmares. Yes, that was it. I sat up all the way and unbuckled my seat belt, getting out of the car to pump some gas and take over my shift as driver. As I stood by the pump, I started thinking about my dream. The forest had obviously been La Push. I couldn't have been anywhere else. But what was the wolf thing about? And that beautiful, pale vampire? Remembering the way my heart fluttered with panic, I put my hand to my chest again. I pushed the thoughts out of my brain. It was just a dream, anyway. The sun beaming down from the sky hit my skin and felt good. Oh, how I'd miss the vitamin D California had to offer.

Shortly after settling down in to the driver's seat and putting on some softer music, Mom and Julie had passed out. Julie was in the back seat, her head rolling on to her chest again. She tried to stretch her legs out and ended up picking my chair and the boxes that were piled up in the seat next to her. Mom had reclined her seat back, her legs desperately trying to stretch out, too. With only the sound of Julie's soft snores, Mom's even breathing filling, and Lily Allen's voice filling the car, I felt peaceful. The freeway we were on was empty for the most part. We were up towards the border of Oregon now, and we were passing a bunch of agricultural orchards.

With all the quiet, it was the perfect opportunity to think.

We were moving to La Push to take care of my Gran, who was sick. With what, I didn't know. My mom hadn't given us all the details, and she rarely hid anything from Julie and I. This got me worried. If it was something that check-ups from my Auntie Emily couldn't take care of, then it was definitely something I needed to know about. My Gran was an amazing woman. She raised Auntie Em and my mother on her own, and never gave up on love even once. She found love eventually, even if it was a little later than most. Gran never gave up on anything, actually, no matter what. She had will power that was out of this world. And it always felt like she understood me. By just looking at me, she was able to tell what I was feeling. Just being in the same room with my Gran made all my worries go away.

I still remember the devastated look on her face when we were leaving La Push.

My father had gotten a job offer in California, and it paid better than what he was getting back in La Push. He was an engineer, and a company down near Los Angeles wanted his services. So of course, after persuading my mom, we packed everything up and bought a house down there. Leaving La Push was one of the most painful things. All our family and friends were there, helping us pack up our old life and move on to the new one.

The pain on my Gran's face that her youngest daughter was leaving was obvious. I stuck close to her most of the time, pressing myself close against her side and staying like that for a while as everything else around me moved. My Gran took my hand and gave it a squeeze, and then gave me a smile. She reached down and kissed my forehead, then went off to see my mother. Gran was blinking back tears, and it nearly made me bust out in tears, too. I didn't want to leave. Of course not. My whole life was here. Everything that mattered was right there in La Push. Everyone I loved and everything I knew. They were all there on that moving day.

I remember the thing that hurt the most, though. I looked at him from across the lawn. He was leaning against the fence, just watching me. That day, we hadn't been talking all that much. How was I supposed to say goodbye to my best friend? None the less, I walked over to him. What I had needed most at the moment was Quil. My best friend and my protector. He had always been by my side for as long as I could remember. I had rarely gone a day without seeing him. He'd been around since I'd been wearing Pull-Ups. When I crossed the lawn, I made my way right in to his outstretched arms.

Being in his arms made me feel like nothing could get me. As long as I was in their warmth, I was safe. I had begun to cry and Quil wiped away the tears with his thumb. He hadn't said anything. He just stood there with his arms around me, an expression on his face that I couldn't make out. It looked like pain, devastation, confusion, and a bunch of other things, too. Before I knew it, my mother was calling for me. It was time to say goodbyes. I looked up at Quil, teary eyed again. "Bye, Quil." I couldn't think of anything else to say. He kissed the top of my head and said, "See you, kiddo," He had tried to smile. It hadn't reached his eyes.

After goodbyes to everyone, we were on our way to California.

Being in California was nice, for the most part. But my mother and father had begun to argue. Eventually that was all they would do. They would fight and fight and fight until they finally decided that a divorce was best. I was thirteen and Julie was eleven. My mother had gotten Julie and I, and we went to our dad's every other Wednesday and weekend for a few years. After a while, the visiting stopped. By then, Mom was working two jobs and making just enough to make ends meet for us and our ever-changing apartments. It was the three of us, and it had nearly always been that way.

And now here we were today, moving back to La Push.

I gripped the steering wheel and sung along softly to the song playing. My thoughts wandered to Quil, and stuck there for a while. We had stopped sending letters back and forth after I had moved out of my father's house. How was he doing? Did he look older? Did he have a girlfriend? Would he even remember me anymore? The last one hurt too much, and I forced myself to stop pondering on it. I let out a sigh and ran a hand through my hair.

I pulled in to a gas station, and turned around to wake Julie. "Jules!" I whispered loudly, careful not to wake my mother. I shook her leg. Her eyes fluttered for a moment, but she was out. I sighed and continued shaking her, "Julie, its your turn to drive," I tucked a piece of my long wavy hair behind my ear, and gave my sister a small smile as she opened her eyes.

"Okay, okay, I'm awake." she groaned, rubbing at her eyes and pushing the door open. She walked around to the driver's seat and shooed me out. I filled the car up with gas again, then I hopped in the back seat and monitored Julie as she drove. We sang along softly to our favorite songs on the CD playing the whole while. I let my head rest against the cool window, trying not to let any painful thoughts fill my mind.

After a few more alternating driving shifts and about a million pit stops to pee, put on jackets, and try our hardest to find vegan snacks, I wound up with the last shift. I drove by the sign that said "WELCOME TO FORKS', and I felt myself smile. It wasn't raining, so it made the twisting lanes easy to maneuver. The green was all around. Trees, moss, bushes. They were everywhere you looked. It made me feel so at home, for some reason. We weren't far from La Push now, and it was around three in the morning. It wasn't long before I passed the sign that told me I was in La Push boundaries. I let out a yawn and help the map close to my face, not wanting to get lost. I was already drowsy without sleep.

After a few wrong turns, I drove up to Gran's house. It looked exactly the same, for the most part. I took the keys from the ignition, and patted my sister who was sitting in the passenger seat beside me. "Julie, we're here," I said softly, smiling a bit. I turned around in my seat and patted my mom next. Her eyes opened immediately and she sat up, letting out a yawn.

"Are we here?"

"Yep," I said, popping the 'p', then letting out a big yawn myself.

Mom suggested we unload once we had gotten some rest, and I obviously agreed. Carrying in a bunch of boxes around at four in the morning was not something I liked to do. After we'd gotten Julie sort-of awake and walking towards the house, Mom broke out the keys and we let ourselves in. The house smelled like cinnamon and other mixtures of spices. Just like Gran. I took in a big breath before yawning again.

We decided it would be best to just sleep on the couches and armchairs that night until we got settled in. So Julie and I were positioned opposite of each other on the couch, our feet touching. We hadn't even bothered taking our clothes off. Mom was sprawled out in the armchair.

I couldn't think about anything but how good the house smelled and how familiar it was as I drifted off in to unconsciousness, the blanket pulled tightly around me to keep warm in our new home.