Chapter 3, An Unusual Situation
Two days had passed since Mr. Swan's wedding and my mother was still riding the high of having something new to gossip about. I sat at the kitchen table after breakfast with my laptop. I was searching through local job openings while my mother walked around the house talking on the cordless phone to one of her friends. I sighed and rubbed my temple as she walked in and out of the kitchen discussing whether Mr. Swan would live on the reservation with Sue or keep his home in Forks. As much as I love her, I swear that sometimes I think my mother should have really been Jessica's mother.
Getting back to my job search, I wasn't really surprised that there wasn't anything here in Forks that caught my eye. I switched the location to Port Angeles and saw more job openings pop up, but again nothing that had anything to do with my major. Jobs like waitress, bartender, sales associate, and cashier were the majority of the postings. There was a posting for a receptionist at a tiny art gallery, but I don't imagine the pay would be that good for a gallery that was so small. The last posting on the website caught my eye, however. There was an opening for a columnist/photographer for the Port Angeles tourist magazine. Their magazines were ones that people picked up for free in the local boutiques and read through to find the best local shops, restaurants, and hiking trails. It wasn't anything glamorous, but it would be a good start for me. I copy and pasted the hiring manager's email into a new outbound message. After typing up a professional greeting and message of interest in the open position, I attached my updated resume and sent it off.
"There." I said aloud to myself.
"There what?" Mom asked as she came into the kitchen to place the phone back on the cradle.
"Oh, I just applied for a job." I responded nonchalantly and closed my laptop.
"That's great, dear. So what do you have going on today?"
"I think I'll go get some pictures out on the trails."
"Really? On a day like this?" She questioned doubtfully and looked out the window at the clouds overhead.
"It's not expected to rain today. Only cloudy and cold."
"Hmm, alright. Make sure your phone is charged and keep it with you."
"Okay." I stood up, grabbed my laptop, and left the room to go get dressed.
A little less than an hour later I was on my way. I made sure to pack my backpack with two water bottles, two granola bars, a small first aid kit, my cellphone, camera, and extra lenses. I figured any good shots I get today can be used in my portfolio. If I got an interview, then at least I can show them what I can do with a camera.
I drove down the 110 highway a little ways out of Forks. This highway would eventually lead to the Quiluete reservation, but I wouldn't drive that far. There was a lesser known trail right off the highway that I walked through a couple of times years ago. I pulled into the small dirt parking area and looked around. There were no other cars here, so there was probably nobody else on the trail. I got out and put on my backpack. I was a bit nervous about being here alone, but from what I've heard the animal attacks had stopped years ago.
Under the cover of the trees, it was like stepping into another world. Everything in the forest was green, my favorite color. Evidence of life was everywhere from the moss and ferns on the forest floor, to the birds tweeting high up in the tree canopy. I smiled to myself as I pulled my camera out of my backpack and followed the trail a little further in. I took a few shots of the trail and some close ups of the tiny flowers growing in the ground coverage. Humming with happiness, I walked on.
Eventually I came to where the trail ended at the bank of a creek and began again on the other side. The creek wasn't too wide, maybe about 7 feet wide, and the water would've only gone just above my ankles if I was to stand right in the middle. I took a beautiful shot of the creek and decided to sit for a while. A large rock right off the path made for a great seat and I sat my bag on the ground. I breathed in and out, relaxing at the sounds of the forest around me. I hadn't realized just how much I missed my home town until this moment.
Eventually I wondered if i needed more pictures and picked up my camera from where it rested next to my backpack. As I flipped through the pictures I had taken on my camera, I heard voices coming up the trail. A man's voice and a woman's voice. I strained to try to hear them better. No, I think there is more than one woman. From the tones of their voices it sounded like they were bickering.
"It's going to be fine." Came a feminine voice.
That last sentence came through the treeline clearly and just seconds later three people came into view. I recognized them right away, though I was confused by their presence. Jacob, Edward Cullen's niece Renesmee, and the beautiful platinum blonde cousin who picked them up at the wedding. I stood up once I saw them and they saw me.
"H- hi." I stuttered.
"Hello." Renesmee said. She had such a pretty, innocent, and airy voice. "I remember you from the wedding. You're Angela."
"Yes. Good memory." I smiled at the girl.
My eyes went right to the woman. Now that I was seeing her up close, I could confirm that she was definitely somewhere around my age. She was shorter than I was and she stood at her full height with unfathomable confidence. She was thin like I was, but her hips were a bit wider than mine. Her eyes were almost feline like, the corners of those eyes very sharp and defined. Even though her complexion and eye color matched the Cullens, something about her features told me she wasn't from here or Alaska.
The woman smiled at me as we looked at one another. With just a few graceful steps, she was directly in front of me.
"Hello." She said alluringly and held out a gloved hand. "I never got to introduce myself the other day. I'm Tanya."
I've always been really good at telling whether someone was good, and when they weren't. The feeling I got from Tanya was that she was fierce, but overall good. Jacob seemed to be guarded, but also good. Renesmee practically gave off her own angelic light.
"H- hi." I stuttered. "Sorry, but I didn't think the Cullens were still in town."
"Well Bella and Edward had a few things to take care of at her father's house, so we all stuck around a bit longer." She answered.
"Oh." I said in a low voice.
She and I stared at each other for another moment before Jacob cleared his throat.
"Sorry if we're disturbing you." Jacob said, obviously trying not to be awkward. "Tanya and Nessie were taking me back to the Rez, but then Nessie wanted to stop and walk the trail."
"No, no!" I said quickly. "I was just about done anyway. I should go."
I turned and grabbed my backpack from the forest floor. After I put the pack on I realized that I was still clutching my camera. I decided just to hold it in case I see something on the way back.
"I'll walk you back." Tanya offered.
"Oh, it's fine. You don't have to."
"I want to." She said simply, then turned to Jacob. "I'll be right back."
Jacob took in a breath and said, "Alright." Almost as if he was saying he would try to trust what she said.
She and I were silent for a few moments as we walked back to the car park. I felt awkward and nervous, but also happy to finally meet her. It had been a long time since someone made me feel this way and quite frankly I liked it. I did, however, find myself wondering why she was showing any interest in me at all. She was gorgeous and could probably have any man or woman she wanted. So, maybe I was seeing too much into it. Maybe she was simply being friendly. Yeah, that was it.
"Were you taking pictures?"
Her question broke through my thoughts. I looked at her and she pointed to the camera in my hand.
"Oh, yeah. Just got some nature shots for my portfolio."
"May I see?"
"Uh, sure." I turned the camera on and handed it to her.
She flipped through the pictures on the tiny screen as we walked. She was silent, tilting her head every now and again at pictures she paused on.
"Hmm." She hummed softly before saying, "You really see the beauty in the world, don't you?"
"There's beauty in things all around us. If people would only stop and pay attention, they would see it too."
"Truer words were never spoken." She smiled and handed the camera back. "Those are really good. Is this what you do for work?"
"No. Well not yet at least. I'm a new graduate and currently searching for a job."
"And this was your major? Photography?" She asked curiously. Guessing correctly.
"Yeah." I laughed nervously. "I guess I kind of hoped to get a job with a popular magazine or newspaper."
"I think you will some day. They cannot deny your talent."
"Thank you." I said quietly, but she seemed to hear me just fine. "So what you do, Tanya?"
"Well," she sighed, "I've bartended, made and sold clothes, a little of this and that."
"Bartending, huh? That sounds fun."
"It was fine. A bit annoying when the town drunks tried to get handsy, but I can handle myself."
I chuckled and I could see her smile from my peripheral. Something about her told me that she could indeed take care of herself and that she was probably stronger than she looked.
"I've actually done alot of traveling with my sisters." She continued. "Now that we're a little more settled, Bella wants me and my sister to go to college with her and Edward next year. I suppose I should."
"You've traveled? Where to? You must have seen alot of really cool things."
"I have seen alot." She sighed and continued "Russia, Germany, France, and England are places I've been to."
"Wow. That's amazing." I had a feeling there was more to the first part of her statement, but I wouldn't pry.
We walked in silence for another minute before finally arriving at the car park next to the highway. I walked over to my SUV and put my backpack in the back seat. When I turned around I found her standing just a few feet from me, which startled me slightly but I tried not to show it. Neither one of us said anything, we just looked at one another. It had gotten lighter out, though the sun was not completely out. Her skin seemed to glow out here away from the cover of the trees. It just made her all the more beautiful. Her beauty was almost unreal, like a living statue of a goddess. I tried hard not to stare, but it was a little difficult.
"Well," she started, knocking me out of my reverie. "It was really nice talking to you, Angela."
"Yes, same here." I said a little too quickly.
She smiled and held out a gloved hand. I took it and we shook hands. Her grip was very strong for such a small woman. I turned and opened the driver's side door and got in.
"Maybe we will speak again sometime." She suggested just loud enough for me to hear. Then she added, "If you'd like."
"That'd be great."
"Drive safe, Angela." And then she pushed shut the door for me.
I smiled and looked away to buckle up and start the car. When I looked back up through the window she was gone. I scanned the area and didn't see her anywhere. Had she already gone back up the trail? Just like the Cullen siblings, her movements were quick but careful. I shook my head and let it go as I pulled out of the dirt lot and headed home.
When I got home, I didn't feel like joining my family in whatever late afternoon activities they were doing. Not yet. Luckily when I got inside I found that mom was out with Mrs. Newton and my brothers were playing a video game in the living room. My dad wouldn't be home for another hour. I said hi to my brothers and went upstairs to my room. I shut the door behind me, hung my backpack on the back of the chair at my desk, and sat on my bed. After my encounter with Tanya today, it was time for me to sort out something about myself. I took in a deep breath, sat against my headboard, and stared out the window while I thought:
Okay, does Tanya interest me? Yes.
Why does she interest me? Her unearthly beauty, for one thing. Her smile too. But also the fact that she obviously has so much to say and to share, but for whatever reason she keeps it inside. I want to know her.
Do I see her in a romantic way? Well, each time we shook hands today my heart would start racing. Hell, she could simply look at me and my heart would race. The way she said my name did things to me that I hadn't felt in a while. So, yes.
So if I had the opportunity to kiss her, would I? I sat there and thought about it. Imagined myself delicately placing my hands on either side of her lovely face and bringing our lips together. I smiled to myself. Yes, I definitely would kiss her.
I brought my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them as I thought back to the first and formally only female that made me feel like this. Her name was Rhiannon Barnier and we met early in our Junior year. Rhiannon was a slightly curvy, 5'7" woman with beautiful dark skin, bouncy curly hair, and brown eyes that always seemed to express the excitement she held for life. Her style was like a relaxed bohemian kind of look. She was unique.
Rhiannon and I were partnered together for an art project a month into classes. We very quickly became friends. She helped me come out of my shell and become slightly more social than I was before. She dragged me to parties every weekend but would never ditch me once there. Almost every morning we got coffee together before classes started and we'd meet up for dinner afterwards. One day we were alone in her dorm room together when she asked me if I had ever dated a woman. I had never dated a woman before. I wasn't against it. She kissed me that day and from that point on we were together. We were in lust, but very quickly fell in love.
Everything came crashing down the last week of the school year. Rhiannon and I had made it back to her dorm room after a long day of classes and hanging with friends. I noticed she had been quiet and sad looking while we were with our friends, and it worried me. Was she tired of me? I finally got up the nerve to ask and found that it was not what I had expected at all. She told me that her aunt and her mother were in a car accident. Her aunt had died and her mother was in serious condition in the hospital. Rhiannon would have to go back home immediately to help her family. She wasn't going to be able to return next fall due to her mother's medical bills and having to help run the family restaurant.
We stayed together that last night. I helped her pack, we cried a little, we spent time together. When morning came we packed her bags into my SUV and I drove her to the airport. She didn't want me to wait with her, so I dropped her off at the terminal. We shared one last kiss and that was it.
I still missed Rhiannon very much when senior year started. In an effort to get over her faster, I jumped into a relationship with a guy named David Clarke. David was a tall, good-looking guy. He had blonde hair, blue eyes, and a tan. We were not, however, a good match. He was an artist, he was extremely vain, and way too into the idea of an open relationship. About two months into us seeing each other, I broke it off. I had a feeling he had already slept with another woman before then, but I didn't care because I just didn't care enough for him. Turns out he didn't care much either.
I brought myself back to the present and sighed. Scooting off my bed, I padded over to my camera and removed the SD card. I sat down at my desk, turned on my laptop, and inserted the card so I could evaluate my pictures from today. It had made me happy earlier when Tanya said I had talent. I too thought many of the pictures were good, but some will need some brightening up.
I wonder if I will see Tanya again, I thought to myself as I switched on my photo printer. I hope I do.