The scenery flashed by at a rate only fast enough to blur the colours together, which shifted through shades of green like a pattern. The sky was overcast, as I had been assured it would usually be, and a thin mist hung softly over the trees.
The taxi I was sitting in turned down a road, a few houses on each side. After a moment we were past those as well, and the scenery changed back to the blend of green that seemed to be everywhere in this little town. A moment later a small gray house appeared through the mist, and if the there had been fog it would have been near impossible to see. I turned my head and looked out the rear window, and as I had expected the houses nearest to us weren't visible. I turned back around in time to see the front of the house before the taxi came to a stop. Nodding a word of thanks I got out, only turning to drop the correct amount of money into his hands before heading towards the trunk.
With some effort I managed to get both of my suitcases out, and the second the trunk slammed shut the taxi drove off, disappearing into the damp gray. Turning back to the small house I glared at it for a moment before sighing and fishing the key out of my pocket. I took two steps towards the door before I stumbled, nearly making impact with the front steps but managed to catch myself. This didn't improve my mood any, and I carefully made my way up the steps and to the front door, leaving my suitcases abandoned in the drive way.
The key turned noisily in the lock, giving a high pitched creaking noise that made me flinch before it swung open. The dark hallway was completely straight, an opening on both the right and left sides and what looked like stairs straight ahead. I held my breath and listened hard, but heard nothing in the house. I let out my breath and removed the key from the lock, sticking it back in my pocket. I turned around to get my things from the driveway, but my foot caught on the rug and I tripped, landing heavily on the wooden floor with a thud.
With a hiss I got back up, shaking myself a bit before peering outside. There was no sign of people there, and it wasn't possible that the house could be seen from the street, let alone the other houses. I shrugged off my jacket, letting it fall to the floor as the familiar sensation rushed through me, and I reveled in the feeling of the weight on my back while the rest of me felt lighter. I sighed in relief before stepping outside, the cool air hitting me as I made my way back down the drive way. Now the suitcases didn't feel heavy at all, and I slung my carryon over my shoulder and picked up a suitcase in each hand. My balance was much better now, and I kicked the door shut behind me while placing the cases on the floor, letting my other bag slide off my shoulder.
The hallway itself seemed much brighter now, and I could see that the room that branched off to the right was a kitchen, the one on the left being a living room. Curious, I made my way into the kitchen, which was painted a cheery yellow and had several mismatched chairs. I bent down and opened the fridge, pleased that it was working. Another door branched off near the back of the kitchen, and it opened to reveal a laundry room, the washer and drier rather new. I padded over to the living room, where a threadbare sofa was facing a small television, and I made a face. The television probably wouldn't be used, and it bothered me that it was wasting space in the house, as well as driving up the electricity bill.
The upstairs wasn't very exciting; one bathroom and two bedrooms. I would only use one of the rooms, and I chose the one with a large window and the blue walls. A desk was on one side of the room, a bed on the other. The small closet would have plenty of space for my meager number of clothes, as well as enough space for the suitcases.
Deciding that I should unpack and probably go grocery shopping, I stepped back into the hall and caught my reflection in the hallway mirror. I looked at the sharp angles of my face, pale skin and red lips, and grinned at my pure black eyes. With a soft ruffle the dark golden brown feathers came into view of the mirror, and I smiled at the wings that were set on my back. I folded them against my back again, the feathers brushing the ground as I walked down the stairs. Picking up the suitcases with ease, I deposited them back into my room before heading out the front door.
After a moments thought I remembered where the grocery store was, and I debated whether or not to fly there. Deciding I'd rather not call another taxi and that I wasn't quite ready to part with my wings again, I beat them quickly and rose into the air with ease. After rising above the clouds and out of sight it took no time at all to land in the forest that bordered the store, as it did everything else in this town.
The parking lot was near empty, the only cars filling it looking as if they were either ancient or about to fall to pieces. I wrinkled my nose at them before shutting my eyes and twisting my neck to the side as the familiar pain of the bones in my face shifted back into the more human look, and the wings on my back retreated to their non-existent state. The colours and sounds dimmed as I did so, and a sigh escaped me. I ran a hand through my hair before stepping out of the forest and into the bleak parking lot.
The doors slid open with a slight creaking noise and the warmth of the grocery store hit me in a wave, and a bright red sign welcoming me to Robert's Groceries hanging from the ceiling. With a bit of effort I managed to dislodge a shopping cart out of the mess of others that covered the floor space of a lonely corner. Pushing it into the main part of the store, I discovered that unfortunately there were several humans in the store, more so then I had thought, and they all turned to look at me as I passed. A blush raced across my cheeks like wildfire as I caught their eyes following my every movement. In a town such as this, everyone knew everyone and I was obviously an outsider. I tried to gather what I needed as quickly as possible, and I finally found an aisle empty of people.
After dropping a box of cereal into the cart I headed towards the freezer section, and I caught my reflection in one of the glass doors. I stared at the round faced, wide eyed girl that stared back at me, complete with red cheeks and flat brown eyes. I glared at her, curling my lips back to show my teeth, which weren't sharp looking in the least. Letting my lip fall back I just shot the reflection another glare before turning and stomping towards the checkout, only having added the essentials to my cart. I could get the rest later. The lady at the checkout smiled warmly at me, and I did my best to smile back.
"You must be new here, I haven't seen you around." She said cheerily, and I gave her a quick nod. "I'd suggest you get some warmer clothes, you'll freeze in that shirt you're wearing." I looked down to see what she meant, and realized that I hadn't brought a jacket to hide the fact that my shirt was almost completely backless. "It's not going to get any warmer for quite a few months."
"I'll be sure to do that." I assured her, paying and snatching up the bags before quickly heading for the door.
"See you around!" She called after me, and I ignored her as I stumbled into the cold.
I stood in front of the store for a moment, just staring out into the rain, hoping I could handle living here for a while. I had never lived in a small town such as this, where everyone knew everyone and nothing was private. The best thing I could do was to try and stay unnoticed, and hope that no one took a notice of me. At least there was plenty of forest I thought bleakly, looking out into the dark green woods. That brightened my outlook a bit, until I realized I had to go to school the next day.
Hope you enjoyed. I promise that more will be explained soon, but I will say that Bella is not human and not a vampire either. Why would she be in a grocery store otherwise?
Reviews are enjoyed. ;)
Lily