I was having fun writing, so here's chapter 1!
Sophia Swan stood at the kitchen counter, spreading apple butter on her toast. She took her time. She was eavesdropping on her father and her twin.
"Bella, honey," Dad said. "You're just not getting over him. You've done nothing for months. You go to school, come home, and study until you go to bed. The only break you take is to cook. I think you should visit your mother. Put some distance between yourself and his memory."
"What? Leave Forks? No! I want to stay with you, Dad."
"It's been four months, Bella," Dad pleaded. "I really think you need help."
"I'm staying. You know, Sophia never hangs out with anyone. You never bother her about it."
"That's normal for Sophia. It's not normal for you. You know that your sister has always liked animals more than people. And she has hobbies. She reads, which you don't do anymore. And she goes to the barn almost every day after school." Charlie sighed. "At least consider talking to someone. I can try to find a psychologist that will take our insurance."
"You want me to talk to a shrink?" Bella asked, offended.
"There's nothing wrong with needing help, Bells…"
"I'm fine. I'll make plans with the girls tonight. Catch a movie."
Dad gave in. "Alright, Bella. I've got to go to work. Have a good day at school, girls." Dad walked back into the kitchen and gave Sophia a hug, then put on his gun belt and walked out the door.
Sophia carried her plate of toast to the kitchen table.
"Not one word," Bella threatened.
Sophia was surprised. She'd seen more life in Bella in the past five minutes than in the previous four months combined.
"So what movie are you going to see, and who with?" Sophia asked innocently.
"Oh… I've heard there's some new horror movie out. I'll see if Jess is interested. Want to come?"
"No. You know I'm not interested in horror movies. You aren't either, as far as I'm aware. Why don't we see the new Disney movie instead?"
"I'm just in the mood for a horror movie." Bella shrugged and shoved a spoonful of cereal in her mouth, ending the conversation. When Bella finished her breakfast, she took her bowl and Sophia's plate to the sink.
"Thanks," Sophia said, and jogged up the stairs to her room to grab her backpack. She left if by the front door and went to dry the dishes that Bella had washed. Then they took their things to their truck and drove to Forks High.
After school, Sophia, Bella, and Jessica Stanley met at the truck.
"Are you coming, too?" Jess asked.
"No," Sophia replied. "Bella's just going to drop me off at home."
"I get shotgun then," Jess declared, hopping in.
"Not the barn?" Bella asked disinterestedly as she stuck the key in the ignition. That had been the original plan. Bella would drive Sophia to the barn, and Dad would pick her up when he got off work.
"Dad called during lunch. He's going to have to work late tonight. There's no one to take me home."
Bella nodded and started the truck.
"The barn?" Jess asked, curious.
"Yes. There's a small stable south of town. I groom and exercise horses, clean stalls and tack, and mend things. In return I get to board a horse there and have a lesson each week."
"Wow!" Jess said. "I didn't know you had a horse! I rode once, at my 10th birthday party. It was sooo scary. Do you race him?"
"No." Sophia smiled. "He's a retired racehorse, though. He had 10 starts, but he wasn't very good at it, so his owners rehomed him."
"Sophia will go on all day if you let her. I wouldn't ask her any more questions," Bella said.
"Do you have a horse, too?" Jess asked Bella.
Sophia snickered. "No. The summer after seventh grade, we went to Girl Scout camp. We got to do a trail ride while we were there. At the start of the ride, Bella asked if we would get to go fast. She was told no, of course. But near the end, on the way back to the barn, her trotted like three steps to catch up to the horse in front of it. You should have heard Bella scream!"
"So…." Jess said.
"So, no, Bella doesn't have a horse. She hasn't ridden since. Too scared!"
"Enough about me," Bella said hastily. "What's up with you, Jess? Still dating Mike?"
Sophia pouted and stared out her window. She didn't care about the high school drama scene. Jessica spoke almost non-stop the rest of the drive home. Darryl was dating Erin. Emma dumped Matt. Ethan was cheating on Olivia with Kayla. Mike was doing this, Mike wasn't doing that. Mike was so sweet, Mike was so dumb.
Sophia shoved the truck door open as soon as it came to a complete stop at the bottom of the driveway. She lugged her enormous backpack with all her textbooks out, and then gave the door a slam.
"Have fun!" she called. Jess waved and Bella nodded. Sophia walked up the driveway to the front door and pulled the spare key from its hiding place. She unlocked the door with the hidden key; then she locked it behind her, like any Chief's daughter would.
She settled upstairs in her bed with the latest Tamora Pierce novel, a Coke, and a paper plate full of leftover pizza.
Around 8 PM, she got up to take a break and grab another soda before Dad got home. He always felt the need to lecture her about her health if he caught her drinking two sodas in a row, so she needed to dispose of the evidence.
She groaned as she stepped out of the room. It had gone dark while she was reading, and she hadn't left any lights on downstairs. At the base of the stairs the light faded away, and she had to cross the pitch-dark living room to reach the light switch. The one by the base of the stairs didn't work. After sitting in her brightly lit bedroom, her eyes were not adjusted for the dark.
Half way through the living room, she heard something from the kitchen.
Clop.
The kitchen floor groaned as though someone had shifted their weight. Sophia froze, straining to see in the empty house. Hear heart pounded. She held her breath to hear better.
Clop.
Was the second sound closer than the first? Sophia hastily backed several steps towards the dimly lit staircase. But that was the wrong decision.
Clopclopthudthudthudthudthud
The thing crossed from the hard-floored kitchen to the carpeted living room, slamming into her. She flew back several feet and landed in a sprawled heap in the dim puddle of light at the foot of the stairs. The back of her head bounced off the bottom step. Lights flashed across her vision. Something grabbed her right shoe, the part of her closest to the darkness. She kicked with her other foot. Connected with a flash of pain in her ankle. She rolled over. Out of the corner of her eye she saw something fly upwards, away from her foot. She tried to scramble up the stairs, but her limbs wouldn't respond fast enough. Her left ankle flared with pain when she tried to put weight on it.
A car door slammed outside.
Her legs finally decided to cooperate. She shot upstairs, tripped once or twice. She burst into her room, slamming the door behind her. Was there anything nearby that she could use to block the door? Nothing that was easy for her to move. She rushed to her purse on her desk and pulled out her pepper spray. The cool feel of the cannister in her palm calmed her, and she turned towards the door.
"Sophie? Bells?" Dad called. Sophia hesitated for a second, then called back.
"Dad?" She walked to her door, opened it, and peaked down the stairs.
"Hey, Sophie.," he said. "Is Bells home yet?"
"No," Sophia replied. She could hear the quiver in her voice.
Dad could hear it too, and he came up the stairs, eyes crinkled in concern. He paused and smiled when he saw her holding her pepper spray.
"I'm sorry, kiddo. Did I scare you?"
"Yeah," Sophia sighed, attempting to laugh it off with a half-hearted chuckle. "I've just been sitting up here all day since I got home. I guess I was too lost in my book and wasn't expecting to hear someone outside."
"Tell you what. As an apology, I'll pull some fish fry out of the freezer and we'll get that started before Bella comes home and makes us eat something healthy."
They chuckled, this time an honest one on Sophia's part. They walked back downstairs together. Maybe Sophia had just run down the stairs too fast, slipped, and hit her head. Her scattered brain had created the rest.
Dad pulled a packet of fish out of the freezer and put it in the microwave. Just to be sure, Sophia checked the back door and first floor windows. All were closed and locked. If someone had been there, and fled when Dad arrived, there was no way they could have locked the doors behind them.
Sophie wandered back into the kitchen and pulled a can of green beans from one of the cabinets.
"So, how was your day?" Dad asked.
"My English teacher assigned us an essay. But the calc teacher decided to forgo homework this weekend, so it balances out. And I heard a lot of gossip from Jessica Stanley on the way home, if you're interested." She grinned.
"Jessica Stanley?"
"Yeah, she's the one going to the movie with Bella. Say, did you know Bella likes horror movies now?"
"Um. No?"
"Well, that's what she said they were going to see."
"I take it that's why you're here and not with them," he teased.
"Yep. I'd like to sleep tonight."
The microwave beeped. Dad went to put the dethawed fish in the oven.
"Well, I'm going to watch the game. Interested?" he asked.
"Nah. I'll finish my book."
Dad was still on the couch, and Sophia was reading at the table, when Bella got home twenty minutes later.
"Fish?" she asked, sniffing the air. "We had pizza last night. I was planning on having salads."
"Lighten up, Bella. It's a Friday. No one eats healthy on a Friday night," Sophia said.
Dad turned the volume down and came to the kitchen.
"I'd love to have a salad tomorrow, Bells, if that's alright," he said. Sophia could tell that Dad was placating Bella. She hadn't bugged them about their diet since Edward left, and Dad was encouraged at this hint of normal behavior.
"Sure, Dad," Bella said.
"At least I pulled green beans out for tonight," Sophia said as a truce. Bella gave her the faintest of smiles. Sophia didn't know what had gotten into Bella today, but she didn't care. Come to think of it, it actually was nice to have a sister with some personality instead of a zombie.
"So. How was the movie?" Sophia asked.
"It was pretty bad. We should have seen the Disney movie instead."
"I told you so. Next time I pick the movie. If you can't sleep tonight, don't come crying to me."
"Shut up and put the beans in the microwave. The fish will be done in five." Bella gave Sophia a gentle shove.
"As my queen commands." Sophia bowed and did as ordered. "But this means you have dish duty."
Bella flopped in a chair and slapped the table with her palm.
"I'm waiting for my supper, peon!"
Dad turned off the TV and joined them for dinner.
After Sophia turned off her light, she rushed to her bed and dove under the covers. She still felt the childhood sense of safety. Everyone knew that the monsters couldn't get you once you were tucked in bed. Unless you were foolish enough to leave a limb hanging over the edge.
She had decided that The Thing was a figment of rattled brain. But the dark room brought back memories, and her eyes darted from side to side. She eventually closed them and slowed her breathing. She needed her sleep. Weekend barn chores started early.
That night she dreamed. She cruised through the forest on four legs, breathing in and out to test for scents. But the air was still and carried nothing to her. Snarls split the air somewhere ahead. She quickened her pace, curious.
A black man stood facing a pair of wolves. One wolf was dark grey, the other black. Another pair of wolves howled in the distance.
The most astonishing thing was the wolves' size. At the shoulder, they were almost as tall as the man.
The man had seemed ready to fight two wolves, but apparently, he didn't like his odds against four. He turned and fled. The first pair of wolves gave chase, and the second sang their approach.
Sophia followed, wondering what to do. Defend the man? Join the chase? It was only a dream, after all. The game excited her, and there was no harm in giving in. And the wolves were gorgeous unusual creatures that piqued her curiosity. The other wolves, a brown and a white, caught up to the pair. The four surged ahead together. The black and the grey had been holding back, staying close enough to the man to avoid losing him, but waiting for their companions to add to their strength.
The man noticed that the wolves were gaining. He suddenly changed directions. The wolves followed the man, and Sophia followed the wolves. The wolves fanned out. One by one they would speed up, nip at the man's heels in an attempt to trip or flank him, and fall back when he lashed out. The teamwork was flawless.
The man became used to their one-by-one testing. The brown wolf to the far right took his turn to nip at the man, and the man slapped at the brown's muzzle. But as soon as the man had started to turn, the black wolf on the far left lunged and sunk his teeth into the man's left thigh. The man made a desperate leap into the air. He caught hold of a branch half way up a tree. The black wolf still clung to his thigh. The man repeatedly swung himself from the branch like a gymnast to bash the hanging wolf into the tree. The others circled below, unable to lunge without risk of biting their swinging comrade by mistake.
The wolf let go. The man began to spring from treetop to tree top. The wolves paused for a second to make sure the black one was okay, and they continued the chase.
A breeze formed, finally delivering information to Sophia's nose.
The scent hit Sophia like a freight train. The wolves stank. It shocked her back to reality. Here she was, content to watch a man be murdered by a bunch of animals. They were impressive, yes, but still animals. The man's life was more important. She was angry at herself for being so lost to reason.
By this point, Sophia had forgotten that she herself was running on four legs. She had even forgotten that she was dreaming.
She surged ahead, gaining ground on the white wolf that was nearest to her with every stride. She was faster. She was stronger. She felt powerful, enraged. Deadly silent. Or maybe the wolves were just too lost in their chase to notice their own pursuer.
She stretched her neck, reaching, reaching, gaining, gaining, almost… There! She grabbed the wolf by his back leg, crushing the bones in her jaws. She dug her feet into the ground, sliding to a stop, and she flung the wolf into a tree. He yelped in pain and shock. Sophia screamed in rage, drunk on the power that flowed through her veins.
"Sophie! Wake up!" Someone was shaking her shoulder.
Sophia sat up, still screaming, and tried to punch the face that hung over her.
The person cursed and stepped out of reach.
"It's okay, Sophie. It's me!"
Sophia panted, staring at her in confusion.
"Sophie?"
Understanding crashed on her like a bucket of cold water.
"Bells?"
"Yeah. You okay? You scared the crap out of me. I'm the one that's supposed to wake up screaming. I've never heard you scream before." Bella paused. "You didn't even watch the horror movie." Bella looked at her expectantly.
"Sorry. I don't know what that was. Maybe even the thought of a horror movie is enough to give me nightmares." Or maybe the tumble down the stairs had addled her brains.
"It's alright. I'm just glad I didn't get punched."
"What's going on here?" Dad asked from the doorway.
"I was getting a good night's sleep for once, and Sophie decided to ruin it by having my nightmare for me."
"Really? That was you screaming, Sophie?"
"Apparently."
"She tried to punch me, too."
"Did she connect?" Dad asked.
"No."
"Did Renee have you two take martial arts classes in Phoenix?"
"No."
"Hm. Maybe that's something to consider. Now let's go back to bed. Are you alright, Sophie?"
"Yeah, I'm good."
He hesitated. "Are you sure? You were a little flighty when I came home, now that I think about it."
"The mere thought of me seeing a horror movie made her jumpy," Bella announced, obviously proud that the movie hadn't interrupted her sleep.
Dad relaxed. "Alright, girls. Goodnight."