Disclaimer: This is fanfiction.
Title: 'From Rags to Riches'
Rating: Rated 'M' for 'Foul language, mild alcohol use, and sexual implications.'
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Drama, Family, Friendship, General, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Supernatural, Vampires
Warnings: Adult Content, Discriminatory Language, OOC
Pairings: Sam/Bella, Paul/Bella
Character/Word Count: 17,100 characters/ 3,896 words
Summary: Bella returns to her hometown after five years of estranged from her brother and ex-boyfriend so that she may take a vacant position at La Push High.
Author's Notes I: Hey Guys. Surprised myself and had this one typed up before I thought. As always massive thanks to everyone who has helped with the story so far – it is very much appreciated. Also thank you to everyone that reviewed or added me as an alert. You have no idea how much that means and helps encourage me to continue on with the story.
10. Call of the Wild
The weekend flew by and Monday had rolled around a little too quickly for Bella's liking. She was currently standing in the middle of the auditorium, her second last class of the day, as her music class practiced their routine for the impending competition.
Bella watched with a critical eye as students hit their marks as they danced around the stage, Aubrey and Kebi stood at the forefront, belting out the notes to their competition number as stage hands – better known as students wanting extra credit- worked tirelessly off stage. She raised her hands in applause as the trial production came to an end.
"Excellent! That was amazing guys" she said addressing the students on stage before turning to the stage hands "and well done. I just think that the lighting is off a little in the mid section, but otherwise everything else was awesome" she said with added enthusiasm.
"Now the competition is in a couple of days and a few of you are yet to hand your parents' permission slips back.." she continued, pointing to a select few on and around the stage "as for everyone else, the bus leaves at 3:00pm sharp – Friday. You are to meet at the football oval where the bus will be waiting for you. You are to come and see me when you arrive so that I can check your name off. Please do not be late." She finished, yelling the last sentence over the shrill ringing of the school siren, signaling the end of class. Gathering her gear from her makeshift desk, she followed the last of her students out of the auditorium and began to make her way to her last class of the day.
Quileute History
As the students finally settled, Bella walked to the front of her class, picked up the newly placed chalk and simply wrote 'The Thunderbird' on the blackboard. Turning back around, she walked around to the front of her desk, leaning slightly back against it before beginning the day's lesson.
"The thunderbird..." she began, her voice easily drawing in her student's attention ".. or Tistilal - as he is better known to some of the Elders -is one of our tribes most talked about legend. He is believed to live in a great lair on the blue glacier of Mount Olympus. Many believe that when Tistilal or Thunderbird clapped his wings together - thunder would boom over the lands, when he urinated - water would fall on the earth as a great rainstorm, when he was angered and roared – gigantic chunks of ice would break off the blue glacier and land with a loud crash in the ocean."
Pushing off from her desk she continued "There are many legends told that involve Tistilal, but there is one that always sticks out in my mind." She continued as she walked past Kris, stopping briefly to take his mobile phone from his hand "... you can have it back at the end of class…" she said directly to him before continuing on "A long time ago, the Quileute were having a difficult time. There were a lot of storms with snow, ice, hail, sleet and rain that hit our land and devastating the tribe and killing many people, plants and animals."
As she reached the back of the room she turned and faced the front, noting that students were watching her every move. Leaning against the bookshelf located there she continued "The storms were so extreme that it made the Quileute tribe unable to fish because of the rough water and they were running out of food quickly because they had already eaten what little flora they had gathered, from what was left, after the storms had destroyed most of it. They were starting to starve and many of the tribe had begun to die because of this."
Again she slowly began to weave her way in between the desks, making sure to pass each of her students. "The Great Chief told the tribe that they would make one last appeal to the Great Spirit for help and if they were meant to survive – the Great Spirit would save them. Otherwise they would die bravely, as Quileute people were known for their bravery. The Great Chief made one last prayer to the Great Spirit and then the tribe was quiet as they waited in the darkness."
She was once again at the front of her class. This time however she lifted herself and perched her body on the edge in the middle of her desk. "Before long, there came a loud sound and flashes of lightening cut through the darkness. They heard the loud whirring of wings and a large bird flew towards them from over the sea. In its talons was a large living whale, which it deposited on the land in front of the tribe before returning back to the lightening from which it was born. The tribe lived off the whale carcass, until the storms had passed and they were able to carry on with their lives as normal." She paused, letting the tale sink in before giving them their next task.
"Your task for the rest of the semester is to write a ten thousand word essay.." She announced to the welcoming groans resonating throughout the class. "The essay will be about the Quileute legend that you believe shaped the tribe into what it is today and why. You will have from now until the end of the semester to complete the essay with full access to the library and any special reading material that may be of use. At the end of the semester you will present the reports to the class. DON'T be fooled people. This will count for eighty percent of your grade." Bella proclaimed before a short knock at the door interrupted her. "Start jotting down ideas and tomorrow we will head to the library to start on some research" she finished before pushing off her desk and over to the door.
Opening it slightly she was shocked to see Principal Lisbon standing there. It was the first time she had spoken with the stringent lady since Friday in the auditorium. Taking a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure her students were using their time appropriately, she took a step outside before closing the door behind her. "Principal Lis-Kate. Is there a problem?" Bella asked, feeling slightly uneasy under the judgmental glare she was receiving.
"No problem just thought I would deliver the news personally." Kate replied, somewhat gleeful at the prospect of delivering some unknown news to Bella. At the confused look Bella gave her, Kate decided to clue her in. "I have just been on the phone to Chief Black – or is he better known as Billy to you?" She asked cattily. Bella just sighed, not really wanting to lower herself to the obviously jealous woman's level. "Chief Black is fine" she answered, just wanting to get the conversation over and done with. "Well, it appears that you set an impression when you fled from the auditorium last Friday." Again confusion rose on Bella's face "he has requested that one of the Council members accompany you and the students to the competition."
At this news Bella quickly became upset. She knew they would try and do something. She just hoped – prayed even - that they would stick to their promise so that she could stick to hers. "Do they.. did he say who?' Bella asked, gulping in much needed air. "No, but I am assuming that since you seem to know everyone on the council it would be like a family reunion" at Kate's chosen words, Bella felt all the color leave her skin "that won't be a problem, will it?" Kate asked, clearly pleased at the reaction she had got from Bella. Bella could all but shake her head. "No – no problem" she whispered quietly, before Kate nodded and turned on her heel, heading back to her office.
Bella leant back against the door, trying to calm her emotions before she went back into her class. How could they ask for such a thing? Why couldn't they just leave her alone? She was just thankful that Kimball would be attending with her as the male chaperone. At least there would be a buffer for her and the uninvited guest. Taking one last deep breath, Bella pulled herself together and made her way back into class.
After school
As I made my way up the stone path that lead from my driveway to my front door, one hand buried deep within my handbag rummaging through its contents for my house keys while the other clung tightly onto the mountain of paperwork I needed to grade, I mentally ran through the list of things that needed to be done before we left for the competition on Friday. I had to make sure that all the students' permission slips had been handed back; confirm that our accommodation was all set and check that our costumes were completed and no alterations had to be done.
I had booked us into one of the hotels near the competition so that we could try and save some money. The school had reluctantly allocated me six hundred dollars to cover the costs of accommodation, travel and food. I had originally asked for a budget of twelve hundred dollars but in their eyes, the allowance was fruitless. Kate had taken great pleasure in informing me that the senior staff did not believe that the valuable money should be gambled away on a bunch of children who, in their opinion, would not even place within the competition. That had angered me beyond good measure. Who were they to label these kids so harshly? Why even bother becoming a teacher, supposed role model and confidant to these students, if they themselves had little faith in each kid's abilities.
This was the whole reason the students acted the way they did. They had no one encouraging them, helping and guiding them to excel in life. Each had been brainwashed with the idea that they would never leave the reservation, never succumb to be anything other than a factory worker, a laborer or worse still – living off Government donations. They had basically been told that they were a disappointment and would never be held to the standards of others who had grown outside of the Reservation.
But that was going to change and I would do anything within my power to make sure of it. After searching the net for anything that would be suitable for the duration of our stay and within the budget the school had allocated, I had come to the conclusion that I was going to need to put a little extra in myself. Having finally found something suitable to hold our numbers and within walking distance of the competition venue, I happily gave my credit card details to the nice hotel receptionists. I had then made a few calls around the Reservation to see if any of the ladies would be able to help with our dance attire. Again after numerous calls and multiple turn downs, I had managed to come across a number for an old friend of my mother's – Nancy Kitiewae. Nancy and my mother had grown up together and when my mother had become ill Nancy became a staple in our household, almost a second mother. She was always there to help both Paul and myself out during that time. If we had been at school for most of the day she would drop by and make us dinner, always ensuring that enough was left over to feed us for the next couple of days. Nancy would offer to drive us to the city when mums appointments required it and would always offer a shoulder for us to cry on when things got too hard. But that had changed with our mothers passing – mostly on our behalf. We had shut down to anybody and everybody that wasn't family – which was already very limited.
Upon calling Nancy we had spent the first half hour or so catching up on what had been happening in our lives before I began telling her all about the competition and that I was looking for someone who would be able to help me put together some costumes for the kids. Nancy readily agreed and after much deliberation of what I wanted and what Nancy thought would be doable in the amount of time given – we had gotten to work.
I stopped at my door looking pointedly at the slightly ajar door. In the last week strange things had begun to happen around my tiny house. Things had been used, moved or completely taken. At first I thought I was losing my mind with all the added work I was putting into the competition I thought that the stress was finally getting to me. But then one day while I had been doing my washing I noted that one of my favorite sweaters was missing. I had only just taken the sweater off to have a shower; placing it on top of a pile of laundry I had waiting in the hallway to cart to the laundry room once I was done. I had searched high and low throughout my entire house, once I noted it missing from the pile after my shower, but had come up empty handed. Since that day I had made a point of being more observant around my house. That was why I was more than a hundred percent certain I had checked that I had shut and locked the doors and windows before I left this morning.
I thought for a minute about what to do before slowly pushing the door open with my hand. As the door crept open to reveal the inside of my house I quickly glanced around my living room to see if I could see anything out of the ordinary. Upon inspection I did not see anything suspect, I paused to see if I could hear any disturbances but didn't dare venture any further. A little shaken at the thought of my personal space being violated I quietly stepped back outside. Without turning my back to the house I began to make my way back to my car, not stopping until I could feel the cool metal at my back. I quickly turned and jumped inside the car, making sure to lock all the doors before hurriedly pulling my phone from my hand bag. While never taking my eyes from my house, I dialed the first number that came to mind.
"Hello" Kimball answered on the third ring. "Kimball? It's Bella. I locked myself in my car. I think there is someone in my house" I said quickly. "Don't go inside! Stay where you are. Just whatever you do don't go in there. I'm on my way" he replied hastily, the sound of papers being thrown together and keys being picked up before the call ended. Still not taking my eyes from the house I waited for Kimball to arrive, watching for any subtle sign of movement within the house.
Ten minutes had passed before Kimball finally arrived, a familiar green truck with two men hot on his tail. As soon as his car came to a stop, I unlocked my doors and jumped from the car running into his open arms only vaguely aware that a small growl was coming from somewhere in the vicinity. "Bella, wait here" he said quietly, removing my body from his as he began to make his way towards the open door. It was at this point that I noticed the two other men – men that I had been introduced to only days before.
With a panicked look between Kimball's retreating form, my exposed house and the two bulking forms of Embry Call and Jared Thompson, I was at a loss as to what to do. I couldn't tear my eyes from the scene before me; watching as Kimball quietly entered the house armed only with a bit of wood that had been lying askew in my garden. I began to shake fervently at the possibilities of what could happen to him, if by chance there was someone in my house, my shakes only stopping when I felt two warm hands placed on my shoulders, an instant calm settling over me before Embry stepped into my line of view.
"Bella?" he said in a quiet voice as if not to scare me. Receiving no acknowledgement from me he tried again "Bella?" he said with a little more force, pulling me from my stupor and bringing my attention to the two men now standing in a protective stance in front of me.
For the first time since I met them I really looked at them. They were dressed in only cut offs, their rock hard stomachs on display for all to see. I noted a tribal tattoo on their upper arms, the same as Sam and Paul had gotten just before our falling out. Their hair was also cropped the same, but the short hairstyle brought out different features in each men. Jared appeared to have softer features on his face and looked a little tired, while Embry with his chiseled jaw line had more pointed features. They were both undoubtedly handsome and I'm sure that had we had met under different circumstances we would have got along fine, but the reality of the situation came back to me as quick as a ton of bricks. These guys were friends of Paul and Sam's. I wasn't certain how much they knew of me or if they even did, but either way I was not willing to put myself in a position to find out.
In that moment my brain decided to lose all sensory control as I rudely blurted out "what are you doing here?" Something I was oddly curious about, but also a little relieved with. For some reason having them around made me feel safe. They chuckled lightly to themselves before Embry answered. "Go check on the man. Make sure nothing is out of the ordinary.." he told Jared cryptically without taking his eyes off me ".. we were on our way home from a job, when your friend bumped into our truck.." he added with a slight nod in the direction of the visibly dented back end of his truck. "When we got out too check the damage, he apologized, threw his number at us and said that a friend of his was in danger and needed his help. We followed him just to make sure that everything was okay and that he wouldn't need any extra help." He supplied waiting until I nodded my head in understanding
"Now answer me, are you okay?" he tried again. Looking him straight in the eye I continued nodding my head "just shaken is all" I answered. At that point Kimball and Jared came walking out from the house. "Coast is all clear. There was no signs of anyone still in the house, but it does look like someone may have been through your room" Kimball answered coming to stand beside me. I felt all color drain from my face. I wasn't imagining things. Someone was definitely breaking into my house. I began to shake again at the thought of being alone in my house when someone had been creeping round. I knew I should have trusted my instincts.
"Has this been happening a lot?" Jared asked from behind Embry. Shaking my head I answered "this is the first time I've noticed someone physically in my house.." "but it's not the first incident?" Embry asked with all seriousness, his body shaking slightly as his grip tightened on my shoulders. Trying to shrug out of his embrace slightly I nodded my head. "Just small things really, I thought I was losing my mind." I said slightly exasperated, looking between the two now shaking men and Kimball, all of whom were now looking at me waiting for more information. "ahh small things like, things being moved from one place to the other, things going missing, I noticed one day that a jar of jam had been opened and left on my bench top. I just thought I was under too much stress. Bu then this.. " I said beginning to get a little hysterical "..I never felt unsafe until now." I finished, quiet tears rolling down my face as Embry pulled me into a tight hug.
"You shouldn't be alone. You can stay with one of us" Embry said pulling back from me, looking me in the eye. Turning to Kimball once the intensity of the glare became too much I answered "Can I stay with you?.." waiting for Kimball's nod before I turned back to Embry and Jared "thank you for the offer, but I don't know you all that well. And if it is all the same, I would feel more comfortable with Kimball"
The two stared at me for a minute before nodding their heads. I really didn't need nor did I ask for their permission on the matter, but went along with the conversation so that I could just grab some stuff and get away from the house as soon as possible. I untangled myself from Embry's embrace, thanking the two men for their help before guiding Kimball towards my house to stand guard as I gathered some belongings before heading to Forks.
Looking over my shoulder as we walked towards my house, I noted that Jared was relaying something to Embry, clearly upsetting the bulking man, before he pulled out a cell phone, dialed someone's number and began to relay what I presumed was the same information. Waiting a beat for the caller to reply the two nodded their heads before taking one last glance to me as they walked back towards their truck. As soon as I stepped over the threshold into my house I felt an instant loss, not only to the heat that had been provided by Embry or the loss of security I had felt around the two hulking men but also the feeling of fulfillness. For some reason when I had been around them, I had felt like I was where I was meant to be. It felt like there was something higher up trying to push these men into my life. Shaking my head from those thoughts, I made my way to my room to grab some clothes and other necessities, leaving Kimball in the lounge room.
Once my bag was all packed I headed back to where Kimball waited in my lounge. He informed me that he had done a quick check on all my windows and doors, making sure they were all shut and locked before announcing that we should head straight to his house. I nodded my head in agreement before allowing him to escort me out of the house, waiting as I locked and triple checked my door, before walking me to my car and waiting as I started the engine. Once satisfied that no harm would come to me he jumped into his car and followed me down the driveway and away from my house, leaving the thoughts of the day's events within the confines of the four walls of my house.
Author's Notes II: That's it for another chapter. I would love to know what you think.