~Twilight~

November 25, 1986

Emilio was working extra hard that day, his crew was remodelling a basement. The only reason why he was working so quickly was because he had to run to the store to buy last minute thanksgiving dinner items to take to his cousin's house.

He was ready to go. He was ready to be at home in front of his television with a cold beer.

"Hey, boss, it's time..." one of his crew members announced, trying to silence the timer on his watch. "We'll have to finish up after the holidays."

Emilio nodded. "Yeah, after the holidays, it should take us another week to finish this."

That same crew member rolled his eyes. "We're all sure the dama blanca will be happy to hear that."

The rest of the workers laughed. Emilio shushed then by holding up his hand. "Since I told her we'd finish today, I'll break the news to her. If she doesn't like it, I'll have her finish this place up herself." He pulled off his gloves. "Now, let's go home."

The road to the store was wet and just a tad bit slippery. Emilio shook his head, he never understood why his cousin would want to live in a place like Beaver, Washington. It was cold, wet, and just a tad bit dull in his opinion.

As he pulled up to his local store, he immediately noticed the closed sign. Emilio looked at the time.

5:56 p.m.

The man chuckled, "Guess they wanted to go home early." He sat there for a moment before sighing. "Let's try Forks store."

Luckily, the store was open. He quickly walked in and grabbed a little basket to put his small bit of groceries.

As he was rushing, he didn't see the tanned woman with shopping cart right in front of her.

He, not so surprisingly, bumped into the cart. Not meaning to do so, he startled her baby that was placed in the middle of the cart. The baby was cuddled in his car seat, the seat barely fit inside the cart.

"Oh, seriously," an annoyed voice mumbled, just before she comforted her whimpering baby. "Watch where you're headed next time."

Emilio lowered his head, but when he recognized how softly she spoke to him despite being annoyed, he looked up. His hazel eyes met her brown orbs.

Their eyes locked. It was almost like an instant connection. He found her extremely attractive.

The woman, suddenly shy under his gaze, looked away.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to–"

She held up her hand. "No, it's alright. Mistakes happen, right?" She folded her arms and looked at the canned goods on the shelf.

Emilio knew he was done shopping but he just couldn't leave. There was something about her.

"My name's Emilio," he introduced himself, holding out his hand, hoping she'd take it. She did.

Her gaze, once again, met the dark brown-skinned man. "Allison," she said. She motioned to the baby in the cart. "And that's my son, Sam."

Emilio glanced at the little boy and smiled. "He's cute."

Allison nodded, a proud smiled on her face. "Thank you."

Before Emilio stepped away to leave, he turned back to her. "You from around here?"

She shook her head. "La Push. I'm only here because our stores are closed and I need some groceries."

The man chuckled, he then told her why he was in Forks. They laughed together. "Listen, I don't mean to be too forward, but here's my number...call me sometime?"

Allison hesitantly took the card, she looked at his handwriting and smirked. "I don't know. I just might."

Once he was home, Emilio grabbed a beer and sat in his most comfortable chair. He sighed in content after he took his first sip.

He turned on the TV, it was already on his favorite sitcom show.

Then, his house phone rang, he picked it up. "Hello?"

"Emilio? Hi. It's Allison...from the store."

His heart rate picked up. "Allison? Hi."

~Twilight~

August 18, 1989

Sam was running around in the living room while his mother tended to his new baby sister.

The toddler didn't quite know how to feel about the baby. He was so use to having his mother and Emilio's attention for the past three years. How dare this little baby wrapped in a purple blanket come around and get all the attention?

Sam walked into the kitchen, with his toy truck in his hand. "Mama?"

Bouncing her three month old baby, Allison turned around to face the person behind the small voice. "Yes, Sam?"

"Wanna play fire truck?"

Allison smiled at her son. "Yes, just let me get your sister to sleep."

Just then, the front door opened, a smiling Emilio walked through the door. "I'm home! And I have the best news!"

He ruffled Sam's hair before pulling his wife into his arms, giving her a soft kiss. He noticed the delicate babe in her arms, he kissed her forehead, earning a whimper from her.

"Adria, how come you're so mean to daddy?"

Allison laughed. "Because she loves her mommy. You and Sam get ready for dinner."

~Twilight~

Emilio had his cold beer on the coffee table, he was getting comfortable. His favorite sitcom was on, and his family was asleep.

Life was peaceful.

He was in love. He had the perfect wife, the perfect son, the perfect daughter...he had no reason to complain.

Just like everyone would, Emilio fell asleep with the sound of sitcom laughter filling his ears.

2:56 a.m.

The sounds of his crying daughter brought the father out of the dream world and into some state of consciousness.

He walked to her nursery, he smiled when he say the silhouette of his loving wife already comforting the infant.

He couldn't tell what she was saying, but as she whispered, it sounded intense.

Emilio chuckled. "Is she okay, baby?"

His wife nodded before continuing to whisper whatever she was saying.

The father rubbed his eyes, he glanced into Sam's room to see he was sound asleep. He was about to get ready to hop in his bed but he froze when he noticed his wife, Allison Uley-Lopez, sound asleep in their bed.

Emilio shook his head and ran to Adria's nursery, only to see that there was no one in there.

The worried father walked over to her crib, his daughter stared up at him. Except her eyes weren't the regular vibrant hazel, like his. Her eyes were a radiant blue before going back to its natural state.

"Hija, what just happened?"

He picked up his little girl, she cuddled into his arms. He watched her like a hawk, he couldn't keep his eyes off of her. He worried for her. In his culture, this meant something, but he didn't believe it. He couldn't.

That morning, Allison woke up with a smile. It was the first night in weeks that she had a whole night worth of sleep. But she frowned softly when she realized that her husband's side of the bed was not slept in.

Grabbing her robe, she made her way into the nursery. She smiled at the sight, Emilio held his baby on his chest while he slept.

"Emilio, honey," Allison said softly. She placed a hand on the infant's back. The father stirred in his sleep, his eyes fluttered open. He gave his wife a small smile.

"Mi amor, good morning," he mumbled. She smiled lovingly at him before she pressed her lips against his.

"I'll take her. You go to bed. I'm getting the kids ready for the day."

Not putting up an argument, Emilio handed over baby Adria. He made his way into his bedroom where he closed the door.

Instead of going to sleep, he sat at his bedside. He picked up the house phone and dialed a number he didn't expect to dial.

"¡Hola! This is Dolores–"

"Mamí, it's me. Emilio."

He could hear the relieved sigh his mother gave on the other end of the phone. "Oh, mijo, I've missed your voice. It's so good that you called. How's your wife?"

"Um, she's fine," Emilio told her. There was a pause between them. "Ma, something happened last night. Something happened to Adria."

"Is she alright?" The older woman asked. She started panicking. Adria was her only grandchild, of course she had a step-grandchild but there was something about Adria.

"She's fine. Last night, someone...something was in her room...hovering over her nursery. When I went back to check on her, it was gone. Adria's eyes were blue for a moment. Ma–"

Dolores suddenly became very serious. She closed her eyes and wrapped her fingers around her necklace. "Mijo, listen to me, you can't raise that baby...bring her to me, let me have her."

Emilio rolled his eyes. "I can't do that, ma. She has a mother, a brother..."

"But she has something much more special than that, a gift. Whoever visited Adria was apart of the Dakai. The baby will be a Dakai one day..."

The father sighed, "But mom...I thought those were just silly little legends."

Dolores sat down in her seat. "There are a lot of things in the world that you will never understand. Where there is evil, there is also good. Adria will be good. I will train her myself."

"I can't just take her away from her mother."

There was silence on the other end. "You have three months. Her gifts will come when she's six months old." After saying that, Dolores hung up.

Emilio sat there for a moment, thinking about his next move. He glanced at their family picture. I was a photo taken a week or two after Adria was born. Emilio was holding Sam while Allison cradled the small baby in her arms. They were all smiling, they were all happy.

But the reality is nothing good lasts forever.

Two Months Later

"A divorce?" Allison asked her husband. He couldn't really hear her speak, she barely spoke above a whisper. The mother placed a hand over her heart. "You want to divorce me?"

Emilio wouldn't look at her. He didn't want this but he started to notice a change in his daughter that he couldn't ignore.

"Just sign. It's all there. You get thirty-five hundred a month, you keep the house. Adria comes with me. We're gonna live with mí madre."

Allison's brown eyes widen. "Doesn't she live in Texas?" When he didn't say anything, she scoffed. "You're not taking my daughter to Texas!"

"Allison, we can do this the hard way or the easy way. None of us can really afford to take this to court. I'll give you a daily update on her if you want me to. Maybe when things are right, she can visit during the summer."

The tanned-skinned woman began to cry, sobbing into her hands. "I just don't get it, Emilio. I thought happy with me...happy. Where is this all coming from?"

Emilio eyes rimmed with tears, before they could pour down his cheeks, he wiped them away. "Allie, things happen. Things I can't explain right now. We just can't be together–"

"Is it because you feel different beings here in La Push? Because my friends...they like you. Sue likes you. You and Harry are always getting beers. The Black girls always come over to play with Sam. Billy likes you–"

Before she could continue, Emilio grabbed her hands. He looked her in the eyes. "Allie, we can't be together. It's not you, it's me. Sign the papers. I'm leaving tonight, with Adria." Emilio then walked out of the room. Once he was in his car, he couldn't help but sob a little.

He loved his family.

Now, for the greater good, he has to rip up his apple pie life.

~Twilight~

October 31, 1995

The little brown girl ran through the house with her fairy costume on. Her father followed right behind her.

"Don't run around just yet, princesa!"

Dolores walked into the room with a small bowl of punch. She glared at her son when she saw her granddaughter running around. "¡Va a arruinar todos los dulces y bebidas haciéndolos caer por todo el piso!"

Emilio rolled his eyes. "Mama, she's fine. She's not gonna ruin anything."

"I've worked too hard on these Halloween decorations! Now, the neighbors will be here in less than an hour," Dolores said. She placed the punch on the counter, right beside the candy. "Maybe you could get to know that Bethany girl and stop sulking over Allison."

"The only reason why you want me to be with Bethany is because she's of Hispanic descent," Emilio accused his mother.

Dolores gasped dramatically. "Emilio, how dare you?"

The father rolled his eyes. He picked up his mask for tonight's party. "Save me from the dramatics, mother."

"I want candy! I want candy! Let's go, daddy," Adria said excitedly, as she ran by her grandmother to get to her father.

The little girl ran by so fast, bumping into the older woman.

Dolores' arm hit the punch bowl, making it fall to the floor. But before it could hit the ground, Adria waved her hand, freezing the bowl. The two adults looked at each other, clearly surprised.

Adria focused hard enough, she moved her hand up, the bowl following her movement along with the liquid inside of it. She placed the bowl back on the counter.

It was silent in the room. Emilio cleared his throat. He kneeled so he was at his daughter's level. "Princesa, why don't you go get your coat?"

Adria smiled. "Okay, daddy."

Dolores watched the little girl leave. Emilio smiled. "Did you see that?"

Dolores shook her head. "I did. She's too advanced for her age, mijo. She can control her gifts. That could be dangerous."

Emilio lifted an eyebrow. "If she can control it, how is it dangerous?"

Dolores stood in front of her son. "Because at her age, she's too trusting. She could slip up...she could expose herself. Mijo, I have to cast the blocking spell."

"So, what...you're a witch now?"

"No, don't be silly. It's a culture thing." Dolores was becoming frantic. "My mother blocked my gifts until I was I sixteen. Maybe I can block hers until she's worthy enough to have them."

"Worthy enough? What? My kid isn't good enough to be apart your stupid Dakai group?!"

Smack.

Dolores slapped her son. "Don't speak ill of the Dakai, you'll regret it."

Emilio held in his annoyed thoughts. "What do we do?"

"I'll train her by telling her the stories of the warriors. When the time is right, she'll know what to do."

Emilio sat on the couch. His head in his hands.

His daughter was special, yes. But at what cause?

dama blanca - white lady

mí madre - my mother

mi amour - my love

mijo - son

hija - daughter

princesa - princess

¡Va a arruinar todos los dulces y bebidas haciéndolos caer por todo el piso! - She's going to ruin all the candies and drinks by making them fall all over the floor!

Adria [ADD-REE-UH]