I do not own any of the Twilight characters. (:

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When Bracken woke the day after the funeral, the sound of rain pattering on the window drummed on her ears. She pulled the sheet up over her head and tried to concentrate on the noise, wanting to put up a shield against the memories. It didn't work. The funeral came rushing back, and by the time her mind had finished whirling her cheeks were wet.

Bracken pushed the sheet off her body. It fluttered to lie flat on the bed. She stretched and rubbed her face. Her eyes stung when she touched them. She was fairly sure she was a mess. She ran her hands through her thick hair and yawned, the stretching of her face only paining her eyes further. She took up the plastic-backed mirror and peered into it. The delicate skin around her eyes was red raw, and her eyelashes were stuck together. She sighed and raked her fingers through her hair again. It was tangled because she hadn't bothered to untie the plait from yesterday. She proceeded to do so.

She was still picking away at the knotted hair when Dr Cullen walked in, as usual making no noise as he approached her. She raised her eyes to flash a quick look at his face, to let him know she knew he was there, before going back to her work. If Dr Cullen noticed her dishevelled appearance, he didn't comment on it. "Well, Bracken, you're test results are back and I'm pretty sure you'll be okay to leave tonight, like we discussed," he said calmly.

Bracken would've punched the air if the situation had been different. The little hospital room held so many bad memories that she couldn't wait to be out. It was though it was filled with intoxicating smoke, as though she were still in that fire. She couldn't breathe here without inhaling an unwanted feeling, an image that would just make her cry again. This was why she wasn't going back to Seattle.

She had thought it over many times, but nothing inside her pushed her to return to her home. Everything there would be different. Her house would be half-charred and filled with police and forensic scientists. She could've stayed with Lucie and Jack, but she just couldn't muster up the effort. With Nurse Lewis's help, she had located a small, local bed and breakfast near the hospital, and arranged a stay. She would look into finding somewhere from permanent later. For now she just needed to clear her head, and returning to Seattle would just make things ten times worse.

Forks seemed like a nice enough town. Small. Everyone knew eachother, and she'd be the newcomer, which would be uncomfortable, but she'd have to deal with it. Bracken blinked, realising that Dr Cullen was still stood there. She forced the tightest knot free with a wince and then faked a smile at the doctor. "Okay. I'll pack my stuff ready. Thanks." He nodded and disappeared from the room. The smile, which was really more of a grimace, slid off her face as if the glue it had been stuck on with had abruptly melted.

Bracken got to her feet, swaying a little. She managed to steady herself faster than she ever had before. After the accident, anyway. Pride flared briefly in her chest, before the stone that was becoming familiar fell onto it, crushing away the life. Sadness tingled through her body and limbs, burning out at the ends of her fingers and toes, leaving behind a dull ache that she recognized from yesterday. She inhaled in preparation, and then ducked down to rifle through the cardboard box of rescued clothes she had been given. She hoped they had some shops in Forks. She was running dangerously low on garments.

She picked out a pair of dark jeans, and then picked through everything other item in the basket. She found just one shirt, an electric blue one with a bright yellow smiling face motif on the front. She smirked briefly at the irony, but threw it on top of the jeans anyway. It was better than nothing.

Bracken dressed herself quickly, shoving the dirty clothes she had slept in into a plastic bag somebody had provided, most likely the nurse. She reminded herself to thank Nurse Lewis before she left. Bracken picked up the box of clothes and upturned it so that the small stream of clothes slopped into the bag. It didn't take long for the spout to sputter to an end. Bracken then did the same with her other box of possessions, a even smaller, more dog-eared box. It contained four things.

One of these was her favourite necklace, which had a purple owl-shaped pendant. It had been rescued because Aden had taken it after an argument between them and hidden it in his room. Therefore it had not been burnt. Bracken rubbed her thumb over the shiny surface, cold sweeping over her skin as she thought of her poor little brother. She tied it swiftly around her neck, and then went on to examine the rest of the contents.

There was the one ornament that had lived through the fire in her bedroom. It a small well, each stone carefully crafted. A slight, white-skinned fairy with a pair of butterfly-like wings sat on the edge of the well, head rested on one hand. Her face was permanently painted in a dreamlike expression. She had been given the ornament as a present on her eighth birthday, and treasured it ever since. She was glad that it alone had not been destroyed, though it had needed meticulous cleaning and there were still traces of black on the surface.

After wrapping this in her mother's green cardigan and placing it in her bag, Bracken peered back into the box at the last two objects. She removed the floppy shape of a soft toy. It was a droopy dog with faded brown fur, which had rubbed off in places. It had belonged to Aden, who stubbornly told everybody he was too old for soft toys, but had always kept this one hidden. Its name was Brownie. Bracken cradled the toy to her chest, breathing in her brother's familiar, but now bittersweet smell. She used one of Brownie's fluffy paws to wipe away the single tear that escaped one of her eyes, and then placed him in the bag too.

The last thing in the box was book-sized and thin. It had been concealed by Brownie. Bracken placed her hands carefully underneath it and removed it, blowing on it gently to shift the dust. It was a photograph, set in a square-cut glass frame. The image was recent, from this summer. Bracken and Aden had gone to the beach with their parents. The picture had been taken in the evening, though it was hard to tell due to the brightness. The Bracken in the picture was sat on a low wall holding a lollipop, not looking at the camera. She was looking at her father, who had Aden on his back. Her father had forgotten that Aden was nine and getting heavy and he was getting older. He was staggering. The Bracken was laughing.

Her mother was on the edge of the picture, smiling, and her face tanned and radiant. Bracken touched the image with her fingertips. She was smiling, but tears ran down her cheeks. It was weird. She quickly wrapped the photograph in the biggest garment she could find, the black skirt she had worn to the funeral, and then added it to the bag. She was set.

Bracken dragged the brush through her thick tangle of hair until it was fairly tamed, and left it loose. It tickled her cheeks and fell over her eyes were her fringe had overgrown, but she didn't notice enough to care. She turned and pulled the sheet over the bed she had occupied for so many weeks, smoothening it. She studied it for a moment, thoughtful, before her eyes switched to the window. She sighed. The rain was still falling in a steady patter. It looked like her only sweatshirt with a hood was going to be getting wet.

She pulled the sky blue garment from the bag carefully, shrugging it on but not zipping it up. She glanced at the clock set into the cream-painted wall. It read three-forty five. She had woken up late, because the night had granted her no sleep whatsoever. She had finally been caught by slumber's web at about three in the morning, which was partly the reason for the irritation in her eyes.

The door pushed open, but nobody entered. He blinked, perplexed, before Nurse Lewis backed into the room, holding the door open with her back and pulling in an odd looking contraption. It took Bracken a moment to recognize the phone. It was one of those portable affairs you found in hospitals. Bracken got up from where she had perched on the edge of the bed. She would be glad to help the nurse, when she had been so kind over the past few weeks. She stumbled on the way, again forgetting that her brain still wasn't quite connected with her feet.

Bracken took hold of the other end of the phone and pushed it to her bedside whilst Nurse Lewis pushed. When they had accomplished this, the nurse smiled at her. "Thanks," she said with gratitude in her tone. "I brought this in case you wanted to make any calls."

Bracken thought about it. "I should probably phone Jack and Lucie," she mused, thinking to herself that she would much rather speak to Irisa. "But other than that... There's nobody. I just need a cab." Nurse Lewis laughed at Bracken's impatience. She quickly explained to her how to use the phone, before departing politely, not wanting to intrude on Bracken's conversation. Bracken removed the receiver and punched in the number, holding it to her ear while the tone buzzed away.

"Hello?" It was Irisa's voice on the other end of the phone. Bracken was relieved. She knew her old friend would understand her need to be away from Seattle. Lucie or Jack might have tried to persuade her to stay. "Hey Riss, its Bracken," she said into the receiver, sitting back on the bed and folding her legs under her body. "I just called to say that... Well... I'm getting out of the hospital today."

Irisa sounded gladdened on the other end of the phone, but there was a catch to her voice, as though she sensed that something bad was coming. "That's great, Brac! Bet you're glad to be out, huh? So, how are you, anyway?" Bracken smiled to herself at Irisa's attempt to conceal her concern with a casual attitude. "Yup, definitely. I'm okay. I'm trying not to think about..." She trailed off, not sure how to finish their sentence. "Anyway, Riss, I need to tell you something." There was no going back now. "I... I'm not coming back to Seattle." She waited for her friend's reaction, not as confident as she had been earlier.

There was a brief silence. "I... I can't say I'm surprised," came Irisa's voice. She sounded as though she was being honest. "I mean, I don't want you to go, but... You'll phone me, right? Where are you staying?" Bracken laughed a little at her friend. "Riss, you sound just like Lucie," she chuckled. "Of course I'll phone you, when I get the chance. I'm staying in a B&B in Forks. I'll be fine, Mother Hen." The word 'mother' made her flinch as it slipped from her mouth. "Oh, well, okay then, Brac..." Irisa replied on the other end of the phone. "I'm going to miss you so much. Who am I gonna spy on Luke with now, eh?" Bracken giggled weakly. The sound scared her.

"I should probably be going, Riss," she told her friend down the phone. "The B&B awaits. But I promise I'll phone you. As soon as. Tell Jack and Lucie not to worry, and say hi to the kids for me." Bracken thought of Mika and Damon as she said this. They didn't have a clue what was going on. "I will," Irisa promised. "Good luck, Brac. Talk to you soon, okay?" The last word was said as a mock threat. Bracken laughed huskily again. "Yes, yes. Bye, Riss!" After exchanging farewells, Bracken hung up. She felt strangely alone after she replaced the receiver.

It was time to get out of this place. Bracken slid off the bed and grabbed her plastic bag. She span on the spot once, drinking in the room for one last time. She would be so glad to wave goodbye to it. And that was what she did, literally, as she hobbled from the room.

In the corridor outside, she encountered Nurse Lewis and Dr Cullen, who had been coming to see her. "Off, are we?" Dr Cullen asked with a smile. Bracken nodded. "Well, good luck!" Nurse Lewis squeezed her shoulder as she said this. Bracken smiled a proper, heartfelt smile this time. "Thanks a lot, both of you," she said sincerely. "Thanks for everything." Nurse Lewis smiled once more, and then hurried on to enter the room that had been Bracken's.

"We might see eachother again," Dr Cullen said. "I live in Forks, too." Bracken blinked – she had guessed as much, considering the doctor had bothered to come to the funeral. "My children are about the same age as you. You'll probably meet them in school." Two things hit her at that moment. The first was school. She hadn't thought about school. She suppressed a groan. She couldn't put it off for long. The second was that Dr Cullen had children her age. She couldn't stop her mouth from falling open. How old was he? He didn't look much older than Nurse Lewis. He couldn't be any older than late twenties. Could he...?

The doctor seemed to notice, because he responded with a short laugh. "My wife and I adopted them," he told her. Bracken relaxed. "Um... That's nice," she said awkwardly, embarrassed. She hesitated, adjusting the plastic bag, and then smiled again. "I'd better go. Thanks again." She turned and continued down the corridor towards the lift, her cheeks still burning.

As the lift swooped downwards, Bracken reran over the recent events. She'd been trapped in a house fire, which had been focused on her bedroom. Her family had been killed in a strange attack on the same night. She'd woken up in a hospital on the edge of Forks some weeks later. She exhaled. This story was going to take getting used to. The loss of her family was going to be harder, though. She kept finding herself reaching out, thinking that everything would be fine; her mother would make it better, or her father. She kept wondering how Aden's day had went before remembering that he would never again burble a story to her.

Bracken stepped out of the lift as the doors slid open. There was an empty taxi outside. She increased her pace, but it still couldn't really be called running. She was gasping by the time she reached the car. She leant on the roof. "C... Could you t... take me to... To the Misty Valley Inn?" she said, her words broken. The driver nodded. Bracken opened the door and got into the car, pulling her bag in with her. The slam of the door as it shut made her jump. She breathed deeply to calm her nerves.

This was her new start. She was going to turn over a fresh, clean page. She was still Bracken Moore, of course. And she refused to forget about her family, and what had happened to them. She would always love them, but she had to move on. She couldn't dwell on her misery any longer.

This was the start of her new life.

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I hope everyone likes it so far.

(: