ages 3+

In this lifetime, I had the knowledge of the past me, so I didn't hold back too much, and my preschool teacher wanted to bump me into kindergarten, but my parents were hesitant to do so. Sarah had started school early when she was younger, and she wished she hadn't because it had been harder for her to make friends since she wasn't ever quite at the same maturity level as the other kids. Of course, I wouldn't have had that problem, but as per their request, I wasn't sent to Kindergarten until I was able to go with Seth, who quickly became my best friend. He was very intuitive for a child, and we had grown up together. I knew once he reached a certain maturity level, we would be inseparable.

Before I started school, I would spend most of my time with my mother, drawing, painting, and singing. I had a beautiful voice, and Sarah encouraged me to sing all the time. The years of watching her paint must have paid off as well, because I was fairly good at that as well. With time, I knew I could easily be as good as Sarah, maybe even better. I liked to draw my former self the most, mainly so I never forgot who I used to be. Sarah always asked who the girl in my drawings were, I would shrug and give a non-committable answer.

Kindergarten flew by rather quickly, and once I was in first grade I joined choir, and managed to get Seth to join as well. Going to school on the reservation was better than I remembered my old school to be, although that could be because my father and mother were very well liked and respected in the community. Teachers loved me, and my choir teacher made it clear that I was her favorite as we got to know each other throughout the year.

Jacob normally hung out with Embry Call and our cousin, Quil Ateara, and whenever Bella Swan was in town, visiting her dad Charlie, he would play with her the entire time she was at our house. Sometime they would let Seth and I join in, but normally they didn't. A few times I heard Rebecca and Rachel refer to her as a paleface, but never when our parents were around, and never when Bella could hear.

Jacob, however, found out they did that, but rather than telling on them, he got Bella, Seth and I to make mud pies, and then we threw them at the twins. They were covered in mud, and chased after us as we ran away, but didn't tell on us because Jacob said he would tell on them too. Charlie was very important to Billy, and they would be in a lot of trouble if our parents found out they called Bella a paleface.

Second grade rolled around rather quickly, and my teacher wanted to bump me up to third grade. My parents weren't sure if they should or shouldn't, but I told them I didn't want to. I knew that if I were to skip a grade, the other kids would tease me and it would be harder for Jacob to make friends if he had to carry the weight of his 'nerdy sister' around with him. In the end, I ended up staying in second grade, although the teacher assured us constantly that whenever they wanted, they could move me up.

I excelled at school in a way I hadn't the first time around, and both my choir and art teacher were thoroughly impressed with my talents. It was riveting to have not just one, but two things I was good at, and my parents were both very proud of me. Seth stuck by me in choir, and although he had a decent voice, I knew if it weren't for me he wouldn't be in it.

Rebecca also had a lovely voice, but she wasn't into singing. She was more into soccer, and although her parents supported her in soccer as much as they supported me in singing, I could feel resentment from her. I didn't let it bother me too much, though.

Seth's older sister, Leah, was friends with the twins, and all three normally shunned us whenever they were together. They were all in seventh grade, and I understood why they wouldn't want to hang out with second graders. Seth didn't mind much anyways, since he wasn't interested in the things Leah liked. Sometimes Leah's cousin Emily would come with to hang out with the twins, but that was only on some weekends.

I was content with it just being Seth and I, and he was too. Other kids would tease us sometimes for being such good friends while also being opposite genders, but we didn't care. We were best friends, and nothing would change that.

Once third grade came around, I was doing exceptionally well in choir, and art. I had solos in every concert we had, and my artwork was always featured on the art wall. My choir teacher praised me every chance she got, and urged me to do something with the talent I had. I loved getting praised for my voice, and she loved praising me.

Every Saturday, as long as nothing came up, Sarah and I would paint in the kitchen on our easels facing the window. While Sarah used the woods as her inspiration., I would use images from my past life. I painted from memory my old face, my old parents faces, my old house, and old pets. Sarah still asked who those people and things were, but I just said they're my imagination. Obviously she wouldn't believe the truth. I did also paint Sarah more often than not, in the different poses she would be in. Standing at her easel, staring out into the woods, gazing lovingly at Billy, cooking dinner, and just her in general. I painted Billy sitting in his comfy chair, and once I even got Seth to sit still long enough for me to paint him.

Occasionally, Seth, Jacob, and I would join Billy, Old Quill, Charlie, and Harry on their fishing trips, and although I despised fishing, I loved being around them all.

Billy and Sarah didn't make much money, but they made enough for us kids to survive and live fairly comfortably. They supported me at every choir concert, and Rebecca at every soccer game, and told Jacob and Rebecca that if they ever wanted to join anything they could.

Sarah alternated between calling me her 'little moon child' and 'ladybug', I enjoyed both equally. Her and I had a very close bond, and I loved her more than anything. She would call my siblings other nicknames, but I was always her little ladybug. I had no idea why she choose ladybug, but it stuck.

I didn't see too much of Billy, because he was usually hard at work or fishing with his friends, but when he was around he would tell us the legends of our people. He had a way with storytelling, his voice making the stories come to life and dance around us, and it felt like we were part of the old tribe, the one where men shifted into wolves and cold ones lurked around every corner.

I had adjusted well to my new life, and found I so far had more joy and love in this one than I had had in my other one. Although I was only eight years old, I felt more at ease here than I had ever felt before.

There were times when the memories of my past life would overwhelm me, and I wouldn't be able to separate the past from present. Sarah and Jacob were the only ones who were able to calm me down; however Sarah was the best at it. Because of those episodes, I had to get taken to a doctor who declared they were panic attacks, and it seemed as though I suffered from PTSD. That had been unexpected, but we all bounced back quickly from the news.

Jacob, Quil, and Embry became inseparable during their fourth grade year, and became well known as the three musketeers. Sometimes Embry would convince them to let Seth and I play with them, whenever they came over, but usually they did their own thing.

One of my favorite things to do was explore the reservation, but since I was only eight I wasn't able to go very far on my own. Billy would only let me go if he was with, so I wasn't able to explore very often. But when I did, I made him stay out with me for as long as I could drag it out, wanting to know every inch of my homeland.

Of course, things were going too smoothly. I was too happy, and became too secure in my new life. I took certain things for granted, and expected to have them forever.

The day everything crumbled started out like any other Saturday. It was towards the end of the school year, and Sarah and I were painting as per usual. It was about midday when she ran out of a specific color, one that you could only get from a special store in Port Angeles that carried her favorite watercolors.

So, she had to go get it. She couldn't wait, or finish it later. It had to be done right then and there, because Sarah didn't like waiting when it came to her art. I wanted to go with, but she reminded me that Port Angeles was rather far and I still had homework to do. I begged, but she wouldn't let me.

She left, and I pouted for awhile before starting on my homework, leaving my unfinished painting next to my mother's in the kitchen. I noted that she had forgotten her locket on the counter, and I slipped it in my pocket so it wouldn't get lost and I could give it to her once she got home.

The later it got, the more anxious I was for my mother to come home. Billy came home, and Sarah still hadn't returned. I wasn't worried, no, more annoyed at the fact that she had probably found another really cool store and got to explore it without me. Billy laughed at my attitude, but I ignored him in favor of staring out the window.

Jacob was with Quil and Embry at Quil's house, Rebecca and Rachel were staying the night at Leah's, leaving me alone with Billy.

When the phone rang, Billy was the one to answer it. I was the one to witness the tears slide down his face, watch as he went into shock, watch as his entire body sagged with sadness as he received the news I never would have thought I would hear.

My wonderful, loving, caring, mother, had gotten in a car accident with a semi truck and been killed on impact.

-o-

now I can soon skip ahead a few years, and get started with the story. this, and part of next chapter should be the last ones on Rayna's backstory, and we can start getting into the main storyline. it won't be written like this for the entire story, because I don't lie writing like this and am only doing it because I don't need to go into much detail on her backstory. next chapter itll switch into a "regular" writing style :) thank you fir the follows and favorites, and thanks to leahmfknblack and xYaar for the reviews, theyre much appreciated!

-TheFlyingGraysons