Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Twilight characters, except for the ones I created.
A/N: Here's chapter one. Sorry if its not too good, it will get better I promise.
Chapter OneStorm clouds rolled over the town of Verdigris, as the people from the city drove through. Verdigris, Oklahoma, a small town outside of Claremore, lay on historic Route 66, the only major road in town. Several small houses lie off on side roads and farmland covered most of the town.
I watched from inside my bedroom of our one-story house as thunder began to rumble outside. I sighed and picked up the book that lay on my side table. As I began to read, my brother, Shane, opened the door to my room, his face wet and hair dripping. He must've been out working in the barn. I glanced at the door and waited for him to say something.
"Emerie…"He began but caught himself. He sighed and slid the door shut. I decided to go see what he wanted.
"What is it Shane?" I asked him. He caught my eyes and we stayed like that for a moment. He looked away.
"I don't know. You just don't seem happy anymore." Shane said. I stared him down and narrowed my eyes.
"I'm fine, okay? You need to stop worrying." I assured him. Shane was quiet for a moment.
"I just think you haven't had any friends your age before." Shane sat on the couch. He clicked the television on and surfed through the channels. I turned back towards my room and stopped short just before the door. Everything in my life was not the greatest. I live in a small hick town, both my parents were deceased and I have one friend. I sighed and grabbed my coat out of the hall closet across from my room. As I ran out our front door, Shane yelled after me. It sounded like, "Where you going?" but I was running too fast to reply. I ran across the highway, crossing traffic carefully. I walked through a separate side road, coming to a stop at a two-story house. The house was white, but it was a little run down. The boards of the house had a few cracks and the vines were overgrown. I knocked on the door. A girl with brown hair and green eyes that were almost yellow answered the door.
"Emerie?" She asked, surprised.
"Yeah, Ben, I had to get out of the house." I said.
"Come in." She offered. I stepped inside her house. It was large from the outside, but the inside was very small. The living room was tiny, with only a couch, a television and a fireplace. The mantle had pictures of Ben since preschool leading up to the present. Like me, Ben lived with her older brother and her younger sister. Her real name was Benevolence, named after her great-grandmother. I loved her name, but she constantly reminded me that Ben was a boy's name and no one really liked her for it. Then I would remind her her name was Benevolence, not Ben, so it was okay. No one really liked her because she wasn't wealthy or popular and she hung out with me, who wasn't the most liked person in town. Our school only had about 100 kids, pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. We had been in the same class since 2nd grade when she moved here from New Jersey. She was the person I usually come to when Shane gives me the "I just don't think you're happy" speech. It was usual. No, I wasn't happy here, what kid would be, what with a town of 600 people and all. Shane had been dropping hints to me about six months now about moving to Washington, but I didn't want to leave Ben behind.
"I still think you should tell Shane you want to move to Washington. I think you'll be happy there." Ben said. I shook my head and sighed.
"I don't want to leave you behind. You're my best friend. How am I supposed to share Banana Boats with you if I'm in Washington?" I said.
"Well actually, I didn't want to tell you, cause of Shane and all but, Alex, Ancienne and I are actually moving back to New Jersey." She sounded happy, almost. I stared at her, stunned, but expectantly. I guess I knew they would want to go back. Ben's parents abused Alex when he was 14, so he took Ben and Ancienne, who at the time was only 2, and came out here, with his aunt's credit card. Alex and Shane were very close, like brothers almost. I wondered if Shane knew yet. I made myself a mental note to not mention it to him when I got home.
"Why would you leave, Ben? Even after your parents treated Alex?" I said, sounding selfish.
"Em, they were drunkards back then. Who knows what they're like now? Alex wouldn't let me talk to them when he called them." Ben stared at me, shocked.
"But, Ben…Your going to leave me." I said.
"Maybe you could still take Shane up on that offer to move to Washington." Ben said, shrugging her shoulders. I got up and told her I had to leave. As I was walking out her front door, Ben gave me a hug and told me she was sorry that she didn't warn me. We cried for a couple minutes and I gave her my final goodbye, not knowing when, or if, I'll see her again.