A/N: This is a rewrite of a story that I started a few years ago. The plot is still the same, just fixing some things.

~~Drusilla's POV~~

**Three months earlier…**

"Mom, come on!" I shouted. "We're going to be late!"

"Late?" My mother laughed as she exited the house. "How on earth can we be late for a road trip?"

I shrugged. "Maybe the world's biggest ball of twine will unravel itself or America's fattest pig will get turned into bacon or something. Who knows? Let's just get a move on country isn't going to explore itself!"

My mother shook her head as she proceeded to climb into the driver's seat of the brand new RV she'd purchased three weeks ago just for our road trip. The road trip that I'd decided on a whim, six weeks ago, that I wanted to take. The road trip that she'd closed her real estate firm for and sold our house to take me on. The road trip of a lifetime.

I climbed into the passenger seat, quickly buckling my seatbelt. I was ready. I took one last look at our house and blew it a kiss. Farewell 324 Pigalle Avenue. Thanks for the memories.

"Do you have the map?" Mom asked as she cautiously pulled away from the curb.

I nodded, waving the wrinkled map in the air. "First stop...the Statue of Liberty!" I'd gone over this map a million times. Marking all the places I wanted to visit with purple stars. After my mom had seen all of the places I wanted to visit, she'd decided that we'd simply visit all fifty states. Damn I was the luckiest kid on earth.

I'd seen the Statue of Liberty at least a dozen times, but this time was different. It's like I was seeing it for the last first time. I stared out of the window as our sleepy little coastal town of Bridgeforth, Maine disappeared behind us. A dull ache filled my chest. I was leaving the only place I'd ever known, the only place I'd ever called home and I wasn't sure if or when I would be returning. I started to hyperventilate.

"Drusilla? Honey, are you okay?" Mom asked, peering out of the corner of her eye at me as she tried to maneuver the massive RV to the side of the road.

I pulled the black knitted beanie from my head and tossed it on the floor. Suddenly I was hot, burning from the inside out. I frantically tried to release myself from the confines of my hoodie. Beads of sweat rolled down my back as I gasped for air. I felt like the world was crumbling around me and I had no choice but to perish with it.

Mom slammed on the brakes, threw the RV into park and yanked her seatbelt off. Within seconds she was pulling me from my seat and into her lap.

"It's okay Drusilla." She murmured, rubbing my back in a soothing circular motion. "Slow, deep breaths."

I felt like I was five again. I felt safe. Here I was, three months away from my sixteenth birthday, sitting in my mom's lap on the side of the road, being coddled like a child. My eyes filled with tears, but I refused to let them fall.

It took about twenty minutes for my mom to get me to calm down.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked, kissing the top of my head and running her fingers through my newly dyed purple curls.

I searched the floor for my hat. I hated my hair, not the color, which I was absolutely obsessed with, but the hair itself. This wasn't my hair. My hair flowed down my back in perfect spirals, just grazing my waist. These barely ear length tendrils weren't mine, they were tiny little imposters, constant reminders of my nightmare. Sadly, for the time being, we were stuck with each other.

Finally finding my hat, I snatched it up and yanked it on my head. "I'm fine mom. Just a stupid panic attack. I'll pop an Atti (Ativan), take a nap and in an hour I'll be as good as new."

She eyed me cautiously as I buckled my seat belt. "Drusilla..."

"Karen..." I said, cutting her off. A smile spread across my face as I watched her brow knit together and the corners of her mouth turn downward into an exaggerated frown. She hated it when I called her Karen, saying that she hadn't endured nineteen hours of hard labor, ended up with ten stitches and lost her perfect size four frame to be called Karen.

"Seriously, Dru, I can turn around and we can call this whole thing off. Maybe until next summer."

I shook my head as I fished around in my backpack for my pill case. "I'm fine mom. I promise. Just got a little too excited." I pulled the white pill from the case and popped it into my mouth, swallowing it dry. Unfortunately at the age of fifteen, I had become a professional pill popper. Maybe this trip would be the end of it all...

***Present Day***

"Sweetie, we're here."

I slowly opened my eyes. This was it? I'd spent almost three months traveling the country with my mom for this. I frowned as I watched sheets of rain plummet down on the windshield of the RV. How could they call this place Emerald City when you couldn't even see the city for all the damn rain?

"Well, hello to you too, Seattle." I said dryly.

Mom laughed. "Not what you were expecting I guess."

"Not at all." I sighed, stretching my arms over my head. "Not at freaking all."

She shook her head. "I'm going to run into the store for a few moments to grab some snacks. You want anything?"

I yawned. "I'll come in with you. I need to stretch my legs."

"You sure? I don't want you to catch a cold."

I stood up and walked to the small bedroom of the RV. I returned wearing the purple and white plaid raincoat we'd gotten somewhere around Oregon. "I'll be fine."

Mom and I made a mad dash into the convenience store. It was nearly deserted except for the clerk and two or three customers. One of the customers was a woman, with long jet black silky hair, she was standing with a little girl that appeared to be about nine or ten.

I couldn't help but stare at the woman. Even though I couldn't fully see her face, I could tell that she was beautiful, but her face wasn't what had me mesmerized. It was her poncho. It was a beautifully woven poncho with a black wolf baying at the moon.

"Excuse me." I said.

The woman turned around to face me. I froze. The right side of her face was slightly disfigured, deep scars running from her forehead to chin. Even with the scars she was breathtakingly beautiful.

"Yes. Can I help you?" She asked, shifting uncomfortably under my gaze.

I quickly gained my composure. "Your poncho. It's beautiful. Did you get it around here?"

"Oh. Thank you." She said, beaming with pride. "A friend made it for me. But sorry, her shop is about four hours away."

"I don't care." I said, shaking my head. " I have to have one. We can drive there. My mom's a sucker for handcrafted items and she'd drive to the moon and back for them."

"Well in that case, there's a Quileute Indian reservation in La Push. We're actually having a powwow this coming Saturday. Tiffany will be there with a few ponchos and blankets for sale. I'd say come early. She always sells out by noon."

"Emily, can we go? I'm thirsty." The little girl said, clearing her throat.

"Ness, there's a bunch of stuff here to drink, go grab something and meet me at the register. I'll only be a few more minutes."

"No, Em. I'm thirsty." The girl said, biting her bottom lip.

"Oh, oh, oh." Emily said, suddenly becoming flustered. "Did you bring anything to drink with you?"

The little girl shook her head. "Jake and mommy didn't think it was a good idea."

Emily stuck her hand into the pocket of her poncho, pulled out a flyer and handed it to me. " Sorry, but we've got to run. These are the directions to the rez. Hope to see you Saturday."

"Thanks." I replied, carefully folding the light blue paper and tucking it into my back pocket. "I'll be there."

Emily smiled and waved as she allowed the little girl to pull her to the front of the store.

That was very...odd. I watched as the two paid for their items then exited the store. I shook my head then turned my attention back to the chip rack in front of me.

"Find what you were looking for, honey?" Mom asked as she peeked down the aisle. Her arms were overflowing with sodas and junk food.

"I think you found enough for both of us." I giggled.

"I'm hungry. Don't judge me."

"Mom, there was a lady here with this amazing handmade poncho on and she said there's a powwow Saturday on a reservation. It's about four hours from here and I was thinking that we could go out there. I mean if it's not too far."

"A powwow." Mom squealed. "Sounds like fun."

"So does that mean we can go?"

"Sure. I'll rent a car because there probably won't be much room for that huge RV."

"You're the best." I said, giving her a wet smooch on the cheek. My lips pulled away with a loud sucking sound.

"And you're gross." She groaned, attempting to wipe her face on her shoulder.

I shrugged. "Well you always said I had the best slobbery kisses."

"When you were a baby!" She shrieked. "Those slobbery kisses are no longer cute...or wanted."

I laughed and headed towards the cash register.

Saturday came quicker than I'd expected. The powwow started at ten, so mom and I left at five fifteen to make sure we got there on time. I hated being up so early, but I really wanted one of those ponchos. The drive ended up being closer to three hours. When we finally made it to La Push, it wasn't even eight thirty and the place was packed. It took us twenty minutes to even find a parking spot.

"I wonder if anyone's open for breakfast." Mom said, looking around for any signs that pointed towards nutrition.

While she was looking for food, something else caught my attention. A group of shirtless guys hauling tables and chairs to the half empty lot across the road. They all shared the same russet colored skin, with the exception of two of them. They were slightly shorter than the others and appeared to be twins. While the others had black, closely cropped hair, they had blond curls. All of them sported the same tattoo on their right arm. A gang of extreme hotties, I thought to myself. I wouldn't mind...

"Drusilla!" my mom snapped, pulling me from my fantasy.

"Yeah mom?" I mumbled, just as I locked eyes with one of the hot gang bangers. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. He was the most beautiful creature I'd ever seen. He smiled and gave me a slight head nod before running off to catch up with his buddies. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear I had just fallen in love.

"Oh, no." Mom said, stepping into my line of sight. "You will not spend the entire day drooling over shirtless boys."

"I'm not drooling." I mumbled, attempting to peek over my mom's shoulder. It was useless, she was nearly six inches taller than me.

She reached out a finger and wiped the corner of my mouth. "Yeah, sure you aren't."

I rolled my eyes. Okay, maybe I was drooling a little, but those boys were definitely drool worthy. Hopefully I'd be picking up a phone number or two in addition to my poncho. I grabbed my mom's arm before she could continue to make fun of me and pulled her towards a little cafe that I'd seen on our fifth time around the parking area.

A bell overhead rang as we pushed open the door. The Wolf Den looked much nicer on the inside than the log cabin outside led one to believe. It was decorated in warm earth tones and smelled like cinnamon and love. The tables were made of a thick mahogany wood and the benches were tan leather. Native American artifacts hung from the wall and a pack of bronzed wolves stood in the corner like they were keeping guard over the place. Oddly enough, with all of the traffic outside, this place was deserted.

"Could one of you grab the last few trays of muffins and take them over to my tent?" A voice called from the back.

"Ummm, we were just looking for eggs, maybe a side of bacon. Not employment." I yelled back.

"Sorry, I thought you were one of my brothers. We're actually closed for the powwow and..." A woman said as she came into view. It was Emily. She looked up and smiled. "Oh, you came!"

"Yeah. I told you my mom's a sucker for handmade items."

Mom laughed and nodded in agreement. "I can't turn down a good craft or two."

"Or ten." I added. Our house back in Maine had been filled with handmade knick knacks.

"Well, we'll get out of your way. We left the RV park before breakfast and Drusilla hasn't had a chance to take her medication. Is anyone open around here?" Mom asked as she made her way to the door.

"Probably not, but have a seat at the counter. I can whip both of you up something to eat really quickly."

"Oh we don't want to impose." Mom replied.

"Nonsense." Emily said, motioning for us to take a seat. She pulled two menus from under the counter and placed them on the counter. "I'll be back to take your order in just a few moments."

Mom and I looked over the menu, oohing and aahing at the variety of items offered on an Indian reservation. There was everything from a simple burger and fries to decadent foie gras. I decided on sweet potato pancakes with crème fraiche and maple syrup, soft scrambled eggs and bacon while mom opted for eggs, toast and coffee. We chatted about the beautiful scenery of the Pacific Northwest as we waited for Emily to come back and take our orders.

"Mom, I'm going to go wash my hands and splash some water on my face." I said, suddenly feeling hot.

She gave me a worried look but I waved her off as I made my way into the restroom. It was just a little hot flash. Just as I pushed open the door, a bell rang, signaling that someone had just entered the restaurant.

"Hey, Em!" A deep voice boomed. "Where's the rest of the muffins?"

And then I puked...