1. NEW PRETTY TOWN

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

I scowled at my boyfriend through the rolled-down window of my car. Hadn't we already been through this? "Really, Ash..." But I trailed off when he crossed his arms and a look of concern fluttered over his face. I sighed. "You know I have to do this. If not for myself, than at least for grandma's sa—"

He shook his head, but at least the look of concern had been exchanged for a look of amusement. "Don't even try," he cut me off. "You're doing this only because of your own curiosity. Don't pretend anything else." He drew a hand through his hair. "Why won't you let me come with you? You're barely seventeen. I don't like the thought of you alone out there."

"But I won't be alone," I stubbornly pointed out, trying not to loose my patience with him. After all, he was only trying to make sure that I would be safe. Ash Summers was possibly the best, and most overprotective, boyfriend ever. And while I was very glad that he was mine, I was also often very annoyed at how far he would go to 'keep me safe', as he so gentlemanly called it. To prove my point further, I stuck my thumb out to the box next to me and smiled smugly. "See; Tiger's coming with me."

He rolled his eyes at me. "Yes, of course. A cat. How scary," he said dryly.

"Oh, don't be afraid," I chirped, "I'll protect you."

Ash sighed, and I saw the defeat in his eyes. "Alright, alright." He smiled, and leaned in to give me a soft kiss. "Just stay safe, alright? And promise to call me."

"Mhm, I promise," I murmured against his lips, trying to find a way for him to get closer--it proved impossible, especially since I was in the car and he was outside. Very complicated indeed. "I'll be home in no time, anyways," I reassured him when he'd let go. "It'll probably be a cold lead, you know. I'm just hoping..." I trailed off. I wasn't really sure what I was hoping for. Just something, something that would make the last months worth my hard work.

"I know." He nodded. "Damn curiosity," I could hear him mutter under his breath as he stepped away from the car.

I held back a giggle and started the engine, hoping that — at last — I would be given the chance to leave. I backed the car out carefully; having only just recieved my license, I was still a bit uneasy at times about driving, something that definitely had added to the list of cons about me driving to a strange town all alone to find out more about my family. Waving to my boyfriend and my mother, who I spotted looking out through the window to the living room on the second floor, I'd left my home behind.

That had been three hours ago, and I was finally starting to approach my destination. I tried to ignore the feelings that were bubbling up inside of me. Finding out more about my family was a mission I'd decided to set out on after meeting my grandmother over Christmas. I knew it wouldn't be long until she died, and this would be, in a way, my last gift to her. It was something I had to do, despite that my parents and boyfriend thought me crazy.

I turned left and slowed down slightly, allowing another car to pass me by. My destination so far was Port Angeles, the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula. From there it would take about an hour — probably one and a half, maybe even two, considering my driving — to get the Forks; the city that really held my interest. There I would find someplace to stay, and then I would start looking around after some sort of . . . information. I hoped there lived a lot of nice people there; it seemed as if I was going to have to ask around a lot.

Now that I had finally started out on my journey, I was beginning to doubt that my idea was a good one more and more. What did I really expect to find? From what I'd pulled from the Internet and from looking at the old documents, the person I was looking for had escaped her 'prison' in some strange way. I'd followed the lead to Forks, and there it had run dry. That was what I was going to investigate. Maybe she'd settled down, had kids and my grandmother now had cousins. It wouldn't be all that impossible, really.

Mary Alice Brandon.

That was her name. My grandmother's aunt. She was, unless she was over a hundred years old now, probably deceased. When she was small she'd claimed that she was . . . 'seeing things', predicting the future. Her parents hadn't believed her, and instead they'd put her in an asylum and pretended that she had died. A bit harsh, maybe, but that was how things were back in the day. In some strange way, I could understand them. They were afraid of being humiliated, and they did what they thought they had to in order for their family to survive. And their family — that would be me.

Because Mary Alice Brandon got a little sister, Cynthia Brandon, who married Rupert Conners and gave birth to a daughter; Holly Conners. My grandmother. She met my now deceased grandfather, John Scott, and bare him a son, William Scott.

William Scott is thus my father.

My father was actually another reason to why I'd started out on my journey. I couldn't stand being in the house while he and mom fought, hearing them yell at each other, so I had left to let them fix the divorce in private. Dad was the reason for it; he'd been cheating on her. And with no imagination — it had been with his young, blonde, leggy secretary. Now he was planning to move in with her, and was very obviously leaving me and mom.

Alright, so that wasn't fair; he'd asked, almost begged, me to come with him. Just the thought of leaving my kind, loving mom, despite her being a control freak and with all of her other faults, was enough to make me feel sick; so that was out of the question. I blamed my father, and because of that I would stay with my mother. It only made sense — to everyone except dad. Tiger, my small, orange and white-coloured kitten, was a gift from dad to make me change my mind. I loved Tiger and wouldn't dream of leaving him behind, but it didn't exactly work in the way my dad had hoped. It only made me even more resentful towards him.

I sighed and threw a look at the small cage sitting on the passenger seat. I could see Tiger's small face in there.

"It's a real mess this time, don't you think?" I asked him.

He didn't answer. Of course he didn't.

I drove into Port Angeles at seven p.m, and stopped at a small café I spotted from the road. Tiger, who wasn't used to not being able to go wherever he wanted to, enjoyed his time in the free and managed to make several of the first resisting waiters laugh. When I'd finished my sandwhich (shared with my cat, of course) and put Tiger back in his box, I stopped to fill the gastank and ask for directions. I'd been correct in my earlier assumptions — it would take approximately one and a half hours for me to drive to the small city.

I really noticed when I reached Forks.

The most obvious sign was the rain. It started when I'd got about forty-five minutes away from Port Angeles, and then it didn't stop. It didn't surprise me, and I didn't take it as an omen. I'd picked up the fact on all the sites about Forks I'd ever visited; it was the rainiest place on the Olympic Peninsula.

But that wasn't really what caught my attention. No, it was so green. Everything, everywhere. I was staring at the beautiful vegetation with wide eyes. It was as everything else in the world was sleeping, and this was the one place in America that was awake. And I absolutely loved it.

"Look, Tiger — how beautiful isnt this?" I mumbled. I'd never seen anything like it before.

I turned left at the roundabout and followed the directions that Ash and I had marked on the map. As I cruised along the roads, I watched the houses pass by. It was a small town — smaller than I was used to, actually — but it really wasn't that small. I found it quite endearing, to tell the truth. I'd booked a room at an inn that had seemed nice over the Internet, so they were awaiting me. I hoped it looked as good in real life as it had looked online.

I'd promised Ash to give myself the night off, but talking to the host of the inn couldn't count, could it? I could ask her if she recognized the name Brandon, if there was anyone called that. It was a long shot, I could admit that, but it was worth a try anyways. Maybe — and I knew both Ash and my parents were certainly hoping so — this would be much easier than I anticipated. Then, all of the sudden, I caught a glimpse of the sign to the inn where I was going to stay.

Miller Tree Inn — Bed and Breakfast, it said, just as it had on the homepage. It was a small inn, with just a couple of guests, but it was perfect. I parked the car outside, miraculously managing to find a place to park on the first try. Locking the door after me when I'd taken out Tiger's cage and my bag of so-called valuables, I entered the inn.

"Can I help you, darling?" a woman in the reception asked as soon as I'd stepped inside the door.

"Yeah; I've reserved a room here. It's under Scott. I'm Katie." I put the bag on the floor and held out my hand, shaking hers.

"Nice to meet you," the woman smiled pleasantly. "Emma Meyer," she introduced herself. "My husband and I own this inn. You're very welcome."

I smiled, instantly taking a liking in her. She was exactly like a loving mother, round and sweet with a kind face and blonde locks. "Thank you," I said, waving one of my hands to the cage where Tiger was now staring around with wide eyes. "I hope it didn't do anything that I brought my cat; I don't like letting him out of my sight for long, and my parents don't really know how to take care of him anyway. He has a much better chance at surviving here than at home." My voice was dry.

She chuckled. "That's no problem at all. Your room's completely made; do you want to go there first and pack up, or would you like to see the rest of the inn?"

I pondered the thought. "I'd like to see the room first, thanks."

"Alright, just follow me."

I picked up my bag again and followed her through a door that led to a corridor. She didn't seem to be in any hurry, so I assumed that I would be the only one arriving today. It didn't take a long time before we reached my room, and she opened it with the key she'd carried with her. She stepped aside to allow me to pass, and I looked around the room with a smile on my lips. It was small, painted in a soft beige colour and with a window from where I had a nice view over the garden. It was tastefully decorated and the furniture all seemed to fit in. The bed looked soft — and really inviting! — and the bathroom was clean and satisfying. I turned toward her.

"So, do you like it?"

I snorted. "Are you kidding me? I love it!"

Her face broke into a smile. "That's very nice to hear. This is really my dream," she confided in me, smiling as she glanced around. "I've worked really hard for this; both me and Nate have. It's so nice to see it running, now." I assumed Nate was her husband, and smiled. She really was as nice as I thought she'd been.

"I'm going to take a shower and pack up my things," I said, "but it would be nice if I could see the dining room after that."

"Of course, darling — I'll be in the reception when you need me." She left me with that.

I took a shower first. My body was aching after the hours in the car, and it was nice to just feel the water stream down over me. With one towel wrapped around my body and another one around my head I unpacked my bag. Ash would probably tell me that it was unnecessary to unpack, because he didn't expect me to stay long enough for it to matter, but I enjoyed doing it. Picking out my clothes, I hurriedly dressed and made a note to call my boyfriend after I'd talked to Mrs Meyer.

"Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone," I warned my cat, who had curled into a ball and fallen asleep on the bed when I'd taken my shower, before I locked the door and walked toward the reception.

Mrs Meyer immidiately smiled when she lifted her head and saw that it was me walking through the door. "Are you ready for a very short tour?" she joked, and led me out through a door I hadn't noticed before and into a very large dining room. "This is where we eat. Breakfast is served from seven to nine in the mornings, and dinner from six to eight in the evening. If you need it, we can fix lunch packages as well." She looked me over and frowned. "You could need some extra food on that body."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "That's sounds good, Mrs Meyer—"

"Oh, call me Emma," she interrupted.

I nodded to show that I had heard her, but continued my sentence. "I was going to ask you something. I'm actually here to search for someone, a, um, relative of mine." She titled her head. "And I was wondering if you'd ever heard of anyone with the last name Brandon."

She seemed thoughtful for a while. "No, I can't say I have." I breathed out. It felt a bit like a let down, even though I'd told myself that it wouldn't be that easy. She must've caught the look on my face, because she added, "But after all, I haven't lived here for long, really. You should ask someone else — I'm sure they'll be able to help you."

I nodded, thanked her, and returned to my room. Flipping open my mobile phone, I punched in the familiar numbers and waiting for him to answer. He did it after the first tone.

"Are you okay?"

I quirked an eyebrow. "Hello to you, too."

"Sorry," he hurried to say, "it's just that I've worried about you. Let's start this over." He let a couple of seconds pass, before he exclaimed, "Katie! Hi! What a surprise — who would've thought you would call?"

I rolled my eyes, but couldn't help but smile. "You don't have to overdo it, you know. A simple 'hi' would've been enough. But I'm glad to hear your voice, anyways."

"I'm glad to hear your voice, too. So, did you get there okay?"

"Yeah. Nothing much happened. I only got mugged and pushed around a bit, but Tiger protected me from the big bad thieves. The inn is a complete disaster, but I like the pink curtains. Oh, and guess what — the woman who owns it has three heads. Isn't it amazing?"

"I get your point," Ash said, chuckling. "Who's overdoing things, now?"

"Really, Ash, I'm fine," I smiled into the phone. "I miss you, though. I love you, you know."

"I love you, too."

I waited for a few seconds, sighing. "But I'm really gonna need that sleep if I'm going to start investigating things tomorrow."

"I know. Sleep tight, my little detective."

I grinned. "Goodnight. Tell mom I said hi."

"I will. I'll see you soon. Don't forget to call tomorrow."

"I won't. Bye." I snapped the phone shut, climbed into my pyjamas, and pushed Tiger a bit over the way until there wasn't any way for me to roll over him. Tomorrow I would search for what could've happened to Mary Alice Brandon, but today I did need my sleep.

This is the first chapter, and I have to say that it's a bit boring. I've introduced my main character, Katie, and I've explained why she's setting out on this strange mission of hers. I've also introduced her boyfriend, Ash, who you're going to see much more of later into the story. He, as the boyfriend, is going to have a lot to say about Embry's interest in our protagonist. Let me just say, it's going to be fun to write the two of them meeting each other!

At first I was a little worried that no one would look to this story now that the real Breaking Dawn is out, but it has gotten some good feedback. That's to all the people who took your time to review. I'm just asking all of the people who passed here and didn't to please, please leave a review for me. I'd love to improve my writing. Also, I've read it, and I didn't enjoy it half as much as I would have liked to. I won't post any spoilers here, in case someone reads this story who haven't gotten their hands on the book yet, but I thought the whole book was just overly . . . unrealistic. My version is better, if I may say so myself.

If you'd like to see where this story's going, take a quick peek on my profile. It says a bit more there.