My head was hurting when I awoke. I couldn't open my eyes but I guessed I was in the hospital.

Everything came back to me and I felt my heart aching in my chest.

Why did I have to have a father like him? You are supposed to trust the person that raises you let them teach you what is right or wrong not cower from them.

My love, my compassion for him seemed to disappear and was replaced by pain. The person I had cared for most, the only one that I could call family had taken that relationship and ripped it apart.

I felt tears sting in my closed eyelids as I let them open a bit to let them out.

I felt a hand; a warm and comforting hand grab mine as more tears began to fall.

I knew it was Natalia, and even though I was sad and broken I knew I did the right thing. To have her innocence lost was worst than mine, which was long gone. She had a family that loved her and people that cared for her I couldn't let her go back they're broken and sad.

I opened my eyes a bit more and looked at Natalia sitting next to my hospital bed. She looked tired, her eyes rimmed with red as if she had been crying. I smiled at her as she looked at me.

Her lips slowly turned into a smile as she held my hand with her other hand as well.

"Thank you. Without your help, I don't know what would have happened. Did you know…you seemed prepared?" She asked her eyes wrinkling in confusion.

"Yes, I was. I knew what would happen. He had been expressing his frustration for a while and I knew by his tone that he wasn't going to wait any longer. I thought I had gotten all of the sharp objects hidden, I guessed I missed one." I said smiling a bit more.

"Why though…why would you do that for me someone you have only known for a while?" She asked her eyes surprised.

"It's hard to explain. You are the first person since my mother died that has given me hope and brought me back to life it feels like. Life seemed like a machine-like routine until you came along. Your innocence and your kindness reminded me of my mother and I couldn't let him take that away. I mean you have this incredible family you will go back to and I didn't want you to go back broken." I said sadly.

She shook her head and understood, her eyes looking at mine so earnestly and lovingly before she got up and laid with me in my small hospital bed pulling me into a hug.

I was on my side, my back stitched and bandaged, so it was easy to fall into her motherly embrace.

We laid there for a while, my mind calming and feeling happy despite the past events that had occurred.

She felt like a home I always wanted to be a part of.

"Lilah, I know you don't know me well but I also know that you don't have any family other than your father who is now in jail. I don't want to replace your mother but I as hoping maybe you would like to stay with me and maybe someday when your comfortable I could adopt you. I feel like fate has brought me here, and…I want to take care of you show you how to live and raise you if you will let me. Your mother will always be your mother and I don't want to replace her, but maybe someday you could come to see me in that light?" She said, her voice hopefully and quiet as she spoke the words I was astounded to hear.

She had been like a mother to me over the past few weeks. She had showed me things I never knew about given me advice on life and love. It felt like a dream come true, I wasn't ready to call her mom yet but I did want to live with her.

I raised myself up slowly looking into her face and smiled.

"I would love it if you adopted me. I do agree that it is too soon for mom, but I know someday I will be calling you that." I said a tear blurring my vision as it escaped my eyes.

She shrieked for joy taking me by surprise, as she hugged me and we both shed tears thinking of the irony and incredible outcome of the situations.

"I would like to admit that I only dated your father so he wouldn't be angry that I was hanging out with you. You are the daughter I have always wanted, I wanted someone with a strong heart, and not a baby which always took my family by surprise." She said.

"For now how about I start the adoption papers, if that is alright with you and you can simply call me Natalia or Natty and then we will go from there." She said smiling as she got up from the bed.

"I would like that…but where will we live?" I asked smiling from ear to ear.

"Well we are going to La Push of course. I think I have found what I was looking for and tell you the truth I'm homesick. I have a small house there and you can go to school there or I can home school you, or whatever. Once you are released from the hospital we can go by your place grab your things and head out. Does that sound okay?" She asked smiling brightly at me.

"It sounds perfect." I said unbelievably, reveling in this incredible strike of luck.

She left promising that she would be back soon with some clothes for me.

A police officer came in and questioned me and finally after a couple more hours I was allowed to leave.

It was hard to move, as my back seemed to twinge with every movement.

They took the stitches out before I left and gave me a ton of gauze to keep wrapping my back and some pills for the pain.

The Police Officer asked me if I wanted to stay with Natalia, saying that, as I was 16 it was my choice as to where I would live. I told him that I did in fact want to live with her.

She was waiting outside for me in a surprisingly large pick up truck that her uncle had let her borrow.

We moved to my house and gathered my things. It took a while and a few tears were shed, but I was glad to open a new chapter.

Natalia talked a lot about home and the people I would meet. She wanted to take me shopping and once we were settled in as my closet only consisted of a couple articles of clothing and extremely old ones at that.

I lay on my side in the car as we made our way to La Push.

"I think you will really like it there Lilah. You may get a lot of questions I warn you but only answer what you feel comfortable with. Some people may take a bit to warm up to you but I now that soon everyone will love you just like I do." She said beaming down at me.

I was nervous about this place, I knew it was an Indian reserve and I was pretty sure I would be the only pale face, as Natalia called it in the whole area. I wasn't big on sticking out like a sore thumb; I would rather just blend in or stay under cover.

"Oh and if you want to earn a little cash I know from letter and emails I have been sending that Billy Black a good friend of mine has a young daughter Lily that needs babysitting. He said his son Jacob isn't home enough anymore and she is becoming a handful." She said smiling and laughing at some memory that was coursing through her head.

I smiled and nodded, it would be nice and I really loved little kids. I guess I have the thing Natalia has, I always felt like I was meant to be a mom.

The drive wasn't too bad and before I knew it we were driving into particularly cloudy and rainy countryside.

"Yeah, its pretty much always like this. The sun barely ever comes out." She said screwing her eyes up in frustration as she looked at the clouds around us.

I laughed lightly as I looked at her, and took in the landscape.

"It's perfect." I said, loving the trees and long stretches of woods basking in the cold chill.

"Oh yeah, you love this type of weather. Forgot about that, then you will love this place." She said laughing robustly.

I smiled and looked out my window, admiring the landscapes. We were by the sea as we drove and we rolled down the window as I stuck my head out and breathed in the salty air.

This was heaven, truly heaven, I thought as we kept driving.

I fell asleep for a bit and jolted awake lightly as I felt the engine shut off.

"Awww perfect timing sleepy head, welcome to your new home." She said getting out of the car and helping me as she got around to me side.

I was a small house but beautiful and quaint nonetheless. The wood was old and study and I felt like I was looking at a small country cottage as we made our way to the house.

The inside was lovely and perfect. The kitchen was warm and inviting with a large table ready for company. The living room had a large couch that was almost too big for the space and a middle sized TV.

There was a narrow staircase that led to two bedrooms upstairs one for me and one for her.

We looked at mine first and I gasped as I saw it.

It was perfect, small and cute with light purple walls and simple bed and wooden desk with a chair and lamp.

"Yeah, I called ahead and found a spare bed that nobody wanted and had someone bring it in for me. But I also have a surprise for you come let's go back downstairs." She said letting me lean on her as we made our way downstairs.

She led me to a small door, right by the living room and as she opened it we descended the stairs into a dark cellar.

She lifted her hand above her and turned on a light, and as my eyes adjusted to the light I gasped.

The cellar had been transformed on one side to a small dark room, equipped with everything I would need. I felt my eyes water as tears of happiness fell from them.

Back home I had to go to the local high school and try to shove my way in to develop my film and now I could do it in privacy and take all the time I wanted.

I spun to my side and pulled her into a big hug. She was taller than me and I rested my head against her collarbone thanking her again and again as tears kept streaming from my eyes.

She laughed and hugged me back.

"I thought it would be nice to be able to develop your film whenever you wanted and for as long as you want." She said.

I walked around for a bit before she pulled me back upstairs promising me that I could see it again.